With a team of eighteen bulls we are going to have our work cut out at the 2019 February bull sale at Stirling. I believe we have bulls to suit both commercial and pedigree breeders with our usual emphasis on growth combined with easy calving and good temperament. With all the uncertainties that Brexit has brought to our industry combined with the rising costs of feed, fuel, fertiliser, and straw, it has never been more important to use a high rated Charolais bull on your commercial herd to benefit from the breeds outstanding growth and feed conversion ability combined with easy calving and short gestation. I hope you will find all these virtues among the bulls we are offering for sale in February. We know their genes have proved to work well on our own commercial herd so have confidence they will work for you as well.
Balthayock Normile Lot No. 323.
Sired by the famous Dingle Hofmeister, one of the breeds all time successful sires with 1764 registered calves in 203 herds. He has a trait leading figure of +11.5 for easy calving for his daughters and a remarkable + 7.8 EBV for eye muscle area. With Swalesmoor Cracker on his dam’s side it is not surprising Normile is a top 1% bull with EBVs as a terminal and replacement sire of 68/66
Balthayock Nelson Lot No. 331.
A top 10% bull sired by Balthayock Impression which is one of the breed’s top rated sires with EBVs of 85/85. We sold three of his sons last year to pedigree breeders –Goldies Chesham and Oakchurch to a top of £15,000. With an almost perfect set of figures including +6.1 for easy calving, +76 for 600 day weight gain and positive EBVs for milk, scrotal circumference and eye muscle area, I am confident Nelson will have inherited the good genes on both sides of his pedigree and particularly his sire’s very easy calving and good nature.
Balthayock Nimrod. Lot No 333.
Maerdy Grenadier was male and junior interbreed champion at the RHS in 2015 and the sire of the RHS female champion in 2017.With his short gestation he has proved to be a very easy calving herd sire with us and with Jim Muirhead Firhills herd. He won the award from the Scottish and Northern Charolais club for the best herd sire. We sold one of his sons last February for 16,000 guineas. Nimrod’s dam Eli is by the very easy calving home bred Valentine who we used successfully on our heifers for many years.
Balthayock Nomad Lot No 334.
Twin with a heifer. Balthayock Imp was male and junior interbreed champion at the RHS in 2015. We sold two of his sons last February to pedigree breeders for 14,000 gns (Kersknowe) and 19,000 gns (Seawell). On his dams side, Swalesmoor Cracker was one of our most influential herd sires with five top trait EBVs including +108 for live weight at 600 days and +22 for milk. He has left us some very growthy and milky heifers and many bulls sold for high prices.
Balthayock Norseman. Lot No 335.
A top 1% bull by the highly rated Balthayock Impression who has terminal and replacement EBVs of 85/85.We sold two of his sons last February to pedigree herds Goldies and Chesham and one privately to Oakchurch. Impression has proved to be very easy calving with an exceptionally friendly nature. Norsemans dam is by the 20,000 guinea Blelack Forester, sire of the 2015 RHS male and junior interbreed champion Balthayock Imp.
Balthayock Napoleon Lot No 336.
A top 1% bull by Balthayock Impression who has one of the highest terminal and replacement EBVs in the national herd at 85/85. We sold thee of his sons last year to pedigree breeders to a top of £15,000. He has proved his value for easy calving exceptional live weight gain and friendly temperament. Napoleon’s dam inherits this easy calving gene and short gestation as well through the widely used and proven Balthayock Adonis, the sire of Blelack Digger.
Balthayock Nicholas Lot No 337.
A twin son of Balthayock Imp who was the male and junior interbreed champion at the RHS in 2015. At last year’s February sale we sold two of his sons to pedigree breeders. Balthayock Mikado to John Jeffreys (Kersknowe) for 14,000 guineas and Balthayock Manifesto to Peter Donger (Seawell) for 19,000 guineas. Nicholas’ dam Hosanna has had twins every year since she first calved in 2015.
Balthayock Namesake Lot No 345.
A very shapely son of Barbican Lancer who we bought in 1977 and have been using very successfully on many of our heifers for the last forty years because of his easy calving EBV of + 30.2 which makes him a breed trait leader. We have shown Namesake’s dam Jemima with success at the RHS and many of our local shows. Her sire Elgin Glenlivet who we bought in partnership for 28,000 guineas was an RHS and Stirling champion in his day.
Balthayock Nimbus. Lot No 348.
Sired by Balthayock Imp who was male and junior interbreed champion at the RHS in 2015. Last February we sold two of his sons to pedigree breeders for 14,000 and 19,000 guineas. His dam’s sire Ugie Echo, who we bought in partnership from Jimmy Wilson after he was a reserve junior champion at Stirling, because of his easy calving EBV, early maturing, great feet and amiable temperament. He has succeeded all our expectations as a herd sire with twin sons sold for 24,000 guineas and Balthayock Jonathon sold for 13,000 guineas to Peter Donger’s Seawell herd among many other well priced bulls.
Balthayock Nizam. Lot No 354.
A top 5% bull by the proven easy calving Balthayock Impression who has some of the highest EBVs in the national herd with terminal and replacement EBVs of 85/85, and a calving index of +10.4 and a 600 day EBV for weight gain of +102.We have already sold three Impression sons to pedigree breeders to a top of £15,000. Nizam’s dam is sired by the 28,000 guinea Balbithan Vespasian who has bred so well at Balthayock and Blelack.
Balthayock Newton. Lot No 356.
Sired by Balthayock Imp who was male and junior interbreed champion at the RHS in 2015. Last February we sold two of his sons to pedigree breeders for 14,000 and 19,000 guineas. His dam is a very regular breeder by Swalesmoor Cracker who has been such a success at Balthayock with his outstanding EBVs for live weight gain (+106 at 600 days) and milk in his daughters. (+22)
Balthayock Nugget. Lot No 357.
A top 5% bull and twin to a heifer by the proven very easy calving Balthayock Impression who carries one of the breed’s highest EBVs for a terminal and replacement sire of 85/85. We sold three of his sons last year to pedigree breeders to a top of £15,000. Nugget has excellent EBVs for easy calving, live weight gain, milk and scrotal circumference. His easy calving is reinforced by having Ugie Echo on his dam’s side.
Balthayock Nightwatch. Lot No 362.
A top 1% bull by Balthayock Ferdinand who has already sired one supreme and one junior champion at Stirling with Minstrel selling last February to Balmyle and Harestone for 46,000 guineas and Justice to the late Gilbert Crawford for 50,000 guineas in 2016. Emma’s son Jonathon was sold to Peter Donger’s Seawell herd for 13,000 guinea in 2016.
Balthayock Nominee. Lot No 374.
A top 1% bull with very easy calving on both sides of his pedigree. His sire Balthayock Impression carries one of the highest ratings for terminal and replacement EBVs of 85/85. We sold three of his sons last year to a top of £15,000. We have used him on our heifers and on some of our cows and he is proving to be a real improver in the Balthayock Herd. Japonica’s dam Glory is one of our star cows breeding some exiting sire prospects including the junior champion at Stirling in October2016 Balthayock Loyalist who is breeding exceptionally well as a new junior herd sire at Balthayock.
Balthayock Navigator. Lot No. 387.
A top 5% bull sired by Balthayock Imp, who was male and junior interbreed champion at the RHS in 2015. Last February we sold two of his sons into pedigree herds, Mikado at 14,000 guineas to Kersknowe and Manifesto for 19,000 guineas to Seawell. Ira’s first calf sired by Ugie Echo, was sold for 10,000 guineas. With Echo and Swalesmoor Cracker in his pedigree, Navigator is full of easy calving genes, above average growth and excellent temperament.
Balthayock Navarone. Lot No. 388.
Maerdy Grenadier was the male and junior interbreed champion at the RHs in 2015 and the sire of the RHS female champion in 2017. He also sired the October 2016 Stirling champion which we have retained as a herd sire. He was judged the best herd sire in the Scottish and Northern inter-herd competition and despite his size he is proving with his short gestation EBV, both at Firhills and Balthayock, to be easy calving and a great herd improver. With Swalesmoor Cracker and ‘Mr Reliable’ – Dingle Hofmeister in his pedigree, he should make a good herd sire.
Balthayock Nuffield. Lot No. 391.
Sired By Maerdy Grenadier, the 2015 male and junior interbreed champion at the RHS, and sire of the RHS female champion in 2017, and the Stirling junior champion in October 2016, Grenadier is proving to be an outstanding sire with Jim Muirhead at Firhills and with us at Balthayock. Despite his impressive size he is easy calving helped by his short gestation EBV. He is proving to be a great herd improver. Nuffield was born on the day the Nuffield scholars paid us a visit at Balthayock and he has become a bit of a favourite. We sold one of Grenadier’s sons in February who was reserve senior champion, for 16,000 guineas.
Balthayock Nanook. Lot No. 409.
Balthayock Imp was male and junior interbreed champion at the RHS in 2015. Last February we sold two of his sons to pedigree breeders. John Jeffreys of Kersknowe bought a first prize winner Mikado for14,000 guineas and Peter Donger bought Manifesto who was second in class to the senior champion for 19,000 guineas. We bought Blelack Forester in partnership for 20,000 guineas and his females are making excellent cows. Gemma’s sire Barbican Lancer is one of the easiest calving bulls we have ever owned and we still use him on some of our heifers, as we have done for the last forty years.