The Pickwick breeding program uses genetics for growth, muscle, worm resistance, fertility, birthing, shedding, temperament, to produce balanced, easy care, productive, Wiltshire Horn sheep
- Pickwick Stud
- excellence in
- Wiltshire Horn
- genetics
- DR & VE Horton
- Gundaroo, NSW
- 0248451552
- em: drhorton at optusnet.com.au
- Contents
Wiltshire Horn sheep are the first of the new breeds of meat sheep in Australia to have features demanded by the modern prime lamb industry - leanness, muscling, large frame, high fertility. The rams are used in successful cross-breeding with many other breeds including Merino, Perendale, Dorper, Suffolk and Border Leicester. Wiltshire cross lambs have performed extremely well in carcase competitions and in the sale yards. The breed is strong and hardy, will do well in poor country, and has thrived from Southern Tasmania to Queensland to south west Australia, from cold to tropics and from high rainfall areas to desert. In many areas of climatic extremes Wiltshires are the first sheep that have been successfully introduced. The breed has intelligence and good temperament and the ewes are extremely good mothers, easily raising triplets (which are common). Because the sheep shed their wool they are very easy care and production costs are low. Attention to breeding in recent years has continued to improve breed characteristics.
Pickwick Stud Wiltshires are performance tested, to perform for you
Pickwick genetics - As well as the usual LambPLan genetic features of growth, muscling, fat, maternal features, birth weight, Pickwick has also collected data for analysis of worm resistance, wool shedding and horn shape. And we are now getting into DNA analysis for genetic markers.
Sheep for sale - the young rams and ewes from the 2006 drop have been on sale at Pickwick. We can tell you the detailed genetic characteristics of every sheep, so whether you are interested in growth, worm resistance, muscling, maternal characters, birth size, leanness, fertility, we can tell you the appropriate sheep for your needs. The young sheep from 2008 will become available for sale from about mid 2009. Few ewes were mated, following zero joining in 2007, so not weaners will be available - they go very fast, so order early to avoid disappointment!
Maternal and terminal sires - Rams suitable for studs specialising in both maternal and terminal sire production are always available from Pickwick, with sheep aimed at producing genetic packages precisely targeted at each market. Talk to us about this if you are interested in either stud ewes or rams for a particular market, or you want good flock rams that can perform in each environment.
Export - In June 2002 six pregnant ewes from Pickwick Stud went to New Zealand to re-establish the pure breed in that country. Each ewe was joined to a different ram to produce top lambs. The matings were carefully planned to provide an exceptional range of genetics. This care and attention to detail is a feature of the work that Pickwick Stud puts into starting new flocks and adding to existing flocks. Two Pickwick rams went to Florida, USA, in 2003, as part of a shipment designed to increase the genetic diversity of the breed in America.
Ram choice - In 2004 we introduced the 'Ram Chooser' questionaire to help new and existing Wiltshire breeders, and commercial lamb producers, decide what their sheep requirements are. We are proud to announce another unique service for Wiltshire breeders using LambPlan. If you have LambPlan genetic data for your flock and are seeking a ram from Pickwick, we are happy to calculate the best set of matings using your ewe flock, existing rams, and your new ram in order to give you the best possible output from your flock. We are confident that we can provide advice that will result in a considerable improvement in performance across most genetic features in almost all circumstances.
Pickwick Wiltshire Horn Sheep Stud - History
David, Vicki and Vanessa Horton began the Pickwick Stud in 1991. It was the first Wiltshire Horn stud on the Southern Tablelands, and is now the largest in New South Wales and one of the largest in Australia.
The breeding program at Pickwick has concentrated on a number of different aspects. We select for sound structure (feet, pasterns, legs, jaws, backs), excellent muscling, low fat, fast growth, high lambing rates, good temperament, good mothering ability, good worm resistance, and for long-bodied sheep. Because the climatic conditions are so harsh in our area, and the pasture so poor, sheep that do well here have passed a very difficult test and should do well under poor conditions elsewhere, and extremely well under good conditions.
As a result of attention to structure and performance, Pickwick sheep have had considerable show success wherever exhibited. We have won numerous classes and championships at Sydney Royal Easter Show, the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, the Royal Canberra Show and at many NSW country shows.
At Pickwick we know our sheep extremely well, we see them born and we watch them closely through life. We've done the same with their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents and great-great grandparents, and great-great-great-grandparents. We have possibly the most detailed pedigree information in the database of any LambPlan stud of any breed. We can give you a detailed history of a sheep you want to buy, that is one Pickwick advantage.
We also were one of the first studs to make extensive weight records, and combined these with computer programs to analyse relative growth rates and genealogies, selecting for fast growth to weaning.These records provided an excellent basis for joining the LambPlan scheme, and we were the second stud to do so, and progress has been rapid.
Genetic improvement has to be balanced with genetic variability. At Pickwick we are careful not to put all our eggs in one basket and go for genetic gain at the expense of variety. Some 25 family lines have gone into the Pickwick sheep of today, and we have been careful to retain the genes . We have aimed to improve the performance of every line rather than going for a few 'super stars', and aimed at improvements in all genetic features rather than just a few. Such an approach leads to steady improvement of the flock as a whole. Our average coefficient of inbreeding is still being deliberately maintained in the 6-7% range over many breeding seasons.
Teams of young and mature Pickwick rams are used each year, from a range of family lines, producing a range of different qualities in conformation, growth, reproduction, carcase quality and temperament. Our gain has been steady across our whole range, and we can match sheep to your requirements, and to each other when you buy a Foundation Flock.
Pickwick Stud began at Hall, and in 1997 moved to the Pickwick property near Gundaroo, NSW. We are always happy to see visitors and show off our lovely animals. Even if you are unable to get ewes from us, because demand has exceeded supply, and purchase ewes from another breeder, you could purchase a stud ram from us, the son of one of our excellent ewes. We are happy to provide advice on the breed from our experience by phone, fax, letter or email at any time.
At Pickwick Stud we are constantly introducing new genetic measures of animal quality, all aimed at improving the quality of our animals and providing an improved service to our clients.
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