Dutch Texels

AIRYOLLAND DUTCH TEXELS

History of the flock

Our Dutch Texel flock was established in 2001. The first Dutch bred ewes came in with our restocking program that involved importing ewes from Belgium. The bloodlines of some of those ewes were totally Dutch so semen was imported from Martin Van Aken's flock in Holland to keep those genetics going. Each year we look to use a tup with pure Dutch genetics to keep the flock distinct from our Beltex flock.
The size of the flock is still quite small but we hope to continue to build up numbers over the coming years. We have over the last few years sold a number of Dutch bred shearlings at Kelso with some success. The buyers have come back looking for more on every occasion.

Airyolland Oscar with two homebred Dutch Texel ewes.

Kelso shearlings 2009

Two of this year's homebred gimmers. Retained for stock, 2009

Kelso
Dutch Texels were in demand again at Kelso in 2008.

The five shearlings rams that we sold there averaged £886 and to a top price of £2100. Proving once again that there is very strong commercial demand for this type of Texel.

James Whiteford from Tercrosset Farm bid to £2100 to secure our third shearling into the ring.

AMN07 006 Airyolland Nemo was by a Weekfield sire SRW04 093. This sire bred by Robin Slade, which was loaned to us by John Hall from Inglewood Edge, was got by a Dutch ram from the famous Van Aken flock. Nemo is a very active ram with good length and excellent gigots .

John Hall also bought back some of this breeding when his daughter Joanne Skelton secured our first ram into the ring, at £700, for the Inglewood Edge flock. AMN07 001 Airyolland Nimrod was used at home as a lamb he is a very large and powerful ram with great length. He was also sired by the Weekfield sire and out of a homebred ewe AMN05 120.

Dutch Texel enthusiasts Iain Smith, son Peter and father in-law Donald returned again this year to purchase another out of the pen to join their flock at Kirriemuir in Angus.

Airyolland NEMO £2100
Purchased by James Whiteford, Tercrosset Farm, Brampton

Kelso 2006
Having previously sold our Dutch Texels at Kelso as unregistered Beltex we decided in 2006 to enter them, in their own right, as registered Dutch Texels. They were the only Dutch Texels in their section at this multi-breed sale and we were first to be sold in ring 2 on the bell. Their presence, attracted a fair bit of attention so much so that the Scottish Farmer took the photo, at the top of this section, of the crowd that had gathered to see this breed's first appearance at Kelso. Trade was brisk and we sold to a top of £2000, a record price for a Dutch Texel shearling at that time and averaged £1270 for 4 sold. This tup, selling for £2000 to Colin and Bruce Mair, Muiresk, was Turbo Jock son AMN05 107 Airyolland Lethal Weapon, whose dam was homebred ewe AMN03 51 out of a Van Aken sire.