Shetland Sheep Standard
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NASSA Judges Packet TABLE OF CONTEnts Introduction . 1 NASSA Judges Guide and Score Card . .2 Breed Characteristics, Conformation, Wool . 2. Shetland Sheep Standard . 3 Policy on Fitting and Trimming . .4 Shetland Sheep Breed Characteristics . 4 General character & appearance, Horns/polled . 4. Head . 5. Face, Eyes, Ears, Tail, Size . 6. Body, Neck, Shoulders, Chest, Back, Ribs, Rump, Legs of mutton . 7. Skin, Carriage, Wool . 8. Wool Judging of Shetlands . .10 Staple Strength, Breed Characteristics, Presentation . 10. Fleece Competition Score Card . 10 Wool Grading . .11 Shetland Fleece samples from the Shetland Islands . 11. Shetland Ram/Ewe Assessment Form . .12 Appendix A . .13 Bibliography . 13 NASSA Judges Certification Requirements . 13 NASSA Judges Certification Information Form . .14 INTRODUCTION This is the North American Shetland Sheepbreeders Association (NASSA) judge’s packet on the Shetland sheep. It is provided for your information to aid you in the correct assessment and selection of breed type Shetland sheep in the show ring. This packet includes the following: the Shetland breed standard, Appendix A, the clarification of the Standard as accepted by the Shetland Sheep Society and NASSA, breed specific descriptions, correct fitting of Shetlands for the show ring, and a Shetland ram/ewe assessment form to aid in judging Shetlands. This document should be studied with the intent of learning what constitutes a quality breed type Shetland Sheep. There are many photos showing breed type Shetland sheep and their unique characteristics included in this packet. Thank you for your desire to learn more about this wonderful breed of sheep! The NASSA Board of Directors 2010 extends great appreciation to the Education Committee for all their hard work in the research and development of this Judge's Packet. December 2010 1 NASSA Judges Guide and Score Card Shetland sheep classes may include Fine and Medium grades of The following should be penalized from lightly to harshly, wool, never coarse. according to the severity of the problem: Fine: above 60’s (24.94 μm or less) 1. Poorly formed testicles or teats and udder. Medium: 50’s−58’s (24.95−30.99 μm) 2. Malformation of the feet and legs such as: weak pasterns, Coarse 38’s−48’s (31.00−38.09 μm) crooked feet or legs, bad hock angulations, or too narrow placement of feet. Very Coarse: less than 36’s (over 40.20 μm) 3. Overbites or under bites. Shetland Sheep are exhibited in many different colors including white, and patterns, solid or variegated, pale or dark, and all 4. Inverted eyelids. should be considered equal. Use of artificial coloring must be 5. Weak or swayed back. grounds for disqualification. 6. Untrimmed hooves, broken hooves, or sore feet. Sheep may not be trimmed, tipped, combed, or blocked, or 7. Undersized or oversized animals. anything that disturbs the lock structure. 8. Long heavy tail, broad to point. Breed Characteristics−40% 41 pts Wool−20% for Hand Spinning Quality−20pts GENERAL APPEARANCE−9pts Shetland sheep are small, balanced in ration of height to length, not tubular, with the legs Shetland wool should be fine and of a soft texture. May range set squarely. between single and dual−coated. Rams should be masculine 80−150 lbs, FINENESS−the micron range is between 20−31 μm, this is the Ewes should be feminine 60−115 lbs. fine to medium range, not coarse. Shetlands can have a very Horns should have adequate spacing away from the head. Horned uniform fleece or may have a fleece that changes down one grade or hornless or scurs are acceptable from front to rear but is never coarse or rough. CARRIAGE−2pts alert and nimble, with a smart active gait DENSITY−Well closed − medium density. Open/sparse fleece HEAD−9 pts medium length of face from eyes to muzzle, should be downgraded. medium hollow between cheeks & nose, small mouth HANDLE−Wool that is soft, with elasticity. FACE−5 pts Straight,not roman STAPLE STRENGTH−Fleece should be free of tenderness, breaks EYES−3 pts well apart, bright,slightly bulbous or excessive weather damage and cotting, be easily opened, and have proper strength of fiber for the grade of fleece. EARS−4pts medium slightly above midline, CRIMP−Shetland fleece can range from wavy to ideally 8–12 TAIL−9 pts 3"−6" long fluke−shaped 2/3 wool−1/3 hair or hair crimps/inch. tip, held tight against body. Long, broad, wooly tails are to be heavily penalized. LENGTH−Wool length ideally between 2" and 6". Conformation−40% 39pts The following should be penalized from lightly to harshly, NECK−4pts full tapering into fairly broad chest according to the severity of the problem: SHOULDERS−6pts Shoulders to be well set, not too narrow, 1. Wool under 1"−except recently shorn/rooed animals or showing a slight hump young lambs, or over 7" in length. Wool must be the current years clip. BACK – 4pts Back should be strong, straight−level, parallel to the ground 2. Wool trimmed, blocked, combed, or anything that disturbed the lock structure. RUMP−5pts Rump to have good width and well turned rounded hips. 3. Excessive contamination of wool with feed, bedding, burrs, dirt, paint, manure, etc. RIBS & CHEST−9pts Chest medium width and deep, Ribs well sprung and well ribbed 4. Wool with permanent stains, wool rot, or cotting. LEGS−4pts Shetland sheep should be light and fine, allowing 5. Hairy and kempy fibers in the fleece. for agility. Straight, well set legs and proper hock angulation 6. Wool fibers excessively tender or break. perpendicular from hock to pastern and should be wider apart 7. Bad wool, coarse and open. than front leg. Leg of mutton to be light and fine in quality. 8. White hairs in moorit and black, an dark hairs in white wool. SKIN−2pts Skin should vary according to color of wool, no black or blue skin in white wool. SCROTUM OR UDDER−Rams must have two well developed testicles, ewes must have two teats, with the udder well balanced. Animals deficient in these traits should be disqualified. 2 SHETLAND SHEEP STANDARD Description and Scale of Points Score − 100 Reproduced from the Shetland Flock Book Society By−Laws & Regulations Objects & Standard of the Society 1927 Adopted by NASSA 03/2000 GENERAL CHARACTER Horned or Hornless 9 AND APPEARANCE HEAD Good width between ears, tapering rapidly to base of nose, which should be broad and 9 with little taper to the muzzle, hollow between cheeks and nose well marked FACE Medium length of face from eyes to muzzle, nose prominent but not Roman, small mouth 5 EYES Full, bright, and active look 3 EARS Fine, medium size, set well back, carried slightly above the horizontal 4 NECK Full, tapers into a fairly broad chest 4 SHOULDERS Well set, top level with back 6 CHEST Medium width and deep 5 BACK Level, with as much width as possible 9 RIBS Well sprung and well ribbed up 4 RUMP Good width, with well tuned rounded hips 5 TAIL Fluke tail. Wool at root forming the broad rounded part, and tapering suddenly to barely 9 covered fine point. This is a strong character, and any crossing is easily made out by it. Length varies according to the size of sheep, rarely exceeds six inches, or thereby LEGS OF MUTTON Light, but very fine in quality 4 SKIN Varies according to colour of wool. In white no blue or black colouring 2 WOOL Extra fine and soft texture, longish, wavy, and well closed. Wool on forehead and poll 20 tapering into neck, likewise wool on cheeks. Colours: white, black or brown , moorit (from reddish to fawn). Greys (including Sheila). Other known colours − Mirkface (brownish spots on face); Catmogit (dark under parts from muzzle to tail and legs), Burrit (light underparts); also Blaegit, Fleckit, and Sholmit CARRIAGE Alert and nimble, with a smart active gait 2 100 pts DISQUALIFICATIONS NASSA Disclaimer: (a) Long heavy tail, broad to point * Note: The 1927 Shetland Flock Book Society standard was developed for the original inspection of sheep for registration by the Society. The standard (b) Bad wool, coarse and open includes seven specific faults that were considered serious enough to disqualify (c) Very coarse wool on breeches sheep from registrations. While these disqualifications are still part of the Standard, NASSA does not have an inspection system and does not disqualify (d) Deformities of jaws pruebred Shetland sheep from registration. However, NASSA recommends that (e) Undersized animals breeders take into consideration these disqualification faults when evaluating Shetland sheep for breeding purposes and for registration. Note also that (f) Defective coloured or badly shaped animals as sires the Shetland Flock Book Society no longer exists have been succeeded by the (g) White hairs in moorit and black, and dark hairs in white wool Shetland Flock Book Trust. 3 Policy on Fitting and Trimming Definition of Preparation for Showing your Shetland 1. Shetland Sheep should be shown clean and neat. 2. They should be shown in full fleece from the show year's shearing or rooing . Ideally the fleece should be at least 1" long to be evaluated. 3. Lock structure of the wool is of great importance and must be intact. 4. Dung tags, vegetable matter and burrs should be removed. 5. Dirty sheep maybe rinsed at the owners discretion, but all care should be given to not disturb the lock structure. Wool that cannot be evaluated can be penalized up to 20pts. Therefore: Shetland sheep may not be fitted or trimmed or blocked. Definitions: These definitions are for market lambs and commercial breeding sheep and prohibited in Shetland sheep. Fitting−“Cleaning and shaping the wool on a lamb to give the proper body shape is called ‘fitting.’ You want to have a clean animal that looks very muscular but not fat.