This ewe lamb is another Khan daughter out of Sommarang Isla (a ewe that I’ve already blogged about. I don’t always breed ewe lambs, but reluctantly did put Isla in a group last fall. This lamb validated that decision for us. She has that deep rich moorit color that I mentioned the other day, and overall, looks very similar to Coloma (
This isn't a great picture of her, but she is in the lamb pasture, and not in a breeding group, and it's tough to get close ups of the lambs.
She is fine boned, crimpy, and fine, and just exhibits the type that I like.
Next year, I will probably have to make some tough choices
with some of the yearlings because I do truly like all of them. Yes, I like
some better than others, but I think all of them have great potential. In some
ways, it comes down to colors, patterns, and markings. It’s kind of like
collecting baseball cards. How many Reggie Jacksons to you really need? But
Izarra is pretty nice, and likely better than some of the other ewe lambs that
I like a lot. The good news is that if I end up selling some of these lambs,
someone is going to get nice sheep, which is what we have been shooting for in
the first place. My philosophy has always been to keep only those Shetlands
that move us closer to our goals so we can keep our flock small. That
philosophy is going to help other people improve their flocks, and the breed
overall. If I keep all of them, I’m not really doing anything positive for the
breed. I don’t know if all of that is true, but it helps me part with sheep
that I want to keep.
I don’t know if Izarra will be a keeper or not, but that’s
my plan right now. Over the years, we have brought in sheep for a specific
purpose, and that was to inch us closer to our goals. Some pay dividends, and
some don’t. And some do pay dividends to other people at some point. That’s
part of the hobby.
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