The Innisrush flock of pedigree Texels was established by Portglenone breeder Philip Whyte back in 2005. Currently comprising 20 pure bred females, this elite breeding enterprise is run in tandem with 50 cross bred ewes.
“I also keep an additional four to five ewes for flushing purposes,” said Philip.
“In fact, I have been making extensive use of AI and embryo technology in order to fast track the rate of genetic improvement within the flock. My objective is to boost the size and depth of the ram lambs that are brought to market.
“And the results of the investment made are starting to be seen. Last year, I sold a ram lamb at the Ballymena Texel sale for 2,100gns.
The purebred Texel females lambed at the beginning of February. And Philip was very satisfied with the results achieved.
“The conception rate across the ewes used for the AI and embryo worked out at 83%. This figure is very encouraging.”
Meanwhile, Philip’s cross-bred ewes are on the point of lambing. Like every other flockowner, he believes in giving every lamb born the best possible start.
“To this end, every purebred lamb born receives a feed of Provita colostrum as soon as it is born. As a family, we have been using the product for the past 15 years. We have found that it gives newborns that boost which they need to get them up and running.
“We have taken this management approach for the last number of years and it has worked well in terms of improving lamb survival rates. The colostrum powder is easy to mix and is very easy to administer.”
Provita’s Kieran Donnelly was a recent visitor to the Whyte farm.
“Provita Lamb Colostrum has a rich consistency and is easy to mix, which is especially important during the night. In light of this Edwin considers the cost as being inexpensive as it is saving the lives of numerous lambs,” he said
“The current strength of the commercial market makes it all the more important for flockowners, pedigree and commercial, to keep as many lambs as possible alive.”
Philip confirmed that he regards the Provita colostrum as a proven product.
“The additional benefit of using the Provita product, in tandem with natural feeding, is that we know the lambs have received their full colostrum requirement quickly. In short, it gives us total piece of mind,” he stressed.