Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Fun At WI Sheep and Wool


I had a great time at the WI Sheep and Wool Festival. The Shetland breeders had a potluck by a campfire and I got to meet several other Shetland breeders. It was also nice to be able to meet and talk to the two UK judges Kate Sharp and Alan Hill. Theresa Gygi has a lovely write up about the show and some of the talks on her blog .

A couple non-Shetland related things that Kate mentioned are all the rules and regulations in the UK. It is illegal to pick up a sheep to put it in a car or truck and open/soft top trailers are also illegal. The sheep have to have ramps to walk on but the ramps can't be too steep for loading on a trailer. It is illegal to hold or pull a ram by it's horns. Each animal needs to be tracked and if one has more than 10 chickens they also have to be in a government program.

This hansom boy came home with me. Right now he is hanging out with the boys, but he will get a nice group of girls this fall. Sommerang Gilroy is a fine fleeced black ram who can throw spotted lambs. Thanks Corinne!
http://www.mtn-niche.net/NASSA/nassa_pedigree.php?pregno=S29861


I entered 5 fleeces in the show this year. I showed a colored Shetland lamb fleece that did not place, a white lamb that got a fourth place and Fairlight's fleece got a third. The other two fleeces were crossbred fleeces and one, a white Shetland X Coopworth, did not place (it had gotten Champion at Greencastle) and the other, a variegated charcoal Shetland/BFL X Corriedale) got a second at both WI Sheep and Wool and Greencastle.






5 comments:

  1. He looks like he settled right in! Can't wait to see your lambs in the spring : ).

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  2. Lovely new Tup! I'll bet you all had a good laugh at our crazy rules! BTW, we do put sheep in the backs of pick-ups even if it is illegal. It's better than one or two animals rattling about in a trailer!

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  3. It was wonderful to see you again Laura. Glad you got Gilroy, he's a great ram.

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  4. Congrats Laura on the placings. Lovely fleeces! Hope you have some nice spotties next year.

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  5. Thanks! Hey was anyone at the fleece show? I entered a musket lamb fleece. It did not get a ribbon, but I am wondering how it placed.

    I'm excited to see what the spring lambs will look like!

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