Due to sudden illness, the Ballyhivistock Texel and Rouge De L’Ouest adult flocks are being offered up for sale at Ballymena Livestock Market next week.

The Ballyhivistock name is no stranger to the Texel and Rouge De L’Ouest sheep circles in Ireland and the UK, and it is with great sadness Robert and Christine Calvin offer up their adult ewes for sale.

Robert and Christine wish to acknowledge two very special charities and offer up the sale of a Texel gimmer to be sold with proceeds for Macmillan Cancer Support and the sale of a Rouge gimmer, with proceeds for the Boom Foundation.

The sale will take place at Ballymena Livestock Market on Monday, August 5 at 7:00p.m.

The Ballyhivistock Texel flock was founded in 1991 between Samuel Simpson and his stepson Robert Calvin.

Breeding initially concentrated solely on ram lambs and shearling rams for commercial trade, with the primary objective to produce great carcases and tight skins.

Show and sale success after 19 years of breeding led to the first outing to the Northern Ireland national sale in 2010, where the flock topped at 5,000gns and averaged 2,900gns for their three entries.

Some of the Ballyhivistock Rouge De L’Ouest flock for dispersal at the sale

Over the years, Robert and Christine built up very good home trade for both rams and females to both pedigree and commercial breeders.

Embryo transfer work was never undertaken, but the intention was always to continually improve the breeding within the flock.

This was done through the use of quality rams and recently the purchase of quality ewe lambs from specific breeding lines made in 2022 to expand the breeding genetics, hence the reason the majority of gimmers for sale have been bought in.

Ballyhivistock flock

The Ballyhivistock flock has had consistent success in the NI Texel sheep breeder’s club flock competition in ewe lamb, flock and junior stock ram sections over the years.

A highlight for the flock was winning the senior stock ram section with Ballyhivistock Dan Dare in 2021.

He was a son of 4,000gn Curley Boudicca and his daughters have bred exceptionally as have his brother, Ballyhivistock Danny Boy, who was also used in the flock. Daughters of both are available in the sale.

Robert and Christine are putting forward one of their favourite gimmers, YZI2302385(E1), with proceeds for donation to Macmillan Cancer Support.

A Stonepark Ferrari daughter out of a Sportsmans Cannon Ball dam, with lots of potential, she was purchased as a ewe lamb at Blessington in 2023 from the Hillcrest Flock.

Pictured are a selection of the Ballyhivistock pedigree Texel flock for dispersal

Rouge De L’Ouest rams had been used for a number of years as the sire for the Texel gimmers and to sweep the main Texel flock.

In 2006, it was decided to purchase a small number of females with the intention of breeding pedigree Rouge both for sale and to cross with the Texel to breed commercial ewes.

This was very much an enterprise aside from the Texels. Although Robert and Christine enjoyed the Rouge, Ballyhivistock Texels were proving increasingly popular and in strong demand, so in 2012 the decision was taken to concentrate on the Texels and the Rouge were sold.

In the interim, the few retained rouge ewes were put to the Texel ram to breed Rouge x Texel Females and a small number of Rouge ewes were purchased from Moore Hamilton’s Glengalliagh flock for the same purpose.

In 2017, the Ballyhivistock Rouge De L’Ouest Pedigree Flock was re-established with six ewes, including Kinsella Naomi and a ewe lamb, Ruval Tracy, purchased privately from Alan and Ruby Wallace.

Robert and Christine are no strangers to the show arena, supporting Texel and Rouge classes at their local Ballymoney Show.

In 2023, the Rouge Club ran a national show and as vice chair, Robert set example by supporting as many shows as possible, with a first daunting run out to Balmoral Show.

Throughout the show season, four different ewe lambs were placed first at different shows, including Balmoral and the National Show.

Roger Strawbridge, Owen Williams, and Christine Calvin with the Ballyhivistock Texel favourite for sale with proceeds to Macmillan Cancer Support

All ewe lambs were retained and are presented for sale as gimmers, including Ballyhivistock Betty SCY/B11 (UK1730733/01825), who was first prize ewe lamb at Balmoral 2023 and will be sold in aid of the Boom Foundation.

Robert and Christine are sad to see the Rouge Flock go, as they found them prolific and an easy managed, consistent breed.

The sale is an EU export sale and should provide both established and new prospective new breeders of Texels or Rouge De L’Ouest, with an opportunity to purchase quality stock from a genuine flock dispersal managed under commercial conditions.

No embryo transfer has even been undertaken and as such the ewes are expected to have natural maternal instincts and rear their own lambs.

Robert and Christine wish purchasers every success with their investment in the Ballyhivistock ewes.

Ballyhivistock flock

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