Alaraine Wiltipolls

Champion

Alaraine Wiltipolls - The Story So Far

We have been breeding stud alpacas for 13 years and in 2006 we bought a few cast for age Wiltipolls to explore options that would significantly reduce our workload. The Wiltipoll is proving to be an excellent retirement venture for us. The animals have excellent temperaments and their self shedding fleeces mean that we can concentrate on maximising their prime meat producing capabilities.
Subsequently, we purchased registered young stock and are now breeding up the numbers and quality of our Wiltipoll flock. We are a registered Wiltipoll stud that offers top quality stud ewes and rams in addition to commercial flock stock. Our stud sheep are registered with both the Australian Wiltipoll Association Inc and the Australian Stud Sheep Breeders Association Ltd.

Since beginning our venture we have found that our clients are seeking the Wiltipoll breed for a range of reasons. Some buyers simply want rams to put over their ewes to gradually eliminate the need for shearing and all the work, expense and chemicals involved in producing wool. Others want Wiltipolls as easy care sheep for breeding on small or broadacre properties or merely to control grass in backyard, hobby farm, orchard or vineyard.

We have an ideal location in the SurfCoast Shire near Geelong, Victoria (Australia) and benefit from rich farming land and easy access to all requirements. We look forward to talking to you about this fabulous breed of animal!

Alan and Lorraine

Caring for our Animals - Making a Difference

We prioritize animal welfare issues and firmly believe that ethical treatment of animals reduces stress both on them and us! We constantly see the benefits of avoiding stressful handling techniques such as the use of dogs and loud noises and enjoy being able to walk in amongst our flock or calling them in from a nearby paddock. This way, you can be assured that the meat they are producing is beautifully tender.

Our entire flock flourishes on pasture with rows of saltbush (de Kock Old Man Saltbush) that we have purposefully planted in order to provide high quality fodder, especially in summer. Planted 4 metres apart with new sown pasture in between, this feed also provides wind protection during lambing in addition to being an excellent drought-proofing measure.

Being a breed that fully sheds its wool, Wiltipolls require minimal intervention. Alaraine Wiltipolls uses minimal chemicals and only in instances where absolutely necessary.

Integrating Alpacas into our flock means that our lambs and ewes are protected from foxes.

Our Winning Formula - Champions for a Reason

As the Wiltipoll breed is quite new to the more traditional sheep market, we have taken the opportunity to enter a number of our prize Wiltipolls at the Royal Geelong Agricultural & Pastoral Show. They have been awarded Champions in the “All Other Breeds” section. Key characteristics that the judges look for include:

conformation and correctness according to breed standard
good growth and appearance for their age and gender.

Champion Ewe & Supreme Champion Any Other Breed 2007,

Champion Ewe Any Other Breed 2008 - Royal Geelong Show.

Wiltipoll - A Little Bit of Background

The Origins
Wiltipolls have 96.87% of the British Wiltshire Horn which gives them their wool shedding characteristics but they have been bred in Australia with Poll Dorset, Polled Merino or Border Leicesters to be a polled or hornless sheep. ‘No horns’ is an appealing feature of this particular breed for ease of handling and no carcass damage.

The Meat
The breed is a meat sheep and provides excellent lean, prime lamb which commands a premium price from many slaughter houses. It seems sensible to us to concentrate on either dedicated meat production or on quality wool and the Wiltipoll breed is the ideal sheep for lean, prime lamb. Their energy goes into excellent milk and meat production rather than meat and wool. Wiltipoll rams are excellent terminal sires.

The Wool
The Wiltipoll fleece is short and sparse and when shed in Spring, it simply disperses without trace in the paddocks. Some ends up lining bird nests! Under the tail of the animal, the belly and breech are clean therefore tails do not need to be docked. Lambs are born with a short hair and wool covering.

The Breeding
Wiltipolls have a high fecundity with 150% lambing and excellent mothering and milking capabilities. As seasonal breeders, they are joined in autumn and lamb in spring. Rams are fertile year-round so can be used over other breeds for excellent prime lamb.

The Lambing
The lambs are relatively small at birth resulting in ewes lambing easily and rarely requiring assistance. The lambs are generally robust from birth and have the ability to thrive even in cold conditions. Wiltipoll lambs finish beautifully on pasture.