In anticipation of moving into my farm & house at the end of this month, I made contact with a local farmer who was selling her Shetland sheep bunch, two pregnant ewes, a 2 year old ewe, and their ram Franklin. Here’s a picture of the ladies:
I’ve done a good amount of reading and learning about sheep in general, but I was interested in learning more about Shetlands in specific. Interestingly, the fleece which I’ve spun with this past year has been Shetland fleece, so I’m very excited that I’ll be able to keep using it in the future. Apparently their fiber can come so fine that Shetland shawls can pass through the opening of a ring, anywhere from 20-30 microns. Their fleece can be either one of 11 colors or combinations of colors in 30 distinct marking patterns (such as the third one pictured above).
As for the sheep themselves, they are considered an unimproved or heritage breed. They were brought over some time ago from the Shetland Isles – the same place where Shetland sheepdogs and Shetland ponies developed over time. They are natural mothers, they become fertile as the day shorten in October, and give birth to one or two to three lambs in the Spring or Summer. They are on the small side, adults weigh between 75 lbs (little ewes) to 125 lbs (big rams). In addition to producing a gorgeous fleece, their meat is yummy and lean, and since they’re smaller their carcasses are a bit easier to manipulate and store.
From what I’ve been reading, Shetlands are ideal sheep for farm newbies like myself for a few reasons. One, lambing is relatively effortless and requires little if any human intervention. Two, they have naturally short tails so docking (removing part of the tail to help fight against flystrike, which is a quick and deadly infection) is not necessary. Three, being a heritage breed, they are very hardy and can stand up to some seriously rough weather on their own.
I’m very confident that I’ve made the right selection for my first farm animals, and I’m looking forward to being their caretaker in March!
[...] of the next adventures will be cleaning out the barn and securing the fences in anticipation of the four Shetlands joining us in March. I am very excited to have sheep to take care of, I’ve done tons of [...]