Our sheep are polled Wiltshires with stock originally from our nearby neighbors at Jo-Le Farms. We have also crossed with some Katahdin. These sheep do not require shearing: they either grow medium-length hair that doesn’t need to be sheared, or they shed their wool seasonally. When they are partway through growing or shedding their fleece they look a little strange, but they’re fine. There are local, independent producers of sheep wool, but to produce wool for market takes facilities and resources we do not have. We do not dock our lambs’ tails: for some breeds and climates tail-docking may be necessary for the health of the sheep, but it is not for us. We leave our male lambs intact whenever possible, but we do prioritize late weaning, because we believe weaning too early is more detrimental to the health and well-being of the lamb and the ewe. If you’ve seen studies or have experience otherwise then you’re welcome to send us the information.
These sheep are bred to thrive in our local conditions. We move the sheep to new grass approximately every 2 to 5 days, the variance depending on the pasture conditions. By moving the sheep frequently we improve sheep health and ensure their manure/fertilizer is distributed in the field and that the grazed paddocks have time to recover and regrow. The improvement to pasture health is very noticeable: natural sheep manure is one of the best forms of pasture fertilizer.
Our sheep are outdoors on pasture twenty-four hours a day every day of the year, eating natural, chemical-free pasture grass as they are meant to be. We supplement with high-quality hay as needed, especially for pregnant and lactating ewes, and we provide rudimentary mobile field shelters when lambs are born if the ewes need them (which is rare).
To pre-order a lamb share click here.
Monthly meat CSA subscribers get a selection of lamb meat in their shares in the winter and spring. Click here to find out about our CSA.
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