Bordering on the perfect sheep breed...

Traditional Welsh sheep farmer says there are no hurdles, just bright horizons when it comes to the Border Leicester

- 

A LIFETIME of farming has given Edward Chapman a gut instinct and keen eye for qualities he likes in his stock. He has high praise for the Border Leicester and says his 800-ewe flock is reaping the benefits both in fat lamb production and the breeding of replacement ewes. The foundation of his flock is Welsh ewes, some crossed with Texel and Aberfield, and he is full of praise for the resulting progeny from using Border Leicester rams over them.

“I like the characteristics the Border Leicester adds,” says Edward, who farms with his son Alex at 450-acre Morfodion, near Llanidloes in mid-Wales, not too far from the Royal Welsh Showground. The breed is giving me a good lambing percentage and a bigger overall replacement ewe compared to my traditional Welsh-breds, which are on the smaller side. I like that the lambs are born good and strong. They have a sharpness about them and are up and sucking straight away. They get growing quickly and are fast finishing without the need for pushing concentrates at them.”

The Chapman family, who also run a commercial suckler cattle herd on their mixture of owned and rented land, are seeing good mothering attributes coming through in these home-bred replacement ewes.