Monday, September 6, 2010

baaaa!

This weekend our little farm expanded from five hens to include two new (and much larger!) members:

Ciaran and Chloe

Both of these sheep are registered natural colored, but they are truly black merinos. Merino sheep have what is considered "fine" wool which is very soft. They wear coats in order to protect their fleece from getting dirty and full of hay.
Ciaran says hello. 
I think we may call her Ciara, so Andrew isn't confused since he has a friend named Kieran! Her fleece is very fine and will be shorn in the next week or so. I am really excited to see it 'off the hoof' and hopefully sell it to a spinner. As much as I would love to keep it, the price would pay for her feed for the winter and then some. And, of course, it would be a shame to waste such a nice fleece on a beginner spinner like me. Ciaran will also be bred in the next couple of weeks which means she will have a lamb or two in the spring!



Chloe is a bit skittish (she is only 6 months old) but once I am in the pen she handles pretty well. I am excited to see how she grows out over the next several months. Her fleece is very pretty and long, and appears to be consistent (which is a good thing!) to my novice eye. She will be shorn in January. Chloe has 'silver mocha' (silver fleece) and 'moorit' (brown/caramel fleece) in her lineage, which means that in another year or two her lambs may have some very interesting and beautiful colors. 


Foster Farm

For now, our sheep will be in great company living at Foster Farm. It is only a short ride at 5 miles away from our house... close enough to check up on my girls as often as I like. It really is a beautiful place right on the Hudson River with great open skies and plenty of green pasture. They are in the best possible hands, too, under the watchful and experienced eye of Carole and Tom.  



I am so thankful to my family and especially J for supporting me in this! 


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