Our farm is going to grow yet again! I’m kind of nervous thinking about it but excited at the same time. When we bought the wool dryer balls from the sheep farmer we also put down a deposit on a breeding pair of sheep for our oldest son! We will get these lambs in the spring so there’s lots of time. It’s just fencing, shelter etc. We do not want to put much money into permanent infrastructure like stalls in the barn because we cannot take it with us. We will probably do temporary housing outside. I know the sheep farm uses calf huts, but I think those can be pricey so we’ll do something like our little hoop house over our raised bed.
The sheep in the photo above are from the sheep farm but owned by our neighbor. When I went there with my friend to look at their Dutch Belted cow, I snapped a photo of the Babydoll sheep. Our neighbor knows the sheep farmers, which is what prompted me to get in touch with them, remembering I had their business card from the Green Expo. I had inquired earlier in the year but never got around to calling them back because we were not at a place of being ready for more animals with all our delays in fencing and waiting for pasture to grow. But our son has been asking so we took the leap of faith and put a deposit down knowing we have to plan ahead for things like this, especially if we want unrelated lambs to breed. Thankfully, we do not have to worry about shearing wool until spring of 2015 and the ewe won’t be bred until she is a year or two old.
Our son’s sheep will be registered Babydoll sheep. He has his names picked out already – Atlas for the ram and Juno for the ewe. It’s always interesting to see what names they come up with. I questioned him gently making sure those were names he wanted before I sent them to the breeder. I just wanted him to be sure. I also asked him if he was going to be able to sell his lambs. He said yes, but we’ll see.
Babydoll sheep are a recovering sheep breed on the Livestock Conservancy priority list. We chose them because they are smaller, plus they are cute!
What an exciting thing to look forward to for your family!
How fun and congrats on the newest additions to your farm!
This is so exciting. I look forward to hearing about them, once you get them home. Your son chose the most adorable names for his sheep.
Can I just say awwwwwww! Those little sheep are adorable!
So what do you do with the sheep? I honestly don’t have a clue!
Stefanie, Babydoll sheep can be used for their wool and for meat. Right now my son says he’ll be able to sell the lambs for meat. I, however, think everyone in the family is going to struggle with that initially. So only time will tell….
So precious and exciting!
What a great addition to your farm.
Awww. I have always wanted a sheep or a goat!
We had pygmy sheep when I was a kid, the little black ones and the goat were always butting me.
How cool, it still amazes me all the interesting things you do that us city people wouldn’t think of.
Reading your posts make me miss living on the farm. We’ll have one again, one day.
That is too cool! So exciting for your family.
How fun! I love the names, too.
They’re adorable!!
What a cool experience for your son and your family. I’m not sure I could sell an animal, especially to be used for food but I do think it’s different when you actually raise that animals for that purpose. And if you treat them well when they are with you, that makes a difference too. I look forward to reading all about it!
Congrats to him – I would have no idea what to do with a pair of sheep!
I love reading about your farm (farm life). So interesting and exciting.
I like the idea of having some farm life, but think I’m too city for it..