Shearing begins in February of each year and then is followed quickly by lambing. By late summer we decide who we will keep, who will go to the freezer, who will be sold for breeding stock and we shear some of the Cotswolds again, as their fleeces grow about an inch per month!

Ewe lambs retained in the flock enjoy a year of "lambhood" and aren't bred until they are yearlings. Once in our breeding flock, ewes usually stay their entire lives. Several ewes are in the "double digits" geriatric club and enjoying their retirement while growing fleece without the stress of lambing.  Our oldest girl, Dandelion, passed away at 14. After giving us 24 lambs, including triplets in the spring of 2001, she enjoyed a quiet retirement before leaving us.

Our rams are selected for fleece characteristics and temperament. We only keep mellow rams that mind their manners. In 2002 we added a Moorit CVM / Rambouillet cross "Rusty" whose rust colored fleece is very soft and even. In 2004, moorit ram "Barney" from CA joined the flock.  Having 2 years of daughters from Rusty necessitated widening the gene pool.  In 2006, seeing that we were losing some Border Leicester influence with the passing of some old girls, we added "Mr. Lincoln" - a black Border Leicester ram lamb from MA. This fall (2007) we are having some artificial insemination done in the Cotswolds using a British ram. Stay tuned for lamb pics in '08!

The production of beautiful fleeces is the main focus of the flock. To this end, all non-Cotswold adults are generally kept coated year round. While coating is costly and labor intensive, protection of the fleece greatly improves the quality of the wool. We have settled on "Sheep Suits" from Rocky Sheep Company as the brand that works best for us.

Please feel free to contact us about any aspect of our operation. We are always glad to answer questions to help beginning shepherds, and can "talk sheep" till your eyes glaze over!