As sales season kicks into high gear, it is important to ensure you are selecting the right rams for your flock.
One of the surest ways to achieve that is to use estimated breeding values as part of your selection criteria. Seeking out animals in the higher percentiles of the Texel breed helps improve the certainty that you will be improving the genetic potential of your flock in the key commercial traits.
And, thanks to the introduction of economic indexes for the Texel breed this year, it is now even simpler to find the Texel genetics which will add most value to your business.
The new texelplus indexes focus on commercial traits and profitability, with there now being two indexes for the Texel breed: a terminal index and a replacement index.
These two indexes enable breeders and commercial producers to select animals for terminal production and breeding replacements. Both are presented as the potential extra profit per lamb born in a commercial setting, compared to the population baseline. In simple terms, the higher the value, the better the performance of the animal.
Commercial producers producing prime lambs should use the terminal index for selection as this is weighted for meat production. Pedigree breeders and commercial producers retaining female replacements should use the replacement index as this includes both maternal and meat traits, giving a balance of characteristics on both sides of the breeding goal.
Each index is underpinned by sub-indexes for growth, carcass quality, reproduction and adult size that capture the benefits and value of related traits. These enable breeders and commercial producers to make better decisions and where necessary, select animals that offer advantages in specific areas that suit their production goals.
For more details and information, see the Society’s economic index FAQ page at: https://texel.uk/economic-index-faq/