As I mentioned before I hope to breed texels and merinos, that is the curly coat longhairs. I've chosen these for a number of reasons. Firstly because I have always loved longhairs. I've owned a few as well, though pedigrees in themselves I never showed them. The personality is amazing, and honestly I find them adorable. I never kept many because of the temperature. The area where I grew up usually can get to 45 degrees in the summer and is also prone to frequent black outs. Each summer was an endless round of dipping and spraying animals in water, cooling them off, constantly changing water bottles, all the guinea pigs were also shaved to the skin. And that was the shorthairs, longhairs had no hope. So I stuck to the short hairs, though I always watched the longhair classes longingly.
In a few months I move to Armidale, a cold place where it snows occasionally in winter and the summer temperatures max at 35 degrees. Summers will still be a challenge, but I will actually be able to keep longhairs. So therefore longhairs it is.
Longhairs have another benefit over other breeds. You don't need to breed many litters in pursuit of perfection. Granted breeding is still a big part of it but it's the care and work put into the presentation that means more. Thus even with there short show life I can keep to one or two litters a year.
I also am considering working with shebas but that really depends. I'm not huge on politics, and would rather just show my pretty piggies, so if I can breed and show shebas without getting into the political side of it all I think I may.
My plan for next year and the beginning of the stud is fairly simple. I intend to purchase a curly coat sow and boar hopefully from Pipsqueak lines. Then if the pair are of breeding age and in breeding condition to put them together by the end of January so there should then be babies by April which could be tabled in July. Then one of those babies could be bred by September-ish providing a second litter in early December for the 2013 show season. Or if the pair are only babies they would probably be shown for awhile if possible and bred in August-September to provide November babies ready for the beginning of the 2013 show season. Either way at most two litters.
As to any babies produced, unless I can find them homes within the fancy, they will be kept. Armidale is an agricultural town that doesn't much appreciate small pets. I owe a duty to any creature I breed to ensure they have the best home possible, thus the majority of babies born will be kept. This should be possible by ensuring I only breed when needed. Babies are wonderful but I don't believe in breeding without a specific purpose.
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