Ranch Hands Wool Co.

Ranch Hands Wool Co. I am the shepherd for a small flock (21+ ewes) of Bluefaced Leicester/Gotland sheep located in Eastern Oregon. Ranch Hands Wool Co.

The flock occupies a small corner of a cattle ranch first homesteaded in 1885 by my husband's ancestors. is located in the high, dry, eastern side of Oregon. We have lots of dust but VERY little rain so fleeces wash easily. I do my own shearing, usually just before lambing, and I skirt heavily, once during shearing and later on a open mesh screen - I'm a stickler so there's very little veg or unusable wool.

Waiting on EWE PS - deliveries are coming daily!! Sine is still carrying quite a load. 20 lambs on the ground so far, in...
03/16/2026

Waiting on EWE PS - deliveries are coming daily!! Sine is still carrying quite a load. 20 lambs on the ground so far, including a set of triplets last night.

Here's a lamb that definitely has at least one gene for color - a great big round one!! Unfortunately, I let Jack name i...
03/12/2026

Here's a lamb that definitely has at least one gene for color - a great big round one!! Unfortunately, I let Jack name it. Here's ""SPOT"!!

It's spitting snow today, but yesterday was gorgeous and a perfect day to start lambing. Two set of twins plus a set of ...
03/09/2026

It's spitting snow today, but yesterday was gorgeous and a perfect day to start lambing. Two set of twins plus a set of twins and a nice big single today, so far so good. We just won't talk about the 2 nice ewes I've lost to prolapses, sigh. Good stuff only! Here are a few photos from feeding yesterday with my 3 dog crew. BC Emmy is under the hay platform - no ewe shall dine before its time!

03/09/2026

FINALLY! Lambs have arrived. Here's a quick peek at a perfect 'ewe with lamb' interaction. She popped out a white twin as soon as she got settled in the barn. And - just to emphasize the point - NO SNOW!!!! The noise in the background is from lots and lots of red-winged blackbirds. They are a raucous crowd.

It's about time!!! You haven't had to hear about my terrible winter because there really hasn't been one. Hardly any sno...
03/09/2026

It's about time!!! You haven't had to hear about my terrible winter because there really hasn't been one. Hardly any snow, some typical cold days and nights but nothing drastic and actually, quite a bit of moisture. Very strange, but we could get used to this!

And suddenly it is March. The ewes got shorn in December (thank you, Michael Estes!!!) and prep for lambing was easy - no snow plows were required! Due date was the 5th. The dogs and I were psyched. I started sleeping in the Lamb Camp trailer. And we waited. This photo is from Wednesday the 5th. Ricco looks pretty bored, but he's being patient with his ewes.

My friend Karen, from Liongate Farm, is always posting these gorgeous photos of dahlias and the other fabulous blooms sh...
10/06/2025

My friend Karen, from Liongate Farm, is always posting these gorgeous photos of dahlias and the other fabulous blooms she grows and uses for dyeing inspiration. Well, I just had a nice, crisp 18 degree morning - here are my sunflowers!!

Here it is, the middle of August, and you probably think that I'm still stuck in a snowbank. Apparently I've been too bu...
08/20/2025

Here it is, the middle of August, and you probably think that I'm still stuck in a snowbank. Apparently I've been too busy to create a post!

The hay is cut and the flock is enjoying some truly amazing regrowth in the meadow west of the house. This may be one of the greenest summers we've experienced in years, thanks to some nice rain showers that came with thunder and lightening but luckily no fires. Quite a delightful change from last year!

I'm going to start posting some fleeces on the "Raw Wool for Sale" group page, so take a look there or let me know if you are in need of wool ----

And Ricco wants to point out that he is doing an excellent job of guarding. At least when he's not asleep on the deck.

I hope your summer is going well! Teresa

03/29/2025

The snow drifts are receding and lambing season is drawing to a close. Everyone is doing well, although the shepherd is not quite as bouncy as the lambs! No matter how long I've been doing this, every year I learn something new. 2025's lesson: don't combine pneumonia with lambing! I've seen bluebirds and the sandhill cranes are flying overhead, and of course there's nothing like the sight of happy lambs to put a smile on your face!

Some posts are easier than others - I'm not one to just throw stuff up for the sake of posting and I have given this a l...
10/11/2024

Some posts are easier than others - I'm not one to just throw stuff up for the sake of posting and I have given this a lot of thought. I am showing this fleece (it is for sale) because it will be the last fleece off of a very nice, 8 year old ewe, Berry. Berry was killed by a wolf on Sept. 30. This was the second attack on my flock, the prior attack happened probably on the 22nd or 23rd. Total losses are 2 ewes and 3 (8 month) lambs.

The wolf issue is very real in our area and yes, it is the source of a lot of discussion both pro and con. I am NOT asking for or inviting that discussion here. A well-meaning friend re-posted the ODFW report and it generated comments that were in some cases hurtful and divisive. I have a small flock of specially bred ewes that I raise for beautiful hand-spinning fleeces. My livelihood does not depend on them, but they are more than just a hobby for me. I care for them. I enjoy them. I even shear them myself.

I have for the last decade+ kept Maremma livestock guard dogs to protect them from predators (mostly coyotes) and have had no death loss from predators. But wolves are different. Four wolves have been reported recently in our valley and that means I would have to have at least 5-6 guards dogs to have a chance. I am currently penning the sheep at night and I check them once or twice a night - not much sleep is happening. The guys from the ODFW (Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife) have been terrific. They did extensive forensics at the kill sites and of the carcasses, they have installed cameras at several locations, they provided me with fox lights ( scare devices) and they check back often. None of these wolves are collared - if enough information can be gathered showing travel paths and habits, collaring may be possible.

Every ranch in our valley has had some incident of wolf depredation in the last 18 months. Whether or not it turns out to be the new "norm" , it is something we, as livestock producers, need to learn to deal with. Awareness, preventative measures, some changes in management are all important, but this is not easy. It is ugly and painful to see the destruction a predator of this magnitude can cause. It is an economic hardship. And it can be more than a bit frightening - Berry's kill happened about 200 feet from my house in a open, grass pasture.

If you are interested in Berry's fleece, here are the stats: 5 lbs 14 oz, price is $60.00 plus shipping. It's a lovely, warm grey with nice crimp, staple length 5-6 ", well skirted with low vm. I use PirateShip, USPS, and invoice using PayPal. Ships from Eastern Oregon.

Thank you for your interest. Teresa

Followers get first pick of fleeces! If there is no interest here I will post them on the "Raw Fleeces for Sale" page. I...
09/10/2024

Followers get first pick of fleeces! If there is no interest here I will post them on the "Raw Fleeces for Sale" page. If you want a fleece, yell "sold" in a comment. I ship using PirateShip for best rates and will invoice through PayPal.

#1 MAVI #104: 88% BFL 9% BL, As usual, a nice white crimpy fleece. Wt is 7 lb 6 oz, price is $88.50 plus shipping.

#2 FANCY #035: 69% BL 25% BFL 6% Got. A loose mass of lustrous curls. Wt is 7.75 lb, price is $93.00 plus shipping.

Summer's almost over - the early mornings are frosty but the days are pretty warm, and we still have wildfires to deal w...
09/05/2024

Summer's almost over - the early mornings are frosty but the days are pretty warm, and we still have wildfires to deal with. I'm not a big fan of our winters, but snow may be the only thing that will clear the smoke out of the air! I plan on starting to post some fleeces for sale soon so let me know if you are interested.

In case you aren't around lambs much, here's a photo of one of the midgets next to the normal sized (10 lb) lamb born th...
03/19/2024

In case you aren't around lambs much, here's a photo of one of the midgets next to the normal sized (10 lb) lamb born the day before:

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Seneca, OR
97873

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