Home at last

It's been a whole week since the girls arrived at the farm. They're in their new paddock, and as you can see, they're adjusting nicely.

One of the ewe lambs. She's silver-white and needs a name. Any ideas?

Pandora. Love those white socks and the blaze on her face. 

Orly, a three-year-old mioget krunet Shetland. Those fancy Scottish words mean she's light chocolate with white facial markings.

The new black ewe also needs a name. Any ideas? 

The lovely Helena. Look closely and you can see her tiny horns.

Vita has soft, fine black fleece, and she adores being scratched and petted.

Sheep shearing with the girls

Saturday at Littledove was awesome. We got to watch sheep shearing and hang out with the girls for a few hours. If all goes as expected, the six ewes will be at the farm tomorrow afternoon.

Four of the girls. As you can see, they're not particularly thrilled once they've been sheared. 

A few lessons from today's visit:

• Shearing sheep is one hard job. It involves lots of bending and repetitive motion, plus new lambs tend to lose control of their little bladders when being sheared for the first time. Not fun.
• Sitting on the ground with sheep and meeting them at eye level is a great way to get to know them. I probably sat with the girls for a couple of hours. Vita, the lead sheep, let me love on her for quite some time. I think we're going to be good friends.
• Bundling fleece and picking through it for debris takes a good eye. We can only hope one day to be as skilled as Franny and her crew are.

Shearing, hoof trimming and giving meds all happen at the same time. Those sheep in the larger photos  are part of the girls coming to the farm.

Still haven't quite come up with a flock name yet. Perhaps "Masego Shetlands." Masego's a South African name that means "blessed."

Ready for the girls

Just got a call this evening. The girls should be sheared and ready for the farm this weekend! It's exciting news. And a little scary.

We think we're ready. We've done the reading, joined online forums that talk about all things Shetland sheep, and have a small home and paddock ready. We've chosen six ewes from an exceptional established flock, and we have an amazing mentor.

But there's still so much to learn and experience. So much. That's the scary part.

Yet anything worth doing can a little scary at first. Sheep are no different. We're not experts, but we're quick learners, and we're good problem solvers. We'll undoubtedly run into bumps as we travel this new road, but we can do this.

Yes. We're ready.

New girls coming to the farm

The moorit Shetland ewe on the left with the white face markings is Orly.  That's mom in the front.

We're picking up some new girls, with names like Orly, Pandora, Vita and Helena. No, they're not characters from Greek mythology. They're six registered Shetland ewes coming to the farm in about a week.

Shetland sheep will make a nice addition to the farm. They'll help keep down grasses, and there's no better natural fertilizer and soil enrichment than organic sheep manure.

We've been preparing for their arrival for months.  Books on caring for sheep? Check. Sheep minerals and feed for sheep? Check. Winter hay and bedding? Check. Food-grade diatomaceous earth for organically managing intestinal parasites? Check. A few things, like the permanent barn, are works in progress that should be completed by winter. But we're ready.

Fine fleece from one of the Shetland ewes coming to the farm. It felt soft and luxurious.  

The ewes are coming from Littledove Farm, a local farm that's produced Shetlands for wool and meat for nearly two decades. Franny, who owns Littledove, has been a godsend. She hand-picked our starter flock, and more important, showed us how to manage sheep without running ourselves--or the girls--ragged.  When done right, raising Shetlands should be a calm, orderly process, with sheep that live long, productive lives.  We like that.

For the first few weeks, the girls will probably spend most of their time in the main paddock. This will give them a chance to settle into their new home and get familiar with us. Then they'll eventually go into managed paddocks during the day and return to the main area at night. They'll be on a schedule so they know when to go out and when to come back home.

We'll be sharing more stories about the girls. Right now, we're trying to figure out a flock name to register with North American Shetland Sheep Association.  If you've got any suggestions, or if you raise sheep, we'd love to hear from you!

Vita, a two-year-old Shetland ewe coming to the farm in about a week.  That's Tom in the background.