Maternal Genetics at The Willows

Our maternal flock was established in 2004 with a clear objective, to breed highly fertile, efficient, and resilient ewes for self-replacing enterprises.

The flock is a carefully developed composite of White Suffolk and maternal genetics, designed to lift fertility and efficiency beyond traditional first-cross systems. Our selection focus includes

• Strong mothering ability and temperament

• High fertility and weaning rate (WR)

• Moderate adult weight for feed efficiency

• Adequate genetic fat (PFAT) for resilience and lamb survival

• Sound structure and conformation

combining to produce ewes that rear more lambs with less input. Across the program, we target high early growth with moderate mature weight, ensuring ewes reach breeding condition earlier while remaining feed efficient. We also select for higher levels of genetic fat, which supports resilience, fertility, and lamb survival — traits that translate directly to productivity and profitability.

All ewe lambs are joined at 7–8 months of age, with fertility data recorded through Sheep Genetics to continually refine our selection decisions. The result is a proven, practical maternal flock that consistently achieves strong marking percentages and performs under commercial conditions.

To maintain genetic progress, we regularly introduce elite sires from leading maternal programs, ensuring ongoing improvement and providing direct comparison for improved flock linkage while staying true to our breeding objectives.