Willy Davies farms near Builth Wells in Mid Wales, running around 400 crossbred ewes — a large portion of which serve as recipients for his pedigree flocks. He carries around 30 pedigree Texel ewes and followers, selling under the Usk Vale and Usk Valley prefixes, and is now starting small flocks of Blue Leicester, Blue Texels, and Beltex as well.
Willy started breeding pedigree Texels eight years ago, slowly building numbers by picking up females from some of the top flocks in the country. The Usk Vale flock has since sold to 45,000gns at Carlisle, and he’s now branching into other breeds.
Cobalt B12 for a Low-Cobalt Area
A big product on the farm is Cobalt B12. Mid and south Wales is very low in cobalt, and Willy uses the product frequently across his flocks.
“We’re very low in cobalt in mid and south Wales. We previously would have had sort of a bit of scabby ears and other symptoms associated with cobalt deficiency. But ever since we’ve changed to Natural Stockcare Cobalt B12, there’s no signs of that — you’ve got clean silky fleece and a great tight fleece on the animal.”
The product is easy to work with and economical. “You’re only dosing a very small amount of the product and you’re seeing benefits right from that drenching day. You’re seeing the animal thrive and perform exactly how you want.”
Supreme Finisher for Condition and Coat
Supreme Finisher comes in when Willy has a batch of sheep to finish quickly. It puts condition and flesh on the lamb fast, and the results show in the coat and overall health.
“Maybe you’ve got a batch of sheep you want to finish quickly and it puts great condition and flesh on the lamb. You can really see that the lamb’s thriving when you feed the product — benefits the coat and overall health of the lamb.”
ProbiVit-E Through Stress and Sale
Willy uses ProbiVit-E in both the top dress and the paste. The top dress goes in at times of stress — weaning in particular — and carries right through to sale. It helps with feed conversion rates and the general thrift of the animal.
“If you take an animal for sale and they’ve gone off their food or have an upset stomach, it’ll help get them back eating and help the rumen function the way it should.”
Great Products, Great Service
Willy came to Natural Stockcare through recommendations from other farmers. For him, the products are only part of the picture — the backup and advice matter just as much.
“They’ve got a great service, they’re always on hand to give advice which is a very important part I think. I know everyone can say it but there is actually a great backup and service and advice on hand which is very important for me anyway.”
He puts great trust in the range. “We’re always looking at ways to improve the performance of an animal, and whichever product you’re using you can always see the benefits — they’ve never let us down.”
“I’d definitely recommend Natural Stockcare to other farmers. They have a great range of products — individual and tailored products.”
To find out more about Cobalt B12, Supreme Finisher, and ProbiVit-E for your own flock, get in touch with the Natural Stockcare team or visit the full Natural Stockcare product range.
