Jalex rams excel on Bushmills farm

Peter and James McAuley are progressive sheep farmers running around 450 ewes on their farm in Bushmills.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Aug 2022, 09:46 BST
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These comprise mostly of Wicklow Cheviots with the remainder Mules and Suffolk Cheviots which the McAuleys find work well for them. They lamb down each year from the 25th March onwards and look for as tight a lambing interval as possible.

A key component of every flock is the stock ram, and the McAuleys breed of choice is Suffolk. They were drawn to rams at last year’s Jalex Genes sale staged by James Alexander, Randalstown.

“It is important to us that the rams we buy are fit and able to work, and the Jalex rams have been naturally grass fed without being pushed.

Brothers James and Peter McAuley run a progressive flock of 450 ewes in North Antrim. In 2021 they purchased their first Suffolk stock rams from James Alexander, Jalex. These have produced top notch lambs, with a selection heading for Armoy on the last Monday of August.Brothers James and Peter McAuley run a progressive flock of 450 ewes in North Antrim. In 2021 they purchased their first Suffolk stock rams from James Alexander, Jalex. These have produced top notch lambs, with a selection heading for Armoy on the last Monday of August.
Brothers James and Peter McAuley run a progressive flock of 450 ewes in North Antrim. In 2021 they purchased their first Suffolk stock rams from James Alexander, Jalex. These have produced top notch lambs, with a selection heading for Armoy on the last Monday of August.

“We have found this to be a tremendous asset when putting rams to work as there are virtually no repeats which has tightened up our lambing significantly.

“We also had planned to buy three rams and James assured us that two rams would be plenty for us as he was confident there was plenty of work in them - he was right!” Peter explains.

Of course this is not the only reason that Peter selected his tups, it is essential that the quality is as good as it gets and once again this drew him to the Jalex Suffolks.

“We were immediately impressed with the style, power and shape of the rams, and they didn’t disappoint when they were handled. We would have no hesitation in purchasing Jalex rams in the future as they really have produced the goods.” he adds.

Peter McAuley and daughter Grace (3) Bushmills have had a highly successful lambing in 2022 with progeny from their Jalex Suffolk stock rams excelling from the minute they hit the ground.Peter McAuley and daughter Grace (3) Bushmills have had a highly successful lambing in 2022 with progeny from their Jalex Suffolk stock rams excelling from the minute they hit the ground.
Peter McAuley and daughter Grace (3) Bushmills have had a highly successful lambing in 2022 with progeny from their Jalex Suffolk stock rams excelling from the minute they hit the ground.

The McAuleys have built up a loyal customer base themselves for their lambs each season. Their ewe lambs go to Armoy breeding sale on the last Monday of August, and this year’s batch of 100 are super.

This year’s crop are very sharp headed with tight skins, and Peter is confident that they will be ideal flock replacements for his buyers.

The Jalex Genes Sale of 100 top notch grass fed shearling and ram lambs takes place on Friday evening, 19th August at 7pm on farm at 88 Gloverstown Road, Randalstown. All stock are MV accredited, Scrapie monitored and eligible for immediate export to ROI and UK.

Everyone is welcome at this on farm sale with catering in attendance. For those unable to attend, bidding is also available on Marteye.ie via Harrison and Hetherington.

To view in advance out in the field contact James Alexander 07816775501.

Related topics:BushmillsSuffolk