Ewes
OK Acres Alabama-yearling 25.0 AFD/4.4 SD/21.9 CV/9.1 CEM/84.0 CF/24.6 SF
OK Acres Alexandria-yearling 23.6 AFD/4.4 SD/18.7 CV/7.2 CEM/95.5 CF/22.6 SF
Lil Ctry. Bailey-2 yr old 28.0 AFD/5.3 SD/18.7 CV/9.2 CEM/68.4 CF/26.8 SF
Lil Ctry. Bee Sting-yearling 23.7 AFD/4.8 SD/20.2 CV/9.0 CEM/91.0 CF/22.9 SF
Sheltg Pines Catherine-7 yrs 28.6 AFD/5.5 SD/19.1 CV/9.8 CEM/67.2 CF/27.4 SF
Sheltg Pines Ceylon-4 yr old 29.2 AFD/5.8 SD/19.8 CV/10.1CEM/60.2 CF/28.2 SF
Sommarang Challis-7 yr old 30.2 AFD/5.9 SD/19.7 CV/9.7 CEM/51.4 CF/29.0 SF (leased)
Lil Ctry. Disco-yearling 24.9 AFD/6.1 SD/24.5 CV/11.8 CEM/81.7 CF/25.0 SF
Kimberwood Dot-5 yr old 28.8 AFD/6.4 SD/22.3 CV/11.0 CEM/62.3 CF/28.4 SF
Sommarang Farrah-4 yr old 31.2 AFD/6.1 SD/19.4 CV/11.4 CEM/47.0 CF/29.9 SF (leased)
Wintertime Garnet-2 yr old 26.7 AFD/4.7 SD/17.9 CV/8.4 CEM/81.2 CF/25.3 SF
Sheltg Pines Hermoine-7 yrs 29.9 AFD/5.5 SD/18.5 CV/9.1 CEM/54.6 CF/28.5 SF
White Pine Killian-yearling 24.6 AFD/5.3 SD/21.7 CV/9.6 CEM/88.2 CF/24.1 SF
Sheltering Pines Maura-7 yr old 27.9 AFD/4.9 SD/17.7 CV/7.9 CEM/70.9 CF/26.4 SF
Lil Ctry. Meadow-5 yrs old 28.7 AFD/5.7 SD/19.7 CV/9.2 CEM/62.3 CF/27.6 SF
Sheltg Pines Salicional-6 yr old 26.3 AFD/4.8 SD/18.2 CV/8.3 CEM/81.4 CF/25.0 SF
OK Acres Salina-yearling 24.3 AFD/5.1 SD/20.9 CV/9.4 CEM/88.2 CF/23.6 SF
OK Acres Seneca-yearling 21.9 AFD/4.5 SD/20.7 CV/8.3 CEM/96.1 CF/21.3 SF
OK Acres Sierra-yearling 22.6 AFD/4.0 SD/17.9 CV/7.2 CEM/97.2 CF/21.5 SF
Sheltg Pines Temperance-2 yrs 24.4 AFD/4.7 SD/19.2 CV/9.1 CEM/90.9 CF/23.4 SF
Lil Ctry.Velma-3 yr old 29.4 AFD/5.6 SD/19.1 CV/9.7 CEM/60.4 CF/28.2 SF
OK Acres Vienna- yearling 22.2 AFD/5.2 SD/23.5 CV/9.0 CEM/94.6 CF/22.1 SF
Rams
Sheltg Pines Bug 26.2 AFD/4.8 SD/18.2 CV/7.9 CEM/83.7 CF/24.9 SF 3 yr old
Sheltg Pines TelSay Camden 25.3 AFD/4.5 SD/17.8 CV/7.9 CEM/87.9 CF/24.0 SF yearling
OK Acres Monroe 22.9 AFD/4.2 SD/18.5 CV/7.9 CEM/95.6 CF/21.8 SF yearling
Crosswinds Thor 23.2 AFD/4.5 SD/19.8 CV/8.1 CEM/94.4 CF/22.4 SF yearling
Wether
OK Acres Chandler-yearling 22.1 AFD/4.6 SD/20.7 CV/8.4 CEM/96.1 CF/21.4 SF (fall sample)
Well, there it is, the good, the not so good and a couple surprises. Looks like Thor is officially off the sales list for now, I will use him one more year and deal with the horns. Monroe was going to be culled, but I have no idea how I will be able to send him to the processor in two weeks with numbers like that, and his structure is so fantastic to boot. Anybody need a good ram? lol Just got his fleece back from being hand processed, got it on my wheel this weekend and it is spinning up fingering weight so easily that it's like I'm spinning nothing. I've never spun fingering weight, and was scared to try it, but this fleece begs to be spun that way and attempts to spin it thicker is a struggle.
My hay this winter was superior quality, and I'm wondering if that has any effect on my fleece, as the previous year my hay was the worst I'd ever had and my micron numbers were a a point or two lower on the older ewes. Just another thing that I'd like to explore more thoroughly in the coming years. Since we started making our own hay last year, we have a bit more control of the quality, so I may be able to study the feed/fleece quality correlation more readily. I also wonder if the fact that I got my fleece samples so late in the year has any effect on my test results......hmmmmm, I'm thinking I'll try a few experiments earlier in the year this next winter. Maybe a sample taken every month on one or two sheep would be an interesting study.
Just an FYI to all you folks that micron test.........Texas A & M did NOT raise their fees!! I sent in $2.50 each for 27 samples and they returned the results in one week and I now have a credit. The fee is still $2.00 per sample and the turn round time was very fast.
As usual, numbers aren't the be all and end all of a Shetland sheep, but it's a nice tool to help educate ourselves and our customers about fleece. Now if someone wants a pound of Grade 1 fleece, I know exactly which sheep will give me that product and my customer knows that they will be getting what they ordered.
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Mike and I
Mike and I at Nick and Emily's wedding
Raised beds & chickens coops
Can't wait for this stuff to actually be food....
Wow, all those sheep and all but ONE have lower SF than AFD. I'd call that FANTASTIC! I see a couple I'd love to have....
ReplyDeleteThanks Michelle......I'm making progress, my hands need as much training as they can get and this helps a lot. Don't you just love it that we can pass this info to our customers so they know exactly what they purchase?
DeleteDO NOT CULL MONROE! Try a few tight line breedings with him!
ReplyDeleteMonroe is OFF the "freezer" list for now, and he's been spoken for....love the roving that you hand processed for me from him, it practically spins itself. Wonderful job.
DeleteExcellent, Kelly!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Franna, I'm just very fortunate that I have flocks that I can get great breeding stock from...those are the folks that deserve the atta boys. Lil Ctry Acres, Sheltering Pines, Wintertime....they did most of the hard work and I'm just lucky enough to be able to purchase the sheep and breed them.
DeleteThose are AMAZINGLY GOOD numbers, Kelly. Congrats on having such a fine flock.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned poor feed vs excellent feed. This is the first year that I did not breed, and all of my usual breeding ewes jumped in numbers. I was wondering if it was because they didn't have the stress of pregnancy. Not that they would of been SO MUCH finer as pregnant ewes. But there was an across-the-board increase in the breeding girls. Unlike you, I am too lazy to put much research into it. ;)
Good Job!
Thanks Sabrina, very kind of you to say that. I am constantly wondering how much pregnancy, nutrition, stress and environment affect fleece quality and if the micron data we collect can detect all the subtle changes that these things cause. More things to ponder.
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