F2 Heights Orion Keeper Lambs and Fall Breeding Plans

 This is Peep's son by Neville.  Please excuse the burdocks...the boys were bad and got into everyone they could find...like they were looking for them!  I am keeping this lamb and the one below that is Carmel's son.  Neither will be used this fall but given the year to mature.  I really like both these ram lambs and they both have black and white HST twins that are still for sale.

 The plan is that Neville will get the largest breeding group with 10 ewes (2 sold).  Two other ram lambs will get a breeding group: a katmoget son of Zeus' and Sprinkles' and the fawn gully of Olympia's and Champ's.  They will get two ewes a piece (all B) to avoid BB lambs when possible.  Neville will get two B ewes but both are also patterned and carry moorit Bb.  All ewe lambs like the ewe lamb below will be given the year to mature as well.

 This is a fleece shot of one of the F2 ewe lambs.  Two black F2 ewe lambs are still available as well as a dark moorit ewe lamb and 2 katomoget ram lambs of Zeus'.

Good things come in plain packages...

Edit here:  Change in availability status.  Opal's daughter and Pearl's daughter will be going with Pearl instead of the ram lambs.
Don't let these beautiful lambs' plain packaging fool you.  Two, if not all, carry spots.  They would be a great addition to a flock or make a great starter flock of their own. 

sold

for sale

for sale

sold

I am still over my target number for winter!  Don't miss this chance at adding one of these beautiful ewe lambs to your flock...the black ewes are  F2 Heights Orions.

Fall is in the air...

The nights are cooling off, back to school ads have started, and here in NY you know summer is almost over when the NY State Fair, that is the 10 days preceding...ending on Labour Day, promos are on the radio non stop.  So now is the time to think about our breeding groups and you yours.  If you are still in search for a good ram we still have some available...

 Father and son pictured above:  Swiftriver Neville F1 is sold but his handsome F2 HST sons are still for sale.  Peep's above and Carmel's below.  Excuse the bare paddock...they really do have pasture with electronet but they had come in for the evening.

 The polled boys...one is staying here and the other is sold.  SOOOOO soft and crazy crimpy when you part their fleece!

 No question about this ram lambs horned genetics.  Dessie and Zeus' son is very handsome and correct.  Fleece length will be longer intermediate, has luster, and nice crimp coming in at the skin.  very soft handle as well other than the burdocks he and all the rams were able to find!  AND GREAT HORNS!

 Can Too Sky will be in a breeding group this fall.  Color opinions?  Moiget mom, registered as moorit.  Most likely will be in Neville's breeding group....I think I will give him all the adult ewes this fall before he leaves.

 I also still have some really beautiful ewe lambs for sale in moorit and black, three different sires.  All could carry spots even though they are not loudly spotted themselves. 

 So our days escaping to the lake might be over:

 Time to begin harvesting the fruits of our labour:

 The pigs are getting big:

 Chickens laying about 2 eggs a day, just enough for us.  I don't think I could bring myself to buy grocery store eggs.

 Finn maturing into a wonderful dog!  Lucy still adjusting but out from under the couch now that there is only one pup to try to avoid.  Hey not the garden! 

Garden fall crops have been planted...need to get in and do some more weeding and find something to do with all that squash!  Everything else coming in slowly but surely.  The recent rainfall has really perked everything up out there, including the lawn and pastures.  Time to knit some hats which means I need to get going and spin the yarn I want to use.  Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.  I have enjoyed it but I really do love the fall most of all!

Grey, brown, and black

 Well it is official...a deposit was made on my pretty Pearl.

 All adult ewes that I can part with this year are spoken for...leaving me with an even dozen adult ewes for breeding season.  I still have some really beautiful lambs for sale: Black and White F2 rams, Fawn Katmoget rams, Mooirt ewes pictured below, and black F2 ewe lambs a few of which are also pictured below.

Wet Wool!

From my recent posts you can see we need the rain.  And did it ever rain yesterday, flooding my basement kicking the sump pump and dehumifier in high gear but not before it got my  2011 wool clip wet!  UGGGG!  I know I usually have it skirted and sent to the mill by now but remember my skirting helper? (FINN PUPPY)  I have not been back to it since!  So I went outside and took wet wool on the hoof pictures once the rain let up.  A few of my keeper ewe lambs:

Plus I will keep one (hopefully only one) black ewe lamb featured in the last two posts.  I really like them all but I will be using Neville again this fall on most if not the whole adult ewe flock so I have to be careful how much big B I have.  At least three and maybe the fourth are Bb.  How did I go from keeping only 3 lambs ( I distinctly remember saying that) total to keeping 8 ewe lambs!!!!!!  But honestly how do you choose between all those patterns and spots and possibly some modified ones in the group?  All have the intermediate fleece length with very soft handle and luster that I prefer but are coming in super crimpy at the skin which was what I was trying to accomplish with the breeding pairs.  I think I need help!  Don't even get me started on the rams!

F2 Heights Orion Black Ewe Lambs - For Sale

Possible Change in the Sales List

I try to sell my lambs quick so I don't get attached to too many of them.  Well that is the theory anyway.  Some folks wait to even place their lambs on their sales list until they mature more and can be fully evaluated.  That way you don't let keepers go by being too quick to sell.  Well I have too many keepers as far as I am concerned because I like them all and I have to try to move more lambs before it gets too hard.  I have had to say some hard goodbyes this year already but with 54 sheep post lambing it was inevitable.  If all my sheep were carbon copies of each other it would be easy but the Shetland diversity makes it more difficult and more enjoyable, I guess you take the bad with the good.  So this lamb below was originally to be sold and if someone doesn't want her quick I might not be able to let her go at all.  She is a possible polled or half poll...and spoken for twice but the first home chose a more friendly ewe and the second had transportation issues getting her to TN.  So maybe it is a sign that she belongs here.

 If she stays I might sell the black F2 ewe of Peanut's with horned genetics.  Peanut is also being removed from my sales list due to the unexpected loss of her triplet sister and sale of her mom.  I am keeping her moorit daughter pictured in the center as well.  Peanut may be for sale again next summer.

(Excuse the recycled photos below) Peep has been making her case that she needs to stay and been sucking up to me every time I go out to the pasture.  Her beautiful fawn half sister left yesterday and another half sister Sprinkles is also sold, so Peep will be staying for this breeding season.  Might be available again next summer.

 Everyone has had to give up some of their favorites in order to keep lambs, so Pearl on the left still for sale.  I love my pretty Pearl but Marshmello's F2 ewe lamb is just as beautiful shade of grey and will be staying.  If Pearl is here this breeding season that will give me 13 adult ewes of breeding age...3 less than this past year so I am making progress keeping my numbers in check either way.  I would love to see her go with her beautiful F2 solid black ewe lamb, so a package price is available.  It has not been easy but have met some wonderful folks this summer and glad I can help them with their flocks.

Gone Riding!

If you need to reach me, call my cell.  It is a riding tack cleaning kind of day.

Two ram lambs...unregistered or fiber pets to be wethered by your own vet...

 Violet's grey ram.  Where did THAT tail come from?  I have no idea...but he is a friendly fellow and has beautiful fleece.  $100 OBO as an unregistered ram OR have your vet wether him for a fiber pet. 

 Then we have Carmel's black and white that stuck his head through the welded wire panel in the barn turned it, got stuck and proceeded to tear the horn sheath off, leaving the horn core intact.  A new sheath is growing over the base and is looking good.  He is BEAUTIFUL and still looks like a horse colt to me...long and square.  He is an F2 Heights Orion.  Can be sold with or without papers as a ram or have your vet wether him for a stunning addition to a fiber flock.

A note on Carmel:  I did lose her recently to a freak trama to her eye (not sure what from the vet thinks she got HER head stuck somehow in something and damaged it getting free), followed by the excessive unforgiving heat.  Although I got her through it, she lost her eye and subsequently I made the heartbreaking decision to let her go.  She was one of my finest most correct ewes and I miss her.  I will keep this ram's twin in her stay.

Sales Status

Neville, Cotton Candy, and Sprinkles have had a deposit made on them, and will leave as  a group in November.  Bella and Marshmello's fawn ewe are being picked up this weekend.  Storm leaves in a couple weeks and still waiting to hear about transportation for Pearl's ram lamb.  Anyone want to take a  ram lamb to Cape Cod for me?  Hope's ewe lamb was sold this week.  So what do I have left?

Black ewe lambs:  Cotton Candy's krunet and Pearl's solid (F2 Heights Orion) by Neville, and Hester's spotted (likely poll carrier)

Morrit ewe lambs:  Dessie's solid dark morrit and Opal's (possible poll carrier and possibly modified)

Katmoget ram lambs:  Dessie's fawn and Violet's grey (longer tail would sell without papers for $100)

Black and White F2 Heights Orion ram lambs:  Carmel's and Peep's

Two Saanen goat kids, one buck and one doe

Here a few photos I got of the ewe flock this morning before the rain, which you can see we really NEED:

And Finn...all other puppies have sold.  He stays and is a great dog!