Breed With A Future

The Afrino sheep breed is known for its exceptional grazing ability and fertility, and according to Gray King, a breeder in Bedford, will become much better known and more popular in the future.

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37 years ago

“Although many people don’t know much about Afrinos, most are pleasantly surprised when they see them, says Mr King.

“The Afrino breed was established by the Department of Agriculture at Carnarvon. The aim was to breed a kemp-free, dual-purpose sheep capable of producing fat lambs off the veld in the drier parts of the country.

“Their origin is half German Merino, a quarter Merino and a quarter Ronderib Afrikaner. Mr King bred his own Afrinos, starting in 1975 with 100 Merino ewes, which he mated to a Ronderib ram. A German Merino ram was used on the progeny and he now has about 50 mature Afrino ewes, which have been passed by the breed society inspectors.

“‘I don’t intend to run more than about 80 breeding ewes because I regard my fat Afrino lambs as a sideline,’ Mr King explains.