12/26/2022
Yes, this. Today, Dec. 26. It's 24F. Definitely NOT spring, but this guy has just grown back his tail feathers (they all fall out in July) and can't seem to help showing off. The hens are not impressed.
Shepherd’s Hey Farm maintains a flock of natural-colored longwool sheep for production of wonderfu
Shepherd’s Hey Farm is home to a flock of beautiful wool sheep who are carefully bred and managed to produce luxurious high quality handspinning fleeces and naturally raised custom butchered lamb. Our sheep are mostly cross-bred to produce lustrous and soft longwool fleeces in a wide range of beautiful natural colors (pale silver, medium and dark gray, charcoal, black, and shades of brown, also kn
own as moorit): a handspinner’s dream come true. The predominant breeds in our mix are Romney, Border Leicester, and Corriedale as well as smaller percentages of Lincoln, Wensleydale and Romeldale. We continue to experiment with crosses and mixes that produce the kind of longwool handspinning fleeces that we and our customers love to spin. Most of these breeds in our mix contribute to the excellent dual-purpose of producing wool and meat. We also produce related products such as sheepskin pelts, wool roving and batting and yarn.
Yes, this. Today, Dec. 26. It's 24F. Definitely NOT spring, but this guy has just grown back his tail feathers (they all fall out in July) and can't seem to help showing off. The hens are not impressed.
Extra feed tonight to keep their amazing rumen furnaces going as the temp plunges. With the fresh fluffy straw plus wool..... the girls are going to be just fine tonight. Meanwhile I think I'll have to dig out my insulated overalls in the morning. Expecting 4F. It's winter!
OK! All the ewes are in from the field and closed up in the barn - to keep them dry in last night's rain. This is half of them; the others area already in. Tomorrow is shearing day - 20 to get fully sheared (their wool is long enough) and 12 to get crutched - bellies and butts sheared for easier nursing and lambing. Busy day Sunday! Sorry, no fleeces will be immediately available.
Fetal lambs don't look so different from human fetuses on a quick ultrasound scan! 20 ewes pregnant for sure. Several more need a recheck. We're committed and excited for the 2023 lambs!!
Something fascinating? Creepy? Beautiful? About these mating assassin bugs.
Our beautiful blue-grey "Grits" got lucky and has gone to his big boy home as a wether companion to a blind Romney. A wonderful home where he'll have an important job in addition to producing a gorgeous fleece every year. Have a great life, Grits!
Young vultures now venturing about with parental supervision. I think this parent would like them to learn to drink (from the sheep waterer) on their own, but they don't quite get it yet. I continue to grow a bigger and bigger soft spot for these characters. Is that weird?
Oh yes.... when you take the dogs for their last evening walk and ALL 3 GET SKUNKED!!! Lucky for Us we had stashed all the ingredients to deal with it after the last time (several years ago). We're all pretty soaking wet now.
The owl was easily captured and taken to Owl Moon Raptor Center for evaluation and any treatment needed. Fingers crossed it can be rehabilitated and returned for release back here. It is in the best possible hands! If you follow us, you know that we have been working with the amazing Suzanne at Owl Moon to provide nesting locations for the barn owls and for kestrels here on the farm, and have over many years banded the chicks. It's a real treat to have these owls nesting in our silo, and we monitor them as best we can without interfering.
So the peafowl were much interested in this fledgling barn owl that seems to have injured itself having left the nest in the top of the nearby silo.
The relative proportions of fuzz and proper feathers is progressing, but they haven't left their lair. Soon, I think. I promise to get more sheep & lamb pics soon, but these characters are so intriguing!
It's not always about the tail feathers!
If you didn't get a 2022 catalog and are interested in having one, we still have about 50 of them left. There is a $5.00 fee to cover shipping costs. You can order one using the form at https://sheepandwool.org/purchase-a-catalog/ (be sure to indicate "2022” where it asks for the catalog year), or via PayPal at https://paypal.me/MdSheepandWool (include “2022 catalog” in the “add a note” field).
I am well and truly gobsmacked by this new issue of PLY Magazine. For our mixed breed fleeces to receive the keen attention, rigorous scrutiny, gifted skills and praise from the trifecta of Jillian Moreno, Judith Mackenzie and Maggie Casey leaves me both star struck and dumbstruck. Feeling like a deer in the headlights. Thank you Maggie, Judith and Jillian for the gift of your encouragement to continue in this endeavor!
Tha lambs are getting g big - in all their yummy colors. Several heading to new homes in the next week or so.
Here are the Barn Owl chicks brought down from their lair at the top of the silo to be banded - and then returned. They are some characters. We're so honored to have them.
And.... here is one of the five Kestrel chicks from our Kestrel nest box across the field - thanks to the incomparable Suzanne Shoemaker of Owl Moon Raptor Center
Black vulture chicks in the bottom of the silo seem to be doing fine.
Baby Barn Owls in the top of the silo. Yes... those are owls! Photo courtesy of Tom Humphrey who climbed up there to fetch them and return them after banding them.
Meanwhile, on the outside of the silo I think (hope) our native wisteria has finally discovered that the silo is worthy of climbing. Now to keep the deer away from it.
I'm getting a real soft spot for this vulture. I don't know if it's the mom or the dad of the 2 very homely gray fuzzy babies in the silo but I like its company and it's quirky ways of hanging about.
Well this is fun! From Clara Parkes. If you haven't subscribed to her Wool Channel you should definitely check it out and subscribe. Always something to learn that you didn't know you wanted to know, and a great group of like-minded sheep and wool lovers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5a_hPc_t-g
After a two-year hiatus of in-person festivities because of COVID, the venerable Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival was back at the Howard County Fairgrounds t...
Many of you know I'm fine with snakes. Most snakes. Here on the farm these black rat snakes are always welcome. However - the surprise factor gets me every time when I'm reaching into the chickens dark nest boxes without looking .... to just feel for any eggs. That's what happened today. Seems that this snake beat me to one of the eggs!
First sighting of a black rat snake of the spring. Go get'm Mr. Snake!
Our girl "Teaspoon" venturing into new (and tall) pasture! Such an intrepid little girl.
And here's our "Teaspoon" this morning venturing bravely into the tall fresh pasture!
Not a bad day at MD Sheep & Wool!
OK! All these (and more) Shepherd's Hey Farm fleeces will be available this coming weekend at the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival Fleece Show & Sale! Come see us - come rain or shine!
The lambs are getting big and adventurous! We have quite a few nice moorit lambs this year, if anyone is interested in moorit genetics for their flock(s). They have our usual mix of Romney, Corriedale , Romeldale, Border Leicester and more. Just saying. We won't be bringing animals to the MD Sheep & Wool Festival this year (will be there, just not with sheep).
Looking forward to this - It's free but they accept donations for Ukraine.
Join WARP to support Ukraine!
Continuing Textile Traditions: Ukraine is a special program to raise relief funds for Ukraine. We will host Ukrainian textile artists Halyna Shepko (New York), Daryna Alieksieienko (Kyiv), Andriy Pyshkar (Ternopil), and Yaroslava Tkachuk (Lviv) for a discussion about their work within the Ukrainian weaving traditions. This Zoom presentation is open to all - please join us to support Ukraine on Saturday, April 30, at 1:00 pm US Eastern time.
Please register at: https://weavearealpeace.wildapricot.org/event-4773140
Today on the farm.... spring is in the air. And guess what? We have extras.....
This beautiful charcoal grey long wool fleece from our boy "Poe" has the most wonderful hand! Definitely a candidate for Fleece Show & Sale.
This fleece from "Barnard" is a real treat.
Aaaah... courtesy of yearling ewe "Rhubarb".
And now......time to get serious about skirting fleeces for
Here's a sneak preview of our natural colored wool with a touch of sari silk blended into it. DK 225yds.
Hey all! Come see us tomorrow (April 2) from 11-3 at the Frederick Shepherd's Market! We have new yarns just back from the mill in a full range of our natural colors, some of it enhanced with flecks of colorful repurposed sari silk as well as a few dyed options. Even a few sheepskin pelts.
Here's our veteran ewe, Raven. She's a steady-as-you-go, get-the-job-done kind of ewe. She had a nice looking single solid gray ewe lamb this year. Good girl.
Dickerson, MD
20842
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Young vultures now venturing about with parental supervision. I think this parent would like them to learn to drink (from the sheep waterer) on their own, but they don't quite get it yet. I continue to grow a bigger and bigger soft spot for these characters. Is that weird?
So, the baby vultures are out of the silo and stumbling about with one of the parents. They hang around the sheep waterer here trying to get mom/dad to "feed" them water. I wonder how long it will take them to figure out how to drink for themselves. Really enjoying these characters.
So the peafowl were much interested in this fledgling barn owl that seems to have injured itself having left the nest in the top of the nearby silo.
Talk about stinkin' cute! These three little baby skunklets with their bottle-brush-tails are sticking close to mama as they waddle along the farm road here. Really, baby skunks are so darn cute.
When I go to peek into the silo to reassure myself that no barn owl babies have fallen out of their nest at the top, I'm greeted by these two amusing characters - half fluff, half feathered black vulture babies who hiss and growl at me.
The baby vultures are getting big but still stumbling around half fluff and half feathers. They hiss and growl when I go to check the silo to make sure no barn owls have fallen out of their nest at the top. And yes, in case you are worried, I have removed all the bailing twine so they won't get tangled up in it.
The lambs are getting big and adventurous! We have quite a few nice moorit lambs this year, if anyone is interested in moorit genetics for their flock(s). They have our usual mix of Romney, Corriedale , Romeldale, Border Leicester and more. Just saying. We won't be bringing animals to the MD Sheep & Wool Festival this year (will be there, just not with sheep).
This is "Teaspoon"! After delivering two nice sized lambs (10 and 9.5 lbs) and getting them settled in their own pen, out popped this little girl! At just 6 lbs she is very small for us and off to a slow start, but we're working hard to build her up! Mother is Demitasse - the other two are Tumbler(ram) and Teacup (ewe). First triplets of 2022.
Alford Family Farms and Spinnery
Darnestown Road, BeallsvilleFeys Kids Farm Project - Beallsville, Marylan
West Hunter Road, Beallsville