Setting your breed objectives with Simon Thomas from Silk Southdowns

Setting your breed objectives – Simon Thomas To set your breeding objectives ask yourself the following question and write down your answers:Question 1: Why breed sheep? Apart from the usual answers like “I enjoy the challenge” or “sheep chose me” you need some underpinning factors.My career as a former stock agent and being an experienced breeder has taught me that there are two key driving factors behind breeding livestock 'profit' and 'tradition'.  The varying degrees of adopting these factors will influence and drive your program. This could be breeding heritage sheep to maintain a breed type and a stable population or breeding sheep to met market demands for example.  Question 2: Where do you sit on this scale? Is the balance between the factors of profit and tradition right in your breeding operation currently? Question 3: What is your perfect description of the sheep you want to breed? My earliest memory of being at a sheep show was being in the viewing tiers at Royal Melbourne Show in the early 1980s watching my father show his Border Leicesters. The wonderful Mrs Peggy Sparrow often sat by my side to watch me.  In between the completion of classes Mrs Sparrow would always strike up a conversation with us kids. These conversations normally would revolve around the results of the show floor, but every now and then Mrs Sparrow would give you a 'gem' piece of advice.  This question comes from Mrs Sparrow, she went on to say “once you have your perfect description, write it down and then set a plan as to how you are going to achieve it and do it multiple times”.  Why is this question so important?  To write your own sheep description is a very personal thing, no two descriptions will be the same.  Each breed has their own standard. These standards are what every breed association set out as the core traits that define their breed. To write down your description take this breed standard further so yours not only meets this standard but it also meets your personal view of the perfect sheep for your operation or market.  Why you are breeding sheep in the first place will impact on the level of depth you delve into when writing your description. When writing a sheep description plan I use an analogy of choosing a vehicle. When buying a vehicle, that vehicle comes with standards features (these are your breeds core traits).  You then have the ability to individualise the standard features to personalise that vehicle to you. For example maybe you would like leather interior, metallic paint (these are your personalised sheep traits).  For example, the Southdown breed description states that the feet should be black, my breed description for this standards are feet must be black.  Then there are the times where a feature of the breed may not be explicitly stated in a breed description but this could be of significant importance to you, for example nose colour, teat placement, temperament and performance traits like growth rate or fertility. Question 4: Do you assess and modify your description as required?It is never to early or late to record a sheep description. Whether you have been breeding sheep for generations or you are still deciding what your first breed of sheep may be, you should regularly assess and modify your description as required.  Assess your sheep against your own statement. You may need to modify it and you may need to modify your breeding program to get there.  Regularly read your associations breed standards, this can help you to clarify your standards.  AssociatSupport the showWant more! Want to show us some sheep love? Sign up for extra content via our sheep supporters tab !https://www.buzzsprout.com/954910/supporters/new