Under The Son Farm: Keeper Ram Lambs

Friday, August 22, 2014

Keeper Ram Lambs

This year's lamb crop is really nice. The ones for sale, that have been posted, are great and the ones I'm keeping will keep my breeding program within the parameters of the Traditional 1927CM Shetland breed standard. Below are the ram lambs that will be incorporated in the ram flock for diversity, horn structure, build, growth, and fleece. Theme for 2014 names: Mountain ranges.

In no particular order:

Aug 2014

UTS Cameron

UTS Stronsay x UTS Colla

Grey spotted ram (B/b), Tw

Strengths: dense, very fine and soft, tiny crimp, still holding color in fleece, spots, fore wool, lovely typey head, excellent horns.

His mother's line goes back to Glenmore March Madness, one of my founding ewes 12 years ago. I've been impressed with every ewe on the maternal side and, of course, his sire is tops. Glad to keep a ram from it. I've never been one to even look at grey rams, but this one has the package to pull it off.

NEWS FLASH!!! Cyndee noticed that Cameron may be EMSKET, not Ag grey!!! This is possible because his maternal gg grandmother was mioget and Stronsay's sire Perse was emsket! Way cool beans!!! This is a game changer for breeding and it means I'll be using this boy this fall on some of my modified ewes. Stay tuned!

Note: After examining Colla's yearling fleece, she did not turn 'white' until she was almost a year old. So, most likely Cameron is Ag like mum. That's ok. I'm still planning on using him. Cam the Ham. He is always posing for the camera.

Cameron's fleece.

July 2014

UTS Cayoosh

Bramble McDreamie x UTS Chenille

Black (B/?), Tw

Strengths: Deep build, very soft, very fine, dense fleece, fore wool, uniform crimpy fleece, excellent horns, typey head (but a bit different than Cameron, who is more refined), deep black color. As Dreamie will no longer reside here on the farm, I needed a replacement for him. Chenille's ewe lambs from last year (Stronsay daughters) are also still here as both of them are top notch (Coolea was the WSWF first place ewe lamb). Good genetics and an excellent addition for the flock, especially in that hard to get really soft and fine black.

Cayoosh's head - end of June.

Cayoosh's fleece - July 2014

July 2014

UTS Dawson

UTS Venaco x UTS Damask

Grey katmoget (B/?), TR

Strengths: Very fine, very soft, tiny crimp, dense, uniformity of fleece, strong build, good horns, excellent growth rate for a triplet, mother is in top condition for raising triplets, grandson to UTS Allison (Tori's Supreme Showmanship winner) and great-grandson to Thistle Keep Prairie Smoke (first place ewe lamb at Converse in 2002 - and one of my best ewe lines), great X gene carrier, very laid back but showy personality.

Aug 2014

Dawson's fleece (from July, so 4 months).

Umm . . . yeah, that's crimp in his britch!

Aug 2014

UTS Smokey

Grey kat, B/b, Tw

I will also be hanging onto this boy, a UTS Venaco/UTS Sateen's son until the WSWF where he'll be shown. He is a grey katmoget (B/b). At this point, I'm waffling on him. I have his half brother, Stilton, a moorit yearling that I'm really impressed with and I know that I'll be impresed with Smokey. Which do I keep?? This ram can be used on Stronsay daughters and probably most other ewes in the flock. Since Stilton is a Peg son, I wouldn't use him on Peg daughters, but I can also use him on Stronsay daughters. Both bring strengths to the flock.

Strengths: excellent build and typey all around. Great fleece (see below), good horns. Obviously his mother is a top producer, of both rams and ewes (and has placed both times I've shown her at WSWF). I've kept Stilton's sister, Sirene, and I'll be keeping Smokey's fawn kat sister, Sierra Nevada. Both of these girls are great. This line is just fantastic - true type Shetland.

Smokey's fleece - on the hip, Aug 2014. Good length for not even 5 months, great crimp and density, pretty color, and very fine.

June 2014

UTS Rocky

Bramble McDreamie x UTS Rysa

White (Awt/?), S

Strengths: very fine, very soft silky fleece, uniform, excellent length to body, framey, Dreamie son, may be a half poll (has knocked his horn caps off already and the poor boy knocked one of his horns loose too). I really like this ram. He reminds me of his grandsire, Broderick who was an excellent fleece and body producer. He is a little different than the rest of the ram lambs in looks, but has Rysa's genetics behind him who is an F2 Jericho. Definitely outside genes for most of my flock.

This is the line up for keeper ram lambs. I'll be using 2-3 of these boys plus Mahon (2013 WSWF Supreme Champion and a modifier carrier), and maybe one other adult ram, on a select few ewes this fall. If anyone is interested in a lamb from next year, please place your order now for a breeding.

1 comment:

KellyAugust 22, 2014 at 7:24 AM
Very nice.
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Welcome to Under The Son blog!

There are about 50 Shetland sheep on our farm during the winter months and over 100 with the lambs in the spring time. Most patterns along with a few spotted sheep are here on the farm. I specialize in breeding classic fine fleeced Shetlands that are the hallmark of the Shetland wool industry and have been for hundreds of years.

Blogs posted will be relevant to our Shetland sheep farm goals such as working towards a classic type fleece - a fine to very fine, dense, silky, lustrous, 3-6" Shetland fleece, raising conformational correct pure Shetlands and growthy Shetland cross market lambs, as well as all manner of Shetland fleece production through to the finished products.

I am a spinner, weaver, knitter, felter, crocheter, dyer, soaper and have done all manner of other crafty things such as basketry, beaded jewelry, sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, etc.

Wool for sale includes raw fleece, washed fleece, rovings, spinning batts, quilt or comfortor batts, felt yardage, handspun yarns, millspun yarns, and finished knitted, woven, or felted goods such as fingerless gloves, purses, scarves, shawls, ponchos, ruanas, vests, jackets, and blankets.

Vist my Ravelry group for even more information. http://www.ravelry.com/groups/fine-shetland-wool

About Shetland Sheep

Shetland sheep are a heritage breed dating back a thousand years or more and are related to Soay sheep. They have primitive characteristics such as a naturally short fluke shaped tail, wool that 'roos' or sheds in the springtime, small size, and fine bone. They are famous first and foremost for their fine, soft, naturally colored wool that is very lightweight and warm. This wool was one of the two pillars of the Shetland Island economy for centuries.

Shetlands, the 'kindly' (soft) wooled native breed of sheep, were preserved because the Shetland wool industry was facing extinction with the the infiltration of coarse long wooled big sheep on the island. Steps were taken, such as the writing of the breed standard and paid ram incentives, to ensure the existence of this rare native breed and the continued existence of the woolen industry that employed so many of the women of Shetland.

Garments made from breed standard 'kindly' Shetland wool can be next-to-the-skin soft scarves to warm, soft outerwear sweaters. It is a fine wool with crimp (called 'wave' by the writers of the standard) and is normally used for knitted garments with good memory such as stockings/socks, hats, gloves, mittens, scarves, shawls, under clothing, and the famous Shetland sweaters. It is a 'longish' wool, around 3-6", depending on crimp. It is sometimes good for felting and some fleeces are very silky. As it is a heritage breed, there is quite a bit of diverseness found within the breed, especially in the colors and patterns that run the gamut of browns, blacks, greys, and white as well as spots and patterns. All in all, it is one of the premier handspinning fleeces to be found.

From the Shetland Sheep Society

"Shetland sheep have for generations been noted for their very soft and well crimped fleece. The wool is the finest of all native breeds and shows an amazing variety of colours and patterns. There are 11 main whole colours and 30 recognised markings.

By selecting from coloured fleeces a range of naturally coloured yarn can be produced. This eliminates the need for dyeing and therefore retains the soft feel of the natural fibre and is favoured by those who prefer a totally natural approach.

Shetland wool fibres are of a simple construction witha central cortex covered by a thin scaly cuticle, and have an average diameter of about 23 microns. However there is a range from 10-20 microns for neck and shoulder wool to 25to 35 microns for britch wool. the average staple length is 3.5 inches. The amount of crimp varies, and is most important in providing the 'bounce' required for knitwear. There is a positive correlation between fineness and crimp, with wool of the finest quality being crimped at between 8 and 12 to the inch. Wool from shetland sheep is used to produce gossamer lace, the famous 'Fair Isle' knitwear, and fine tweeds. Pure bred Shetland sheep tend to shed their fleece in sprin. The growth of new fleece can cause a rise or weak point and where this is present the fleece can sometimes be plucked or 'rooed' by hand. The timing of this can be different in each sheep, however, it is worth taking the care to get it right as rooed fleece can be amongst the softest because the fibres have no harsh cut ends as occurs with a sheared fleece.

Shetland fleece can be handspun straight from the fleece or made into rolags and then woollen spun. It can also be sorsted spun by hand, used on a peg loom or handwoven. It also felts well using either dry or wet methods. When processed commercially the wool can be made into the finest lightweight worsted cloth or heavier weight, harder wearing fabrics and tweeds."

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Friday, August 22, 2014

Keeper Ram Lambs

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