Sheep
Our milking ewes are East Friesian ("free-shun"), the most common dairy breed of sheep. We find the rams and ewes very pleasant to work with, attentive mothers, and good milk producers. Our sheep are naturally polled (hornless) and we do not dock their tails. East Friesian have "rat" tails covered with hair like their legs and not heavy wool.
If you aren't that familiar with sheep, males are rams, females are ewes, babies are lambs (ewe lamb, ram lamb) and called that until one year old. Castrated males are called wethers. Sheep produce the smallest amount of milk of all our dairy animals, but it is exceptionally rich, creamy, nutritious, and easily digested. Milk from sheep is called "ewe's milk." Aside from wonderful cheeses, ewe's milk makes decadent yogurt and ice cream. Unlike cow's milk and similar to goat's milk, sheep's milk does not have the cream easily separate.
We shear our sheep every year to keep their wool from impairing their movement or harboring parasites. Shearing can be a traumatic experience if they are handled roughly or cut severely. We take time to keep them comfortable or use a gentle shearer. If they are cut, we treat them immediately. Our fleeces are white, cream, black, spotted, and speckled. (Black sheep actually look like brown sheep because their outer wool gets sun-bleached to a brown color.) We make rugs, felted creations, and other products from our sheep's wool. Most is a medium wool. We regularly vaccinate and give selenium injections. We do not routinely treat with antibiotics and never treat with any hormones. Sheep are dewormed with dairy-approved anti-helminth when we detect parasite load as sheep tend to be the most susceptible of our animals.
Ewe lambs and ram lambs are usually available for sale from spring (after weaning or sooner if we have a bottle baby). Butcher-ready lambs are usually available from late fall through early winter. Please contact us if you would like to be waitlisted for sheep that are not currently listed for sale.
If you aren't that familiar with sheep, males are rams, females are ewes, babies are lambs (ewe lamb, ram lamb) and called that until one year old. Castrated males are called wethers. Sheep produce the smallest amount of milk of all our dairy animals, but it is exceptionally rich, creamy, nutritious, and easily digested. Milk from sheep is called "ewe's milk." Aside from wonderful cheeses, ewe's milk makes decadent yogurt and ice cream. Unlike cow's milk and similar to goat's milk, sheep's milk does not have the cream easily separate.
We shear our sheep every year to keep their wool from impairing their movement or harboring parasites. Shearing can be a traumatic experience if they are handled roughly or cut severely. We take time to keep them comfortable or use a gentle shearer. If they are cut, we treat them immediately. Our fleeces are white, cream, black, spotted, and speckled. (Black sheep actually look like brown sheep because their outer wool gets sun-bleached to a brown color.) We make rugs, felted creations, and other products from our sheep's wool. Most is a medium wool. We regularly vaccinate and give selenium injections. We do not routinely treat with antibiotics and never treat with any hormones. Sheep are dewormed with dairy-approved anti-helminth when we detect parasite load as sheep tend to be the most susceptible of our animals.
Ewe lambs and ram lambs are usually available for sale from spring (after weaning or sooner if we have a bottle baby). Butcher-ready lambs are usually available from late fall through early winter. Please contact us if you would like to be waitlisted for sheep that are not currently listed for sale.