The following tests results indicates our ongoing commitment to continual improvement in the Aurora Romney sheep flock.

CARLA Saliva Tests is new technology, and samples from breeding sires and all ram hogget’s to sell this year were evaluated. This test measures the natural protection a sheep produces to worm larvae. It works on its own or complements faecal egg measurement. It offers me a very reliable way of identifying animals with natural immunity to parasites.

The breeding sires I used scored in the medium-range which indicates a good result to worm resistance in the flock. Cold Tolerance Gene-Market Test is rated A to C.

A represents an above average chance of lambs surviving cold related causes of mortality, and C represents a markedly increased risk of lambs dying of cold related causes.

All sires I am using scored A, B. I believe the thick birth coats that Romney’s have when born assist them in survival of cold conditions.

Foot Rot Gene Marker Tests are scored from 1 to 5 with one or two being less prone to foot rot than those that score 4 or 5 the sires I am using scored 1,2 which I think confirms my ruthless culling over the years for any sheep with footrot.

Worm Star Tests were done on Aurora breeding sires. Negative values indicating a reduced faecal egg count, they scored between -3.6% to -5.1%. Sheep 50 K Test from Pfizer animal genetics delivers molecular breeding values (mBVs) and utilises a 50,000 DNA marker for Number of Lambs Born; Faecal Egg Count; Weaning Weight; Carcass Weight.

WOOL! thankfully becoming a considerable income earner again many people I have talked to have been considering more emphasis on wool weight and quality. Lamb shearing produced an average fleece weight of 2 KG with the exceptional lamb producing 3 KGs in early January. Aurora ewes shear an average of 7.9 KG’s per annum.