Tuesday, November 11, 2014

the season has come...

Breeding season for the Shetlands is upon us.  We set up our breeding groups a little later that I wanted to but we've been so darn busy.  August through October is just non-stop.  We set up our groups on October 25, 20014 and will keep them together for 6 weeks.  We have two 'old girls' that we will keep to the day that they die.
While the breeding groups are together these girls are with the lambs and Llama's, yet they are still going through their heat cycles and just making the boys crazy.  Hopefully we won't have anything happen, as these girls deserve a break.  They are 11 yrs old and all they have to raise are their fleeces.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

The Seven Dwarfs.....I mean Rams!

These a some of the little guys that I've held back from our fall 2013 breeding season.  I feel we really have some nice quality rams and wanted to hang onto them to watch them develop and have a selection available to other breeders.
From left to right:  a nice scurred Katmoget emsket ram, very nice fleece, next a very nice wide horned spotted moorit & white ram, a medium fleece with a nice handle, with the sun shining on him his spots are not quite visible.  Then we have a very nice katmoget, grey in color with very small scurs and a fleece that looks better every day and dense.  The 4th one in is a scurred Katmoget ram whose color is of the moorit base but very light in color.  He has a very dense fleece and impresses me more every day.
The black & white horned ram will be wethered, he has a great personality and a beautiful sheen filled fleece.  He would make someone a great fiber friend.
The 6th ram in is a very nice scurred ram, katmoget fawn fleece with a very nice length and handle.
The 7th ram in 1yr. old, grey fleece, katmoget pattern with beautiful horns, nice & wide and a really respectful personality.
If interested in a future breeding ram send me an email for further information.

What's New?! Coats!!

We have finally been able to get some coats for some of the girls.  These are a few of the lambs that I have coated so far.  Invested in the "Rocky Sheep Coats", they are quite nice.  Followed their site to measure my sheep, but I've found that my measurements didn't quite fit their measurement. 

 I found my measurement to be 2 inches too short.  But no harm done, I just had to put coats on sheep according to how they fit.  I will still need to order more coats, as the larger sheep need bigger coats and I don't know if these coats will make it until early March when we shear.
But I know I am excited that I will have much cleaner fleeces next year.....Yea!!

This group is set up in a temporary shelter and I haven't been able to get in with them to put on their coats.  As you can see that beautiful black horned ram in there.  This is my 'Whistlestop' ram, he has a great personality, but I don't want to get between him and his girls.