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Thursday, April 10, 2008

What Colour Is This Lamb?

This little boy has me in a quandary. I have NO idea what colour he is. His dam is a white ewe, Whistle Stop 0429 (Lizbet). I thought she was Awt/Awt. Lizbet is 75% UK genetics. The sire is WillowGarden Nelson, a grey katmoget (Ab/Aa) that is also 75% UK genetics.
This guy is not a katmoget as there is no pattern on the underbelly. I can't even tell if he is brown or black based as his colour is taupe. Body colour is only on the outer ends of the fleece.
Is it possible that he is Awt/? and that the 'colour' is all pheao?

I like this guy a lot ... but ... what the heck is he?

Lambs Pictures

This little girl is out of Great Plains Isabell, an F1 Greying Ag/Ab ewe and V Creek Hummer, who is out of several UK sire lines. She is a gulmoget/katmoget (Ab/At). She'll be staying here ... :-).

Below are two of my spotted gulmoget ewe lambs out of WillowGarden Billie Holiday (a Great Plains Tisket gulmoget) and Bramble Nick (who has several UK sire lines behind him as well). At least one, and maybe both of these girls will be staying here as well.
And these two are Shetland Mules (Shetland dam and a BFL sire). I am liking the mules ... a lot. These two girls will be for sale.

Friday, April 04, 2008

Tulip



My friend Jill came to visit a couple of days ago and emailed me a picture that she took of Tulip and her triplets. The picture shows what a super mom she is ... :-)

Thursday, April 03, 2008

UPDATE - Pictures to Follow ... someday

Just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and well, just very tired. My Shetlands started a lamb-slide on Saturday afternoon, when Great Plains Tulip pumped out triplet Shetland mules (BFL sire). From the birth of the first to the third one slurping up colostrum, it was just over an hour. This ewe is one of the best moms I have ever seen. These lambs are growing like weeds and have awesome looking fleeces.

17 more Shetlands have lambed ... six of them since midnight last night! I am pretty happy with what I am seeing out there. Lots of spots. Lots of very even and crimpy looking fleeces. Great conformation.

So far, I have had eight Shetland rams born and 19 Shetland ewes. My experience tells me that the boys will catch up ... so in the remaining 25 or so yet to lamb, I am expecting a LOT of rams ... :-)

Photos will follow when I can stop building more jugs to keep up. Eight ewes have lambed in the last 24 hours and there are several more looking like they are ready to reserve barn space!

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

What Do I know Anyway? ... :-)

Well ... Great Plains Tulip wasn't first to lamb!
It was Beechtree Hazel, a first timer, bred to Beechtree Calder.
Welcome ... WillowGarden David Austin. David will be for sale at weaning.
As you have guessed, the theme for names this year is hardy rose varieties.

Monday, March 24, 2008

'Crutched' ... not Shorn

I forgot to mention that I don't shear my ewes until the end of May/first of June. It is a personal preference that just seems to work here. I do, however, have my shearer come and 'crutch' the girls so that things are cleaned up for lambing, and so that lambs have good access to udders. This will be the fourth year following this practice, and lambing has been so much easier.