22 | Kamahi Perendales With only 350 ewes in the stud ock introducing outside genetics is necessary to avoid faults due to inbreeding. Virginia Wright Like most of the other Perendale Stud farmers attending the next South Island Perendale Ram Fair on January 17th 2023 Warren Ayers will have two or three of his best stud rams available for sale. Generally attended by South Island farmers and a few regular attendees from the North Island, 50 of the country’s best stud rams will be available for those looking for some good genetics to bring into their ocks. Started by his father back in 1972 Warren has 350 ewes in his Kamahi Perendale stud ock. Current president of the Perendale Society he is the fourth generation of Ayers to work the family farm which lies 10 kilometres east of Wyndham in Southland. The sheep are run on mostly rolling hills, so they’re not a high country sheep although Warren believes they’d shift to it without too much problem. “They’re good breeding, good genetics. We’ve always bought good genetics. Easy care at lambing time, and the big thing that brings our clients is the fact that they grow well.” With only 350 ewes in the stud ock introducing outside genetics is necessary to avoid faults due to inbreeding. So although they occasionally use one of their own stud rams if it’s outstanding, they’ll also be buying, as well as selling, one or two stud rams at the Perendale Fair, with the genetics and the type they want to put over the stud ock. “Alert, good strong nose, good spring of rib, with a decent barrelly chest, and good meat on them, basically a good all round sheep. We don’t want anything too chunky or square because otherwise the lambs don’t come out as easily, ” says Warren. MEAT & WOOL » Kamahi Perendales: Warren Ayres Plus: • Romdales • Texel Perendales The Ayers only keep their six stud rams and their terminal rams having decided not to keep a big ram team. They use their own ram hoggets across their 4650 strong commercial ock rather than buy in the rams they’d otherwise need. It both saves them thousands of dollars and allows them to return their genetics more quickly into their stud ock. They use their best 100 ram hoggets, the result of the continual culling which leaves around 40% of the live ram lambs born being available for sale as stud two-tooth commercial rams the following year on farm. They can bring in the rams in different groups according to higher or lower index, or according to other traits a client might want. “ We can pick out twins if someone wants them and cater to what our customers want using the SIL (Sheep Improvement Limited) maternal breeding worth index (NZMW) which with Perendales includes a meat index. So if somebody came through and wanted just my fastest growing lambs for sale with a little bit of work I could separate them out without too much trouble,” says Warren. Regardless of whether they grow more or less rapidly ‘growing well’ is one of the key traits that Kamahi Perendale have bred for since the beginning and one of things that keeps their clients coming back. Among their repeat clients is one family who’ve now been coming for most of the nearly 50 years that the stud’s been going. Warren’s always pleased to see them and would be happy to see any new clients as well who might be interested in some quality Perendale rams.
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