Rare Sheep Breed Ideal For Spinning

Rare Sheep Breed Ideal For Spinning AG WORLD 26-3-22 One of the rarest breeds of sheep on earth are the CVM/Romeldales, with fewer than 2,000 head in existence. Developed with hand spinners in mind, CVM stands for "color variegated mutant" and Romeldale is a breed created in the 1900's. The Romeldales were selected for high yield, uniform white fleeces and superior carcasses to other whiteface breeds. When two spotted lambs showed up in a breeder's flock in the 1960's, he crossed them to form the basis for the CVM breed. "The fleece is every bit as soft as Marino and Rambouillet," says Chris Spitzer, an Ohio CVM/Romeldale breeder. "The really cool part is that you can have 10 gray animals, and when you shear them, you see as many as five different colors on a shaft of wool." Spitzer is no amateur when it comes to evaluating wool for handspinning. When she decided to expand her handspinning hobby to raising sheep, she wanted the best breed she could find. She proceeded to buy and process more than 60 fleeces from around the country to find what she was looking for. It was love at first spin when she discovered CVM's. The fleece has a staple length of 3-4 1/2 in. Spitzer is now one of only 18 breeders in the country, and when contacted for this article, reported only 8 animals available for sale among the other 17 flocks. This number will increase after spring lambing; however, numbers continue to be limited due to tight restrictions on registration. All animals must be traceable to the founding flock. Bred ewes go for up to $800, and rams start at $500, according to Spitzer. CVM's would seem perfectly suited for small, intensive breeding flocks. Not only are they excellent out-of-season breeders, but they also frequently produce healthy twins, weighing from 10 to 13 lbs. each. Rams weigh in at 225 to 275 lbs., and ewes weigh from 140 to 175 lbs. Fleece weights range from 6 to 12 lbs. and sell for as much as $20 to $25 per lb. direct market to spinners. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chris Spitzer, Yellow Creek Cottage, 2520 Shade Park Drive, Akron, Ohio, 44333 (ph 330 668- 2414; E-mail: cspitzer@lek.net or Website: www.yellowcreekcottage.com).

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