Over at Patchwork Fibers, she has started a “why” club – as in why was that ewe bred to that ram? I love reading about why people make the decisions they do and hope other breeders join in.
We bred 30 ewes this year and some of the decisions were based on past performances – some crosses just work. Other decisions are based on what doesn’t work because sometimes no matter how nice each parent is and how nice the pedigree looks – the results aren’t good!
For producing ram lambs – I wish everybody was like this girl. This is Maverick Marloe and she is amazing in her ability to produce high quality ram lambs – no matter who she is bred to. They all have amazing horns, consistent/soft fleeces, great structure, and luckily they don’t inherit her nasty temperament 🙂 Here are some of her boys…
Jaq
Wrangler
Nitro
Torrent – currently for sale
Unfortunately, she doesn’t produce very many or very nice ewe lambs. I chose Julian this year for her to improve fleece quality and they both have impressive horns and nice structure. I am going to keep my fingers crossed for a nice girl.
For Infiniti, I also chose Julian…
The fleeces should be incredible and they both have nice clean/clear black spots. He has a nice nose patch and I know there are leg spots in the background, so will hope that they carry forward.
For Rae-Ann, I chose Junior…
This is a combination that looks great on paper (pedigree) and I hope the lambs are as promising as I think they will be. There is a slight possibility that Rae-Ann is a lilac carrier, so I can’t wait to see if she is or not.
For Petunia, I chose Reno…
He has really nice leg color and they both have great lateral horns. They are both black and white, but have lilac in their backgrounds, so it will be exciting to see their lambs.
This is our 8th year in breeding jacobs and I have definitely learned that it can be unpredictable 😉 From now until lambing starts at the end of January, I’ll feature a few more pairs and why I made the decision that I did.
Stories from the Farm 
Very cool… I was thinking about this subject today and on why we breed two certain animals. If you get that Marloe/Julian ram lamb, let me know. Maybe I’ll have to get him from you for use next fall. 😉
Second on the very cool.. I enjoy seeing why breeders have chosen to put pairs together. I learn by verbalizing my reasons and by reading others’ reasons.
I loved Marloe’s dam and am still kicking myself for not buying her.
Thanks so much for posting this, especially with the photos. I’m learning so much from these discussions!
So much to think about with multiple rams. I’m glad for now that we keep it simple — one ram. I suppose he is glad, too — no competition. 🙂 Nice to see your blog.