|
Flock History
As far
as Baglien family historians can tell us, our family has
been raising sheep since the 8th century. We
have, with rare interruptions, been doing so ever
since. In the late 1980s, a Baglien boy married a girl who had grown up raising commercial Hamps. That
they would someday raise sheep together came, as one
might expect, as no great surprise.
In
2000, we acquired our first registered Suffolks from
Brenda Miller. They were thick, sound sheep of their
type and kind. However, our flock emphasis moved to
moderately-framed Suffolks, as better suited to
producing the heavily-muscled carcasses and convenience
traits that are our primary objectives.
After experimenting with
various bloodlines, including considerable use of LAI,
we decided to base our flock chiefly on Kimm genetics.
We have not regretted this decision. We first used Bob’s
genetics in 2002 via LAI, and purchased some ewe lambs
in 2003. In 2004, we acquired two Kimm rams, 4136 and
4208. Kimm 4136 would go on to win two slick-sheared
classes at UJSSA national shows in Laramie and Sedalia,
and sire the high-indexing Suffolk in the 2005 NW
Performance Sire Test, but this fine performance was
overshadowed by that of his cousin, 4208, who became our
lead stud from 2005 to 2008. In the same year (2004), we purchased nine
ewe lambs from Dr. Paul Eness, all of whom were sired by
Kimm 2048 “Cael”, a heavily-muscled McLaughlin 1-144 son
that is one of the top Suffolks in the NSIP program for
growth. Further acquisitions would follow, but these
sheep gave our program its foundation in producing the
heavily-muscled, fast-growing Suffolks we favor.
In our
program, four rams figure prominently:
McLaughlin-Griffin 1-144
(reference sire only)
In 2001, Bob Kimm leased this ram lamb from Willard
McLaughlin. He only sired one lamb crop for Bob, but
what a get! To name some of the top studs produced that
year: 2022 (Bob’s keeper, used by him for five
seasons), 2027 (McLaughlin’s keeper, used successfully
by him for several seasons), 2029 “The Matrix” (as good
or better than 2022), and 2048 “Cael” (sire of Champion
and Reserve Champion lambs at the National Lamb Show,
and a top ram in NSIP). If you look at the extended
pedigrees of our flock, Mac 1-144 appears one or more
times in that of almost every sheep.
Kimm
2048 “Cael” (reference sire only)
This ram was one of the heaviest-muscled Mac 1-144 sons
in the 2002 Kimm sale, and was purchased by Dr. Paul
Eness. Dr. Eness has long emphasized muscling and
growth EPDs in his program. Christened “Cael” after a
top amateur wrestler, this ram quickly rose in the
rankings to become an
NSIP Trait-Leading Sire for both pre-weaning and
post-weaning growth. In addition, he twice sired the
Champion or Reserve Champion carcass lamb at the
National Lamb Show. In 2004, we purchased nine Cael
daughters, and they have produced many good sheep in our
program.
Kimm 4208
“Martok”
(used for the 2005-2008 lamb crops)
This ram
was undoubtedly the biggest “sleeper” in Bob Kimm’s 2004
production sale. One of the largest Kimm 2027 sons (345 lb.
in breeding condition), out of a Slack 1061F-sired
NSIP Distinguished Dam, this thick-made,
square-docked, correct ram sired just like he looked. He
qualified as an
NSIP Trait-Leading Sire for prolificacy on
the strength of his first lamb crop – something that rarely
happens (most rams need at least three or four years to
qualify). The following year he further qualifed as a Trait
Leader for maternal milk (a measure of his daughters’
ability to feed multiple lambs). The big bonus, however, was
the superior rib eye areas he sired – his retained
daughters averaged 3.73 sq. in. REA at 135 lb. Add to
this great udders and teat placement, and it not surprising
that he has made a significant impact on our program. (Yes,
he was christened after one of our children’s favorite
Star Trek characters; a structurally-sound, thick-made,
solid kind of Klingon.)
Wattonville 3005 “Freight Train”
(used for the 2004-2009 lamb crops)
In 2003 we went to Sedalia looking for an extreme pattern
ram to produce competitive market lambs for the show ring.
With 3005, we got that ram, and more. Besides producing
outstanding show lambs, Freight Train’s daughters turned out
to be great mothers, and several sons have become successful
stud bucks in their own right. As a six-year-old he shows
few signs of age, and longevity is looking to be another
part of his "package." . (He got his name when we brought
him to the Oregon State veterinary hospital for fertility
testing. The technician, a successful club lamb breeder
himself, took one look, and with a whistle said, “He’s as
long as a freight train . . .”)
|
 |
|
Slack
8222 - Current |
Slack 8222 "Dreadnought" (used for the 2009-2010
lamb crops)
In the spring of 2008 we went to Tom Slack's in Indiana and
sorted his entire ram lamb crop. 8222 and 8300 were our
picks. 8222 was one of the heaviest-muscled rams, and
probably the stoutest-boned, of the lot. He has proven to be
a prepotent sire, consistently stamping his virtues on lambs
out of a wide variety of ewes. Very square on his corners,
he is extremely wide and thick in his hindquarters while
maintaining extension through the neck and front end. In his
first season, he produced a son, Baglien 9566, that may be
just as good as his sire, and for different reasons.
|
