[Jacob-list] Quilting

[Linda]

I agree with Carl and Neal and Judy.  

Sheep can be quilted one year and not the next or vice versa.   Right now, I only have one quilted ewe and her dark wool is shorter. She's a 2005 lamb and this is the first evidence of quilting.  And the quilting did not show up until almost 8 months after her last shearing. She has a pretty crimpy fleece and I think the fiber length is the same on both the white and black wool.  But the black wool has more crimp so looks shorter.  I don't have one right now with longer dark wool, but I seem to remember that it was in fleeces with less crimp and that the fiber length was very close with the dark wool having less crimp. 

Like Judy, I don't find that quilting makes any difference to me as a spinner. 

The JSBA standard reads "Excessive quilted appearance to the fleece (where the dark fiber are shorter than the white or vice versa)" as a dq.  I'm not really sure what would be considered excessive.  My ewe that is quilted as a three year old wasn't quilted at all when I sent in her registration application, so I don't know how she would be judged if I were submitting her during this last few months when her fleece has begun to look quilted.  I do intend to keep her! With more than four generations of JSBA registered ancestors (and a good number of JSC registered), I'm just going to have to call her purebred :-)

Linda


 
www.patchworkfibers.com
Registered Jacob Sheep, Angora Rabbits, Handspun Yarn


> Neal,

>

>   I agree with you about quilting. I don't think it is a sign of

> crossbreeding at all. Sometimes a lamb will be quilted it's first

> year and then not quilted after it's first shearing.

>   A couple of years ago we had a very good ewe that was not quilted

> her 1st year, but was quilted her 2ND year. I was about ready to

> cull her, but she was so nice I kept waiting and her 3rd year she

> was not quilted again so I'm glad we kept her.

>   It has been my experience that in 1st year lambs the dark wool

> can be longer or shorter than the white wool, but in older Jacobs

> that have quilting the dark wool is usually shorter than the white

> wool.

>   As Judy says, quilting doesn't make any difference after you sort

> the fleece out into dark, white and gray piles. It is just that a

> Jacob with quilting is not as pleasing to the eye as one that is

> not quilted.

>   The ram Hatch's Eder had quilting, but was beautifully marked and

> had extremely good type and markings and a magnificent set of

> horns. He was certainly not a crossbred. He was used for many years 

> and there is without a doubt a lot of Jacobs out there with him in

> their pedigree.

>

> Carl Fosbrink 

>

>

>   

>

>

> Neal and Louise Grose wrote:

>> Various people get have lots of opinions about this. And I am not

>> entirely sure why some find it scandalous. It seems to be highly

>> environmental, appearing some years in certain sheep and not in

>> others. In our flock, it shows up in stress years as shorter,

>> finer colored wool. Others has assured me that THAT is all wrong

>> and that it is the white wool that comes out shorter and finer.

>> (and surely it is a sign of crossbreeding...)

>>

>> Oh, rubbish. It is undesirable. Until I hear a good biological

>> theory for why we should cull for quilting, I am simply going to

>> use it as one of many criteria and not get too wound up about it. 

>>

>> Neal Grose

>>> ----- Original Message -----

>>> From: Susan J Martin

>>> To: Sheep E-mail List

>>> Sent: Wednesday, January 02, 2008 9:46 PM

>>> Subject: [Jacob-list] Quilting

>>>

>>>

>>> Just curious about quilting of the fleece of your sheep --- how

>>> do you view this?  Is it a problem worth culling for?  I have

>>> not seen a lot of it........but it can occasionally crop up and

>>> I was curious how other breeders handle this.

>>> Sue Martin

>>> Stonecroft

>>>

>>>

>>> _______________________________________________ Jacob-list

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>

>

> Carl and Judy Fosbrink

> www.4hornfarm.com

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