I sent in samples from the four ram lambs that I kept last year:
PS23 Fife (moorit)an F1 Orion is 23.7 Ave, 5.4 SD, 22.6 CV, 9.5 CEM, SF23.4 and CF 88.7 (Note: very soft, but a bit cottony, very crimpy, tight crimp.)
PS23 Fairlight(white) an F1 Jings is 26.6 Ave, 6.3 SD, 23.8 CV, 10.6 CEM, 26.6 SF and 72.1 CF (note: soft, silky hand and a meduim crimp)
PS23 Fandango (grey katmoget) an F2 Greyling/F3 Orion is 25.8 Ave, 5.8 SD, 22.5 CV, 9.9 CEM, 23.4 SF and 89.4 CF (note: silky hand and meduim crimp)
PS23 Fetlar (fawn/mioget) an F1 Orion is 28.0 Ave, 7.1 SD,25.3 CV, 14.1 CEM, 28.4 SF, 67.9 CF
Fetlar's crimp changed just past mid-side and this is the count from between midside and rump 31.4 Ave, 10.0 SD, 31.8 CV, 20.2 CEM, 34.0 SF, 48.7 CF (single coated changing to more double coated-second test has a double peak and first does not.)
Thoughts on Fetlar? (His adult fleece still changes, but is not as noticeable.)
I also send in samples from my two crossing sires:
Cooper the Coopworth is 42.1 Ave, 6.0 SD, 14.2 CV, 9.6 CEM, 39.0 SF, 3.o CF (note: Coopworth is a longwool and has a smoother scales, more like mohair, so does not feel as coarse as it is. Also Coopworth rams are quite a bit coarser than the ewes.)
Windham the Corriedale (lamb sample and looser crimp than normal for Corriedale) is 21.5 Ave, 5.1 SD, 23.8 CV, 9.1 CEM,21.5 SF 95.9 CF
I also sent in some samples from some Shetland fleeces that I had bought in Scotland from Rena Douglas's flock.
Moorit ewe 26.2 Ave, 6.3 SD, 24.1 CV, 11.8 CEM, 26.2 SF, 76.8 CF (note: this fleece was down like and did not have the best hand.)
Grey katmoget (darker them most of our kats looked a lot like Theresa's Dreamie) ram 27.2 Ave, 4.9 SD, 18.0 CV, 8.7 CEM 25.9 SF, 75.6 CF
(note: this fleece had an excellent hand and a tight crimp.)
Britch from grey katmoget ram 31.5 Ave, 8.6 SD, 27.4 CV 11.8 CEM, 32.5 SF, 51.0 CF
Black ewe 23.5 Ave, 5.0 SD, 21.2 CV, 8.9 CEM, 22.9 SF, 90.3 CF (note: this fleece also had an excellent hand and had a loose crimp.)
And now two Soay (Shetland sheep's cousins)samples from the Cotswold Farm Park in England.
Dark brown Soay 20.6 Ave, 4.0 SD, 19.3 CV, 8.3 CEM, 19.8 SF, 98.0 CF
Fawn Soay 24.0 Ave, 5.1 SD, 21.5 CV, 9.6 CEM, 23.4 SF, 89.4 CF
Wow! The Soay is FINE! It is very soft, has a very short staple of about 1 1/2- 2 in. and has a loose crimp.
For info on understanding micron counts Garret Ramsey has a great explanation on his website.
Lovely report Laura. The range with the Shetlands that you held back last year seems pretty typical of our experience. Shetlands have a very long road to get below than glass ceiling of AFD 25.
ReplyDeleteI am delighted that you included the Soay fleeces. I have spoken with several people in the UK that think most of the Shetland gulmoget genetics we have brought in are actually very recently (maybe since 1950's?) out of Soay. The results that we have experienced out of the Dillon imports look very much like these numbers, AND LENGTHS. The Dillon offspring we have worked with have a very tight crimp, actually very ringlet rather than wave. Still, I would have to say the numbers and length tend to make me think you have captured further evidence of the likelihood of those uber-soft fleeces we are seeing have a recent relationship to the Soay. I have often wished one of us had the finances to do the cross DNA on these sorts of obvious questions.
Great reporting. Thank you.
Okay, I gotta say that the Soays tests just bowled me over. I had no idea that these kissing cousins to the Shetlands were so soft. I had always assummed they were all scadder sheep like our primitive beaver Shetlands.
ReplyDeleteYet another UK breed that is beating us Shetland breeders out of the "finest of the British breeds" category. Looks like we've got our work cut out for us, lol!
The rest of your tests, I'd be proud to have numbers like most of those in my own flock. Great job! Fatlar is a little higher than I'd like personally in a ram, but I do have some mature ewes that test similar. Thanks for sharing.