Sheep

We are home to a small flock of Romney Sheep- who we call “The Ollys” (Molly, Holly, Dolly, Polly, Jolly). Romney sheep originated in England and are considered a “long-wool” breed, referring to the length of their beautiful wool coats. They are a dual breed, meaning that farmers raise them for fleece and meat.

Here we raise them for their fiber, which we shear every Spring (often the weekend before Easter) and Fall (at our Annual Harvest Festival).

Each spring, our ewes give birth to lambs. After a five month gestation, sheep are known for having twins, and even triplets. The mother cares for her young and they drink her milk for the first two months. If you visit the barn and spend some time watching the sheep, you may notice that the mother communicates with her young through scent and sound.

Once the summer grass has greened up, the flock is put out to pasture. At this time, the mother ewe will begin to wean the lambs off of her milk, and encourage them to begin to eat grass. Again, if you watch the flock, you can hear mothers and lambs bleating to one another. Sometimes a mother may be looking for her lambs, but more commonly the lambs are looking for their mothers!

PLEASE BEWARE – When the sheep are grazing on the hill their fence is electrified. Please do not touch!

Each fall we offer a Fall Farm and Fleece program for the area schools and scout groups. After a tour of the farm, students will learn each step in the process of turning raw fleece into spun fiber.

Winter: Once winter arrives, the flock moves to the barn where they will stay until the lambs are ready to go out on grass in the Spring.