The Final Four

This ram is looking for a flock of his own!   There are only four available registered lambs for sale this fall left.  Dessie's twins.  Which I can't believe are still available as you know they will carry those crazy spots of hers!

 Peanut's black ewe lamb, which I would not be heart broken to have to keep.  She is the softest black lamb of the entire lamb crop.

 Then we have Peep's exceptional black and white ram lamb.  He is maturing into a really nice ram.  He was looked at over the weekend and may be going to a new flock soon.  Six generations back on his pedigree he is related to the flock he may join so it depends if the flock owner wants something 100% unrelated.  I am keeping his solid moorit (maybe modified) twin brother as you know I  am still tinkering with those elusive modified colors.  However this ram is the better ram overall. 

Other sales updates.  Carmel's black and white ram lamb sold this weekend.  The grey kat with the long tail and the mystery gully half poll am unsure what to do with.  They may go to the butcher this fall or  be wethered and wintered over.  I will sell either/ both at a deep discount without papers if you want to give them a home to save them from the table.

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

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!

Ram Escapades...

Being a beautiful day I thought I would let the ram lambs out for a while to graze thinking I would be able to lure them or herd them back in the barn before dark...

 Well when the time came, no such luck.  They did not want to go back in the barn for any amount of grain or chasing.  So we had to catch them...one by one.   I did not put them back in the barn but out with the big boys...
 Who were completely unphased by the little ram additions to their pasture...

 All is peaceful and I love how mellow my mature rams are.  Went in to change their water today and out of 13 rams total, lambs and adult, not one even batted an eyelash in my direction.  Very respectful, calm, content, and wonderful boys one and all.  Not to worry, I keep an eye on them just in case, but grateful it has been a non issue with this particular group.  I have come to the conclusion that it is not horned or polled that is the biggest factor for me with a ram, but overall disposition.  With rams, some are unfriendly and turn nasty.  Some are overly friendly and do the same. Others like Neville is a calm cool and collected as they come.  The solution is to breed for the best temperament possible, have zero tolerance for bad ram behavior, respect their space and demand they do the same for you, never turn your back on them, and know sometimes that will even not be enough and make the hard decisions in the event that happens.  For now I am just happy I seem to have rams that fit my low conflict expectations.  I just have too many so let me know if you are in need of one.  Out of the 13, two are sold and waiting for pick up.  Many more beautiful rams to choose from however. 

Moorit Photos for e s

 F2 Heights Orion light moorit (possibly fawn) ewe lamb (Swiftriver Neville X Minwawe Marshmello)

Opal's twin ewe lamb experienced transportation trouble to TN so is again available for sale (HarvestThyme Champ X Mapleton Opal) possible half poll.

 Dessie's ewe lamb (Mapleton Zeus X Mapleton Destiny) is very dark moorit at skin.

 Group photo to show shades of moorit:

 Yearling Bella still petite for her age but very cute and has the crimpiest loviest fiber!

 Peanut and Neville's ewe lamb...replacing her mother in my flock...Peanut is for sale...so an example of what she produces:

 Dessie's most awesome HORNED ram lamb:

 Such fine, shinny, soft crimp coming in under his lamb coat.  Oh I do love the kats!

Keeper Kats

I know I should probably not put as many pictures of what I am keeping, but my keepers need some attention and photographing them helps me evaluate them too.  I also have so much related to them for sale and they willl have offspring here in the future so I think their inclusion on the sales blog is relevent.  So we have Spinkles ewe lamb above by Zeus.  Her twin ram is stunning and is for sale, as is her mom.  Below we have Carmel's ram lamb...what color would you call him for registration?  His black and white twin ram is for sale and is also very handsome, as well as his dad Swiftriver Neville.

Brown Based Gullies

 Olympia's twins:  moorit (?) ewe and fawn ram lamb.  He is either half or fully polled.  Has small "chips" for horns.  He makes me want to give up horned rams altogether!

 Quechee twin ewes may also carry polled. I am wondering if the gully is mioget as she is lighter than Olympia's ewe and darker than her ram.  The gul/kat I think I would call fawn.  For the time being all 4 are being retained, as well as Hester's fluke gully ram.  I have some decisions to make about the future of my breeding program and if I do decide to go "polled" and I would need to keep all the gully's as the foundation of that.

Change of plans...a different ewe lamb selected...

 A new Shetland flock is starting locally.  From the pictures they had selected the ewe lamb below.  When they came to pick out the second lamb, Violet and her daughter (above) decided that they were going to make the selection easy on the new shepherds and wormed themselves into their hearts!   The ewe below is actually Violet's half sister.  She is by HarvestThyme Champ and could be a poll carrier, from Champ, or Hester, or both.  She is now offered for sale.

I took some good photos over the weekend.  I will post a few over the next few days.  Starting with  Dessie's twins:

 Fawn katmoget ram lamb and moorit ewe lamb.

It is Monday!  Anyone want to make an offer on any lambs, sheep, goats, or puppies?!