We have bred Hampshire Down sheep at South Kelsey in Lincolnshire since 1993 - Prior to that we ran cross-bred ewes with Suffolk rams. We tried a Hampshire ram on our cross-breds in 1993 and got lambs which finished faster but carcase quality was variable.

We then bought some Hampshires seeking out the best UK stock we could find including stock bred from embryos from New Zealand.  In 1998 we began to select for growth, muscle and leanness by taking ultrasound measurements of muscle and backfat on farm (performance recording). Since 2000 we have sent rams for CT (i.e. whole body) scanning to get highly accurate measurements of killing-out percentages, loin muscle and gigot shape.

On the farm we now rear the sheep as far as possible on grass and forage alone to identify rams which will thrive on a pasture only diet. So now we can offer rams which are fit to cover more ewes and whose lambs will finish fast on milk and grass alone but with better muscle and leanness.

In 2005 and again in 2012 the flock received from EBLEX the award for the most progressive flock within the Hampshire Down Sire Reference Scheme.  Rams from the Kelsey flock are sold to breeders, including commercial producers, all over the UK and have been exported to Belgium, Holland, France, Romania and Ireland.

In 1998, 2003 and 2006 the Kelsey flock won the Champion Flock award from the Hampshire Down Sheep Breeders Association.