Darlington Farmers Auction Mart held their final special sale of breeding sheep for the year on Tuesday 31st October 2023. Forward were 557 head.
49 Rams & Ram Lambs sold to 600 Guineas
297 Ewe Lambs sold to £175
63 Shearling Ewes sold to £550
148 Warranted Ewes sold to £580
Breeding Rams – A final sweep up of rams for the year, good sheep still very easy to sell however a moderate bottom end as we would expect at this late stage. A cracking Suffolk shearling from P K & H C Dowson, Castle House Farm led the way at 600 Guineas; next in line was a shapely Texel from J L & M Wilkinson, Bollihope Shield at 550 Guineas with the same good home producing our top tup lamb, an extraordinarily well grown Blue Faced Leicester cross Texel selling for 420 Guineas. Both Charollais and Beltex crossed Charollais shearlings from the Hunter’s of Hunmanby sold to 400 Guineas and the only aged ram of note was also a Charollais from J T Wilson selling for 300 Guineas.
Sold in Guineas.
Ram Lambs:
Continental – 420 JL&M Wilkinson & Son. 150×2 ABP Wilsons. 120×4 J Davis.
Texel – 120 M Navazi.
Shearling Rams:
Suffolk – 600 PK&HC Dowson. 200 DG Wise.
Texel 550 JL&M Wilkinson & Son. 260 200 M Navazi.
Continental – 400 300 280 220 T&J Hunter. 320 220 200 G&S Frankland. 220 IE&AC Teasdale.
Charollais – 400 T&J Hunter.
Cheviot – 200 S Dodsworth.
Aged Rams:
Charollais – 300 JT Wilson
Gimmer Lambs – Plenty of life in the gimmer lamb trade, top prices of £175 were twice achieved as a pen of Suffolk cross Texels from M Navazi, Redmires and more Leicester crossed Texels from Bollihope Shield led the way. Two vendors also shared the top Mule prices as both T E Dobson, Unthank Farm and J M Robinson, Ireshopeburn; Blue Texels sold to £150 from A B P Wilsons and Texel’s out of Cheviot Mule’s topped at £110 from Oli Harrison, Alston.
Continental – £175×2 JL&M Wilkinson & Son.
Suffolk – £175 £165 M Navazi.
Blue Texel – £150×2 ABP Wilsons.
Texel – £110 £92 SJ Harrison. £88 £86 RG McNeal.
Mule – £130 £86 JM Robinson. £130 £126 TE Dobson. £108 Fletcher & Coates. £96 £84 £80 M Metcalfe. £94 £82 R Bell. £92 JM Robinson. £81 £80 J Burns. £79 £70 NB&R Hird.
Jacob – £70 Ainsty Farms Direct.
Shearlings Ewes – The dispersal of M Navazi, Redmires Farm dominated the top prices with superb pure Texels selling three times over £500, the same good home sold Suffolk cross Texels to £208. I Walker of Boggle Beck Farm sold Beltex crosses to £200 and twice pens of Kerry Hills sold well from Pear Tree Projects to a top of £145.
Texel – £550 £520 £500 £360 £300 £280 £260 M Navazi.
Suffolk – £208 £195×2 M Navazi.
Continental – £200 I Walker. £88 M Suddes.
Kerry Hill – £145 £116 Pear Tree Projects
Charollais – £145 J T Wilson.
Breeding Ewes – More Halloween success for the Navazi Texel’s as these superbly bred sheep attracted custom from all corners; three crop ewes twice sold for £580 with others to £420 and £380. A good straight dispersal of Mule and continental ewes from James Bailey of Ivanhoe Livestock greatly exceeded pre-sale expectations when the seventy-four two and three croppers topped at £178 twice and averaged £158. Charollais ewes from J T Wilson, Burnhope sold to £170 and a run of Kerry Hills from the aforementioned Pear Tree Projects also impressed with tops of £128.
Texel – £580×2 £420 £380×2 £340 £300 £260 M Navazi. £178×2 £162 £132 Ivanhoe Livestock. £152 Pear Tree Projects.
Charollais – £180 £170 £155 JT Wilson.
Mule – £168×2 £148 Ivanhoe Livestock.
Kerry Hill – £128 £122 £100 £98 Pear Tree Projects.
