At Bear Creek Felting, we recently welcomed CVM sheep to our flock! These adorable sheep provide high-quality wool which we are excited to offer you. As we begin our journey with our new CVM sheep, I thought a little introduction was in order.
CVM stands for California Variegated Mutant. These sheep were created from the Romeldale breed, which was initially developed for greater length, staple, and quality of carcass. Eventually, a multi-colored ewe lamb was born amongst a purebred Romeldale flock. This ewe was eventually bred with a barred ram lamb, which resulted in babies that all had the same color pattern.
After more breeding and mutations, the California Variegated Mutant sheep were born. The sheep were mainly valued for the spinnability of their fleece, their twinning ability, and the ease of lambing.
There are so many incredible things about CVM sheep! Instead of wool, their faces are covered by very soft hair. They are built strong and long, with large, alert eyes, a clear neck, and regular-sized ears.
With strong legs and black, secure hooves, CVMs walk easily. They have darker body wool but come in a variety of colors. In fact, their wool actually darkens as they age, instead of fading as commonly happens. Most CVM come in various shades of dark greys, black, brown, spotted, and barred.
Interestingly, CVM sheep have a very secure sense of the feminine and masculine. CVM rams wear their masculinity with pride, while ewes are soft and gentle, with a true air of the feminine about them. As mothers, ewes are very protective of their babies, with a true dedication and strength.
The breeding instinct is strong between ewes and rams, who commonly breed even while the mother is nursing lambs. Twinning and lambing come easily and naturally with CVM sheep, which is why they are a large part of the breed emphasis.
Bear Creek Felting will soon be carrying CVM wool, with its breathtaking darker colors. The fleece is bright and dense, with a high yield of very fine wool. Each of our new CVM sheep will provide an average of about 8 pounds of wool each year, with 60 to 62’s quality spinning counts.
At Bear Creek Felting, we are honored to include these gems in our flock, as well as to provide you with their one-of-a-kind wool.
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