Good News and some HORRIBLE NEWS

[Wendy]

well finally got my sheep sheared yesterday.  The one guy who was going to call when he got his sheep sheared called.  He found a new shearer - the one he usually uses wasn't going to be around this area till June.   Out of 3 sheep we had 10 lbs of wool.  IS that alot?   Boy do they look funny now.  The ewes look like the dairy goats now - They have huge udders.

Now the bad news - we have been expecting a foal anytime - well when we got home she was having it.  Had the head and feet out but seemed to be having problems - Plus she was next to a fence and didn't want her to get her feet hung up.  So got her up and penned up - we could tell that it was dead.  She ended up having it and it was a "Lethal White".  Sooo disappointing - I really wanted a foal to play with.

[GoatTalker]

Ohhhhhh Wendy, I am so sorry about the loss of your baby!! Maybe next time a different stallion?

[Wendy]

reread my post - it was 30 lbs  of wool total.

this mare we didn't even know was pregnant when came here last July. She is my dad's horse and came down here for company for my mare. Around Christmas time we started suspecting it - she was getting really big - we just didn't know when.  Looked at her udder every morning and nite for the last 4 months.  Waiting.....  

My mare was supposed to be bred by the same stallion - but I think she ended up aborted  it at around 5 months.  I had to call the vet out because her udder was HUGE and she was leaking milk all over.  I did some research and found out that at 5 months it is the size of a rabbit - so since I didn't see it anywhere I figure she absorbed.   But didn't think that at the time - until it got closer to the due date - which was the first of April.  Disappointed about that - I had waited 2 yrs to get a foal from her (waiting on the stallion to become of age and then the 11 months of gestation).

So was still hopeful to have a foal to fool with because of dad's mare- and then it turned out to be lethal.  Really disappointed.  

dad works on a horse farm - so he will probably breed her next yr.  Going to get back into showing with her again this year.

[Barnes]

Wendy I am so sorry about the foal, how sad.
I am not a horse person so I don't know what "Lethal White" is, can you explain?

Congrats on getting the sheep sheared!

[Anonymous]

Congrats on the 30 lbs of wool!!!  Do you spin?  Or are you selling it??  If selling, I hope you get a great price for it!!

Cassandra, here are some links about Lethal White ~

http://www.netpets.com/horses/healthspa/lethal.html

http://www.vgl.ucdavis.edu/service/horse/coatcolor.html#lwo

http://www.stallingspainthorses.com/lethal-white1.htm

[Jamie]

Oh I'm so sorry!

[Amy Goatress]

I am so very sorry for your loss.

Take care,

[Countrygirl]

Wendy, I am so sorry for your loss. Congrats on getting the sheep sheared.

Tristain

[Wendy]

Basically when you breed two paints there is like a 25% chance of getting a lethal white.  

The foal is born completely white and there is something wrong with the intestinal tract and it can't pass it's first bowel movement.  They are born dead or only live like 24 to 48 hours.  

Since we know now that Princess is a carrier of the gene(both parents have to carry the gene) we know not to breed her to a stallion that is known to throw lethal foals.

Not all paints carry the gene.  And there are some who have bred a mare and stallion and got normal foals from them and then at a later breeding they get a lethal.  So you just really don't know.   It's about like anything else.

[Wendy]

no I don't spin - my dad knows of some ladies that do.  I didn't sell to them this time - the shearer took to the wool.  

I got 20 cents per pound.  Is that good? bad?  

Next time will probably keep to sell to those ladies.  One of my lambs that I'm keeping for a ewe is black  - there is a picture of her on here - and I don't think the shearer guy likes black wool.

I thought about trying to quilt with it.

[Barnes]

Wendy in the links that Kendra provided it talked of testing you can have done to see if the horses carrying the gene before breeding. Have you looked into this? Maybe you can find a stallion that has been tested and doesn't carry that gene!

[barefootchef]

So sorry to hear you lost your foal.

I do some spinning and so does Yvonne (Rinestonegoat). As a handspinner I prefer colored wools. When you sell to a handspinner the crimp per inch (as per different breeds), color and cleanliness (lack of hay, grass, etc in the coat), hoggett (virgin wool) or not all go into figuring cost per pound. When I have bought my wool in the past it has mainly been from sheep that have been coated all year to keep the fleece clean. Just makes my life easier when I card.

$.20 per pound? The guy is probably reselling it or taking it somewhere to have it commercially prepared for selling.

[Wendy]

Cathy, the shearer guy probably is reselling it - he had  been to like 4 different farms + our 3 head.  There was 3 guys - 2 shearing and one putting the wool in these BIG brown gunny like sacks.  The truck was full of these sacks.

I would think the colored wool would be 'fun' for spinners.  And with mine having the white blended in.  Did you see her picture? - she's in this sheep section under 'is this an odd color'.

I know these friends of dads have taken their white wool and have started dyeing it with I think herbs.  I think dad said like basil and I can't remember what else.

You mentioned you buy wool from sheep that has been coated.  Do you mean with like a sweater/shirt on?  I would see how it would keep the wool cleaner - but wouldn't it make it matted?  and make the sheep hotter?

[GoatTalker]

Wendy, the card the wool-it is part of the process done, prior to spinning.

[Wendy]

I know that nicollett - that to card is part of processing the wool.

Cathy said ----

When I have bought my wool in the past it has mainly been from sheep that have been coated all year to keep the fleece clean. Just makes my life easier when I card.

[GoatTalker]

Ohhhhhhhh they "coated" kept them covered in a blanket, to keep the wool clean.

[barefootchef]

Yep, that is it. They have a "coat or sheet" on them to keep the fleece clean. A fleece that hasn't been "coated" can not only gather a lot of hay/debris it can also get sunburnt (in the case of a blue/gray or black coat). Do they get hotter? I can't really answer that. I like to work with a clean fleece, one that is colored, for some things and some that is white for other projects....just depends on what I want to do and the particular project I have in mind.