southdowns: meat the breed secretary: gail sprake (all saints flock),meens farm, capps lane, all...

Southdowns: meat the breedSecretary: Gail Sprake (All Saints flock),Meens Farm, Capps Lane, All Saints, Halesworth, Suffolk IP19 0PD. Tel: 01986 782251 Mobile: 07885 777921E-mail: secretary@southdownsheepsociety.co.ukWeb: www.southdownsheepsociety.co.uk

Photographs & drawings: Copyright Southdown Sheep Society (Gareth Lloyd Hughes Photography, Goldsworthy Associates Limited, Jake Tebbit)

Contents

• History• Populations trends• Why Southdowns• A split personality?• Flock health and management

Breed History• 18th century > 200,000• John Ellman (Glynde) 1753-1832• Jonas Webb (Babraham) 1796 – 1862• Thomas Coke (Holkham)1754 –1842

• A down and heathland breed with fine wool, bred for meat production

• Breed Society - 1892

National Foundation Stock

• with the Norfolk Horn, the Suffolk.

• with existing stock, the Hampshire Down

• via the Hampshire Down, the Oxford Down

International Foundation Stock

• Southdowns exported worldwide• New Zealand

• Australia• USA• Europe

UK Imports

• New Zealand

• France

Southdown trends – registered breeders

Breed Recovery

Docile and easy to handle

Why Southdowns

Tight stocking, thrive on very little

Why Southdowns

Easy lambing

Why Southdowns

Early finishing

Why Southdowns

Catches premium pricesEases grazing pressure

Outstanding conformation

Why Southdowns

Great taste

Why Southdowns

Great looks

Why Southdowns

A split personality or a breed for all

seasonsCommercial• Larger and heavier

– faster finish and larger final carcase

• Rams 90-100kg• Lambs 38-40kg lwt

• Leaner

Smallholder• “Traditional” small

and compact – easy to handle

• Rams 80-90kg• Lambs 35-38kg lwt

Flocks are of many different shapes and sizes; it’s horses for courses.

The only bad sheep is a dead sheep!

Flock health and management

• Only 1 flock still scrapie testing• c. 8 flocks MV accredited

• c.7 flocks in Signet recording scheme – weight recording and fat scanning

Scheme participants

Scrapie• All Saints

MV accredited• Brompton• Chaileybro

ok• Golden

Valley• etc

Signet Recorded• All Saints• Birch Hoe• Chaileybro

ok• East Dean• Gunton• Webbellis• Woolbedin

g