Sheep...just sheep

The donkeys and sheep enjoying some fresh hay.

Nate and I have been spending a lot of time talking about the direction we want to take our flock of shetlands. So far we have had a lot of interest expressed in meat, and pets. So with that in mind I am even happier that we are acquiring Bam. He will hopefully give us some good lines of market lambs. The hardest part is to have a long term goal of how large we want our little flock to become. How many lambs can our small bit of land realistically support? How much time and expense do we want to invest? We've been talking about forming a niche market of organic, naturally grown shetland lamb for those with fine palates. I am surprised at how many people have expressed serious interest in knowing where their protein grows. Sabrina's filled me in that shetland is some of the very best tasting lamb. I'm looking forward to experiencing it myself.
Ok, for those of you I've put off by talking about eating my fleecy babes, here's some pictures of our flock. It amazes me how much joy they bring to me. I love sheep! It has been such a hard, uphill, challenging, learning as fast as you can, heartbreaking, rewarding experience. We've probably knocked a few years off our lives with the stress and lack of sleep they've been responsible for, but I have to say it is all worth it! My biggest downfall is that I want to plan ahead too quickly. It's been a slow process improving the condition of the shetlands, but rewarding. When I look at our Jacob's ewe and how far she has come since we picked them up, it is a success story. Our vet had taken one look at her and didn't think she would make it. I guess we should be thankful that we only lost five, but oh it was rough, and nothing I look forward to ever experiencing again. Especially the lost of Urho...
So, back to my sheepish goals.
1-To have a small flock of health, good condition sheep.
2-To produce a high quality, natural shetland meat.
3-To make enough revenue that I don't have to hear how much my hobbies cost us. (Anyone interested in a complete stained glass set-up, good price? Having babies has really put that hobby on the back burner...maybe when I retire...)

Maon and Annafleece when we first moved them.Look how much they've eaten down the field!Ellie-I sure hope their are some icelandic babies in that huge belly!