Exceptions to the Norm

Beautiful Rachel

Breeding Season '09 is shaping up differently than I expected. Lack of time and space have been factors; as well as the projected departures of Bombarde and Arvada. I'm employing two practices that I don't usually favor: breeding ewe lambs, and breeding early.

For better or worse, here are the decisions I made for this season. I'm hoping for the best.

ShelteringPines Bombarde is paired with Bramble Anna Belle for a third time. She has been with him since November 3. I plan to keep her with him until about Dec 8. Hopefully I will get another dynamite set of twins from this cross. My wish is a polled ram lamb. But I wouldn't mind more ewe lambs either.

WhitePine Arvada was given Boston Lake Lyneth & Nhu (Anna's '08 twins), and also Little Red Oak January. January is the only ewe lamb I'm breeding this year. I wanted to put the girls most likely carrying polled genetics to Arvada before he left in hopes of some keeper ewe lambs. The fleece pairings of this group are also exciting. This group was put together November 7 and will disband around December 12.

Sometime this coming week I will put the 3 remaining adult ewes with their rams. Currently, I plan to put LRO Ash over WhitePine Silverthorne and Boston Lake Sian.

S'more Courante will get SheepyHollow Rachel. I feel bad he won't be getting more girls his first year, but I plan to use him heavily next fall.

Sitting out the breeding season this fall are the ewe lambs Boston Lake Darla Gay, Qdy, Vianne, and Leil.

Lambs should start arriving around the last day of March. The first four ewes will hopefully come in well before the other three, thereby keeping the barn from becoming too crowded. As mentioned above...I'm hoping for the best.

October Micron Reports

Click on a photo for its larger version.

I was excited to get my micron reports in the mail yesterday. Here are the results for the seven sheep I had tested. Each sample was scissored from midside, just behind the last rib.

I wasn't too surprised with any of them. While I don't think in terms of microns and numbers, the reports did not change the standing I had already given each sheep according to my own assessment of fleece characteristics. It feels validating to know the numbers support my personal preferences.

Bombarde had a higher micron than I expected. I thought long and hard about how that could be and suddenly I had an epiphany: Last spring's micron report was from a rather large lock sample that was dangling off his rump. This was likely snagged by Unicorn's horn in some tussle. I suspect that this sample was not the full spectrum of fiber I would have obtained had I scissored off the same lock. Perhaps some of the courser fiber remained anchored while the finer fiber ripped out? Probably. Although it is evident from both reports that Bombarde is very consistent. Maybe this is just the difference in his third fleece and his fourth fleece? I shudder to think of how naive I was of the whole micron sampling process back then. Whatever the reason, I appologize if the initial report was misleading. I understand now how carefully samples need to be collected and how they are difficult to compare unless they are collected in the same manner.

Arvada

4-2-08

Black Kat

Ash

4-30-09

Modified Moorit

Bombarde

3-22-06

Musket Kat

Courante

spring 09

Black Kat

January

4-29-09

Moorit Kat

Jchen

5-1-09

Black Kat

Roux

4-26-09

Musket

Holding Out...

...for Breeding Season to begin.

S'more Courante

This is the time of year when I want to throw the girls in with their designated boyfriends and just get it all over with. But no...later March or Earliest April is NOT the best time for lambs to hit the ground at my farm. I'm still working at my seasonal job...the world is still cold and frozen or cold and mud...and the grass won't show up for another month. I tried it once, and it wasn't worth it.

So I hold out a little longer. Sometime after Thanksgiving I'll match everyone up. After that I keep an eye out for "evidence" in the pens. Guesses and suspicions get scribbled in my sheep date-book. And I long for that run of three tolerable warm days after the first of the year to tear down the breeding groups and put the rams into some sort of squeeze pen. I don't want them to kill each other with space to fight, or freeze to death from lack of room to bed down properly.

Why do I do all this work? By January I've forgotten. Sometimes the only reason I keep going is because it would be a crime to let these sheep starve in the dead of winter. Keep it all going until spring when I can sensibly sell out.

Nature has her tricks, though. About the time I start crying at the slightest provocation during the daylight because I've been sleep-deprived from doing 2am barn checks since the beginning of April, there comes a perfect lamb. And if it's not perfect, the next one might be. One whole year...to create this promise of hope that carries enough momentum to perpetuate my love of being a shepherd.

Ram Lambs
early October

As it happens, my ram situation is still in flux and might change dramatically before Thanksgiving. My original published breeding plans have been thrown out the window. I'll need the next few weeks to come up with new ones. But time to reflect and consider is something I have.

Indulgence

Here they come!

I took the camera straight out to the sheep pastures this evening when I got home from work and the driving kids to their sleepovers. The sun was actually shining and I didn't want to miss my chance to take some pictures. Here they are running to see me.

I've missed the girls. Chores have been done in the pouring rain or well after sunset lately. A sliver of new moon was lovely the other night...but that isn't exactly enough light to assess the flock or photograph by.

LRO January

So I indulged myself with a little sheepy time this evening.

My main objective was to get some nice fleece photos of the girls. Silvy, Leil, and Qdy tried to nibble the zipper pulls off my jacket and the pocket flaps off my backside. Very hard to steady the camera with little sheep yanking on one's clothing. They are very persistent animals!

Then Leil likes to run up behind me and bump me as high up on my back as she can whenever I'm walking away from her. It's a game with her...like she's seeing how high she can fling herself through the air and she's using me as her measuring stick! It doesn't hurt, but it doesn't feel good either. I admit she's got me, though. I have half-turned a couple of times and caught her in the act and it's truly hilarious. Surely she could get some votes on America's Funniest Videos.

Almost Forgot...

...that I traditionally post an old photo of myself on my birthday.

Here is one of my little sister and me. This may have been the last photo of us together where I was still TALLER than my younger sister. Weren't we so cute?!

We were wearing the dresses Mom had bought us for Auntie Kim's wedding in 1980. But this was quite a while after that... I'm guessing 1982? That would make me 10 and Selena 7.

Since I never seemed to grow, I wore my simple yellow dress for years afterward. Selena, whose blue dress was designed for the role of Flower Girl, continued to wear her extra fancy frock for as long as it covered her little bottom. I do recall a disagreement between Mom and Selena over her wearing "the little blue dress" the day this photo was taken. Obviously, Selena had her way... this is no surprise for those that know her! LOL

To this day, nothing is too luxurious or too extravagant for my dear sister... and nothing is so worn out that I won't wear it in public. I guess somethings just always were, and always will be. :) Happy Memories!

Jchen: Notice

Note: Please be aware that I have sent Jchen's fleece in for a micron report. I will hold him until that info comes back. If it is as good as I hope, I will post his numbers and he will be available for a limited time before I send him to the processor. Thank you.

Boston Lake Jchen is still available for sale. I would love to see this fine young ram go to a breeding home. If anyone has even the slightest interest in this boy, please contact me. I am willing to be flexible with arrangements. My contact info is at the bottom of this site.

Fleece sample from last rib taken 10/09.
Micron info on sire, Sheltering Pines Bombarde. This sample was gathered Spring '09 from Bombarde's RUMP. I know the numbers are difficult to compare to last rib numbers in other flocks. But this is the info I have to offer. And I think these are nice numbers from a rump sample. Anything in front of that sample will be finer.

Micron info on dam, Boston Lake Sian. This sample was also gathered Spring '09 from behind Sian's HIP. Again, it is not exactly comparable to last rib microns, but it is what I have at this time for info. Sian is a glossy black, with iset showing up on her rump not until three years of age. Her sire and dam were uniform, crimpy, soft, and well conformed with tiny tails and good lambing history of twins.

Jchen carries moorit and spots. He is wide and straight in the hind quarters, with a tiny tail. Jchen is also well behaved and reserved with people.

Fleece Samples

My new sheep are out of isolation now and have joined the ram and ewe flocks. Surprisingly, there wasn't much tussle in the ram pen when I added Courante and Ash. Distracted with a new plot of clover, there wasn't much fuss in the ewe pen either when we added January and her companion Qdy. I'm thankful for small mercies. :)

With Clancy's help, I caught some of the rams today and took fleece samples from their last ribs. I am pleased with the handle and style of these fleeces. I will send them off for micron testing as soon as I can.

S'more Courante.

I know it's a lambs fleece...but ooh-la-la! This boy is NICE. I feel so lucky to have him. And he's polled! Yippeeee!

Little Red Oak Ash

I wanted Ash for his bare little head. I had no idea how beautiful his fleece was going to be.

Boston Lake Jchen

Jchen is for sale. He is soft and gorgeous. His conformation is just spectacular, with a long loin and wide straight hindquarters. He carries moorit and spots under his black katmoget. Jchen is exactly the type of lamb I'm trying to produce-except he has full wide-spread horns. I'd hate to send him to the freezer. I am willing to consider offers for this lamb to go to a breeding home.

White Pine Arvada

Consistent and soft from head to tail.

Boston Lake Roux

Decided to sample this boy on a whim. This photo shows a sample from his shoulder, last rib, and rump. Roux is way softer than I expected. I'm going to micron him and if the result is terrific, I may have to rethink his trip to the freezer. My main interest in him would be retaining a Bomby son that is obviously carrying polled.

Little Red Oak January

Well, she isn't a ram. But since we were moving her to the ewe pen I decided to get a sample. Her fleece is not exactly my favorite type, but everything else about her is superb. And she should be carrying some influential polled genes. I think the rams I have should help her throw lambs with my favored fleece type and carry my breeding program forward. She is turning out to be a little dear, and I love having a moorit kat ewe for once!