ATSA UPGRADING GUIDELINES

 

Item I - OBJECT
A. The American Teeswater Sheep Association (ATSA) supports the development of purebred white and colored Teeswater sheep from the crossing of specific longwool breeds of non-Teeswater ewes with purebred Teeswater rams. The first generation (50%) blood bred back to a purebred Teeswater sire produces a 75% blood. A second generation (75% blood) female, bred to a purebred Teeswater sire produces an 87.5% blood, the fourth generation produces 93.75%, and a fifth generation produces 96.87%.

 

Item II - FOUNDATION EWES
The non-Teeswater ewes used in the first cross must be registered with one of the following U.S. breed associations,

no other foundation breeds shall be recognized:

 

Border Leicester - American Border Leicester Association
Bluefaced Leicesters - Bluefaced Leicester Sheep Association,  Blueface Leicester Union of North  America
Cotswold - American Cotswold Association, Black Cotswold Society, Cotswold Breeders Association
Leicester Longwool - Leicester Longwool Sheep Breeders Association
Lincoln - National Sheep Breeders Association
North American Wensleydale - North American Wensleydale Sheep Association

 

Note: Any member using a Romney ewe, as a foundation ewe during 2008, will be allowed to register the ewe lambs born prior to June 1, 2009.

 

Item III - PROCEDURE
A. There is no discrimination or separation of record keeping for colored animals. Fleece color and  codon  171 status, if known, will be noted on the registration certificate.
B. All first cross lambs must be sired by use of imported 100% Teeswater semen. Ewe lambs from this cross will be registered as 50% Teeswater. First cross male lambs will not be eligible for registration. All rams must be at least 75% Teeswater blood and test RR at codon 171 to be eligible for registration.
C. A sire must be registered as 75% Teeswater or higher before any progeny are eligible for registration.
D. Lambs will be registered with their blood percentage calculated from the use of two registered parents. i.e. 50% dam crossed with a 75% sire results in a 62.5% lamb. If this lamb is male, it is not eligible for registration. (Refer to Item III B).
E. An animal of either sex will be considered a purebred American Teeswater, when their blood percentage meets or exceeds 96% (31/32) Teeswater blood.
F. The ATSA has set codon 171 standard for the use of imported semen, and beginning January 1, 2009, only semen from rams testing RR at codon 171 will be eligible to sire recorded or registered animals.

 

Item IV - DETERMINING PERCENTAGE
A. The sire and dam Teeswater blood percentages are added together and divided by two. The resulting figure is the Teeswater blood percentage of the lamb. This procedure will continue to be used to compute the blood percentage for animals 96% (purebred) and higher. An animal is eligible for registration as follows:
                           Rams 75-100% (must test RR at codon 171) 
                           Ewes 50 -100%

 

Item V - GRANDFATHERING
 A. Percentage ewes with 25%, but less than 50% and rams with 50%, but less than 75%  Teeswater blood and born and registered prior to January 1, 2008 will be considered “grandfathered”.
B.The offspring of these “grandfathered” animals will be eligible for registration, as long as their Teeswater blood percentage is higher than their dam’s Teeswater blood percentage.

 

Revised:  November 14, 2008