Shetland Sheep: Rich in History, Rich in Textiles

Shetland Sheep: Rich in History, Rich in Textiles! Our farm mission is to enjoy and promote the wonderful diversity of the Shetland breed by fully utilizing to the best of our ability all they have to offer historically. We believe the best preservation and management of this breed includes it's full spectrum of history. We encourage old and new shepherds alike to join in the fun by engaging in fiber arts, especially spinning and knitting, as this breed is so intimately linked with those aspects of the arts.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Happiness is Springy

Here they are!

Two little cuties! Buttercup is white and Racer (you guessed it, the boy!) is black with white. We are thrilled with how this 4-H project is moving along, and with how they've turned out so far!

Saturday turned out to be great fun! We took the babies out frequently to play in the mild air and warm sunshine, finding warm, protected places. They had great fun learning to use their legs. We found areas of concrete for them next to soft grass so they could hop around. After a little bit of playing, we let them nap in a cozy space, then went back outside again! The warm sun and fresh air was so good for all of us!

Sunday was colder with a cold wind, so we set up their indoor playpen in the barn. What fun! We gave them some low landscaping rocks that were laying around for hopping. They also got a nice, straw-filled kennel for sleeping, which they played in more than anything! Racer loves taking naps in there. We put a nice rock doormat in front for their happiness, and they were sure happy about that! Then last night, I turned a rubber lamb stock tank upside down for them to hop onto. Racer sure loves that! When they are all tuckered out, it's back to cozy naps.
Buttercup

Buttercup is long and lean. She's all white, with long legs. Her little hooves are so cute, too! She's already just like her mom....won't let you catch her when it's time to end playtime!!

Racer

Racer's color was a huge surprise to us! I absolutely loved his color the moment I saw him! He's going to be flashy! His white is so bright, so his legs really sparkle when he runs. I love his white ears, too! The first time I saw the black with white, I liked it. I liked it so much, I almost brought one home like that...was hard to resist. They are very striking, with dazzle. If you had asked me if livestock could be described as "dazzling" before I saw animals like this, I would not have believed it. Truth is, dazzle is the perfect word.

Their mother is doing fantastic, too! She needed to gain a little weight after birthing the kids, for we were afraid to give her too much grain at the end of her gestation. She had NO trouble kidding, and it went really fast! We are very pleased with her progress as well, and feel she has had a lifelong impact on our family. We will never forget Primrose! She has a special place in our hearts, and we're delighted to work with her every day.

Our thanks goes out to all the people who have answered questions for us and helped us out along the way as well! We surely appreciate your kindness!

Stay tuned! We'll have more pictures of Buttercup and Racer, as well as the yarn just off the wheel coming up!

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