Page 5 - Newsletter 2021ab Merinos 1-2-combined

The Caroonboon Sheep never hit 21 micron. My weaners are around 17 micron and the
rest is 19 or 20. Most of the comfort factor is 99%, the odd line
going down to 98%. Mind you, the stain did drop to 97.2% last
have what I am looking for year. I could not imagine that it would be very comfortable
Ian (China) & Kathy Gibson ‘Billamein’ Moulamein NSW wearing stain in any condition. So, this may not be quite so bad.

We average over 100% of lambs to joined ewes most years. We
also lamb down on irrigation with bugger all shelter as we are
We have been with Caroonboon for well over 30 years. I can on the edge of the Hay plains, so our Caroonboon ewes punch
still remember an old shearing contactor, (Eric White), saying to above their weight every year. Because we are building our
me when I was a young feller, “you will need a bigger wool table numbers to old age as well as more to the merino death wish.
if you are going out there for rams”. That comment has always That is what they want to do from the time they drop on the
stuck in my mind and if I did not have the Old Man’s home-made ground. Find a new way to die. That is another story…..
wool table, I might have indeed needed a new one (the old tim-
ers always built things bigger than they needed them). Because of the changed water conditions, we joined over 1
month earlier this year as we had the guarantee of green feed
My sheep were not that flash when I first met Ian Lilburne who from our irrigation water. This way, we can get our wether’s off
used to class for clients of Caroonboon (the ‘old man’ was a the farm and the ewe lambs to a good size before the green
cattle man and a bloody good one, but his sheep were a dis- feed runs out. I did make one bad decision this year, and that
grace to put it politely). By the time I met Ian Lilburne, I had was to only join for 6 weeks. Going early and only joining for 6
bought a mob or two in and bought the ‘old man’ out of his farm weeks ended up with 17% empty ewes. A lot of the mating hap-
as well as his mixed mob of sheep. I said to Ian “Can you fix pened right at the end of joining this year according to my preg
them”? he said “If you can feed them, I can fix them”. The best tester, so another week or two of joining would have made a lot
advice that anyone can give or get; ‘there is no money in skinny of difference to the conception rate which was 94% last year.
sheep, just pain’. A wise old man called Blacky Gray told me
once “the breeding is in the feeding”. Our maidens always join and lamb down well. We got 102% out
of remaining maiden ewes or 93% out of joined maidens. The 4-,
Over the years, Ian and then Jim have taken my sheep to a dif- 5- and 6-year-olds averaged 117% out of remaining ewes. Un-
ferent level. They are straight, easy care and give us plenty of fortunately, our 3-year-olds only managed 88% out of remain-
lambs. I still cannot get myself to do the non-mules idea, but if ing ewes. They were always just a bit short of feed. But not
you are heading down that path the straight Caroonboon rams short enough to make that much difference I thought. So far, we
could be the go.
have an average of 106% out of remaining ewes and 90% out of
My shearers quite often complain that my sheep are getting too joined ewes. We only need 300 lambs out of the 500 empties to
big, as most sheep are, and most shearers do. Unfortunately for give us our 100% of joined ewes. The empties have only been
our shearers our sheep are getting bigger but the shearers are lambing for 9 days and there are plenty dropping onto the
not. The Old Man built my shed in 1957; I have had to cut a lump ground so we should end up with well over 100% again this year.
of 4 by 2 timber off my letting out down shoots so my shearers We have a good relationship with Caroonboon and when one of
can get my sheep out of the shed and down the shoot. my rams died just after coming home from the auction two

When you can get a shearer to give you a compliment, you take years ago. Margie was only too keen to replace it and even de-
it because it will never happen very often. This shearer was livered the ram to our farm. When Jim was selling the stud, I did
new back to the game after many years of trying other things. look around as I did not know where the Caroonboon Stud was
He did say…..and this is only one shearer who may get drummed heading. When it went back to its original home, I was keen to
out of the shearing game because he said, and I quote. “These stick with it. I still look around, but Caroonboon sheep have
are the best shearing sheep I have had this year China”! The what I am looking for; easy care, good fertility, good combing for
look his mate gave him was worth a million dollars as shearers my shearers who are getting harder to find, and cutting enough
can never say that to a farmer!. wool to keep us coming back. At the moment I cannot see any
reason to move studs. So, I will be at Caroonboon for a few
My micron has been going down over the years and now we
more years yet!