Angela writes:
<<Our fair isle bred shetlands have fleece that in the 1st & 2nd
shearing is akin to silk in its softness and as crimpy as some of the
american seriously crimpy breeds. >>
First shearing for all sheep is the softest :) Do you have micron
information on sheep from the Islands, vs those on the mainland? I'd be
very interested to hear. Microns are objective :)
<<you just dont get the low microns from shetlands
raised elsewhere, in effect really, the differences are so noticable,
that they could be termed as no longer being pure shetlands.>>
I don't think many breeders would agree with that :) There may be,
sometimes, variability due to environment--we can certainly see that in
various ways--UV damage to wool tips and wool color, for example, or a
band of 'brown' wool in a black fleece indicating a lack of copper in
the diet. These things aren't said to affect the breed of the sheep, so
why should whether it was raised on the Islands vs somewhere else affect
the breed?
Breeding goals can eventually result in a group of sheep being
considered a new breed, of course. I once had that goal, but the
Shetlands took over our farm and so my goals have changed. Having given
up the goal of creating a breed with a specific type of wool for a
specific type of end use, I now greatly enjoy the variability of color
and texture with our Shetlands--along with all the factors that make
them easy for new shepherds :)
Holly
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