StoneHavenFarm.com
Title
Stonehaven Farm - Shetland Sheep
Contact
- Attn: stonehavenfarm.com
-
- Orem Utah
- United States 84097
-
- +1.8017659400
Description
As a lovers of Shetland sheep (and perhaps slightly biased) we can say that these endearing sheep are a dream to handspinners, and shepherds alike. Their fleeces are soft and so spinnable. And the beautiful natural colors and diversity of wool types provides fiber for almost any purpose. Being primitive sheep, they are intelligent, hardy and long-lived. The ewes are excellent mothers and lamb easily, with frequent twinning. Shetlands are one of the Northern Short-tail breeds, and their naturally short tails need no docking. Their small size (ewes at 75 to 90 pounds, and rams at 90 to 125 pounds) makes them easier to handle than larger breeds. Best of all, perhaps one can justify having more of them since they are smaller! Just knowing a Shetland sheep is to fall hopelessly in love with the breed.
The special appeal of Shetlands is their individuality: unique and friendly personalities, each with a beautiful one-of-a-kind fleece. Due to their differing appearances and charming personalities, we, like most Shetland breeders, know each sheep as an individual, and the sheep respond to this. It is not unusual to see a sheep pawing a shepherd's leg, asking to be petted, and then wagging its tail in response to a scratch under the chin. Lambs are apt to jump into one's lap, just to be near.
One of the Northern Short-tail Sheep, the Shetland breed evolved on the Shetland Isles north of Scotland, likely with Viking origins. By the 1980's, they were considered an endangered breed by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RSBT), and Shetland sheep from the Islands were imported into Scotland, England and Canada during this time.
