Breeding Goals
The overall goals of the ARDG haven't changed since 1968, an easy-care, high producing, profitable sheep. However since this time many genetic traits have been identified and improved upon, we see genetic gain as a constantly evolving science with no end point or final goal. Environmental pressures and climatic changes, scientific advances, market fluctuations and trends all influence our breeding objectives, just as they do for commercial farmers.
We are trying to breed a Romney sheep that will rear two good lambs through to weaning that are facial eczema tolerant, worm resilient / resistant and that keep producing top fleece weights, body weights and reproductive traits, along with good meat eating quality.
We are putting a big emphasis on ewe efficiency, that is a ewe around 58-65kg that has a scanning index of 3 that is 3 times its body weight at 180% to 200% with these progeny being tolerant to facial eczema and worms. Below are the graphs showing the improvement in our goal traits.
See the graphs from SIL showing the huge improvement in our desired traits click here for the pdf ardg_graphs_2021.pdf
Please note that the decline in FEC shows the reduction in fecal egg counts from our animals and the decline in GGT (liver damage from facial eczema) are an indication of the constant improvement in our genetic gains, thus the downward trend in the graph is very desirable as opposed to the upward trend we aim for in the other traits.
We are trying to breed a Romney sheep that will rear two good lambs through to weaning that are facial eczema tolerant, worm resilient / resistant and that keep producing top fleece weights, body weights and reproductive traits, along with good meat eating quality.
We are putting a big emphasis on ewe efficiency, that is a ewe around 58-65kg that has a scanning index of 3 that is 3 times its body weight at 180% to 200% with these progeny being tolerant to facial eczema and worms. Below are the graphs showing the improvement in our goal traits.
See the graphs from SIL showing the huge improvement in our desired traits click here for the pdf ardg_graphs_2021.pdf
Please note that the decline in FEC shows the reduction in fecal egg counts from our animals and the decline in GGT (liver damage from facial eczema) are an indication of the constant improvement in our genetic gains, thus the downward trend in the graph is very desirable as opposed to the upward trend we aim for in the other traits.