Southie composite sheep breed to make debut at Henty field days

A COMPOSITE sheep breed offering early maturity, doing ability, superior feed conversion and consistent tight skins will be on display at the field days for the first time.

Better bred: The Icon Southie sheep breed developed by Hamilton sheep breeders Matt and Tanya Tonissen at Chrome Stud, Hamilton, will be on display at Henty for the first time.

A COMPOSITE sheep breed offering early maturity, doing ability, superior feed conversion and consistent tight skins will be on display at the field days for the first time.

The Icon Southie has been developed by Hamilton sheep breeders Matt and Tanya Tonissen, Chrome Stud.

The Icon Southie is a Southdown-Poll Dorset composite enthusiastically adopted by many Western District sheep producers for the turn-off of quick growing, early maturing and well-muscled domestic lambs.

With its hard black hoofs, ease of lambing, compact structure, hardiness and tight skins, the Icon Southie has developed a following in wetter areas and across a broad range of flocks.

Mr Tonissen said Icon Southies had more genetic fat at a younger age giving them advantages in cold, wet weather.

“Most of the Icon Southies are being sold as typical domestic or trade spring lamb markets,” he said.

The couple sell more than 700 rams a year across their Chromedale, Perendale, Coopworth, Poll Dorset and Icon Southie breeds.

The Chrome stud hosts two major on-property sales each year, the main sale in October and the second in January catering for clients with later joining flocks.

Starting from their Icon Poll Dorset and Coopworth stud bases, the Tonissens have expanded to breed composite maternal sheep to meet customers’ needs.

Key aims have been to produce highly productive, efficient sheep of medium adult weight coupled with high fertility and early growth.

“Many of the Chrome ram clients are reporting ewes dropping, 170-180 per cent lambs, resulting in marketing rates around the 150 per cent mark,” Mr Tonissen said.