Testimonial - Chris & Kerrie Blowes, Jandon Park, Molong NSW
We were introduced to Scott via our local wool rep from TWG in 2004. Up until this stage we were very much a Traditional Merino Enterprise running approx 1200-1500 merino ewes and their progeny 70-85% lambs weaned (depending on the season) and 1500 merino wethers.
Wool Statistics at that time were 5kg average across the flock of 21-22 micron wool 70% yield 90-100mm length in 12 months. At this time my idea of increasing productivity of my sheep was to increase wool cut, and to do this was by selecting big, necky, wrinkly rams. Yes, those rams did cut 8-10 kg of wool but their progeny were getting worse each generation. By worse I mean tighter, wrinklier, denser wool, fly magnets, full of dermatitis and had every excuse to die.
Being a shearer and a wool classer I could not believe the direction my sheep were heading, backwards in a hurry! No matter how much we spent on rams that downward spiral continued. So we needed help!
2004 saw the arrival of Scott Heeney. Looking back now I realise the initial shock Scott must have had when he saw our sheep. Our goals at that time were simple; to produce an animal that was productive, efficient and easy care.
From day one Scott has had near total control on our selection and culling processes. Initial culling rates of 30-40% across the board were hard to accept but within two years things were starting to turn around. Our lambing rates had increased from 80% to 110% in 2 years, this amazed us; Merino's having more lambs than some cross bred flocks? Never!
Each year the ewe lambs were changing for the better:
- Plainer bodies, thinner skins, open faces.
- Better quality wool, finer, higher yielding and longer wool.
Now 2011
- Our sheep have to be seen to be believed. Merinos that are out- performing crossbreds!
- We are now running a self replacing flock of just 1000 ewes.
- Last two years average 130% lambs weaned (this is to ewes joined).
- Average wool cut 3.85kg of 19 micron wool shorn at 8 months 85-95mm.
- Wether lambs averaged $121 a head at 24kg dressed at 9 months.
- Joining maiden ewes at 7 months with up to 40% conception rates.
- Wool quality is excellent, yielding 76% and being long, soft and crimpy.
These sheep are not only more profitable, but they are easier to manage.
We ceased mulesing in 2006.
Less fly strike summer 2010-11 was the first time adult sheep have needed treatment in 6 years. Less than 2% affected!
Mortality rate in weaners is less; now 1-2%
Our goals now are to produce an animal that can raise 150% of lambs, grow 5kg of 18 micron wool at 8-9months; Achievable? Who Knows? The goals we had 5 years ago nobody thought we could achieve. The results that we are getting each year are a testament to Scott's knowledge and passion for the sheep industry.
Industry leaders are calling for a merino that is more productive, more fertile and is non-mulesed. The expertise and genetics are available!
Sheep Classers like Scott Heeney should be the norm not the exception. Well done Scott.
Chris & Kerrie Blowes
Jandon Park, Molong NSW
Jim and Maddy Adams - Carthian Hill, Mullaley , NSW
We made the move into sheep in October 2019 after two years of feeding cattle in what was an
economically unsustainable situation. Neither of us had any experience with sheep but had
some friends who had also made the move a year earlier and encouraged us to do the same.
We wanted to run a dual purpose self replacing flock and with the limited advice we had at the
time, decided on Dohnes. We purchased 500 surplus SIL ewes from a reputable stud and sold
all our cattle.
Initially we were happy with the sheep but admittedly had no prior experience upon which to
make any comparison. With the onset of more normal rain from late 2020, we ran into issues
with flystrike, in particular body strike. Admittedly this problem was potentially made worse by
our lack of experience in dealing with it, nonetheless, it was a big problem and we suffered
considerable production losses alongside unsustainable demands on labour.
It was while I was discussing these issues with my wool agent Andrew Mills that he encouraged
me to consider looking at KMA sheep as one of his clients, John Stibbard, was very happy with
the results he was getting with those sheep. So Andrew organised to meet with Scott Heeny,
Chris Blowes and John at John’s farm to look at some rams. While looking at the sheep, we
discussed the breeding objectives for the KMA merinos and discovered that they were strongly
aligned with my own breeding objectives.
They were, in order of importance for me:
● A low maintenance, easy care animal that wants to survive! (primarily, I wanted to
reduce the incidence of flystrike and reliance on chemicals. Also, I wanted to reduce the
level of husbandry required to keep the flock healthy and productive)
● Highly fertile with strong mothering instincts
● Strong carcase and growth traits
● An animal that shearers want to come and shear (there was a shearer shortage at this
time immediately post COVID)
● A sought after and saleable wool
We purchased some KMA rams during this visit and joined them to our ewes. The following year
we asked Scott to class our ewes which removed a significant proportion of the flock. We also
purchased some more KMA rams from Chris Blowes along with some of his surplus ewe lamb
replacements. At this point we ceased using Dohne rams.
Since this first classing with Scott, the difference made to the incidence of flystrike was
enormous. This only continued to improve after subsequent classings as we brought more KMA
blood into the flock through our replacements and were able to eliminate more of our original
genetics. We are now at a point where I have not treated a single sheep for flystrike in over 2
years. I have not seen any body strike in over 2 years. We have had the odd case of breach
strike from scouring or fresh feed but more often than not, the sheep recover unassisted. The
only chemical we use to combat flystrike is 3ml on the tails around the ring at lamb marking. We
are on a six month shearing program which I think also assists in reducing the pressure from
flystrike. We have only been doing this for 18 months but are very happy with how it works and
will stick with it. The KMA sheep are perfectly suited for this 6 month shearing program. I am not
great with recording but I estimate that we shear between 2.5 - 3kg every 6 months and the
staple length is about 65mm. I expect both these parameters to improve as the percentage of
KMA in the flock grows - we still have some pure Dohnes and F1 Dohne x KMA.
We definitely encounter greater shearing costs with this program but feel that they are well
justified by the benefits which include
● Less husbandry requirements - we only yard ewes for the following operations
●Shearing x2
● Marking
● Weaning
●scanning
● No crutching
● No flystrike = less chemical and less labour
● With less wool on their back, ewes keep better condition which improves
○ fertility/conception rates
○ Pre-natal nutrition which improves
● Lamb survival and weaning rates
● Wool follicle growth
● Lamb feed conversion efficiency = better growth rates
● Lifetime production of replacement ewes
● Ability to join ewe lambs at 7 months
● You become a more valuable customer for your shearing contractor
This past season, we shore and weaned our lambs at 5 months. We then put them into a feedlot
and after 100 days on feed, sold the top 45% weathers to average 27.7kg dressed with a 40mm
$18 skin. 25 days later we sold the next 45% to average 26.5kg dressed with a $21 skin so we
are confident that the lambs can grow and are very profitable.
Everyone has different country and may want to focus on different production goals, but if your
objective is to run an efficient, simple and highly productive dual purpose sheep enterprise on a
6 or 8 month shearing, then I would not look past the KMA genetics. Scott (and Chris) have
been wonderful to work with and their experience and advice has been instrumental in my wife
and I being able to run the easy care sheep operation that we have. We are very happy with
where we are at but still endeavour to make refinements around the edges.
We will be sticking
with KMA!
Next Page:
