Adapt yourself to the things among which your lot has been cast and love sincerely the fellow creatures with whom destiny has ordained that you shall live. - Marcus Aurelius
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Kemp
I want more information on kemp. Can anyone inform me? I have some ewes who have what I think is kemp. I've never seen it before this, so don't have anything to compare it to. They were all F2 orion yearlings, and it showed up in 7 ewes, 1 ram from my "keepers". Is it carried or expressed only? Must be carried as the ewes that had these lambs have never shown this before, and don't have it themselves. Is it possible this is just a fluke and they'll grow out of it? Any info would be appreciated. :)
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2 comments:
Kemp is usually white and is short and brittle. It can be black. If it is s long as or at least 3/4 of the length of the fiber and not much coarser than the wool it may be medulated fiber. As far as is it inheritable, it don't know if it is any more so than other wool/fleece characteristics. Wool characteristics are highly heritable. Even if it is not kemp you may consider culling the ram as why use a ram with a fleece you don't like. (And he'll produce/or can produce way more babies a year than one ewe will.)
I have some Orion (three different ewe lines) in my flock. None had kemp or medulated fibers. One line has a downy fleece (it did improve by the third generation), one was more double coated and one (a ram) a very fine single coat (each animal had a twin ram lamb that went to market.)
Look here:
http://everranch.com/Farm/Sheep/ForSale/FleeceEvaluation.html
Kemp is the last example on the page.
Franna
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