Sheep Home

Sheep were definitely the heart of Shaltz Farm! We began by purchasing eight purebred registered Shetland sheep in September 1998 till we sold all the ewes in 2017. This is one of our ewe lambs in 2001, Shaltz Farm Carob out of El Jireh Silver Slipper and Shaltz Farm Alladin. We always had wonderful Shetlands like Carob, though sometimes it was really hard to part with a beauty like this!

In addition to lambs, each spring brings shearing and shearing brings wonderful Shetland wool. We have wool rovings for sale each year, in natural colors of white, black, gray, brown, and light brown, ideal for fast and easy spinning.

The color genetics of sheep has become quite a hobby (or obsession!) for Holly since the first Shetland lambs hit the ground in '98. Then when the black Border Leicester ewe joined the flock, her lambs opened up another side of sheep color genetics. Here you'll find a basic primer of standard sheep color genetics, as well as theories we're working to prove or disprove with each breeding season.

In the process of raising these lovely animals, we became aware of health issues with sheep. While sheep are basically very healthy, like any other animal they can catch certain diseases which can bring productivity down. We manage our animals to minimize the chance of them contracting any diseases. We are free of footrot, OPP, Johne's, Scrapie, Orf, TB, Blue Tongue, and every other disease sheep are susceptible to.

Since neither of us had any experience raising farm animals when we establish Shaltz Farm, we have had to learn many aspects of shepherding from friends, Internet mailing lists, and of course lots of trial and error. Here's a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) about sheep, and a collection of tips and tricks to help other newbie shepherds find their feet fast. We also have built an easy fenceline feeder, pictured with full instructions.

One of the benefits of raising sheep to strict standards is the culls (sheep who didn't make the grade for breeding or registration) become lamb chops and roasts! You really don't know what great food is about until you've tasted pasture-raised Shetland lamb. Culls also give us wool pelts for luxurious year-round comfort.

If you are a beginning shepherd, there are hundreds of wonderful sheep sites on the Internet. Here are a few of the very best, along with a review of sheep publications and books--necessarily reflecting our own opinions on the subject, of course. Feel free to email holly@shaltzfarm.com if you have any suggestions of publications or websites you think should be listed.