Sheep
We chose Shetland sheep because of their small size, fine wool, naturally colored fleeces, docile temperment, easy lambing and wonderful mothering instincts. They are one of the oldest breeds of sheep, and as such, they retain many of the wonderful characteristics that we prize at Antiquity Oaks. They also thrive on pasture alone, unlike some of the modern breeds. Another reason we prefer the Shetlands is because they have naturally short tails, which are not docked.
In 2005, our flock grew from 11 to 19 sheep, and we have tried to maintain the flock at around 20 adults since then. We sell ram lambs as meat or fiber wethers. Unfortunately, a coyote (or two or three) found our flock irresistible in 2007 and 2008. We only had one extra lamb in 2009, which we kept for our own freezer. We hope the coyotes have moved on to other pastures, so we will have lambs again in 2010.
All whole lambs are sold, but we may have individual cuts available in small quantities after processing. Please e-mail us if you have any questions. The cuts are small, and the total weight rarely exceeds 25 pounds per lamb.
We use our Shetland wool to spin into yarn and then make scarves and sweaters for ourselves. We also sell raw fleeces and roving to other hand spinners. Click the links below to learn more about our individual sheep.
[Rams] [Ewes]
