GASS is renowned for breeding some of the best Blackface sheep in the business, but their small and select pedigree British Blue herd is fast catching up, with several show championships and a couple of five-figure priced bulls already under their belt.

Steeped in generations of Blackface sheep breeding history, having produced numerous show winners and high priced rams, the Kays from Gass, Straiton, Ayrshire - Andrew and Shoniad and their sons, Robert and Andrew - will always be devoted to the Blackie. However, their love of the Blue is also on the up, with the progeny proving easier to calf and sell in the market place.

"We were looking for an extra interest and to breed something different, and I always had a notion on the Blue," said young Andrew, who attends to the bulk of the cattle work for the business which is based over four different upland/hill units around Straiton.

"Most of the top show calves have a touch of Blue in them too, so they seemed the obvious choice at the time, along with the fact that Andy Woodburn, Netherwood, had badgered me for ages to buy a heifer!"

That was a decade ago, and to this day, the foundation female, Netherwood Wonderwoman - bought privately for the bargain price of 1500gns as a maiden heifer from Andy - the herd has never looked back.

Flushed twice to produce 16 calves and calved three times naturally, this Finaliste du Pre Rosine-sired cow, lived into double figures having bred the majority of top females in the herd.

Notably, she was the grand-dam of last year's 16,000gns bull, Gass Ironman, which only the previous week, stood breed leader at Ayr Show. She is also the dam of Gass Echo, a former champion winner at Dalrymple and Gass Highland Lass - another past Dalrymple leader and the breed supreme and reserve champion of champions at Ayr in 2014.

The Netherwood female also bred Gass Crusty, the best bull used to date on the family's commercial Limousin herd. He not only produced some of the best and most uniform calves in the Kay's expanding beef enterprise, he also lived for a good seven years.

Outwith Wonderwoman, the family also purchased two heifers from the Oxcroft and Solwayview herds, both at 3800gns.

The former, Oxcroft Alice, was another that more than paid her way, having bred the 16,000gns Gass Cheggers in what was the Kays first time as consignors at a Blue sale - the Border British Blue Club's sale, at Carlisle, in 2010.

In fact, the two 16,000gns Gass bulls sold at Carlisle, both stood reserve at the pre-sale show.

"Initially, we just looked for good, square-shaped females with good breedy heads that were good on their legs and looked as if they would produce a good calf," said Andrew, who lives with his partner, Zoe Conn, at Altizourie, Straiton - two miles from Gass.

The six-cow herd now, however, comprises home-bred females, built up from several flushing programmes.

But while the family has undoubtedly made its mark in pedigree circles, the Blue has also proved a winner in the 160 commercial cow enterprise of Limousin cross cows - 50% of which have been bought in from a dairy herd, with the remainder being home-bred three-quarter Limousins.

"Our British Blue calves are proving to be easier calved than our Limousin cross calves and they have just as much vigour. They are also so much quieter and easier to work with," added Andrew.

Just as importantly, they are bringing in that wee bit more cash, according Andrew snr. "Our Limousin and Blue cross calves are treated the exact same way and are sold at the same time and the best of the Blue calves will make 10p per kg more," he said.

"We calve inside in the spring and the calves are sold the following year from September onwards at 500kg plus, through Craig Wilson, Ayr, with no difference in the weights of the two crosses.

"Blue calves are born smaller than our Limousin calves, but they soon catch up and they've got the extra shape and muscle people are looking for," added Andrew snr.

While there is no problem calving the cross-bred Blue calves, the boys are also beginning to realise, the pures can be calved easier than expected, provided big, stretchy Simmental cross heifers are used as recipients.

Outwith home-bred bulls, the Kays have also enjoyed notable success with the AI sires, Gitan and Solwayview Firecracker, while their 2013 purchase, Springhill Geronimo, bought at the October Carlisle sale for 5500gns, is also coming up trumps.

He is the sire of this year's bull sale entry for Carlisle, on Saturday, May 21, Gass Jupiter, a rising two-year-old out of Netherwood Wonderwoman and the best of this year's commercial calf crop.

Outwith the cattle enterprise, the Kays also farm just short of 1400 mostly Blackface with a few Mules, and while the bulk of the lambing is all but done, many of the cows have still to calve.

They'll manage a break away before the 21st though, with Jupiter expected to make his first public viewing at Ayr Show, on Saturday, May 14 - he's worth watching!