ChazCompare - Andrew Walton and Jamie Wild, Rutland

Jamie Wild / Andrew Walton – ChazCompare, Oakham, Leicestershire

ChazCompare is a breeder lead initiative, which mimics RamCompare - the National Progeny test, enabling abattoir data to be included directly into breeding evaluations.

Joining in 2018, initially as a three-year pilot study was the idea and hard work of pedigree Charollais breeders Andrew Walton and Jamie Wild, both keen supporters of RamCompare, but wanted to test a dozen Charollais rams not just two or three currently possible via RamCompare. They remain involved for phase III of the project.

Using Jamie’s commercial North Country Mule flock, they have created a dataset equally as robust and accurate as that achieved within RamCompare – while getting considerably more value from the data coming back for the benefit of their pedigree flocks.

• Using AI alongside ewes teased ahead of natural service single sire mating groups ensures a compact lambing, lambs are reared as a uniform group all on the same management 
• Lambing in February/March over a 10 day period
• 8 week weights in early May and ultrasound scanned at the end of May to coincide with drawing the first batch for slaughter
• Lambs are finished from grass and slaughtered from end of May – end of July
• Recording around 500 lambs/year

Andrew states “You can have it all, but you need to select for it! - The analysis of abattoir data from the ChazCompare results demonstrates that producers can simultaneously increase carcase weight, reduce days to slaughter and achieve carcase premiums if they select rams carefully.”