We became aware of the percentage program when we purchased an unregistered Suffolk ram several years ago and wanted to register lambs he sired with our registered Suffolk ewes. Then, as our flock focus shifted from the big sheep to meat production, we intentionally used rams that gave us the profile, width and hindsaddle that best suited our needs. We often found that the rams that suited us best were either unregistered, or were rams we were producing that were percentage. So for the past ten years we've been working through the steps of the percentage and after several years, most of our flock has attained purebred status. The advantages we have experienced through the use of the percentage registry have helped us produce show quality Suffolks, that are structurally correct, muscular, and have an earlier maturity pattern which is advantageous to us as meat providers. We believe that with careful and honest use, the Suffolk breed character can be maintained, the Suffolk gene pool can be improved, and the Suffolk sheep can become easier to raise and maintain - Diane Russell, Indiana COMING UP THROUGH THE PERCENTAGE PROGRAM - PROFILE OF A EWE FAMILY 1056 was her number, and she was a bargain really. We bought her along with 19 other spunky black-faced ewe lambs from an older farmer up the Valley that was known more for his hunting skills than his animal husbandry. The neighbors called his sheep “survivors” and joked that he probably kept sheep mostly for a good excuse to hunt the roaming coyotes that crisscrossed the hills above his old farmhouse. We had just acquired the lease on a sizeable tract of rocky pastureland and were looking for more sheep to make it pay. We also had a new, top-notch purebred Suffolk ram lamb by the name of “Scout” with a solid pedigree that didn’t come cheap, so we were eager to add numbers to help maximize his potential. These ewe lambs, with varying amounts of wool on their black or brown heads were avail- able, freshly weaned, for about $150 each.
That group of ewes contributed a lot to our commercial flock over the years. It was interesting to note that as a whole, that group of spunky ewe lambs from the flock of “survivors” had good parasite resistance, but a miserly atti- tude toward lactation. We mated them to purebred Suffolk rams to improve breed character, meatiness, conformation and milking ability. With each new shot of purebred Suffolk added to those ewe families, we got a step closer to our ideal commercial Suffolk ewe. Each generation got us closer to the 15/16 mark where they would be considered purebred Suffolk. I would love to know what puzzle pieces were hidden in the family tree behind 1056, but no such records existed. And so it would always be a mystery to me exactly why her off- spring were so consistent - a little thicker than their peers, a little more prolific, a little more Suffolk-looking, a little squarer in the hip, a little tamer, quicker to come into heat, more attentive to their lambs, with perfect udders and plen- ty of milk, with lambs that were extra vigorous. Thanks to the percentage program, we were able to add these valuable traits to our purebred flock. Jumping forward, I included a photo of 5 replacement ewe lambs I sorted out for a family photo - all descen- dants of 1056. These five are all January-born daughters of “Hickory” (Kimm 16035), and all are carrying lambs out of “Timberline” (Kimm 19033). At least two of them are carrying twins, due any day. While they aren’t a fancy set of ewe lambs, they are the kind we like to work with and they fit the 1056 family theme - girthy, calm, and early maturing. Four of them will produce lambs that are 15/16 - finally reaching the level of purebred status. Because of the con- sistent trouble-free productive traits that have become the hallmark of the 1056 ewe family, 20% of our flock are de- scendants of 1056 and her peers from that group of spunky ewe lambs and it will be fun to see if there is a keeper ram born out of this set. - Radell & Sarah Schrock, Virginia
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