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This year has been fairly crazy, and due to lack of time and space we decided to sell off all of the Shetlands and Coopworths. It was a really hard decision, but we think it was the right choice. We just didn't have enough time to spend with them. We still have two of the Merinos, and will hopefully get one or two more. It would be nice to keep it down to less then five sheep so we have more pasture room for them. However, even though we don't have the Shetlands and the Coopworths any more, we just had them shorn before we sold them, and we have TONS of fleeces. I haven't posted them yet, so email for more info! * Merino What happened to the Shetland and Coopworths? Read the above paragraph.
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Hilary started spinning about five years ago. Chris found a custom made wheel at a yard sale and that was the start of a process that now has resulted in Hilary having her own flock of sheep. It started with a few Shetlands, and then came the Coopworths, and just last year the Merinos. The sheep are pure to breed specifications, and about half are registered. In order to preserve this breed purity, we have three rams, one of each breed. The rams are in with the ewes during fall and winter, and live by themselves in the "ram house" during the spring and summer. We do not “play” with the rams or rub their heads, and so far are very pleased with their gentle dispositions (we have had to roll the Shetland a couple times though, but not recently). Hilary uses the sheep for fiber, breeding stock, and occasionally market animals.