To keep or not...Fleece types help

[secuono]

So the ewe lamb I got this spring has a pretty crappy coat, "open labeled fleece" by the looks of it..
I'm wondering if I should keep her or sell her, options are;
Keep and hope she is bred and has ewe lambs, then sell her in the Spring.
Keep her either way long term.
Or just try and sell her now and hope I have better ewe lambs born in Spring by the original trio.

I need to grow my flock, it's a tiny trio and the two ewes are nearing their 10th birthdays. I got 4 boys and one girl this spring, so if I sell her, my flock won't grow at all.
I'd be nice to figure out their face's wool amount and breed a cleaner face. As well as see if it's possible to breed a clean and natural crutch like I see other goats/sheep have.

Here she is, her wool is very braided-like all over. The ram has this type of 'braiding' on his neck, but nothing like she does. She is the worst of the bunch, parents and siblings. All ewes are white. Males are black.

Ewe lamb. Open labeled fleece?

Ewe. Fine fleece?

Ewe. Medium fine fleece?

Ram. Last year it looked pretty darn funky. But it seems to be growing in better this year. What is this called? Medium fine, but longer and more open?

Lastly, the sheep were all pretty thin last year. The previous owner sold them because they didn't do so well for her and she just didn't want them. I think they had singles if any at all for her. For me they had twins and triplets. This year, they are huge, though, you guys told me they aren't fat yet...
Pretty obvious, even though the pic is blocked, that they are very lean and straight cylinders. Not fat dumplings like now.

 

[ksalvagno]

Do you know what the standard is for the sheep? What kind of crimp should they have? What is the general softness that is expected? I know alpaca fleece but not sheep. For alpacas you really have to part the fleece and see what is down by the skin and you also want to see a consistency from end to end of the fleece.

 

[SheepGirl]

Your ewe lamb looks like her fleece was rained on. However, Babydolls are a meat breed (because they are southdowns) and they should have medium wool. You really don't KNOW what they grade out as unless you have the microns measured.

If you're not selling or using the wool then you don't really need to worry about fleece characteristics. If you are using/selling the wool, go ahead and find out what the micron diameter is on each sheep's fleece. I know there's a lab that does this but I can't remember the name right now.

ETA: The name of the lab is Yocom-McColl Wool Testing Labs and it's located in Colorado.

 

[BrownSheep]

Southdowns are generally a meat breed so the likely hood of getting GREAT fiber from them is almost nonexistent. They are also a close faced breed. You'll want to add some other breed to get the openness you desire. Most likely any further lambs you get from this trio will be similar to her since it's the same gene pool. Her lambs will also be very similar due to being bred back to her sire...unless you got another one...I can't remember. If you could get some shots of the crimp in the wool that would be helpful.
If your goal for right now is to grow you herd I would keep her. Structure wise she's a nice looking lamb.

 

[secuono]

Do you know what the standard is for the sheep? What kind of crimp should they have? What is the general softness that is expected? I know alpaca fleece but not sheep. For alpacas you really have to part the fleece and see what is down by the skin and you also want to see a consistency from end to end of the fleece.

All that I listed are accepted, just different degrees. They are more worried about the color of Dolls than the wool...It annoys me. But w/e.
She fits the standard just dandy, I don't like the look of the fleece.

 

[secuono]

Your ewe lamb looks like her fleece was rained on. However, Babydolls are a meat breed (because they are southdowns) and they should have medium wool. You really don't KNOW what they grade out as unless you have the microns measured.

If you're not selling or using the wool then you don't really need to worry about fleece characteristics. If you are using/selling the wool, go ahead and find out what the micron diameter is on each sheep's fleece. I know there's a lab that does this but I can't remember the name right now.

ETA: The name of the lab is Yocom-McColl Wool Testing Labs and it's located in Colorado.

A little further past half way down it shows the look of each type. That's what I was going by.
http://nabssar.org/breed_standard_with_photos.html

 

[secuono]

Southdowns are generally a meat breed so the likely hood of getting GREAT fiber from them is almost nonexistent. They are also a close faced breed. You'll want to add some other breed to get the openness you desire. Most likely any further lambs you get from this trio will be similar to her since it's the same gene pool. Her lambs will also be very similar due to being bred back to her sire...unless you got another one...I can't remember. If you could get some shots of the crimp in the wool that would be helpful.
If your goal for right now is to grow you herd I would keep her. Structure wise she's a nice looking lamb.

Babydolls are dual purpose, most people use them for wool and pet/yard grazers, not meat. Actually, people around here freak out when I mention left over boys will end up dinner.

There are different degree of wooliness on their faces, wool blind isn't accepted, I believe, or at least takes points away when judging.

I'll try to get pics today. I'd like to sell the wool, even if just for a few dollars. Last year's wool was left in the pile I put it...

 

[SheepGirl]

Your ewe lamb looks like her fleece was rained on. However, Babydolls are a meat breed (because they are southdowns) and they should have medium wool. You really don't KNOW what they grade out as unless you have the microns measured.

If you're not selling or using the wool then you don't really need to worry about fleece characteristics. If you are using/selling the wool, go ahead and find out what the micron diameter is on each sheep's fleece. I know there's a lab that does this but I can't remember the name right now.

ETA: The name of the lab is Yocom-McColl Wool Testing Labs and it's located in Colorado.

A little further past half way down it shows the look of each type. That's what I was going by.
http://nabssar.org/breed_standard_with_photos.html

I looked on the web page and it doesn't say that any type/grade of fleece is discriminated against or is a disqualification, unless it is colored funny. But the "open labeled fleece" you are concerned about is really just a fleece exposed to the weather. It is relatively common in lambs that I've seen and their 2nd fleece is better. I have also found that fleeces don't normally get damaged by the weather when they're adults. Here are pictures of Ali as a ewe lamb and Paulie as a wether lamb, and then as adults, to show you fleeces do change from lamb to adult.

Ali

Paulie

To answer your questions in your OP, I would keep her and breed her, especially if you want to expand your flock. I can almost guarantee she will have a denser fleece after her lamb fleece is shorn off. As BrownSheep said, she and the ewes are likely to produce similar lambs because you haven't brought any new blood in and you are repeating breedings or inbreeding.

If you are looking to sell the fleece, #1 is to keep it clean. After that then you can select for the fineness or density of the fleece. Also consistency of the crimp through the belly, back, neck, and breech are important.