I have a proven ram, Boulderneigh Blake. He has many strong points and other points that could be stronger, but his most important quality right now is that he is not related to any of the girls here. None of this year's ram lambs can say that, and I do not have the facilities or DH cooperation to keep multiple rams. So unless someone expresses interest in any of the three boys as future flock sires, they need to be wethered. I don't raise sheep for meat (I don't EAT meat), so they would then be available as fiber pets, or stay here to provide fleeces to sell. But again, I don't have unlimited room or DH patience, so that last option is iffy.
All three ram lambs look promising and have the genetics to back up that promise. Benny and Jet are out of Annabelle (Whistlestop 0338), who passes on outstanding fleece characteristics to all her offspring, no matter the sire. Their daddy, Lil'Country Nightcap, has made a name for himself among fine-fleeced Shetland breeders, particularly through his son Wintertime Bond.
Nightcap is also the sire of WhitePine Sarai's fawn katmoget stunner, Barbados. This boy and his sister both have presence and quality that is hard to quantify but impossible to ignore. Barbados is the one I would most like to see kept intact. Anyone looking to improve fleeces in their flock???
That's it for the sales pitch, from . . .
3 comments:
Too bad we are not in the market for sheep... they're so beautiful this year!
You are so far away you could be on another planet. What is their "horn or polled status"?
All three are half-polls, with little points coming in. I have shipped a lamb to Alaska before, and it was surprisingly easy and cost-effective at the time! I know what you mean, though; we live in a big country and I'm up here in a corner where there are very few breeders of fine-fleeced Shetlands who tolerate polled genetics.
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