Breeding Group 2008

The breeding group has been together now about a week, but it seems like it is taking me forever to get their pictures pulled together and posted! So, I'm just going to go with these pictures and have it done, and on 'record' so to speak. I'm finding the blog to be a good record keeping tool for me to look back on! It looks like I will likely get mostly moorit based lambs next year, with this group. I should get some spots too... hopefully on ewe lambs this time! Of the six ewes, five have absolutely lovely fleeces. The handle and feel of these girls is so nice....I just like to sink my hands into their fleeces while I'm pretending to scratch them....;-) All five are my "Red" girls from the ram I used for those two years. Duckie the sole 'sheep of a different color' has a more primitive fleece and is double coated. The inner fiber is very soft, but I'd like to get a primitive/double coat with a softer outer fleece as well. So here goes. Six ewes this year, as well as the ram, pictures and brief comments to follow.

Introducing: (drum roll please)

Three Ring Ranch Sprat
(Sheltering Pines Jerome x Locksfield Brietta)

He is a fine fleeced little fellow with overall nice conformation and excellent horns! His sire is a "UK" style fleeced ram and while this ram lamb has a longer staple, he still has plenty of crimp and nice handle . I'm very excited about the fleeces on next years to be lambs!

Fairlight Duckie
(Fairlight Callum x Shandrew Rouen)
Beautiful compact ewe, with a primitive fleece. She is the dam of Omen (the smirslet ram lamb), so I hope she will again throw markings this year. She is out of an Ag Flecket ram and a solid black iset ewe. She is a black iset and has no markings. Duckie has the sweetest personality as does her daughter, Chickie.

Fairlight Selena
(Minwawe Redford x Fairlight Blackberry Winter)

This girl didn't settle last year, so I'm especially looking forward to what she will produce. Selena is out of a smirslet/sokket ram and an Ag grey ewe. She had (and still shows seasonally) a large krunet. I believe that she is fawn. She does carry the horned ewe gene which unfortunately produced these curly horns. Selena is my biggest Shetland ewe, and is very long bodied.

Fairlight Luna
(Minwawe Redford x Locksfield Willow)

Beautiful, sweet and shy, Luna is the mother of Orion (moorit yuglet ram) from this year. Hoping that Sprat's horn genes will prevail. Luna is my smallest ewe, and very nicely put together. She is a musket flecket and was wildly spotted as a lamb.

Next is the terrible three. :-) Actually they aren't terrible, but at times I have a terrible time telling them apart! They are all 2007 lambs and this will be their first time to lamb.

Fairlight Lark
(Minwawe Redford x Shandrew Rouen)
This girl is a moorit, and has retained a nice dark color underneath the sun tipped edges. She is sweet, friendly (but has a loud mouth), and carries a tiny krunet. Her fleece is shorter stapled and very dense, with a lovely handle.

Fairlight River
(Minwawe Redford x Locksfield Rain)
This pretty girl can't decide if she is 'wild' or putty in my hands. Her mother and grandmother are 'thinkers' so maybe eventually she'll figure it out. She is a lovely light almost shimmery color, and I believe she is fawn. Her mother is a very dark grey and her sire fawn. I wish I could get a good picture of her fleece, it is amazing. It is long and flowing and almost silky looking.

Fairlight Rosemary
(Minwawe Redford x Locksfield Tabitha)
Last, but never least is my beloved Rosemary. She loves attention and scratches and constantly is begging for more. Her fleece is buttery soft and I love her sweet face! (Although she also has a loud mouth!) She is a fawn as well. Notice she likes to wear feathers in her, er, wool.

Rosemary again.

Hey, girls! Girls?! Wait up!
Sprat and the girls shortly after setting up the group.