Dohne genetics boost wool cheque

Lima Park Pastoral assistant manager Barry Hutton said the importance of wool in the composite enterprise was questioned due to low bale returns.

“We were getting nothing for our wool so decided to try Dohne rams over the composite ewes to lift wool and skin quality,” he said.

“When you are looking at 30 micron wool there is only one way to go and that is finer.

“In the first F1 Dohne progeny, the average micron fell by 8 to 22.

“For us the economic advantages of introducing Dohnes was also growth and milk.”

Mr Hutton drew on his past experience as agricultural manager for Rivalea, at Corowa, evaluating the dual-purpose advantages of the Dohne breed.

Rivalea ran 800 Dohne ewes with the progeny grain finished in a paddock feedlot, achieving feed conversions of 4:1 or better and average daily gains of 320 grams.

“Our goal was to reach acceptable slaughter weights of wether lambs within 12 months of age and increase lambing percentages above industry average for each of the properties without needing greater inputs,” Mr Hutton said.

“There was no extra management or mulesing, and we received a good response from the abattoir.”

Lima Park Pastoral runs 2200 ewes and 340 Angus females across 1255ha of soil types ranging from alluvial to hill country in a 715mm rainfall zone. The first and second cross lambs are sold either over the hooks or in the saleyards.

Eight rams were sourced from Macquarie Dohne stud, Ballimore, NSW, in 2023, and joined to 484 composite ewes.

At pregnancy scanning, there were 14 dries (2.9 per cent), 94 singles and 376 multiples (77.7 per cent).

“We didn’t scan for triplets or quads, but the result was 699 lambs marked or 183.9 per cent,” Mr Hutton said.

At shearing, the composite lambs averaged 29.5 micron while the Dohne/composite lambs averaged 22.5 micron.

“I thought if we could reduce the micron to 25 at least it would be in the comeback range but to get it back to 22.5 in a single cross without losing growth rates was remarkable,” Mr Hutton said.

“We wean at 12 weeks regardless and our best Dohne cross lambs at 11 weeks of age were weighing 41.5kg (liveweight). The best of the pure composites weighed 40.5kg.

The Dohne rams are selected on a weighting of 80 per cent carcase and 20 per cent wool traits, along with well-nourished bright white wool with crimp definition on plain, loose skins.

“We selected for above average eye muscle depth, growth, neutral fats and frame score to correctively mate with the composite ewes,” Mr Hutton said.

“The Dohne/composite lambs matched the Poll Dorset/Composite lambs in growth rates.

“In January we sent December shorn mid-July drop Poll Dorset and Dohne cross wether lambs to Wagga Wagga market, and the top Dohne cross lamb weighed 61.5kg liveweight.

“They were introduced to a grain supplement using a creep feeder at seven weeks of age and then finished on irrigated pastures.”

Maiden ewes are classed on wool type and shape, flushed pre-joining with lupins and joined in February at seven months of age. The classed-out ewes are joined to Poll Dorset rams.

In 2024, 451 mixed age composite ewes were joined with 57 singles, 377 twins (83.6 per cent) and 17 dries (38 per cent), while pregnancy scanning was 187 per cent and 189 per cent lambs marked.

“We retained the Dohne F1 ewes and the wool averaged 23.1 micron at shearing. The composite wool at 29.5 micron made 250¢/kg greasy, and the Dohne-composite wool returned 690¢/kg,” Mr Hutton said.

“The F1 Dohne ewes have a mature weight of 60-65kg, scanned very well in 2024, and the lambing percentage was 189. They had a lamb on the ground and still had their own lambs’ teeth.”

“All costs, including shearing, have gone up and we need to maximise production from each ewe, so a return of 690¢/kg compared to 250¢/kg, is for us a no brainer.

“All in all, the introduction to the Dohne has exceeded our expectations. They have maintained the growth rates, increased fertility and lifted our wool return by 64 per cent.”