Dohne ram breaks world record

The record-breaking ram was sashed supreme champion at last year's Australian Sheep & Wool Show (ASWS), and "stood out" to Koonik stud principals Fiona and Darren Cameron.

The 2-year-old ram weighed 145 kilograms and was sired by HR130004, which sold privately to a Chilean stud in 2016 for $20,000, while its grandfather, HR100046, sold to Eagle Ridge stud, Cowell, SA, in 2013 for $10,000.

The record-priced sire had Australian Sheep Breeding Values of 4.5 for yearling weight and 12.5 for yearling clean fleece weight, and a Dohne index of 160.1.

It had 42.6-millimetre eye muscle depth and fat depth of 5.5mm.

Its fleece measured 16.1 micron, with 3.1 standard deviation, 19.1 co-efficient of variation and 99.4 per cent comfort factor.

The Camerons bought Hamilton Run Dohne stud after securing most of the stud's genetics at its dispersal sale last year.

They bought 224 Dohne ewes, including 88 ewe lambs and four ram lambs - three sired by HR160121 and another by the record-priced ram's father.

Ms Cameron said Koonik and Hamilton Run studs would operate side-by-side, as separate entities.

"We plan to maintain the integrity of the Hamilton Run Dohne stud and continue its top breeding line," she said.

"(HR160121) was clearly the best Dohne ram in Australia when we saw it at the ASWS last year and the judges said it was a 'super example of a Dohne'.

"It has structure, carcase and top wool quality."

She said it was "perfect timing" to acquire Hamilton Run's Dohne stud.

"We were already looking to increase our stud numbers and Hamilton Run Dohnes were the closest to our stud's genetics that we had ever seen," she said.

"We had travelled to most states looking for suitable genetics."

Progeny of HR160121 will be available at a multi-vendor ram sale at Mount Pleasant, SA, in August next year.