SheepMaster Parent Stud

11/10/2026

The boys just keep measuring up perfectly!! 💪🐏

We had Mac from Central Veterinary Services Cowra out to give our sale team a thorough check over, making sure everything is in good working order before they head out to work. From feet and structure to pizzle and testicles, every detail matters when it comes to breeding functional, productive rams.

Mac was blown away by the testicle size across the team, especially considering how young these boys are! The rams averaged an impressive 33.5 cm in circumference, with Lot 20 taking the honours at a massive 38.5 cm!

Testicle circumference is an important indicator of a ram’s reproductive development and is associated with serving capacity, and the positive correlation to the fertility of his female progeny. When you combine this with the growth, structure and maternal traits we select for, it’s easy to see why our SheepMaster rams are helping our clients achieve such fantastic results.

We don't just breed rams that look the part - we breed rams that are built to work, and they do!

Check out our sale catalogue here: https://stocklive.nextlot.com/auctions/1873041/lots

06/10/2026

We are absolutely over the moon with the weights of both groups this year, with the 25 drop boys averaging 102kg at 14 months, while their younger brothers are averaging 85kg at just 8.5 months.

Both groups have been putting on over 400g/head/day for the last two weeks since they were weighed, and they aren't being fed anything too special.

One thing that really surprises us is the number of rams being sold with a body weight but no age. It sort of makes the body weight irrelevant!

A 90kg ram at 8 months is obviously a very different animal to a 90kg ram at 14 months.

All our rams are sold with full ASBVs, age and actual liveweight data, so you can look at the whole picture and make an informed decision on the ram you are buying.

Then there is lot 61.

He has the highest TCP (155.34), 2nd highest MCP+ (145.82), 4th highest PWT (17.00) and 6th highest Eye Muscle (44mm) in the sale, all this while being 92.5kg at 8.5 months.

And that’s only looking at the numbers.

There are plenty of rams throughout this sale that we are extremely excited about, so get stuck into the catalogue and have a look through the data.

https://stocklive.nextlot.com/auctions/1873041/lots

30/09/2026

Aren’t the boys looking fantastic!!

These January-drop sale rams are shaping up exceptionally well for our upcoming on-property ram sale, currently averaging an impressive 78kg.

These young rams make up Lots 51-87, with the remainder of the sale being 2025-drop rams.

All of our data is now available on StockLive, with photos and videos to follow shortly.

A great line-up of young SheepMaster rams coming together!

Link to Online Catalogue: https://stocklive.nextlot.com/auctions/1873041/lots?page=1

20/09/2026

The boys are on the road to Henty Machinery Field Days! 🚛🐏

Just have a look at how impressive Lot 1 & Lot 2 are shaping up for this year’s Spring On-Property Ram Sale.

If you want to check these fellas out in person, along with a handful of our other sale rams, come by Site 1068B and say g’day to Andrew.

We look forward to seeing you there!

28/08/2026

Silky, soft skin is one of the traits that sets SheepMasters apart from many other ‘shedding sheep’ breeds, but it’s certainly not the only one.

Our focus is on breeding a complete, functional sheep - combining clean skins with fertility, growth, structure, temperament and maternal performance.

Clients are reporting more than 230% lambs weaned over a 12-month period. That level of reproductive performance is what SheepMasters are capable of delivering, year in, year out.

Having a meat processor as one of our top clients is another strong indication that our sheep are performing where it matters - both in the way they hang up and as they move through the processing facility.

It’s this combination of ease of care, fertility and production that continues to set SheepMasters apart.

Don’t forget to mark our On-Property Spring Ram Sale in your calendars for October 13th.

Come and see the genetics behind the results.

SheepMaster.com.au

15/08/2026

06/08/2026

We get asked all the time about shedding.

What drives it? When should they shed? How much wool is acceptable?

At The SheepMaster Parent Stud, we've moved beyond talking about shedding. Instead, we talk about cleanskins.

Our goal isn't simply to breed sheep that shed. It's to breed sheep with a hide like a cow-soft, supple, silky, loose fitting and one that simply never grows wool.

We're not claiming every animal has reached that standard yet. But we are breeding animals that have, and every generation is taking us closer as we continue selecting for this skin type.

Why? Because we believe it delivers far more than freedom from wool.

Sheep with soft, silky, free-moving skins consistently perform better across our production metrics. It's a trait we've deliberately selected for because we've seen the difference it makes throughout our breeding program, and the positive feedback from processors on these sheep has only strengthened our confidence in that direction.

So ask yourself:
• Does your "shedder" still carry a half jacket?
• Does it spend its life rubbing on fences?
• Is it more susceptible to external parasites?
• Does it have skin like a basketball?
• Could you strike a match on its back?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, maybe it's time to look beyond shedding and start thinking about cleanskins.

The SheepMaster Parent Stud - breeding toward the cleanskin standard.

SheepMaster.com.au

11/06/2026

When Damara sheep first left the Nile Valley and were herded south through Africa, only the most functional sheep made the trip. Anthropologists tell us the herders needed highly fertile ewes (anything that didn't have a lamb was eaten), great mothers (anything that didn't rear a lamb was eaten), sheep that could walk freely and easily (anything with bad feet got left behind), and ewes with plenty of milk and sound udders because the herders relied on that milk themselves.

They also needed soft, pliable skins for clothing and calm temperaments. A rogue sheep that wouldn't stay with the mob was a prime target for predators and wasn't likely to last long.

The Damara became known for fertility, maternal ability, milking capacity, sound feet and legs, soft skin and a quiet nature.

SheepMaster is the only shedding breed that has used the Damara as a foundation breed, and funnily enough, all the traits that were important 2,000 years ago are exactly what we select for today. Highly fertile, functional cleanskin ewes that can survive, thrive and wean their own bodyweight every 12 months.

Good sheep are still good sheep. The fundamentals haven't changed.

02/06/2026

Following on from our previous post, we received a lot of questions. Below are some of the traits we commonly see across shedding sheep and the impact they can have on your bottom line.

Short legs – Reduced ability to travel and cover country. In extensive environments, mobility matters.

Short body – Weight comes from length. A longer-bodied sheep has greater capacity for growth and production.

Small – This one should be self-explanatory.

Woolly sheep – Flystrike isn't much fun. And for those who argue wool is needed for sun protection, how do cattle manage?

Feet pointing in all directions – You can keep toe-cutting forever, or you can address the underlying skeletal structure. A correctly made animal should have sound feet.

Poor temperament – This drives every aspect of production. A calm, curious animal will consistently outperform one that is nervous, aggressive, or flighty.

One final comment...

We see a lot of shedding rams being marketed as terminal sires. Remember, your shedding sheep still need to eat, walk, reproduce, rear lambs and remain productive for years. Our clients' ewes are regularly weaning their own body weight every 12 months across a wide range of environments, and doing so over long productive lifetimes (8+ years).

Eat. Walk. Reproduce - These are the non-negotiables.

If you want to use a terminal sire, that's your choice (although we'd suggest having a look at our ASBVs first). Just remember that terminal progeny are destined for slaughter long before wool ever becomes a problem.

The goal shouldn't simply be a sheep that sheds. The goal should be a sheep that sheds and excels at everything else that actually makes money.

25/05/2026

Had a great couple of days at Broken Hill AgFair. It was great to catch up with so many people and hear that some areas are finally getting a genuine season.

Everyone understands the benefits of running cleanskins, but what really stood out over the weekend was the reaction to just how clean our SheepMaster flock rams were. We never shear or trim them. People were also impressed with how well they move and handle themselves on their feet - our 6-month-old ram lambs averaged 70kg and have never been toe cut, and likely never will be.

Another thing that drew plenty of comments was their temperament. These boys came straight out of the paddock and stayed quiet and easy to handle all weekend. We firmly believe temperament drives production, and when clients are regularly weaning a ewe’s bodyweight every 12 months, something is clearly working.

Maybe it’s time to take a look at SheepMaster's in your cleanskin operation - because running shedding sheep doesn’t have to be hard.

SheepMaster - the shedding sheep you’ve been looking for.