Guess the latest breed?

[reverand]

Aberfield is a TexXBFL?

Nothing new there... and not something Innovis invented. Know someone not far from me was breeding/using those rams in the 80's

Fair do. Doesn't mean they are no good. I have never fed the tup and it looks as good as the day I bought it, never looses condition. It has tipped 200 ewes in two years and sired 300 lambs. Nothing extraordinary there but there are plenty of tups that couldn't do any of that.

 

[MJT]

Abertoomanyfingersintoomanypies

Agree with @CopperBeech, fear they are losing sight and marketing something new every year instead of focusing on the original successful genetics.

Aberdale selection catalogue came with barely 30 Rams in it. Whereas the amount of aberfield and abermax and primera Rams for sale at multiple sales is ridiculous in comparison.

 

[Al R]

Aberfield is a TexXBFL?

Nothing new there... and not something Innovis invented. Know someone not far from me was breeding/using those rams in the 80's

I know someone who won't touch anything Aber, and has crossed his prized winning BFL ram on a pile of top class texel's. He doesn't know how to read EBV's yet can breed some of the best showing stock in the country with all of the breeds he runs.

What about AberCachi? @GTB

 

[reverand]

would a decent Border Leicester not do that job?

I have used one and it did throw great lambs but 20% were entropic, you could blame the individual tup but it did put me of

 

[glensman]

I have used one and it did throw great lambs but 20% were entropic, you could blame the individual tup but it did put me of

That is a fault in the breed, the breeders made a complete horlicks out of them when they had no competition.

 

[reverand]

That is a fault in the breed, the breeders made a complete horlicks out of them when they had no competition.

It's a shame because they were grand lambs

 

[GTB]

Aberwebbedfeet would sell well this year!

 

[Nithsdale]

Fair do. Doesn't mean they are no good. I have never fed the tup and it looks as good as the day I bought it, never looses condition. It has tipped 200 ewes in two years and sired 300 lambs. Nothing extraordinary there but there are plenty of tups that couldn't do any of that.

Wasn't knocking what Innovis breed...


More how the 'marketing machine' works.


They are doing very little new, IMO. But like Mercedes cars... they have a name/brand/image and market power. Some people are drawn in by that and part with £££££'s for something which is, with the greatest of respects, a cross bred tup... next door neighbour could use the same genetics and breed the same tups, but they can't use Aber... and ask the high prices

 

[GTB]

Wasn't knocking what Innovis breed...


More how the 'marketing machine' works.

Nail on head. I know a few farmers locally who use their rams and they do a good job. It's just that with farming so close to them we take some of their claims with a pinch of salt.

 

[ford4000]

Wasn't knocking what Innovis breed...


More how the 'marketing machine' works.


They are doing very little new, IMO. But like Mercedes cars... they have a name/brand/image and market power. Some people are drawn in by that and part with £££££'s for something which is, with the greatest of respects, a cross bred tup... next door neighbour could use the same genetics and breed the same tups, but they can't use Aber... and ask the high prices

When will the Aberfield stop being a crossbred tup? I think they are in their 5th generation of being bred "pure" now!

I have 3 with the oldest going into his 5th tupping season this year. Always hold their condition well and their lambs fatten as easy as the texel cross lambs....but not got the shape though

 

[gatepost]

Why does the cynic in me think you work for innovis and are fishing the wealth of knowledge on here for a new breed and brand...





I suggest the Aberspade. It's just a BFL, but it can dig its own fecking hole

Nothing could be further from the truth, I'm just starting to really look forward to the next best thing since Abersliced bread.

 

[glensman]

It's a shame because they were grand lambs

I was talking to a neighbour of one of the biggest sheep farmers in the north east antrim area, he told me this man sold all his mule ewe lambs and bought in greyfaces for his own use. Make of that what you will!

 

[Nithsdale]

Nothing could be further from the truth, I'm just starting to really look forward to the next best thing since Abersliced bread.

Pick a breed, any breed.


Now, pick another.


Wave a magic wand:


It's an Aberwhatthefeckisthat

 

[CharcoalWally]

I was talking to a neighbour of one of the biggest sheep farmers in the north east antrim area, he told me this man sold all his mule ewe lambs and bought in greyfaces for his own use. Make of that what you will!

Unless they've changed from what they once were I'd suspect a lower lambing % , heavier skins and a narrower lamb.

When they disappeared over here they really disappeared.

 

[glensman]

Unless they've changed from what they once were I'd suspect a lower lambing % , heavier skins and a narrower lamb.

When they disappeared over here they really disappeared.

why a narrower lamb, a border is a wider sheep than a blue?

 

[glensman]

Unless they've changed from what they once were I'd suspect a lower lambing % , heavier skins and a narrower lamb.

When they disappeared over here they really disappeared.

they've disappeared over here too but there is a core of greyface breeders who stick at them, a losing battle I'm sure.

 

[neilo]

I have used one and it did throw great lambs but 20% were entropic, you could blame the individual tup but it did put me of

Funnily enough, I know someone that used a number of Aberfield Rams in a mob and reported the same. Of course it could have been down to one rogue tup amongst that mob, but it was one of the things that put him off too iirc.
I don't consider Entropion to be a breed problem particularly, more a breeder/lack of culling on functionality/chasing short term income problem. It occurs in all breeds occasionally I suspect, but some breeders see it has a culling fault, others treat it & leave go.
I don't suppose 'Abereyelid' would be a particularly good seller though.

 

[CharcoalWally]

why a narrower lamb, a border is a wider sheep than a blue?

Not as they were. The Border were even narrower than the Blue when they were last here. Their two hind legs used to brush together they were so narrow and they had absolutely no gigot at all. A move from Greyface ewes to Mule ewes saw an immediate rise in lamb conformation.

That added to their reduced lambing % finished them off.

 

[Al R]

Funnily enough, I know someone that used a number of Aberfield Rams in a mob and reported the same. Of course it could have been down to one rogue tup amongst that mob, but it was one of the things that put him off too iirc.
I don't consider Entropion to be a breed problem particularly, more a breeder/lack of culling on functionality/chasing short term income problem. It occurs in all breeds occasionally I suspect, but some breeders see it has a culling fault, others treat it & leave go.
I don't suppose 'Abereyelid' would be a particularly good seller though.

Pink eye that had been "treated" cost us over 2k when we bought 1. He's lame as anything at the moment so hopefully this years mating will kill him off.

 

[neilo]

Nothing could be further from the truth, I'm just starting to really look forward to the next best thing since Abersliced bread.

I'm sure their marketing focus groups will be grateful for the suggestions this thread has generated for them. They were probably starting to run out of names to give to the various crosses in development, and now they've got a few more to go at....