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Wed Feb 2 07:52:04 EST 2005
there is a good supply of protein and coarser where there is ample =
energy in the ration. The key to fleece growth here in the Southeast as =
opposed to the upper tier states may well be that our forages here in =
the SE are significantly lower in energy. Even good quality alfalfa is =
going to have Total Digestible Nutrients of 64% or less as opposed to =
70% in Wisconsin. Except for corn, grasses tend to have lower energy =
than legumes, and warm season grasses are lower still. Fescue grown in =
the heat of the summer (mid-May on in North Carolina) do well to break =
50% TDN.=20
Our early sheep did well to have 3 pound fleeces. Jacob lamb fleeces =
often weighed 1 to 1.5 pounds unskirted. Since then, 15 years of =
selecting for decent fleece have increased the average weight to the 3 =
to 4.5 pound range on adults, with a lot more consistency in weight. In =
contrast, our Finn X Cotswold sheep will often have 12 pound fleeces.
Neal Grose
----- Original Message -----=20
From: Mary Hansson=20
To: jacob-list at jacobsheep.com=20
Sent: Thursday, February 26, 2004 10:56 AM
Subject: Re: [Jacob-list] Re: Fleece growth
Hi all,
It is the extremely unusual sheep that I have had over the years that =
would produce an UNSKIRTED fleece of 4 pounds. I can think of 3 sheep =
specifically. Most produce 2-2.5 pounds UNSKIRTED WT.
We live in the hot, sticky SE of the nation.
There is a marked difference in handle of fleeces grown in the Midwest =
and the Rockies from my experiences travelling around to various flocks. =
I can't comment on fleece weights in those areas. Breeders in those =
areas have also told me that their fleeces soften up and become =
perceptibly finer when they are moved from those environments.
Mary Ellen
Mary Ellen Hansson, MEd, RD, LDN
ISeeSpots Farm
Jacob Sheep: Lambs, adults, wool
www.iseespots.com
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<DIV><FONT size=3D2>From information that I have seen, wool fibers tend =
to grow=20
longer where there is a good supply of protein and coarser where =
there is=20
ample energy in the ration. The key to fleece growth here in the =
Southeast as=20
opposed to the upper tier states may well be that our forages here in =
the SE are=20
significantly lower in energy. Even good quality alfalfa is going to =
have Total=20
Digestible Nutrients of 64% or less as opposed to 70% in Wisconsin. =
Except for=20
corn, grasses tend to have lower energy than legumes, and warm season =
grasses=20
are lower still. Fescue grown in the heat of the summer (mid-May on in =
North=20
Carolina) do well to break 50% TDN. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Our early sheep did well to have 3 pound fleeces. =
Jacob lamb=20
fleeces often weighed 1 to 1.5 pounds unskirted. Since then, 15 years of =
selecting for decent fleece have increased the average weight to the 3 =
to 4.5=20
pound range on adults, with a lot more consistency in weight. In =
contrast,=20
our Finn X Cotswold sheep will often have 12 pound fleeces.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2>Neal Grose</FONT></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE=20
style=3D"PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; =
BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV=20
style=3D"BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>=20
<A title=3Dbuffgeese at yahoo.com =
href=3D"mailto:buffgeese at yahoo.com">Mary=20
Hansson</A> </DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A =
title=3Djacob-list at jacobsheep.com=20
=
href=3D"mailto:jacob-list at jacobsheep.com">jacob-list at jacobsheep.com</A> =
</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, February 26, =
2004 10:56=20
AM</DIV>
<DIV style=3D"FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [Jacob-list] Re: =
Fleece=20
growth</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Hi all,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>It is the extremely unusual sheep that I have had over the years =
that=20
would produce an UNSKIRTED fleece of 4 pounds. I can think of 3 =
sheep=20
specifically. Most produce 2-2.5 pounds UNSKIRTED WT.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>We live in the hot, sticky SE of the nation.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>There is a marked difference in handle of fleeces grown in the =
Midwest=20
and the Rockies from my experiences travelling around to various =
flocks. =20
I can't comment on fleece weights in those areas. Breeders in =
those=20
areas have also told me that their fleeces soften up and become =
perceptibly=20
finer when they are moved from those environments.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Mary Ellen</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><BR><BR>Mary Ellen Hansson, MEd, RD, LDN<BR>ISeeSpots =
Farm<BR>Jacob Sheep: Lambs, adults,=20
wool<BR>www.iseespots.com</BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>
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