The_Dutchess
Well-known member
First of all, I won 3rd runner up in the MSRBA Royalty Contest! I was told the competition was very close. I was the youngest one to try out, though so I'm going to try again next year for sure. Anyway, onto the point of this post.
I am trying really hard this year to make my Jersey Wooly herd better, and I need some advice.
I started with a buck with nice bold eyes, good head, okay but slightly long ears, good type and wool with decent texture but not enough density. His biggest issue was the fact that he was pretty close to being overweight. I bred him (Smokey) to a teeny tiny doe with what I now know is cottony wool, good type, good ears, a pretty good head (needs more strength/width and bolder eyes), and pinched hips that have given me problems with breeding. (ugh)
That breeding yielded a small buck with good head and ears, not quite as bold of an eye, good type, but at this point, he still has his baby coat and I don't know if he'll have cottony wool or not. It is likely, though, because his sister does. His sister is not as compact as he is, but good body type, and she has cottony wool and pinched hips like mom. I don't want pinched hips in my herd, so it makes the most sense to sell the girls, and get a super nice doe. But, I have two issues with that. First of all, I am always told to go better with the buck and buy the best buck I can possibly buy. Well, this is not the best buck I can possibly buy, but I do think I have something with my junior buck. So I really want to keep him, and get a super nice doe. The problem with that is his father does have a pedigree, but it was lost during our move last year and we have been unable to find it. So if I get an awesome, pedigreed Wooly doe then the babies will only be 3/4 of the way pedigreed.
Any ideas are greatly appreciated, TIA!
I am trying really hard this year to make my Jersey Wooly herd better, and I need some advice.
I started with a buck with nice bold eyes, good head, okay but slightly long ears, good type and wool with decent texture but not enough density. His biggest issue was the fact that he was pretty close to being overweight. I bred him (Smokey) to a teeny tiny doe with what I now know is cottony wool, good type, good ears, a pretty good head (needs more strength/width and bolder eyes), and pinched hips that have given me problems with breeding. (ugh)
That breeding yielded a small buck with good head and ears, not quite as bold of an eye, good type, but at this point, he still has his baby coat and I don't know if he'll have cottony wool or not. It is likely, though, because his sister does. His sister is not as compact as he is, but good body type, and she has cottony wool and pinched hips like mom. I don't want pinched hips in my herd, so it makes the most sense to sell the girls, and get a super nice doe. But, I have two issues with that. First of all, I am always told to go better with the buck and buy the best buck I can possibly buy. Well, this is not the best buck I can possibly buy, but I do think I have something with my junior buck. So I really want to keep him, and get a super nice doe. The problem with that is his father does have a pedigree, but it was lost during our move last year and we have been unable to find it. So if I get an awesome, pedigreed Wooly doe then the babies will only be 3/4 of the way pedigreed.
Any ideas are greatly appreciated, TIA!