Untitled (1800 × 600 px) (1)

Texel

The Foxhillfarm pedigree Texel flock belonging to Melanie and Michael and the Wayside flock of Charlotte’s were established in 2011 to compliment the commercial attributes of the Charollais flock. Elite breeding lines have been purchased to produce a nucleus flock of top quality females to sell both females and tups at National sales across the UK.

Early female purchases included GGH1101166, purchased as a ewe lamb from the Ettrick flock of Gordon Gray. By Ettrick Rainbow Warrior and out of a Thinacres Masambola dam, she stood first in her class of 53 at the Royal Highland Show and went on to be reserve female champion.

Her first flush yielded two tup lambs, Wayside Topgun, by Glenside Razzle Dazzle, which sold at the Scottish National Sale, Lanark, in a five way partnership for 5500gns to Southern Ireland. The other, Foxhillfarm Tiptop was retained in the flock.

2012 then saw the arrival of five more females, which have since proved to be the main flushing foundations of the flock.

A Fairywater gimmer FAO1100201 by Strathbogie Python and out of a dam by Ettrick Mr Jinks was purchased at Ballymena for 11,000gns. This tremendous gimmer comes from an exceptional family which includes an unbeaten sister, which was champion at Omagh and Castlewellan and is full sister to Fairywater Samurai and maternal sister to the 9000gns Fairywater Superstar.

In 2013 she bred the Welshpool sale champion Wayside U Bet, which went on to sell for 2000gns. We also offered three daughters of the Fairywater ewe at the Christmas Cracker sale in Carlisle, selling for 1800gns and 1500gns twice, while in 2014 she was the dam of a successful homebred gimmer which stood reserve champion at both Devon County and Royal Cornwall and third in a class of 86 shearlings at the Royal Welsh.

The English National Sale was the sourcing point for the next addition, which came in the form of the Stonebridge gimmer RSS1100093 for 5100gns. By Allanfauld Rockafella and out of a dam by Rascarrol Nightlife, she was reserve breed champion at Lincoln as a ewe lamb and was purchased on the strength of her family line having been impressed with full brothers who subsequently sold in Worcester for 5100gns and in Carlisle for 9500gns and 3800gns.

In 2012 we purchased one of the best females on offer from Malcolm Reid’s Kelso flock in the form of the 8500gns gimmer RMM1100434. By Kelso Pedro (by Douganhill Mcfly) she is out of a dam by the 110,000gns Newhill Major whose grand dam goes back to the famous 17,000gns Glenside ewe FPG05151.

We returned to Lanark in 2014 with a son of the Kelso ewe, Foxhillfarm Vinnie standing first Youth Development Programme Ram Lamb, going on to be reserve overall male champion and then selling for 900gns. At the same sale, one of Charlotte’s tup lambs, Wayside Victory, stood fourth YDP lamb and went on to sell for 1300gns. The Kelso ewe has consistently bred a number of impressive females for us and is one of the flock’s best flushing ewes.

Having built Texel numbers up gradually through our flushing programme, we offered a number of females from both flocks at the Solway and Tyne Club Sale in September 2016. Best of the day was a 1600gns sale for one from Charlotte’s Wayside flock, with this being a one-crop ewe by Strathbogie Terminator, out of an Ettrick Rainbow Warrior ewe. She sold to Charlie Boden for the Sportsmans flock, with Charlotte’s first in the ring the same way bred selling for 1500gns to Paul Delves, Churchstoke.

A two crop ewe from the Foxhill flock then sold at 1250gns, with this one being a Douganhill McFly daughter. She was bought by James Runciman and Sons, Galashiels, with Charlotte then selling a two-crop ewe the same was bred as the last at 1000gns to R Mitcheson, Belsay.

 

2017 saw the addition of new female and male genetics to the flock. First to join the flock at 9500gns having been purchased at the Solway and Tyne Club Sale at Carlisle was FEB1600408, a Baltier gimmer from Robert Forsyth. This ET bred daughter of Garngour Upperclass is out of a dam by Knock Powerpacker.

Meanwhile, at the Kelso tup sales we were fortunate to secure a new stock tup from the Midlock flock of the Wight family. Midlock You’retheone was bought for £23,000 in partnership with the Brijon and Roxburgh flocks and is by a Midlock bred sire which is in turn by the 18,000gns Sportsmans Unbeatable, and is out of a dam by Douganhill Monarch.

The following November in 2017 we were delighted to be able to support the charity auction at AgriFest South West by offering a Texel gimmer for sale.

The gimmer, AFO1600143, is sired by Courthill Valentino and is a granddaughter of our original foundation female, Ettrick GGH1101166. She was offered having been tupped by the previously mentioned £23,000 Midlock You’retheone. She sold for 2200gns to the Quick family for their Loosebeare flock.

In 2018 we decided to take Midlock Youretheone out on the show circuit as an aged ram. His first trip was to Devon County where he stood reserve male champion. We then headed to the Royal Cornwall Show where he was male and overall champion and then went on to stand interbreed champion. At the Royal Highland Show he won his class and sadly went no further and at the Royal Welsh he stood reserve male champion. He returned to the showing in 2019 where he stood reserve male champion at Devon County, male and overall champion at Royal Cornwall and male champion at the Royal Highland.  

In 2018 we added to our genetics by purchasing a new and exciting female at the Scottish National Sale at Lanark. The female champion, a glimmer from Robert Bennett’s Plasucha flock caught her eye and later secured her for 18,000gns. This was BFE1707032, an ET-bred daughter of Eden Valley Wiz Kid out of a dam by Garngour Upperclass. She sold with an index of 346 and has previously stood fourth at the Highland Show and champion at Shropshire County Show. The second day of the sale saw us join forces with John Elliot, Roxburgh and Ken Hodge, Greenarch, to secure the pre-sale champion at 40,000gns from the Knox family’s Haddo flock. 

The Plasucha ewe has been shown successfully as an aged ewe winning the female and reserve overall championship at the Royal Highland and reserve female at Royal Cornwall. A son of hers by the 40,000gns Haddo tup stood male champion at Devon County and male and reserve overall champion at Royal Cornwall, while a full sister stood reserve female champion at Devon County. 

This was Haddo Balvenie, a Clinerty Yugo Khan son which had previously been champion at the Royal Highland Show earlier in the year and is out of an Eden Valley Warlord daughter and carries an index of 470.  

The Texel flock currently numbers 10 ewes which have been on a flushing programme to the Midlock tup.

In 2019 we further strengthened the flock’s sire line up, buying Drumbreddan Centre of Attention at Lanark for 32,000gns. Bred by James Hare this strong, powerful tup lamb is by Midlock Yorkie and out of a homebred dam by Knap Yorkie.