Micron Results Part 3 Shetland Ewes

The below microns are from all my yearling to mature (nine years old) ewes.

This fleece sample is 10 months of fleece, on only grass/forbes pasture, some very high in green alfalfa and red clover, but all had grasses and other forbs in them. I cannot find any correlation between higher protein in the pasture and higher microns as most ewes stay fairly consistent from last year's microns.

All samples taken first week of March before shearing, from last rib, mid-side.


Many of these ewes were used in cross breeding this past year, so their numbers were not passed on to purebred stock.

Name		Mic Ave	SD Mic	CV Mic	CEM	SF Mic
FirthofFifth	ASHANTI	24.4	5.7	23.2	9.6	24.2
WhitePine	BETHANY	24	5	20.9	8.7	23.3
FirthofFifth	BOOTO	27.3	6.9	25.4	13.5	27.7
Owl Hill	BUTTER	23.8	5.5	23	10.3	23.6
WhitePine	CANDACE	25.9	6.5	25.1	12.3	26.1
WhitePine	CENTENNIAL	27.1	5	18.6	8.5	25.8
WhitePine	CHARITY	22.5	6.2	27.7	13.1	23.3
Justalit'l	CHLOE	30.3	6.5	21.6	12.6	29.6
River Oaks	ELIZA	26.7	6.5	24.3	12.5	26.8
Sommarang	EMERALD	28.3	7	24.7	14.1	28.5
Sommarang	EVA	28.3	5.6	19.7	9.5	27.2
WhitePine	EVE	25	6.1	24.5	12.7	25.1
WhitePine	FAITH	21.8	5.1	23.6	9.5	21.7
WhitePine	FESTUS	25.9	5.8	22.2	10.2	25.5
ShelteringPines	FLEUR DE LIS	28.8	6.1	21.4	10.9	28.1
Minwawe	FLOPSY	27.7	7.5	26.9	15.1	28.5
Wintertime	GALINA	27.6	7.2	26.1	14.9	28.1
Justalit'l	LAMBO	26.9	5.8	21.5	11	26.3
WinterSky	LAYLA	26.8	6	22.2	11.6	26.4
River Oaks	LUCY	29.6	4.6	15.5	7.1	27.6
WhitePine	LYDIA	24.4	3.9	15.8	6.7	22.8
Owl Hill	MISS LILLY	29.4	5	16.9	9.3	27.7
ShelteringPines	MYRA	28.2	5.3	18.8	9.3	26.9
WhitePine	NAOMI	25.5	5.5	21.8	9.9	25
WhitePine	NERIAH	23.7	5.5	23.1	9.8	23.5
ShelteringPines	NESSEBAR	28.1	6	21.2	10.5	27.4
ShelteringPines	NIRVANA	28.3	5.2	18.5	8.6	27
Owl Hill	PRANILLA	30.2	5.3	17.5	9.3	28.5
RYL	RACHILDAS	32.2	6.6	20.5	12.3	31.2
FirthofFifth	RAHU	29.3	5.4	18.5	9.2	27.9
Minwawe	REDBUD	24.4	6	24.7	12.9	24.6
WhitePine	RUSH	27	5.1	18.9	9.2	25.9
WhitePine	SALOME	27	5.4	20.1	9.6	26.1
Minwawe	SEA BREEZE	28.2	8	28.2	18.8	29.4
WhitePine	SEDALIA	26.6	4.8	17.9	8.3	25.3
WhitePine	SKOR	24.6	6.1	24.6	13.1	24.7
FirthofFifth	TAIKA	24.2	6.1	25	12.9	24.5
WhitePine	TERAH	24.7	5.2	21.2	9.8	24.1
Black Forest	TILLY	23.9	6.5	27	14.6	24.6
Underhill	ULLA	31.3	8.1	25.9	15.9	31.9
	averages	26.748	5.89	22.11	11.19	26.31

thoughts? :)

Micron Results Part 2 Crossbred ewes and BFLs

I had five cross ewes I purchased from Theresa last fall and picked up at the Jefferson, WI show.

Three Shetland-Cheviots (the preferred cross in the UK for Shetlands) and two Shetland Mules (BFL x Shetland) which is gaining popularity here in the US.

Since I took samples from EVERYONE this spring I wanted to include them as well. These are all lamb fleeces so without a doubt will coarsen as they age, even if slightly.

The three Shetland-Cheviots are the first three, the two Shetland mules the last two:
AFD, SD, CV, CEM, Comfort Factor are the columns.

27.2	5.2	19.2	8.9	73.5
30.2	7.6	25.2	13.4	53.3
30.2	8.7	28.9	17.7	59.2
30.4	6	19.7	10.4	52.3
27	5.7	21.3	10.1	73.8

Numbers are as good or better than many Shetland purebreds our there ;)

Then the three rams...a yearling texel, a 2 year old BFL and a yearling BFL. Again

AFD, SD, CV, CEM, and Comfort Factor. These breeds are NOT typically considered wool breeds but crossing (BFL) and terminal (Texel) breeds.

texel	CHAMP	29.5	5.6	18.9	9.4	57.3
BFL	BURMA	27	5	18.5	9.2	78
BFL	KIRKDALE	27.9	5.3	18.9	8.8	71.3

And then the BFL ewes. Yearlings to four years of age. Again these ewes are a crossing breed typically. Not known for their wool in their homeland but in the US spinners love this fiber.

BFLs	CATALONIA	26.2	4.7	18	8.2	82.4
	LLANDDEWI	27.8	5	17.8	8.8	72.7
	BEA	27.9	4.5	16.1	7.7	74.2
	NUBIA	26.4	4.7	17.8	8.1	81.9
	SINE QUA NON	25.3	4.2	16.8	7.3	90.4
	PRIMA FACIE	26	4.2	16.2	7.5	87.3
	MOROVIA	26.9	4.7	17.4	8	78.4
	GLENLUCE	28.9	4.6	15.9	8.3	66.5
	CLOVER	30.4	5.7	18.6	10	54
	KACY	26.3	5	18.9	8.5	79.7
	KEARSLEY	26.9	4.3	16	7.5	82.4
	KERSHOPE	30.1	4.6	15.1	7.7	54
	KILORAN	30	4.7	15.7	8.4	54.4

One thing Martin Daly said at the BLUNA banquet at the National Show was that BFLs should have high SD and CV because their wool should be less consistent.

I must disagree with him. Longwools in general have a more consistent wool. Granted some do get more britchy, but the above numbers do NOT lie. With low SD and CV numbers like those (and super low CEMs)certainly makes them feel softer than they are. While I do like fine fleeces, and BFLs are SUPPOSED to be the finest longwool breed, I won't specifically breed for the finest fleeces in them, but I will keep it in check to not get the fleeces that look like Border Leicester fleece. There is nothing wrong with BL fleece, as it certainly has its place, but BFL wool shouldn't be the same as BL fleece. I'm just sayin'

Micron Results Part 1 Rams

These are the micron results of the rams I am retaining and using:

WhitePine Barnabas - mioget katmoget F1 Orion F2 Timothy - 76%UK yearling

AFD 22.3 / SD 5.3 / CV 23.9 / CEM 10.6 / CF 92%

WhitePine Roman - white illget F1 Orion 56%UK yearling

AFD 22.3 / SD 5.1 / CV 23.1 / CEM 10.1 / CF 92.6%

White Pine Christian F3 Orion/Jericho black yearling 49% UK

AFD 23 / SD 5.4 / 23.3 CV / CEM 9.7 / CF 91.9 %

ShelteringPines Veni Vedi Vici F2 Jericho (Blues x Guinevere) yearling gray katmoget

AFD 25/ 4.6 SD / 18.4 CV / 7.9 CEM / 89.7% CF

FirthofFifth Nekomis - F2 Jericho F3 Timothy gray katmoget (Blues x Bramble Nadeen) two year old.

AFD 21.8 / SD 4.6 / CV 21 / CF 97.8%

Wintertime Jazz (for sale to the right home) three year old smirslet gray katmoget F1 Jericho

AFD 26.7 / SD 5.4 / CV 20.1 / CEM 9.1 / CF 74.5%

WhitePine Caiphas (also for sale) F1 Holly gray katmoget carries spots and moorit yearling

AFD 21.9 / SD 4.7 / CV 21.5 / CEM 8.8 / CF 95.8 %

I also am retaining WhitePine Levi - F1 Jamie, black krunet polled yearling ram. He rooed in February and I therefore do not have a micron test from this spring, but he did have his fall micron test last fall that was pretty incredible.

Rams for sale

I have several Shetland rams and one BFL ram available for sale.

ShelteringPines Pumpernickel Pogo. Smirslet Sokket Flecket Gray Katmoget. Carries moorit and solid. Outstanding conformation, nice wide set and spiraling horns. Fleece is more disorganized fleece. AFD28.4, SD 6.1, CV 21.6, CEM 11.7. This test was his third fleece.

UnderTheSon Arapaho. dark red moorit. F2 Orion. Could carry spots. Outstanding conformation, left horn is somewhat close to jaw but has passed. Fleece is again more disorganized fleece. 2nd fleece microns: AFD 26.3, SD 5.7, CV 21.5, CEM 11.4.

WhitePine Ulam. F1 Minder. Light Badgerface yearling. Smaller ram with nice conformation and horns. Rare pattern. Could carry spots. Carries solid. First fleece test: AFD 22, CV 5.7, CV 25.9, CEM 11.3, CF 90.8%

WhitePine Caiphas. F1 Holly. Gray Katmoget. Large sweeping D style horns. Unorganized crimp. Carries moorit and solid. Yearling fleece microns:AFD 21.9, SD 4.7, CV 21.5, CEM 8.8, CF 95.8%
I love this ram but I have four half sisters of his and 2 F1 Holly ram lambs that I'm keeping.

Sheltering Pines Burma (Bluefaced Leicester) Natural Colored. Two years old. 2nd fleece microns: AFD 27, SD 5, CV 18.5, CEM 9.2. I'm going to use him on a few purbred ewes and lots of Shetlands for mules this fall but he is available after breeding season.

If anyone reads this far I'm going to use Jazz one more time and have him collected. He will be available to the right farm who can appreciate an 87.5% UK ram. He's F1 Jericho, F2 Drum Ram etc, homozygous black but he carries solid so he can throw gray katmogets or blacks. He's also very spotted and throws wild spots when bred to ewes that are spotted or carry them. His third fleece microns were better than his twin Blues: AFD 26.7, SD 5.4, CV 20.1, CEM 9.1, CF 74.5%, SF 25.8. Only super serious inquiries about him please. I have two nephew's of his out of Blue's that I am retaining....Veni, from Stephen out of Blues and V Creek Guinevere and Nekomis who is from Cynthia and out of Blues and Bramble Nadeen. I have retained 14 of his ewe lambs and I think that's probably enough :)

Micron Results finally!

My Excel Spreadsheet came via email today of the 86 samples. I like to pay extra to get the results somewhat faster. I don't get the histograms unitl they arrive in the mail but this gives me an idea of what I'm feeling with my fingers and gives me a start on what do go forward with.

That being said I am going to be culling heavily this year. I already know which lines are working, which ewes I've already retained offspring from and there will be about 10 days of ewes for sale before they either go to the BFL ram or go to the auction house.

I'll try to get photos of the girls in question.

I'm not culling only on micron. I already have lists based on lambing record, health and parasite resistance, fleece sales, handle, conformation, temperament etc. The micron testing is just another tool, and to be honest, most of the numbers i was NOT suprised by.....

One nice thing about the reports is that it helps to train my fingers as to what a 30 AFD 6 SD feels like versus a 30AFD 4SD.

more when I can

Fitting and Washing Shetlands for show

This past weekend at Jefferson there were several 'big time' exhibitor farms that show at least 6 times a year at various shows through out the Midwest. You know them. They have the large, long fleeced, double coated sheep with bone the size to rival Suffolk bone, giant heads, hair/scadder that is 10-12" long on their necks/spine. One farm even went as far as to cut the scadder out and they left large holes in their fleeces.

On top of that they were constantly brushing their fleeces out and had all the animals washed. None of this is allowed by NASSA or MSBBA rules. And if it isn't, it shouldn't be. These farms KNOW they are not supposed to fit but for some reason, they were TAUGHT that brushing doesn't fit the bill for 'fitting'. Any way you look at it. its not natural. Shetlands should be shown in their natural state. That means not washed. Not brushed. Not clipped, trimmed or tails trimmed so they don't look so 'wooly'.

These sheep ultimately win. The person who created the judges packet based on the 2004 Handbook which was written by one person's opinion and not any documented evidence! And these sheep, that do not fit the 1927 Standard keep getting the blue ribbons. Even though they are fitted. Even though they are washed. Even though they are non standard Shetlands.

You don't have to take my word for it. I don't make stuff up and then believe it as truth and then write it on my blog for all six readers to read and then do immature things like call people out by name or write things like laughter in parenthesis. I don't read old romance novels to figure out what Shetland Sheep fleece was or is. I go to the source. The Shetland breeders in the SSS and the SFBT. There is photographic evidence. There are books. There are documents. There are Standards to follow. There are over 100 proven and well documented articles and photos stating what a Shetland Sheep should be according to our 1927 Standard.

Just because a sheep lives on Shetland doesn't make it a Shetland Sheep, nor does it make it registrable as a Shetland that fits the 1927 Standard. having made dozens of phone calls in the past few months to Scotland, England and the Shetland Islands to get as much information from the horses mouth proves everything that those of us who support the Standard as described and supported by the Shetland Crofters, the Shetland Flock Book Trust AND the Shetland Sheep Society....well...its a no brainer! My sheep look like the sheep from Shetland that fit the 1927 Standard. None are perfect, but none will be mistaken for anything but a Shetland.

Jefferson 2010

I need to find the time to post more but let's just say this:

1. GREAT and AMAZING friends!

2. Wonderful food, laughs and memories!

3. Wool judging was fantastic!

4. Mule show kicked butt!

5. BFL show had a good turn out of spectators and I was happy with the judging.

6. I believe everyone I know is camping next year. WAY MORE FUN!

Best Jefferson to date!

Why I don't like to show

Too time consuming!

I'd rather just display my sheep. I'm proud of what i breed and raise, but this halter training...especially the Shetlands is ridiculous. They are going to embarrass me :) The BFLs need showers, trimming up wild locks on their bellies, washing faces etc...Thank goodness they are much more docile.

I'm looking forward to the show this weekend but it always sneaks up on me. And I'm always rushing around here trying to get caught up. Even with help from my friend Adam for the past week, I'm still not caught up!

Hope to see you kids there!

Parasite Resistance

A big goal with my flock is to have as little chemical dependency for worms of all kinds and liver flukes as I possibly can. Using the FAMACHA eye color chart for Barber Pole anemia I am happy to report that less than 3% of all 150+ sheep I checked today were even marginally anemic. The Shetlands had the highest level of parasite resistance, and only the oldest ewes (8 and 9 respectively) were marginal.

By doing my own fecal floats over the course of the wet summer I'm happy to report that I have not found any round worms or other stomach worms in the fecals. I checked nearly every animal individually and had every 15th animal or so also tested at the vet clinic I use to make sure I wasn't just overlooking them.

I have seen tapeworm segments in a few of the BFL poops and they were immediately given valbazen. Hey. Worms happen. Being open and honest about it can only help the greater group of shepherds.

No tapes in the Shetlands. I am sure many neighbors have seen me stooped or crouched over a sprinkling of sheep poops examining them for tape segments....and chasing sheep down that WERE pooping so I can make sure that those are indeed their poops. Yes. Crazy shepherd.

I was really proud of how cherry red the eye lid membranes were for the majority of the sheep. With the lush pastures and wet and soggy grounds, I was nervous about worms. I guess even though I'll continue to check for worms, I can honestly say that I'm doing OK in that department and choosing animals that have a higher resistance to them.

I also was able to separate the sheep that I'm taking to Jefferson. I believe I'm showing 17 sheep and taking about 22 (some will be for sale). I'm also bringing back a few sheep for shepherds and with the new to me trailer I should be able to fit them all in after doing a 'dry run' today with the show team.

i don't grain my sheep and I don't push the envelope with their growth or feeding to win at the shows, but I do like to take them there to give people an idea of the type of sheep that I am raising and breeding for.

I'm also really tickled with the fleeces on the lambs this year. While not every lamb has the ultra fine crimpy UK fleece, the others have more of a bold crimp, but it is still soft. I have only one that is straighter fleeced and double coated (like his mother) but they are both gorgeous modified colors.

The ram lambs all have their 'boy parts' and bites are looking pretty awesome right now too. Horns are good and there are several with scurs that could be beneficial to a breeding program for polled lines.

when and if time allows, I will be getting photos of some of the sale animals before Jefferson so I can bring them along if need be. Growth and condition scores on all lambs and ewes are just incredible due to the STILL lush green pastures.

That reminds me...I better go move the electro-netting again!

Shetland Microns and learning new things!

Kara's post to the Chat With NASSA list today made me think of a post I've been wanting to write about for a while.

Before I dive in, I wanted to repost my 2009 entire flock micron average for just the Shetlands. I realize that the BFLs have much lower SD and CVs and would bring the flock averages WAY DOWN for those so I removed those. I did include all ewes and rams, mature and yearlings.

AFD 25.4
SD 5.7
CV 22.5
CEM 10.9
CF 80

I sold 15 sheep since then, all to new breeding flocks (some registered flocks, some unregistered flocks). Once those rams and ewes were removed these were my averages:
AFD 25.3
SD 5.6
CV 22.2
CEM 8.6
CF 93.5

The first three numbers were basically the same, although slightly lower. The CEM and CF however improved greatly. I did sell some animals that had higher CEM and CF. But I also sold some of my very lowest CEM and CF sheep as well. Its surprising what one can improve upon just by selling some animals huh?


At Black Sheep Gathering I gave a genetics talk to the BFL group at their National Banquet. After that talk, Martin Dally of SuperSire Ltd gave a talk solely on Micron Testing and reports.


1. Micron results should NOT be compared between different groups fed differently or separated, or compared to DIFFERENT FLOCKS on different farms!

This mind boggled me. Why would we? Martin told us that there are SO MANY factors that lead to wool testing that each pen or age group or pasture or flock or farm will read differently and not to be compared across the country.

So if my ewe lambs are fed and housed apart from my mature and pregnant ewes, their microns should NOT be compared as equals. Granted you can get a rough idea between the two groups but should NOT be compared with other animals from other pens.

That means that my rams should NOT be compared to my ewes, or ewe lambs, or ram lambs, unless they were all together, for an entire year in the same pen, eating the same food. This also means that my BFLs were house separately from my Shetlands and fed differently, so their microns should NOT be compared to any other group.

Now the ewes have been housed in the same pastures all summer since about May 1st. If I took a fall test of ALL the ewes then I could compare them across the board as they've been house and fed in the same conditions.

2. Sample collection and time of the year will also have an affect on your results!

The month of the year where the fleece will be the finest at the skin level (where you cut the fibers from the animal) will be the month of March through May 1st. The highest number will be in the fall, September/October. March is a good indicator of the finest wool follicles reaching their peak for fineness. In the fall months, the wool follicles have not had an opportunity to work as hard over the bitter cold months. Your finest wool is produced during the winter months.

3. The third to last rib, mid side is the preferred location on Merinos to do fleece samples!

When I questioned this he said many other breeds also do third to last rib, mid side. I told him that YoCom-McColl and Texas A&M recommend last rib. Martin felt that that was too far back on the animal to give a good indication of what the 'average' micron of the animal was.

I still don't fully believe this and still will do last rib, mid side as that is what all of us Shetlander's are doing.

4. Different parts of the fleece will be different in microns.

Now I understood this, but in Merinos (where Martin has had 20+ years breeding them) the change in micron is really only 2-4 microns over their entire body, not 20 microns like many Shetlands are. Also depending on the breed, it will differ.

5. Ideal age for micron testing is 16-18 months of age

Martin emphasized that ewes have not lambed yet so there is no stress from being pregnant, and rams are ideal at this age to micron test. He said never to micron old ewes past age 6 as at that age (six) will be the most coarse the ewe will be, before SLIGHTLY getting finer with old age. Slightly being 2 microns at most. This example was in a 21 micron flock of Merinos. The ewes barely changed from 1.5 years of age until 6.5 years of age, only going up maybe .3-.5 microns. (COULD WE ONLY WISH OUR SHETLANDS DID THIS SLIGHT INCREASE?!)


So take this all for what its worth, a grain of salt. I most likely will NOT take any drastic changes to my schedule as i usually collect fleece samples in March/April anyway, and since I do micron test yearling (even my crosses and old ewes) I do find that the oldest ewes rarely change much and by age 6 we will know for sure what they will be.

So ends today's lesson ;)

700th post giveaway!

This photo was taken the day I brought home my first Shetland Sheep. After nearly a year of emails, phone calls and a visit, I secured this lovely group of animals. After many photos, micron tests, history on their pedigrees, etc, I chose these magnificent animals. I'm amazed that I have not one of these animals left on my property due to various reasons but will always be indebted to Cynthia for her education, thoughts, teaching, laughter, wisdom, friendship, trust and her commitment to the Shetland breed.

I wanted to share this photo as it showed the largest diversity I could possibly get in a group of animals. From left to right: Assam Meleng (shaela), Jasmine Phoenix (Ag Katmoget), Don Telmo Bourbon (mioget), Rooibos (fawn), Sikkem Temi (moorit) and Cleo (non fading black). It is very easy to tell the difference in the three shades of brown. Some may call the middle one still moorit, but when you part the fleece it was definitely NOT moorit.

So on to the giveaway!

I will be giving away one fleece per person who leaves a comment. I"ll try to match what you may like but in all reality the more who comment the more chances that people will touch my fleeces and LIKE what they see! (and maybe buy another one or three!) You are responsible for shipping and box, and processing fleece either commercially or by hand.

The grand prize is 150.00 off of an animal that is for sale here on my farm, or 75.00 off of transportation of an animal from my farm to a mutually agreed destination.

The catch for that however is you have to come up with the best 'charades' guess as to what an object is. Its a bright blue piece of Styrofoam that I found on one of the property's I maintain in Wadena from the Tornado devastation. It can be totally useful or totally ridiculous. I get to pick the best answer. I"ll post the photo of the object tomorrow when I come up for air after my long weekend in Ohio.