Stock sires
The mainstay of the current stock sire team for the Chaileybrook flock are three French rams all imported in 2016.
These include the impressive ‘Percheron’, one of three rams purchased from the Poillot family’s flock.
This sizeable ram was purchased for his carcass, length and carriage and is one we think highly of. He has also enjoyed show success, taking the breed championship at the Southdown Sheep Society’s National Show on 2018 at Royal Three Counties where he also secured both the terminal sire interbreed and overall interbreed championships.
He was also breed champion and reserve native shortwool interbreed champion at Royal Bath and West in the same year.
Alongside Percheron we also imported two further rams from the Poillot family, with the first of these being 150058 ‘Breton’, a maternal brother to ‘Percheron’ again purchased for his correctness and carcass traits.
And the final ram imported in 2016 came from the Thomas family’s flock, 150019 ‘Ibanez’. This thick set, heavily muscled sire carries a great gigot and loin and is another we expect to have a significant influence on the flock in the years to come.
A further sire, 81134 ‘Dartagnan’ was imported from the Thomas family’s flock in 2019, with this being the fourth ram we have purchased from the Thomas’ since ‘The Frog’ joined us in 2005. Dartagnan is a correct, deeply muscled ram with that all important ‘look at me’ factor.
Homebred sire Chaileybrook 13/0001 ‘Tadpole’ has featured heavily in recent years, leaving progeny with tremendous muscling and character. This son of ‘The Frog’ is out of our exceptional ewe Chaileybrook 05/0002 and was sold to Josh Evans’ Wroxhall flock, Kenilworth, in 2017 having been used for four seasons with us.
We have also used semen from another homebred sire, Chaileybrook 12/00011 in recent years, with sons selling to pedigree customers. This exceptional son of Sarkozy was originally sold to Georgie Helyer as a lamb and then bought back as a two shear in partnership with the Brant flock.
A recent addition to the stock sires team is Chaileybrook Beaujolais 20/00678, a son of homebred sire Chaileybrook 18/00278 out of a dam by Sarkozy and out of the Golden Valley ewe we bought at Daniel Bunting’s dispersal in 2015.
Recent years have also seen us buy in ram lambs bred from our own females in other flocks, with these including Guardian 16/0047, a grandson of Chaileybrook 09/0002 and out of Chaileybrook 13/0022. He has left lambs with great character and carcass.
Another ram carrying Chaileybrook breeding was Beilau 15/02613, with this ram being by a Southern Cross sire out of Chaileybrook 10/0030 a full sister to our multi-interbreed winning Chaileybrook 09/0007.
Previous stock sires of note are ‘Sarkozy’ a French import from the Thomas flock which was used from 2011 to 2015, leaving great skins, carcass and character and ‘The Frog’ our first French ram imported in 2005. He was a true one-off and left an indelible stamp on the flock which will be there for many years to come. His daughters have been among our best ewes and have sold to a top of 1200gns, while sons have sold to £2250.