SHROPTALK The Newsletter of the Shropshire Sheep Breeders’ Association Winter 2018/19 SHROPSHIRE SUCCESSES AT THE ENGLISH WINTER FAIR It was great to see five pairs of Shropshire lambs competing at the English Winter Fair - one of the country’s major pre-Christmas Prime-Stock shows. This event, held at the Staffordshire County Show-ground, is a shopwindow for all the main meat breeds, so it was tremendous to have a good turnout of Shropshires there. The Shropshire class was won by a pair of May-born wether lambs from the Millenheath Flock. The breed society’s Council would like to thank all the Shropshire contestants - Jeanette and Robert Hares (Millenheath), Anne Harvey (Roydon), Glynis Llewellyn (Harvest) and Madders and Johnson (Blackheath) for representing our breed. Shropshires also enjoyed success in the carcase competition, with a lamb from Madders and Johnson’s Blackheath Flock taking third place in the class for native British breeds - an excellent achievement! (Main photo by Claire Jakeman, carcase shot by Jeanette Hares). NEWS FROM THE AGM AND NOVEMBER COUNCIL MEETING THE Society’s AGM was held on 24th THE RAM EFFECT November at Sandwell Park Farm, West By Alison Schofield Bromwich. Thirty six members attended. With this ShropTalk you will The breed society had a good year with receive a copy of the second income exceeding expenditure by more than edition of the Critical Selection £4,000. The Registrar reported that pedigree booklet. registrations appear to be levelling off, Changes include some although 34 new flocks were formed last updated pictures to make faults year. She gave a presentation about the and good points easier to see importance of selecting good rams, which is and a new section on choosing reproduced following this news item. your flock replacements kindly written by Harvey Clay. I CHANGES TO COUNCIL & OFFICERS would like to thank Sue Helen Forsyth and Peter Geddes joined the Shimwell for her help with the Council. Anne Harvey and Jeanette Hares booklet. We also decided to stepped down from Council, having move the Show Preparation completed their terms of office. Jeanette also section to a new booklet which stepped down as Publicity Officer and will is currently in its draft form. be replaced by Yvette Openshaw. Patrick I cannot emphasise enough Delaney is also stepping down as Irish the importance of selecting Coordinator and a replacement will be your replacement stock both appointed in due course. Rosie Lee takes up female and more importantly a new post as Youth Coordinator. All other male. For example if you kept officers agreed to remain in post. At the a female with a minor fault, Council meeting following the AGM, Barry you can breed from her and see Hodson was re-elected as President of the if the fault replicates itself in SSBA for the coming year and Alison the Schofield was re-elected as Vice President. Continued on page 3/… SSBA TROPHY WINNERS SELECTING FLOCK REPLACEMENTS The ears should be short and not droopy or 1 By pricked up. There should be no white on the cheeks or jowls. The skin should be cherry Harvey Clay pink with a good tight fleece. If you are buying replacements always talk to the breeder and if possible visit the farm to see the flock in its surroundings. Find out if lambs are grass reared or have been creep fed; are they singles or twins and what time of year were they born. Will they fit with your flock management? Sheep reared intensively may not thrive under harsher conditions. Consider the health status of the sheep; are they Maedi Visna accredited or Scrapie 2 Monitored. If not accredited, does the flock carry out any screening tests for MV, Johne’s or other diseases? Have the sheep been vaccinated against clostridial diseases, abortion or foot rot? In a high risk year, THE process of selecting flock vaccinations against Blue Tongue and replacements should start when the lamb Schmallenburg would also be important. is born, whether you are keeping the Is the flock Signet recorded or can the replacement yourself or planning to sell it owner produce their own figures showing to another flock. growth rates and performance at market. To produce an easily managed and These figures can be used to compare productive flock, replacements should be sheep, and should only be taken into 3 born preferably unaided to fit healthy ewes account after the more important factors of with a good supply of colostrum and good good conformation and correct breed mothering ability. characteristics. If these lambs suckle well in the first few We are all still trying to breed the perfect hours of life, and have a plentiful supply of sheep, but when selecting replacements milk in the coming weeks they should grow keep only the best to improve your flock. well and have good resistance to disease. The rest will all taste very good! Do not select replacements from lambs that were weakly at birth, or have not grown well, or pet lambs unless these have performed in line with the best of the flock. Keep good flock records and weigh lambs USE OF SIGNET RECORDS regularly; at 8 weeks as an indication of the The SSBA runs a performance ewes’ performance, and then regularly recording scheme called The 4 every 3-4 weeks, which will indicate the Shropshire Breed Improvement lambs’ own genetic potential. Scheme. This is based on the well- Bear in mind that single lambs are k n o w n Signet Performance generally larger and grow faster than twins. Recording Scheme – used by many Twins often catch up by the time they are sheep and beef breeders in the UK to 12 months old. Twins are, however, more identify animals that are genetically likely to produce twins. This is especially superior for desirable traits. so if their dams were also twins. Under the Signet system, Shropshire Once the potential replacements are breeders measure and record the identified then the real selection process performance of their flocks. These starts. breeders collect data such as the weight of lambs at birth and at 8 weeks old; the 5 GOOD CONFORMATION number of lambs born and raised by Lambs should have good conformation; a each ewe, and the carcase conformation long strong broad back with no dip behind of lambs. Carcase traits are measured the shoulder. Good legs not turning in or by ultrasonic scanning in the loin area out, with the hind legs not too straight, and of the live lamb. short pasterns strong enough to support the All the performance information sheep. The feet should have two evenly gathered by the breeders is sent to sized toes, which are not cracked or Signet, who use a specialised computer deformed. The tail should be set up well on program to calculate the genetic Presented by the SSBA’s President Barry the rump. potential of all lambs, ewes and rams in Hodson at the AGM: 1.Anne Harvey winner Lambs should conform to the Breed recorded flocks. This program is able to of the Piddington Trophy for points won in Characteristics as described in the official recognise genetic links between related Shropshire breed showing classes, 2.Ellie breed description in the flock book. These animals, which improves the accuracy Russell winner of the President’s Trophy for are the true flock type and must be adhered of the evaluations. points won in Any Other Breed classes and to as we are only custodians of the breed It can also identify genetic linkage the Junior Members’ Hornpipe Quaiche. 3. and we must not alter it. between relatives in different recorded Charles Morris - Novice Trophy winner. 4. The head should not be pointed and flocks, allowing comparisons between Sue & Mark Shimwell, Halls Small Flock should have a good covering of wool with flocks to be made. Trophy. 5. Liz Bowles Hardwicke Trophy for no black between the ears or on the top of the Sansaw Sidedowns Most Prolific Ewe the head. Award. BREED IMPROVEMENT SCHEME EVALUATIONS 2018 THE RAM EFFECT Continued from page 1 THE Shropshire Breed Improvement The SBIS is pleased to welcome five new Scheme (SBIS) completed another subsidised flocks in 2019. However, all next generation, if it does, not too much successful year, with 15 flocks SSBA members are welcome to join the harm has been done. If that fault was in a participating. This is the 12th season that scheme at any time - please contact the male, a whole generation can be affected. members of this breed society have been SBIS coordinator, Pippa Geddes, for more I would like to demonstrate this by way enrolled on the Signet recording scheme, i n f o r m a t i o n : 0 1 7 4 3 7 4 1 6 8 9 , of three graphs: The first graph (on page which evaluates the performance of sires, [email protected]. 1) shows that 584 different rams have been dams and lambs. Signet will be making some used on the national flock in the last 5 Once again, the breed averages moved improvements to its evaluations this year, years, siring over 18000 sheep in those 5 forward: The Maternal Plus Index so there will be a meeting for SBIS years, the majority have sired less than 40 (calculated from maternal, carcase and m e m b e r s i n t o e x p l a i n h o w t h e sheep each. However, a few have been growth traits) reached 180, while the performance figures will be affected. more prolific and hence more influential in Terminal Sire Index (just growth and carcase the national flock.15 of these have sired traits) climbed to 173.