Lumbylaw Texels sell to 2600gns to Crawford Bros

Texel breeders with an eye for sheep with pedigrees built on performance recording had no shortage of stock to choose from when Richard Oates put just over 220 head on to the market to disperse the adult portion of his Lumbylaw flock – and they pushed prices to 2600gns.

Moved to Borderway Mart, Carlisle, for the sale, this offering including sheep bred from families produced from 25 years of recording. Lumbylaw, which led the way with performance recording in its Limousin herd, has applied the same commitment to Texels. In 2006 the flock’s performance achieved top UK ranking from a total of over 10,000 recorded lambs.

Top call of 2600gns came for a 2003-bred ewe by Callerton Gleneagles and out of a ewe by East Middle Floodgate. She had a gigot score of 4.99mm and a muscle index of 336 and was the dam of Lumbylaw Kenya who was the UK’s National Index trait leader with a score of 443.

Due in March to Lumbylaw Nelson – a son of the high performance sire Lumbylaw Madras – she goes to Northern Ireland to join the flock of well known Limousin breeders Crawford Bros at Co Fermanagh.The same buyers made other leading bids giving 1300gns for a shearling gimmer by Lumbylaw Lanark with a gigot score of 3.03mm and muscle index of 329. She was in-lamb to Lumbylaw Norham. Crawford Bros also paid 1200gns for a shearling gimmer by Teiglum King Foo – from the same family that produced Kenya – and another 1200gns for a 2004-bred ewe by Llanferres Ifor.

East Middle Farm at Hawick in the Scottish Borders – breeders of the sire of the top priced ewe – claimed two of the most sought after lots. They gave 1600gns for a Lumbylaw Kenya sired shearling who goes back to East Middle breeding. She had a gigot score of 3.86mm and muscle index of 358 and was in-lamb to Lumbylaw Norfolk who comes from high index breeding tracing back to the Barnage flock.

There were two bids of 1400gns from Scottish borders buyers. Kelso breeder John Elliott took a Kenya-sired shearling with an impressive 6.94mm gigot score from a Lumbylaw family that he has successfully bought into before.

Mr Hardy-Bishop from Jedburgh also gave 1400gns taking a 2005-bred ewe in-lamb to Lumbylaw Malvern whose first progeny were among the flock’s best recorded lambs last years.

Averages: 116 ewes £434; 92 shearling gimmers £421. (Harrison and Hetherington).