RAM SALES
SEPTEMBER 2008
Six price groups of rams are offered to aid selection. All offer excellent value.
- Red Group rams are available at $500 + GST first-in best–dressed. These rams are unrecorded but are sired by our top rams from ewes which principally were in our recorded flock the previous year but were replaced by maiden ewes. Being mature 3 to 5 yo ewes they have produced very impressive progeny, and these red tag rams are excellent value at $500 + GST.
A small group of these rams are priced at $450 + GST and are very nice rams.
Pictured (right): One of 28 red tag Coronga rams available at 24/11/08 for $500 + GST.
The 4 price groups of recorded rams have ASBV figures which can be viewed by clicking on each group.
If you need help to understand the advantages of Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV) read on and/or click here to view independant trials by NSW DPI.
ASBV
Growth ASBVs: SELECTING A TERMINAL SIRE
A ram with an extra 2 Kg in post weaning weight growth ASBV (PWT) indicates his lambs will be an average of an extra 1 kg heavier at about 6 months of age. This usually means an extra 0.46 kg dressed weight. When lambs are worth $4.20 per kg DW this means an extra $2 per lamb for each 2 kg PWT ASBV of the ram.
Therefore a ram with an extra 8 kg in PWT ASBV can mean an extra $8 per lamb.
If a ram is joined at 1.3% to ewes or 1 ram to 80 ewes and ewes have 130% lambs ( 1st x ewes ), then 1 ram has over 100 lambs per joining, and if rams average 3.5 joinings, 1 ram produces 350 lambs.
So a ram with an extra 8 PWT ASBV can return an extra $2800 (350 x $8).
Terminal rams joined to Merino ewes at 1 to 80, and weaning 85% lambs gets about 240 lambs in a working life.
If there is a Growth ASBV difference of say 6 then the returns could vary by 240 x 3 x $2, giving a total difference of $1440 when lambs are $4.20 per kg DW.
The advantages of high growth ASBVs can be calculated as above, and these advantages are independant of the benefits of leanness (fat) and muscling ASBVs.
Try the exercise with Your inputs.
These examples illustrate the weight for age advantage of superior growth genetics. An alternate way to capture the value of growth genetics is that lambs reach a target weight quicker so you get them off the farm freeing up feed resources for the ewe flock and in cropping districts this may mean more lambs marketed before your focus turns to harvest.
FAT ASBVs
Most Coronga rams are negative for fat. It is inefficient for lambs to produce fat instead of muscle, because it takes 4 times as much energy to produce a kilo of fat compared to a kilo of muscle.
The selection of rams with negative fat ASBVs is desirable. However many producers select away from leanness and it is not as important if the rams are being joined to Merinos or very lean breeds of ewes.
At Coronga we are pleased in the 2007 drop to have significantly increased growth and muscle without increasing leanness. This results in more profitable rams, although the carcase plus figures may not be maximised.
For production of lambs with Dressed Weight 20 to 22 kg the leanness required for sires is believed to be optimum at around –0.5.
For export lambs > 24 kgs DW fat for sires is believed optimum at –1.0.
EYE MUSCLE ASBVs
Muscling is an important trait in ram selection. Production of meaty lambs is important, particularly where sale by appraisal is used. Processors are now looking at carcase yield and paying premiums.
A positive eye muscle ASBV is desirable in most cases, particularly for trade lambs, and where merino or lighter muscled breeds of ewes are used.
1st x and 2nd x ewes are generally better muscled and therefore the EMD ASBV of the ram is less important but it is still an advantage to increase carcase muscling.
Coronga sheep are significantly above the White Suffolk LAMBPLAN averages for muscling. The Coronga 2007 average Pemd of 1.07 is compared to the White Suffolk average Pemd of 0.5.
For producers selling lambs over the hook, the profits from higher carcase yields and premiums for muscling can be considerable.
Most Merino ewes in particular produce better lambs when joined to higher muscling rams.
LAMBPLAN Carcase Plus Index indicates the advantage for producing lambs to Post Weaning 5 to 7 months, with 60% emphasis on Growth, 20% on muscling and 20% on (negative)fat.
