The flock is well and has been growing nicely through the season. We filled out lambing with two more sets of twins, from Anisette (Kahlua and Kamora) and Manta (Chaleco and Camisa), and a large single ewe lamb from Caramel (Macciado).
Manta’s ram lamb is a killer color/pattern combo: reverse badgerface with a cinnamon fleece. Of all the lambs we have for sale, Chaleco is the one I most hope to sell to a breeding farm. With Manta and Anisette being half sisters already, and the prospect of keeping Anisette’s brown ewe from this year, Chaleco is just too related to the rest of the flock for us to keep him for breeding. So we have at least 3 breed-quality ewe lambs and two ram lambs for sale. Please contact us with any questions or to set up a farm visit.
As the sheep grow and the pasture improves, we’ve continued to grow our little fiber business. One of the most important aspects of our Navajo-Churro conservation effort, I think, is the outreach that we do at various shows. This year we expanded from two shows to five: the Vermont History Expo, Art In the Park (benefiting the local Waldorf School) the Tunbridge World’s Fair, the Vermont Sheep & Wool Festival, and the Dartmouth College Library Staff Association (DCLSA) Craft Fair. Each event has a different vibe and a different audience, but it’s always gratifying to chat with people about these amazing animals, their history, their unique character, and their future. Whether I’m talking to weavers and knitters about the fiber, to parents about agricultural education, or discussing small flock management with a potential shepherd the work is fun and rewarding.
Now it’s time for fall shearing. We shear our flock twice a year due to the outrageous fiber growth of an inch of wool per month. This gives us cleaner fleeces and the flexibility to either hand process or send the fiber out to be washed, carded, and spun into yarn at a local mill. We’ll post updated photos of the grown lambs this weekend, as well as a step-by-step guide to shearing day. We will also have 15 grease fleeces for sale in a wide variety of colors, including 9 very soft lamb fleeces.
