There will be no "ALICE Watch" next Spring.
Out of the necessity of breeding FAR fewer ewes this fall, Alice will be taking a break. I am, however, going to breed her beautiful, yearling, daughter: "BLUFF COUNTRY DESTINY"
Destiny is a 'wild child' ~ very reserved. She pretty much stays with her mom and is not one of my snuggle-bug ewes. That's OK ~ she's stunning! Her fleece is a long, soft, intermediate SHAELA color. I'll have to get some pictures of it as I start preparing it for spinning. I will be breeding Destiny to Kimberwood Hunter.
I would SO love to get an HST grandlamb from Alice's daughter! A boy would be nice ~ I'd KEEP him!!I will only be breeding 3 of my ewes this Fall. Destiny will be one. Zest's daughter BELLA LUNA (07 ewe lamb) will be another. That will be another post, soon. And I want to breed one of my HST ewes. Just haven't made up my mind which one yet...
ALICE says...
..."We'll see about that....."
That last picture is what worries me! :-) I'm doing the same thing--only six ewes to the ram this year, instead of the majority of the flock. But I worry some of these 'old gals' will take it into their own hooves. All of my original/older girls are on the sidelines this year with the 2 year olds and 1 3year old going to the ram. It is hard though--as I use a different ram I keep thinking what he could bring out in this or that ewe. I had already decided to go lighter this year, so I wouldn't be so overwhelmed, but the economy pretty much clinched it. I hope you get to enjoy all your girls this year, and that next year things will be a bit brighter. Take care,
ReplyDeleteTammy
That last picture of Alice is so expressive. She is such a beauty.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't hard to understand why she became such a favorite.
I've never really seen Alice up close and personal, she is a real looker!
ReplyDeleteAlice is such a beautiful girl!! I bet that was a hard decision. It is amazing how many times I read about the ewes or the ram "taking it into their own hooves" as Tammy said, and deciding who REALLY should be bred.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry Nancy - I can imagine how difficult it was deciding who was going to be bred this year and only breeding 3!
ReplyDeleteI'm only sending 2 shetland ewes to the ram this year. Not sure how many to the finn ram. Trimming down like everyone else unfortunately. Reality really stinks sometimes!!
Alice is a beauty for sure :)
Now I don't feel bad. Poor Skit - we're not breeding at all this year! With not knowing when or how long I'll be in New Zealand, I just couldn't risk leaving ewes to lamb with a "sitter".
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the girls will eventually stop making goo-goo eyes at Himself too. :)
Well, after reading your blog & everyone else thoughts above, I too will only be breeding 4, maybe 5. I will be breeding goats more as I only bred one this year. I wish I could photograph the expressions like you do...your photos bring such animation to the Shetland faces:)
ReplyDeleteIS everyone crazy?!
ReplyDeleteI am breeding 30 ewes minimum! I think its a shame to not breed the ewes that have already lambed before. They are a more primitive breed and by waiting a year, might have more trouble settling the girls, or will have more complications the next time you do it.
PLUS they'll get fatter! :) And fatter animals ovulate less eggs...you might end up with a bunch of singles.
And how do you pick just three?
JMHO
G
You probably didn't want to start a debate here, but I think Garrett is full of gas on this one. I bought my first two young ewes bred; one singled and the other twinned. They both got the next year off, and the one that singled got quite fat (she's my big white pig). This past spring those two girls, plus a three-year-old first timer, all twinned. And unless you enjoy culling sheep to market, or worrying about whether or not you can afford to feed all your animals, the only responsible thing to do is to cut back on the number of animals you bring into the world. Shoot, I would argue that even IF you enjoy culling animals and worrying about hay costs, the only responsible thing to do is cut back on breeding new animals!
ReplyDeleteP.S. Kudos on your decision, Nancy. I think you are a wise and loving shepherd.
I would LOVE to breed all of my girls and I agonize over all the lost opportunities for lovely, HST lambs, but I simply do not have the pasture to graze the flock that I already have AND a bunch of lambs. I have no desire to 'dry lot' and feed hay to a flock, all year round. That would take the joy out of being a Shepherd for me. As does the prospect of loading up a bunch of very nice, quality animals, to take them to the sale barn because I can't find good homes for them and can't afford to feed them...
ReplyDeleteSo, I will breed fewer, love the ones that I have, and hope to get my flock back down to a more manageable size without breaking my heart!
I agree! That shot of Alice is stunning. I don't think I've ever seen a sheep exactly that color. Just lovely.
ReplyDeleteGood call mom, it will all balance out, i promise!! Im not sure what Garrett's personal situation is, but as the only person who repied to this blog having expectations of breeding 30+ sheep, I don't think you're crazy at all! I think you're a loving shepherd trying to make the best home possible for your flock. I hope you have as much confidence in you as i do; see you in december when ill help out as much as i can!!
ReplyDeleteNancy, where are you? its been a week since we've "heard" from you!
ReplyDeleteHope all is well!