"We had 1300 ewe lambs shorn this year and didn't dag one of them."
Their wool is good and their meat is described as "beautiful". The Micklesons won a third place in the open section of The Golden Lamb Awards (Glammies) in 2014.
The aim of the breed is to get all the lambs weaned and up to sale weight before the height of summer, when the central North Island gets dry and feed often runs out. The Micklesons sent some lambs away before Christmas, and more in mid-January.
Ren Apatu, from Ngamatea Station, has nicknamed their mixed breed Taihape Tigers "on the grounds that nothing beats them".
He's very happy with it, and buys 150 to 200 rams a year.
Now others are buying as well.
This year the Micklesons are selling a total of 400 rams, priced at $340-$400 each.
Buyers are from Rangiwahia, Taihape, Raetihi and now also Hawke's Bay.
One new Hawke's Bay client has bought 1000 ewe lambs as well, to speed conversion of a flock.
With buying rams only, even putting them across the whole flock, it would take five to six years to convert.
The Micklesons say where they are isn't the end of the story.
"We have always been a breeding family, but we've now gone right away from the Romneys into something that more meets the demands of the end consumer.
"It's an ever-evolving plan really. There's no fixed plan on where we will go. We just keep on watching what's happening and who's doing what and what's performing best."