R & M Watkins Sheep Contracting Services

19/11/2025

Check out our recent comment on the AWI Facebook post about the genetics of foot health in Merinos. It needed to be said.

There is a constant push in Australia to treat lameness as if it is almost entirely a genetic or footrot based issue. The reality out on farms could not be further from that. Only a very small percentage of lameness cases in Australia actually come from true footrot. The overwhelming majority come from non footrot lesions, nutrition issues, heat stress, animal stress, and poor or inconsistent hoof management.

So why do we keep pouring time and money into fixing a problem that is barely present in most flocks Instead of teaching producers how to recognise lesions, manage hoof shape, understand seasonal impacts, and correct nutritional drivers, we continue to push the same old story that genetics will save the industry. Genetics has its place, but it is only one small piece of the overall hoof health picture. It is not a solution on its own and it never will be.

It’s sad that industry professionals are so narrowly scoped on working together to achieve research that is impactful- just because it is outside of their narrative.

18/11/2025

Victoria and South AustraliaWalker Livestock Contractingng is a great choice to get your hoof care sorted- We trained Chris earlier this year on correct hoof care and trimming methods. And he is part of our campaign and a member of the AISHC. So a great option for our “Mexican” neighbours!

Give him a call

14/11/2025

FOOTROT ❗️CONTRACTORS ❗️GOVERNMENT

Keep reading…

When you open up a hoof after a long standing toe lesion or pressure you see the truth that most producers never want to admit. The pressure and inflammation inside the hoof capsule does not stop at the surface. It travels inward. It pushes into the lamina and it eventually begins to deform the P3 itself. The pitting and erosion in these photos are not genetics. They are not a breeding fault. They are the direct physical signature of repeated insult from environment, nutrition, and neglected early management.

Once P3 begins to break down as seen in the right image the animal is never the same. These sheep become far more vulnerable to reinfection and painful lameness because the structural integrity of the hoof has already been compromised. That internal damage cannot be reversed. It can only be managed from this point forward. A management failure has become a management nightmare.

This is where many producers go wrong. They blame bloodlines. They blame the ram. They blame the ewe. They cull without ever once establishing a baseline on hoof angle or hoof health. They cull without understanding that environmental pressure and mechanical breakdown mimic genetic weakness almost perfectly. You cannot separate the two unless you are trimming with intent and actually looking at what is happening inside the hoof.

If you are not trimming routinely and assessing hoof angle in your system then you are selecting blind. Culling without that baseline is not good stewardship. It is expensive guesswork. It costs money. It wastes years. It removes good genetics and keeps bad management.

Feed. Nutrition. Season. Ground conditions. Early life management. These are the drivers behind most of the P3 breakdowns that producers are blaming on genetics. Until the hoof is opened and the P3 is inspected no one can claim a genetic fault. Most will never look because they do not want to face that the problem is not the sheep. The problem is the management.

NOW HERE IS THE KICKER in my opinion.

The SAD part is the government agencies in Australia that are here to assist producers often do not know or understand these fundamentals you just read, and they promote Cull baby cull costing producers massively without taking mitigation steps.

Despite declared footrot not requiring ANY TRAINING to conduct trimming they give a flimsy non universally recognised footrot accreditation to contractors without even teaching those contractors hoof anatomy, cause and effect, or animal nutrition.

In states like Victoria they have VERY little obligation to manage footrot at all, breedings complacency, and are still able to transport animals across state lines!

In addition, states like NSW have lighter classing Vs states like SA- so animals that are declared benign FR and not under transportation or notification restriction in NSW are able to sell sheep to SA and throw SA producers into potentially years long quarantine!

This night and day, non national coherent approach to managing FR may be why the state government FR accreditation is suffering SO greatly.

How are producers allowing these under educated contractors to dictate their programs and culling with so little training? These are not just sheep. These sheep are producers livelihoods.

And EVERY step should be taken by the government on all levels AND by the contractors to prevent the issue to start with.

NOT this half wit approach we see today.

Thats why picking a certified contractor through the AISHC is so important. They do NOT represent a government agency. They represent the producer and animals best interests and welfare through detailed educational programs and training, along with industry leading networking and support.

Now if you have, or think you might have footrot, it is your obligation to contact your local governmental authorities for infectious disease. HOWEVER if you want to prevent footrot from ever happening in the first place you call an AISHC certified trimmer.

https://www.instituteofsheephoofcare.com/

12/11/2025

Roberts Livestock Hoof Care & Contracting
And
Pickford Partnership Sheep Services

Doing what they do best - SAVING SHEEP.

Saving sheep from pain.
Saving sheep from production loss.
Saving sheep from early breakdown.
Saving sheep from aimless culling.
Saving sheep from trends
Saving sheep from feed inefficiencies from over growth 

Because every step matters -
and every sound sheep means a stronger flock,
a stronger future,
and a stronger bottom line.

Do you know what over growth is doing to your mob… Even BEFORE you notice lameness?

Back to Dunedoo this week with Pickford Partnership Sheep Services Hoof Paring! 🐑
featured in the photo is one of our happy customers running out the gate set up for success! 🚀

I personally love watching the sheep run out the gate knowing they are putting their best foot forward & following up with clients to see just how much Proper Hoof Care has boosted production within their Livestock Enterprises!

There is no better advertisement than Results & a boost to the Producers bottom line! 💵
I look at Contracting as not being a fly in fly out service, but being apart of a Producers business!

10/11/2025

Every producer wants sound feet in their flock.
But somewhere along the line, sound became confused with ruthless.

TOO many are quick to cull every sheep that ever limps without stopping to ask why it limped.

Here’s the truth from the field and the science behind it.

Feet do not fail on their own.
They fail under pressure. Long wet spells, sharp ground, feed changes, stress events that weaken horn growth and tear the hoof capsule apart.

When a whole mob shows signs, that is not genetics, that is environment.

Radical culling under those conditions is not selection. It is destruction.
You are not removing weakness. You are removing resilience. Those ewes that battled through inflammation and healed with proper care often carry the most adaptive genetics in the flock.

Biologically, a hoof can rebuild itself when managed right. Cells reform, tissue stabilizes, and natural horn growth evens out once conditions improve.
That is not a defect. That is recovery, and it can be measured.

Modern hoof management respects that process.
It does not throw away strong animals for a bad season. It observes, records, and corrects. Turning setbacks into data and data into progress.

Trimmers who understand this balance see the results. When inflammation is handled early, fertility steadies, feed efficiency returns, and the entire flock walks stronger for it.
You do not need to lose good stock to look like you are doing something.

Progressive flocks are not trimming out of habit.
They are reading the signs, adapting, and applying real science.
A sound foot is not just a mark of good breeding. It is proof of good stewardship.

TRUE selection starts with understanding the cause, not just cutting away the symptoms! 

03/11/2025

03/11/2025

Good trimming is contagious!

Unfortunately there is a lot of cowboy trimmers “acting” the part out there- the AISHC is the ONLY industry recognised certification that actually trains trimmers on hoof anatomy, correct trimming methods, and PREVENTING issues before they happen!

Be careful using trimmers that suggest they “eradicate” problems- seek trimmers that FIX and PREVENT problems! And that is exactly what our AISHC trimmers do- they’ll get your mob on track with real industry know how.

Out with the 1980s model trimming… This is hoof care for the future! 🛸👽🐑

Find a certified trimmer near you at:

https://www.instituteofsheephoofcare.com/

01/11/2025

🎃Halloween is a scary time… but nothing is as scary as a want-to-be big shot charging ridiculous rates to give animal production advice to a second, third, forth+ generation farmer with an aim to sell them a PIPE DREAM.

That ship has sailed!!

MOST producers I talk with know where the production is being lost on their farms, however, rather than taking their own advice and acting- they seek confirming advice from “industry professionals” whos only agenda is to make the producer more dependent on the trend.

You’ve been raising sheep for your entire life, more than likely your father and grand father did as well… YOU should be selling your advice to the collages teaching these textbook cowboys.. not the other way around!

The best producers I know take their own advice and ACT.

You know your animals better than anyone- you don’t need to pay thousands for someone who’s never farmed to tell you otherwise.

Production starts FROM THE HOOF UP

04/09/2025

It’s great to see organisations like AWI recognising that genetics alone isn’t the magic bullet for flock hoof health.

For too long, genetics has been sold as a “fix all,” leading producers into costly and drawn-out culling programs that strip value from their flocks. The real solution is a marriage between proactive trimming, correct mob setup, and smart genetic decisions.

When we get this balance right, we see less unnecessary culling of non-genetic faults, stronger trade lamb supply, better milk production, improved ewe longevity, and far less lameness.

I love seeing our friends at AWI helping to change the tide on this conversation. This is the future of sheep management — practical, hands-on solutions working with genetic selection rather than against it.

And remember: you can’t win a battle that doesn’t exist! Make sure you are culling the animals that are truly structurally impaired, not the animals that are your proudest producers.

That’s why Certified Trimmers are the #1 choice for productive producers… they know what to trim, when to trim, and when to leave an animal in the flock. Skilled trimming prevents over-culling, keeps more good sheep in production, and saves you money!

Read the article here!

https://www.wool.com/news-events/news/put-your-sheeps-best-foot-forward/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAMnBwhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHqB5dZjdO6JZxY2FtbzCaql5HoWL9MZBQfJe2GU32w2K7gJ62izz8OUUqXfv_aem_uA2G96HfIVu7JAIyoWkGlw

👣 Putting your (🐑 sheep's) best foot forward!
🤔 What's causing the lameness in my sheep?

There are many causes of lameness in sheep, ranging from short-lived and relatively mild, to severe. Bacteria cannot invade dry, healthy hooves, so keeping the feet of your sheep in the best possible condition helps them to fight off potential disease incursions.

📖 Read the full article as published in the recent AWI woolgrower newsletter at the link in comments 👇

Author credit - Emily King, National Extension Manager, AWI

Australian Wool Innovation AWI Extension WA AWI Extension VIC AWI Extension QLD AWI Extension SA AWI Extension TAS Leading Sheep

30/08/2025

NO hoof NO sheep! Doesn’t matter your feed, genetics, or effort/hours you put in… if your sheep are showing signs of lameness you’re ALREADY losing production, and have been for awhile!

Pickford Partnership Sheep Services showing us in this post not just good trimming, but logic behind the method- it’s not as simple as just “trimming the long toes”… if you want to see true production gain on your farm you need a trimmer like John who understands the anatomy, theory and logic to WHY and HOW to trim for YOUR farm!

Get a certified trimmer, and remember… NO-Hoof-NO-Sheep! 🐑🐏

24/08/2025

18/08/2025

When you start to think of rasing sheep logically, you come to realise MANY of the elements are interlocked, from nutrition - hoof care - fat score - lambing qualities - wool production - etc, etc… not in any one order, but in conjunction.

Seemingly if you master one, and apply it’s same logic against another you will find results.

Here physics teaches us the simple basis of this: to move a rock, you must first apply enough force to equal the resistance. Only once you have matched that resistance will any extra effort translate into motion. In other words, you cannot reap progress until you have overcome the friction.

Hoof care in sheep is no different. Lameness has its own resistance: stigma among producers, reluctance among contractors, and the heavy weight of “that’s just the way it’s always been.” Many want to apply only a light force, trimming when it is convenient, ignoring the problem until it is visible, or assuming genetics alone will solve it. That may feel like effort, but in truth it does not meet the resistance. Nothing moves.

When producers and contractors are willing to apply equal parts force to the resistance, whether that resistance is old habits, skepticism, or the labor involved, then and only then can progress begin. Every unit of extra effort beyond that threshold is motion forward: healthier sheep, stronger flocks, higher production, and an industry that proves lameness does not have to be accepted as the norm.

Those who try to push lightly yet expect momentum, whether farmer, contractor, advisor or otherwise are missing this basic law of physics. Progress is not handed out. It is won when enough force is applied to overcome the resistance, and then carried forward with steady motion…

Production is a system of balance. Every pushback against proper hoof care, nutrition, genetics, or welfare does not just disappear… it shows up later as losses in growth rates, joining percentages, wool cut, or animal health, etc etc.

The force you resist in one place is the force you feel in another!