Flock Management
We use performance recording as an on-farm tool to assist us in being able to increase the eye muscle area within our flock.
This is achieved by weighing the rams and scanning for eye muscle width and depth and fat.
The width measurement is genetically determined and improved through breeding.
The depth and fat measurement is associated more with the environment, feeding etc.
Figures are only a part of our breeding program, we firmly believe that visual assessment is also a major part of selection.
We aim to breed our rams to have high muscle traits, which is what our prime lamb customers are requiring as they are wanting to produce lambs that reach their maturity at a younger age therefore being able to be sold earlier which is increasing the profit margin.
When selecting our sires we put a large emphasis on how they have performed in the first 18 to 20 weeks in growth as high growth at an early age will be in the genes to be passed on to progeny.
Exposed 12th rib on the carcass cut through the last thoracic and first lumbar vertebrae. The image above shows the location of the measurement sites: the eye muscle width (A), eye muscle depth (B) and fat over the eye muscle (C).
Contact Details
Geoff & Julie Davey
Ph: (03) 5452 2438
Geoff: 0438 522 105
Julie: 0427 522 438