Stand by your Ram

 After a goodnight sleep and some good advice, I went out to take photos and think about my flock with  my sheep.  One thing is for certain I stand by this ram, Swiftriver Neville.  He is a F1 Heights Orion.  His dam is Swiftriver Thistle (Cairn Farm Frosty X Maple Ridge Althea).  Fall two year old micron of 26.5 SD of 4.8 and CV of 18.2.  Despite being all that you see in his photos, he has a wonderful temperament and carries moorit and spots.  He will get most of the ewes I decide to breed this year.  The hard part will be deciding on which ewes that will be and that is yet to be determined.  He leaves for his new home end of November.  I will really miss him but I only use my rams for two seasons.  He, I think I could have kept forever.  I didn't want to winter over any mature rams this winter.  I am wintering over a few of his sons for futher evaluation to replace him.

 The new man ~ The half poll gulmoget will get my two possible poll carriers, Hester and Quechee. 

 That is all for the moment...more thoughts on the ewes later. "The End" says PEARL!

Timeline of photos previously posted...

More...

... photos from yesterday AND

Sales update:

Fall Sale

Dessie's twins, kat ram and dark moorit ewe

Peep's black and white ram lamb

Violet's grey ram lamb

Prices are $250 for one, $400 for a pair, $100 each as unregistered

Silent Sunday

Update

I visited the local fiber festival this weekend, dropped off some fleeces to be processed, ran into fellow breeders and fiber enthusiast, and saw some beautiful animals.  Different in the focus of their breeding maybe but all beautiful Shetlands none the less.  The best part was coming home and knowing that what is in my pastures suit my purposes very well.  Not indiscriminately but very intentionally.  Not necessarily logically to the outside perspective but completely logical to me.

  
The fiber festival had to share the weekend with my other favorite fall event:  The New York Morgan Horse Show.  My friend called me 58 days before the show and said get your horse ready and come with me.  Although my first instinct was that I didn't have enough time, I decided to try to pull if off to be with my friends.  Long and the short it was not enough time and I ended up scratching from my classes after one that could have ended tragically but luckily did not. My horse was showing signs of suffering pain.  Now finding her source of pain...farrier, chiropractor, saddle fitter, all lined up to help me sort it out.  Vet didn't find anything when I had her up before the show.  I suspect back pain due to unbalanced shoeing and possible hoof pain for the same reason.

 Finn has been fixed and has a broken toe (from chasing the cat), poor guy feeling under the weather.  Started his bird dog training previously though and he is a natural!

Did you know that a red sex link second generation of being crossed, reverse their colors, the roos being red and the hens white?  The lone chicken I got from my friend's child's class is actually a rooster.  Crowing and all!  These two are the same approximate age.  Note the differences.

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.

Three ewe lambs sold today only 2 more available...

 Cotton Candy's F2 ewe lamb (check out the praying manthis on her in this picture) is sold.  She and Pearl's and Opal's ewe lambs have a wonderful new shepherdess.  Pearl will be staying the season and will be rebred to Neville.  I do love my pretty Pearl even though she pretends she doesn't like me, I know she secretly does.

So Dessie and Peanut's ewe lambs are still for sale, as well as some really handsome ram lambs.  Dessie's ewe and Peep's ram would make a nice breeding pair as would Peanut's ewe and Dessie's ram.