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Livestock & Forage
a question for @global ovine
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<blockquote data-quote="Global ovine" data-source="post: 2864224" data-attributes="member: 493"><p>As you are probably aware, we in NZ don't tolerate anything that creates work and additional costs that can be avoided by changing the sheep back towards what nature would do to assist them to survive and thrive. The desire in the UK for short tight fleeces does nothing but make sheep more attractive to flies, especially when such fleece types also produce a lot of grease (swint; made up of lanolin, other fats and oils, urea, salts and some proteins). A wool follicle generally produces around 80% of swint (to protect the fibre) and 20% wool or hair, so there is plenty of this material around to nourish fly larvae.</p><p></p><p>We can breed sheep to increase the fibre % of follicle production thereby reducesing swint%, but to avoid fly strike it is easier to alter the staple architecture to one where the fleece breathes and does not remain wet. Fleeces that hold water and become soggy for long periods get bacterial growth causing wool colouring (green, blue, yellow, orange and blood red etc.) this is party tucker for flies. Such areas as behind the shoulders, nape of neck and small of back are common places for damp wool which has a build up of fly attractive materials.</p><p></p><p>The type of fleece to avoid is where each staple is not free with cross fibres matting staples together like felt. Each staple should open from the tip down to the skin. The crimp should by uniform and the wool colour white as possible the length of the staple. </p><p></p><p>I have often discussed this with UK farmers who immediately say they don't want lambs wool splitting along their backs during cold rain. This is an extreme example of very strong woolled sheep with long plain poorly crimped and structured fleeces. Most breeds should have birth coats of at least a centimetre of crimped wool in clearly defined staples that sit upright along the back line. This type of birth coat will become more important as outdoor lambing regains popularity. </p><p>More fly resistant fleeces result from such a birth coat. So it gives the double whammy that we desire. However sellers of live sheep like tight fleece types I'm told.</p><p></p><p>The incorporation of terminal breeds with short poorly structured fleeces into the common maternal lines (such as Suffolk or Texel cross ewes) does make it harder to prevent fly strike, as terminal breeds do not have the centuries of breeding for fleece architecture as the maternal breeds, therefore more shorter and tighter (cross fibred) fleeces are seen.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Global ovine, post: 2864224, member: 493"] As you are probably aware, we in NZ don't tolerate anything that creates work and additional costs that can be avoided by changing the sheep back towards what nature would do to assist them to survive and thrive. The desire in the UK for short tight fleeces does nothing but make sheep more attractive to flies, especially when such fleece types also produce a lot of grease (swint; made up of lanolin, other fats and oils, urea, salts and some proteins). A wool follicle generally produces around 80% of swint (to protect the fibre) and 20% wool or hair, so there is plenty of this material around to nourish fly larvae. We can breed sheep to increase the fibre % of follicle production thereby reducesing swint%, but to avoid fly strike it is easier to alter the staple architecture to one where the fleece breathes and does not remain wet. Fleeces that hold water and become soggy for long periods get bacterial growth causing wool colouring (green, blue, yellow, orange and blood red etc.) this is party tucker for flies. Such areas as behind the shoulders, nape of neck and small of back are common places for damp wool which has a build up of fly attractive materials. The type of fleece to avoid is where each staple is not free with cross fibres matting staples together like felt. Each staple should open from the tip down to the skin. The crimp should by uniform and the wool colour white as possible the length of the staple. I have often discussed this with UK farmers who immediately say they don't want lambs wool splitting along their backs during cold rain. This is an extreme example of very strong woolled sheep with long plain poorly crimped and structured fleeces. Most breeds should have birth coats of at least a centimetre of crimped wool in clearly defined staples that sit upright along the back line. This type of birth coat will become more important as outdoor lambing regains popularity. More fly resistant fleeces result from such a birth coat. So it gives the double whammy that we desire. However sellers of live sheep like tight fleece types I'm told. The incorporation of terminal breeds with short poorly structured fleeces into the common maternal lines (such as Suffolk or Texel cross ewes) does make it harder to prevent fly strike, as terminal breeds do not have the centuries of breeding for fleece architecture as the maternal breeds, therefore more shorter and tighter (cross fibred) fleeces are seen. [/QUOTE]
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a question for @global ovine
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