New Icelandic Shepherd Group in the US

I am thinking about forming a new Icelandic Shepherd group based in the US with breeders that are comitted to marketing our breed to Chef's, meat to consumers, Fiber Artisans and potential new breeders who are dedicated to furthering the genetics and marketing of our sheep breed. . . .I am sorry, but this group will not be open to hobbyists or homesteaders . . .you must have recently registered and sold sheep either as meat or breeding stock to join.

keep a look out for your Yahoo group invites . . . this will only be on an invitation only basis . . . Please E-mail me privately at violetjwillis@yahoo.com if your are interested in joining. . .

Buy local . . . eat well . . . .

Icelandic Lamb Pelts now in . . . just in time for the Holidays!!!!

I am so excited . . . the first batch of our lamb pelts have just arrived . . . they are very, very beautiful and BIG this year.

We have 10 pelts which range from black/grey, white, black and white spotted (very graphic) solid black and black mouflon. We still have one Moorit Mouflon(brown pelt left from last year). These pelts are machine washable and are great for rugs, lap rugs, upholstery, fashion (would make some wonderful coat collars, cuffs and hems, And I can see some of these made up into knee or thigh high boots!!!! Wow, what a fashion statement that would make this winter:) Price per pelt is $165.00. Maine residents please include 5% Sales Tax.

Please phone me at (207) 726-4765 or send me an e-mail at violetjwillis@yahoo.com to reserve one. I accept a personal check, money order, cashiers check and Paypal.

Enjoy the photo's!

Buy local . . . eat well . . . .

Raw Icelandic Fleeces For Sale . . . Part 1

We started shearing our sheep over the last weekend . . and are doing something quite different with our shearing technique.

Mark went to the shearing school at Cornell in March of 2007 and learned how to shear "New Zealand" style. He was really good at it but our sheep just hated being shorn this way. Most of them would fight after a while while in certain positions and it got to be a battle and after a while not only Mark would become frustrated but the sheep would as well.

This year we decided to shear them standing up. No more struggling. Our sheep are quite calm and they are very good when I am handling the shears . . . Mark has been holding them for me as I shear . . 16 more sheep to shear next weekend and then all of our ewes will be done:)

Breeding groups will be formed up the following weekend. I will be listing which ewes go with each of our rams at that time . . . after the groups are posted we will be accepting reservations for breeding stock. A $100 deposit is requested and you will be put on a list for either ewe or ram lambs. Just like last year, only our very best lambs will be available for breeding stock and we were so fortunate to meet so many new Icelandic sheep breeders . . . thanks so much everyone!

We sold out of all of our breeding quality lambs this past year. It is strongly encouraged that you visit us and spend time with our sheep to see for yourself the quality that is produced at Kilby Ridge Farm.

Below are photo's of our raw Icelandic fleeces . . .I will post prices . . . typically for raw fleeces we charge $1.00 per ounce for adult and $1.25 per lamb. We can only sell the entire fleece. (For pricing examples: Daisy's fleece would be $51.60 and Cookie's lamb fleece would be $21.25).

Photo's show fleeces right off the sheep but I will be skirting them heavily before they are sent to you removing all second cuts (unless you wish to keep them), dung tags, vegetable matter and belly wool. We ship all fleeces via US parcel post with delivery confirmation.














Buy local . . . . eat well . . . .

Open Farm Day . . . October 15th, 2011

Around 100 people joined us for a sunny day of touring the farm, listening to music, taste testing our lamb and turkey, cider pressing, and most importantly hearing from our three speakers all talking about the the local food movement, and government crackdowns on buying clubs and raw milk, food choice and food sovereignty. The farm store was open and customers were able to purchase our full range of fiber products and produce.







Our first speaker at our Open Farm Day was David Gumpert . . . I am so honored that he was a guest on our farm. I discovered David's blog: The Complete Patient . .http://www.thecompletepatient.com., over five years ago. I wanted to know what the big deal was about drinking raw milk since we had just started drinking raw milk from a nearby farm. Our son was thriving on it and I just loved the taste . . . so much different from pasteurized milk. Our family has enjoyed very good health from drinking raw milk . . .I began posting on David's blog a few years ago and promised him a lamb dinner if he ever decided to visit our farm . . . as it turned out this year I was planning on having our open farm day the weekend of his visit so I asked him to speak at our event. Here is David's Bio:

"David E. Gumpert reports and writes about health and food issues. He writes for a number of online publications, including Grist.org and Huffington Post. He is the author of The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America’s Emerging Battle Over Food Rights, which includes a preface by Joel Salatin. His popular blog, The Complete Patient (www.thecompletepatient.com), has over the last five years aggressively covered a number of health and food rights issues, focusing heavily on regulatory excesses involving raw milk and food safety. It has been instrumental in launching a national discussion about restrictions on the availability of unpasteurized dairy products, and in highlighting an emerging debate over food rights."



David's speech was the highlight of our day . . .




Next up as speaker was Scott D'Amboise who is running for US Senate against Olympia Snowe. Scott and his wife have become very good friends. We gave them some of our chicks to start their own backyard flock a few months ago . . . Scott comes from a farm background and I know that he will be the next US Senator for Maine:) All of us farmers and independent minded Mainers must get behind his campaign . . .he is a real person . . . we know that all his hard work will pay off and that Scott will be the first US Senator with a backyard flock of chickens for many generations . . .



Bob St. Peter was our final speaker . . he is the head of "Food for Maine's Future". . . . and is a leader of the food sovereignty movement in Maine. Bob and other farmers were instrumental in the passing of Local Food Ordinances in Hancock County. I am hoping that this movement will take off . . . if we get over 50% of Maine towns adopting this ordinance . . . the state will have to listen to us! Bob is a small sustainable farmer like we are and Mark and I hope to visit Hancock county soon for a promised Farm Tour.



A Maine Seafood Paella dinner rounded out our day. We hope to do our Open Farm Day again next year. . . .

Buy local . . . eat well . . . .

Icelandic Sheep Husbandry 101

. . . Coming soon for all of the owners of lambs that were sold this year and last as well as for those who have Icelandics but have come across some problems or if you have any questions . . . I am here if needed!

We have been raising these sheep for six years and have been hugely successful with them. From the six gorgeous ewes and two fabulous rams that were purchased from the Lavender Fleece in Michigan . . . We are now up to 70 sheep (33 adults and the rest this years lamb crop. Our flock is now permanently closed as we now have 13 bloodlines to work from. We will do AI in the future if semen from proven North American rams become available.

These sheep are healthy, smart, milky productive moms, finely fleeced and that gourmet quality lamb is the best tasting lamb in the world!, . . . this breed is just as advertised.

The only problem is . . . all those run of the mill sheep raising books out there are not applicable to this breed. The Icelandic sheep has it's own unique requirements and I will be writing up my husbandry manual over the next week or so . . . and posting it here soon. These are all the tips I have learned from my own experience . . how to keep your Icelandic Sheep healthy and productive. keep checking back . . .

Buy local . . . Eat Well . . .

Availabilities for 8/26

Please phone in or e-mail all orders by tomorrow evening . . . pick up will be on Friday between noon and 5pm.

Kilby Ridge Farm:



Basil, Flat leaved Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Savory, Dill, Chives, Tansy, Feverfew, Tarragon, Mint, Rosemary: $2.00 bunch
Bag of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme: $5.00
Rainbow Carrots: $2.25 Bunch
Baby Beets with Greens: $3.00 Bunch
Beet Greens: $2.50 1/4 lb bag
Winterboor Kale: $2.00 1/2 lb bag
Ruby Red Chard $2.00 1/2 lb bag
Purple Globe Top Turnips w/tops for braising: $2.50 Bunch
Fennel: .75 each bulb
Young Onion bunches of mild red and yellow chippoline style (flattened end) with substanial top greens: $2.00 bunch
Red Cabbage 75 cents per pound
French beans (very slender) $3.00 pound
Brandy Wine Tomatoes $3.00 Pound (very limited)
Basil Bunches for Pesto $3.00 1/2 lb
Sorrel $2.50 Bunch
Patty Pan Squash 50 Cents each
(New Price) Italian Romanesco Zucchini 75 cents each
(New Price) Saffron Summer Sqaush 75 cents each
Eggs: $3.00 Dozen
Duck Eggs: $5.00 Dozen

Olde Sow Farm:

Jersey Milk
$3.00 per 1/2 gallon
$5.00 per gallon

Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt cheese is a delicious creamy spread made from yogurt. It can be
substituted in any recipe calling for cream cheese or chevre but is
lowfat and very high in protein, as much as 25 grams of protein in a
cup!
$5 per 5 oz

Choose from plain or any flavor that I offer my yogurts in.

Yogurt
16 oz jar $3.75 plain
16 oz jar $4.50 Flavored

Flavors offered are:

Plain
Blackberry Peach
Blueberry Lemon
Boysenberry
Raspberry-Peach
Blackberry
Lemon
Fig
Strawberry Pomegranate
Strawberry Rhubarb
Blueberry
Peach
Black Cherry
Raspberry

Olde Sow Farm Artisan Sausage

These are made according to my recipes, with spices that I grind and mix for the butcher, with pork from our Heritage pigs! $8.00 per lb
Sausage in appoximately 1lb packages

Dante's Hot Italian
Chorizo
Bratwurst

Please return all glass jars and lids so they can be sterilized and reused!

Tide Mill Creamery:

Yogurt
Lowfat Yogurt $5.00 per quart
Whole Milk Yogurt $5.00 per quart
Cheese

New! Green Flame Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Garlic Dill Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Smoked Paprika Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Dreamy Onion Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz

Tide Mill Organic Farm:

Certified Organic Produce

Seasonal Mixed Veggie Bag $10.00
Salad Mix $3.00 per bag
Summer Squash $2.00/pound
Cabbage, specify red or green or crinkly $2.00 per lb
Zucchini $2.00/pound
New Potatoes from Levesque Family Farm $2.50 per lb
Kale$2.50/bunch
Large Sweet Onions $2.00 per lb
Sweet, Green Peppers $3.00 per lb
Hot Peppers .50 each
Basil $1.50 1/8lb bag
Parsley $1.50/bunch

Certified Organic Pasture Raised Dairy

Ricotta, Made by Garden Side Dairy with TMOF milk...NOW AVAILABLE FRESH UPON REQUEST
$6.50 per lb
Order your whole milk yogurt from Tide Mill Creamery!
Whole, raw milk in 1/2 Gallon Glass Ball Jars $3.50 per 1/2 gallon
Whole, Raw Milk (in a Recyclable plastic pint) $2.00 per pint
Whole, Raw Milk in Recyclable Plastic Gallon Jugs $5.50 /gallon
Whole, raw milk in Recyclable Plastic 1/2 Gallon Jugs $3.00 per half gallon

**NEW**

Chocolate Milk Pint~~~$3.00
Ingredients: organic Tide Mill whole milk, organic evaporated cane juice and organic chocolate
Certified Organic Meat
Certified Organic. Fresh Chicken~Beef and Pork frozen
For our meats: If you buy 25 lbs or more you get a .25 cents per pound discount. Buying 50 lbs gets you a discount of $.50 per pound.

CHICKEN:

Whole Chicken,~ 3.25 - 4.5 lbs $4.50 per lb
Boneless, skinless breasts. Usually, two breasts per package ~ 1.0-.1.25 lbs $10.00 per lb
Whole breasts, ~1.5 - 2.5 lbs $7.50 per lb
Half Chickens, one per package, ~1.75 -2.75 lbs $4.75 per lb
Drumsticks, 6 per package, ~ 1.75 - 2.25 lbs $4.00per lb
Wings, 12 per package, ~2.0 - 3.00 lbs $4.00 per lb
Leg/thigh Quarters: 2 per package, ~1.75-2.50 lbs $4.75 per lb
Thighs:
Two or four thighs per package. 2 Thighs weigh ~ .50 - .75 lbs $5.50 per lb
Backs, 4 per package, ~ 4.00 lbs $1.00 per lb
Necks, ~2.0 - 3.0 lbs per package $2.00 per lb
Chicken Liver, ~1.00 packages $5.00 per lb
Chicken hearts, ~.75 lb packages $5.00 per lb

BEEF

Ground beef $5.25 per lb
Tenderloin Steaks $15.00 per lb
NY Strip Steaks $14.00 per lb
T-bone Steaks $15.00 per lb
Ribeye $13.00 per lb
NY Sirloin Steaks $11.00 per lb
Sirloin Tip Steaks $10.00 per lb
Beef Liver $3.00 per lb
Prime Rib Roasts, approximately 3 lbs $13.00 per lb
Beef Roasts (top round, sirloin) $6.00 per lb
Beef short ribs $5.00 per lb
Bulk beef bones (large bones with little meat) $1.00 per lb
Suet (Beef Fat) Great for feeding birds and for making soap $1.00 per lb
Soup Bones 1/2lb---1 lb packages of a cross section of marrow bone and meat $3.00 per lb

PORK

Pork Chops $8.00 per lb
Boneless pork chops $10.00 per lb
Thick Pork Chops $8.00 per lb
Pork Rack of Ribs $6.00 per lb
Pork Sausage (please specify breakfast, hot or chorizo) $8.00 per lb
Pork Country Ribs $8.00 per lb
Pork Shoulder Roast $6.00 per lb
Pork Loin Roast $8.00 per lb
Boneless Pork Loin Roast ~3lb $9.50 per lb
Ground pork $7.00 per lb
Ham Hocks $3.00 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Ham Roasts $8.50 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Ham Steaks $9.00 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Bacon $11.00 per lb
Fat back $1.00 per lb

Buy local . . . . Eat Well . . . .

Buying Club Availabilities For 8/12

Lots of new produce available on our farm this week. . . . Here is our list:

Basil, Flat leaved Parsley, Sage, Thyme, Savory, Dill, Chives, Tansy, Feverfew, Tarragon, Mint, Rosemary: $2.00 bunch
Bag of Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme: $5.00
Rainbow Carrots: $2.25 Bunch
Baby Beets with Greens: $3.00 Bunch
Beet Greens: $2.50 1/4 lb bag
Winterboor Kale: $2.00 1/2 lb bag
Ruby Red Chard $2.00 1/2 lb bag
Heirloom Lettuce Mix $2.50 1/4 lb (very limited right now)
Purple Globe Top Turnips w/tops for braising: $2.50 Bunch
Pasture Raised Eggs: $3.00 dozen
Fennel: .75 each bulb
Baby Zucchini and Saffron Summer Squash: $1.25 each
Young Onion bunches of mild red and yellow chippoline style (flattened end) with substanial top greens: $2.00 bunch

Tide Mill Organic Farm:

Certified Organic, Maine Raised Produce
VARIETY MIXED VEGGIE BAG $10 / BAG
Salad Mix $3.00 per bag
Beans, green $3.00 per lb
Beans, burgandy $3.00 per lb
Brocolli $2.50 per bag
Summer Squash $2.00/pound
Pickling Cucumbers $2.00 per lb
Zucchini $2.00/pound
New Potatoes from Levesque Family Farm $2.50 per lb
Kale$2.50/bunch
Swiss Chard $2.50/bunch
Young Onions $2.50/bunch
Parsley $1.50/bunch

Certified Organic Pasture Raised Dairy

Ricotta, Made by Garden Side Dairy with TMOF milk...NOW AVAILABLE FRESH UPON REQUEST
$6.50 per lb
Order your whole milk yogurt from Tide Mill Creamery!
Whole, raw milk in 1/2 Gallon Glass Ball Jars $3.50 per 1/2 gallon
Whole, Raw Milk (in a Recyclable plastic pint) $2.00 per pint
Whole, Raw Milk in Recyclable Plastic Gallon Jugs $5.50 /gallon
Whole, raw milk in Recyclable Plastic 1/2 Gallon Jugs $3.00 per half gallon

**NEW**

Chocolate Milk Pint~~~$3.00
Ingredients: organic Tide Mill whole milk, organic evaporated cane juice and organic chocolate
Certified Organic Meat
Certified Organic. Fresh Chicken~Beef and Pork frozen
For our meats: If you buy 25 lbs or more you get a .25 cents per pound discount. Buying 50 lbs gets you a discount of $.50 per pound.

CHICKEN:

Whole Chicken,~ 3.25 - 4.5 lbs $4.50 per lb
Boneless, skinless breasts. Usually, two breasts per package ~ 1.0-.1.25 lbs $10.00 per lb
Whole breasts, ~1.5 - 2.5 lbs $7.50 per lb
Half Chickens, one per package, ~1.75 -2.75 lbs $4.75 per lb
Drumsticks, 6 per package, ~ 1.75 - 2.25 lbs $4.00per lb
Wings, 12 per package, ~2.0 - 3.00 lbs $4.00 per lb
Leg/thigh Quarters: 2 per package, ~1.75-2.50 lbs $4.75 per lb
Thighs:
Two or four thighs per package. 2 Thighs weigh ~ .50 - .75 lbs $5.50 per lb
Backs, 4 per package, ~ 4.00 lbs $1.00 per lb
Necks, ~2.0 - 3.0 lbs per package $2.00 per lb
Chicken Liver, ~1.00 packages $5.00 per lb
Chicken hearts, ~.75 lb packages $5.00 per lb

BEEF

Ground beef $5.25 per lb
Tenderloin Steaks $15.00 per lb
NY Strip Steaks $14.00 per lb
T-bone Steaks $15.00 per lb
Ribeye $13.00 per lb
NY Sirloin Steaks $11.00 per lb
Sirloin Tip Steaks $10.00 per lb
Beef Liver $3.00 per lb
Prime Rib Roasts, approximately 3 lbs $13.00 per lb
Beef Roasts (top round, sirloin) $6.00 per lb
Beef short ribs $5.00 per lb
Bulk beef bones (large bones with little meat) $1.00 per lb
Suet (Beef Fat) Great for feeding birds and for making soap $1.00 per lb
Soup Bones 1/2lb---1 lb packages of a cross section of marrow bone and meat $3.00 per lb

PORK

Pork Chops $8.00 per lb
Boneless pork chops $10.00 per lb
Thick Pork Chops $8.00 per lb
Pork Rack of Ribs $6.00 per lb
Pork Sausage (please specify breakfast, hot or chorizo) $8.00 per lb
Pork Country Ribs $8.00 per lb
Pork Shoulder Roast $6.00 per lb
Pork Loin Roast $8.00 per lb
Boneless Pork Loin Roast ~3lb $9.50 per lb
Ground pork $7.00 per lb
Ham Hocks $3.00 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Ham Roasts $8.50 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Ham Steaks $9.00 per lb
Nitrate-free Smoked Bacon $11.00 per lb
Fat back $1.00 per lb

Olde Sow Farm:

Jersey Milk
$3.00 per 1/2 gallon
$5.00 per gallon

Yogurt Cheese

Yogurt cheese is a delicious creamy spread made from yogurt. It can be
substituted in any recipe calling for cream cheese or chevre but is
lowfat and very high in protein, as much as 25 grams of protein in a
cup!
$5 per 5 oz

Choose from plain or any flavor that I offer my yogurts in.

Yogurt
16 oz jar $3.75 plain
16 oz jar $4.50 Flavored

Flavors offered are:

Plain
Blackberry Peach
Blueberry Lemon
Boysenberry
Raspberry-Peach
Blackberry
Lemon
Fig
Strawberry Pomegranate
Strawberry Rhubarb
Blueberry
Peach
Black Cherry
Raspberry

Olde Sow Farm Artisan Sausage

These are made according to my recipes, with spices that I grind and mix for the butcher, with pork from our Heritage pigs! $8.00 per lb
Sausage in appoximately 1lb packages

Dante's Hot Italian
Chorizo
Bratwurst

Please return all glass jars and lids so they can be sterilized and reused!

Tide Mill Creamery:
Yogurt
Lowfat Yogurt $5.00 per quart
Whole Milk Yogurt $5.00 per quart
Cheese

New! Green Flame Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Garlic Dill Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Smoked Paprika Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz
Dreamy Onion Fromage Blanc $5.00 for 6oz

Please either phone in or e-mail your order by noon tomorrow. Thank you so much for your orders!

Buy local . . . . eat well . . . .

Garden Update

Above is the photo of our lettuce bed. It is a test bed for our greenhouse.

All of the lettuces were self sown at the end of April. The lettuces grew quite well under the cool rainy weather in May and they are now ready to harvest.

Here are the name the lettuces from front to back:

. . . . de Morges Braun Lettuce
. . . . Summer Lettuce Mix
. . . . Flashy Green Butter Oak Lettuce
. . . . Claytonia
. . . . les Orielles du Diable Lettuce
. . . . Tres Fine Maraichere Olesh Endive
. . . . Forellenshluss Lettuce
. . . . Cracoviensis Lettuce

We also have some wonderful spinach ready for harvest. All of the vegetable beds around the house have finally been planted. We are opening up a 1/4 acre garden towards the back of our property. This is where the potatoes, corn, beans, more onions, Hubbard squash and more pumpkins will be planted early next week. We are about two weeks behind due to all the rain . . . . but the weather has been warm over the last week so the soils are now at optimal temperature for germination.

Right now we have all of our root vegetables (beets, carrots, turnips, radishes and onions).
Fennel
Peas
Tomatoes (heavy on the Brandywine variety which is my favorite!)
Peppers
Eggplant
Brassica's (Cauliflower, Broccoli, Red Cabbage, Tuscan and Winterboor Kale, Summer Squashes, Cucumbers, Melons, Pumpkins and Winter Squash
Red Cutting Celery
Basil
Garlic

All varieties that have been planted are open pollinated so I can save seeds from year to year.

Our greenhouse arrived yesterday . . . it is gothic style . . . 72 feet by 20 feet. Mark is planning on putting our greenhouse up over the next several weeks. It will be planted in August for winter harvest. I am going to use Eliot Coleman's ideas with a few tweaks of my own. I am really excited because this will open up our winter market and provide local fresh greens in the winter for my customers.

Back to the garden . . . .

Buy local . . . . eat well . . . . .

Icelandic Lamb Photo's

Gosh these lambs are getting big. This first photo is Pepper's boy who was born on March 29th. He is standing alongside of Sugar who was just shorn a few days ago. This big guy weighs nearly 60 lbs! That's an average of 10 lbs of growth per week. Even my twins are huge this year.




Tolkie's ewes are now 40+ pounds each and they are both built like little tanks with a meaty long lined body.



Sumo is pictured above. He is a gorgeous black/grey ram lamb with an outstanding fleece, build and temperament. Liz is his mom.



The last photo is dedicated to my friend and fellow shepherd, Laurie Ball-Gish. She is the source of my starter flock. This is Liz, one of my foundation girls. Liz is five years old this spring and is such a breathtakingly beautiful sheep both inside and out. We are great friends and her lambs have inherited her sweet, calm temperament and fleece quality. I just love these sheep . . . . they give us such joy. Happy shepherding everyone!

Buy local . . . . . eat well

Lambing Update/Lambing Recap for 2011 ~ April 28th

At around 11:00 am this morning, Helen gave birth to two huge ram lambs weighing around 9 lbs each. Helen is the mother of my ram, Lenny and I was hoping that she would give birth to another Moorit mouflon lamb just like him. My prayers were answered. The other lamb is pure white with no pheomelanin . . . . he looks alot like his grandsire ~ Noison.


Tuesday morning, I found Sammi with her newborn 7 lb moorit/grey ewe lamb. This is Woden's only girl this year (we have had almost 75% ram lambs born this year!!!). I will be keeping her.

Lambing Results for 2011:

Here is our breakdown of lambs this year and what is available. Please note I am only selling the BEST of my ram lambs for breeding stock. This year I have 5 awesome ram lambs for sale. The rest will be sold for my meat customers.

Lenny (FKR 10W):

Pepper: 3/29, 1 Ram (Available for breeding)
Liz: 3/29, 2 Rams (One Black/Grey Ram Available for breeding)
Fang: 4/13, 2 Ewes (One available)
Sarabella: 4/15, 2 Rams
Pumpkin: 3/26, 1 Ram and 1 Ewe (Ram is available for breeding)
Tolkie: 3/27, 2 Ewes (One ewe available)
Elena: 4/14, 2 Rams (one assist - head only presentation)
Manon: 4/2, 1 Ram (assist, backward presentation)
Pip: 4/15, 2 Ewes


Hun (FKR 21W):

Saltie: 3/31, 1 Ewe and 1 Ram (Ram is available for breeding)
Helena: 4/6, 1 Ewe and 1 Ram (Ewe is Available)
Snugs: 4/16, 1 Ewe and 1 Ram (assist for ram lamb, backward presentation)Ayn: 4/11, 1 Ram (Ram is available for breeding)
Penny: 4/4, 1 Ram
Spike: 3/27, 1 Ewe (assist - pull as big single, normal presentation)Saltina: 4/5, 1 Ram
Lil' Snugs: 4/9, (Both ewes are available)


Woden (LF 458X):

Helen: 4/28, 2 Rams (One Moorit Mouflon Ram available for breeding)
Panda: 4/15, 1 Ram
Co-Co: 4/14, 2 Rams
Bee-Bee: 4/14, Full term stillborn, large ewe lamb single
Sammi: 4/26, 1 Ewe
Hunnie: 4/13, 2 Rams

We are so pleased with the quality of our lambs this year. Our lambing was nearly 100% successful. Most importantly, all of our ewes were bred this year and out of 37 lambs we only had one stillborn. Our lambs were very large as our hay quality was very high. I think this may be the reason for the four assisted births. Look forward to some lamb photo's and even video in future posts!

Please let me know if you would like me to reserve either a breeding ewe or ram lamb. The best way to contact me is by phone at (207)726-4765.

Buy local . . . . . eat well . . . . . .

Lamb Update ~ April 19th

Co Co gave birth just how it should be done - in the sunshine and on pasture on April 13. Both are beautiful boys who weighed about 6 1/2 pounds each. One black/grey mouflon and the other is a beautiful black/grey. This is the second set of twins by our new ram, Woden.



Fang gave birth on the evening of the 13th with two flashy black spotted ewe lambs. Both weighed about 6 pounds each. I am keeping one of these beauties. Fang has one of the finest fleeces in my flock and these two seem to have inherited her fleece quality.



Morning chore time on the 14th I found Elena with one of her newborn ram lambs. The second lamb was coming but was presented head only. I quickly intervened and carefully brought both feet and legs in position for a regular birth. Both boys weighed about 7 3/4 pounds . . . which is big for Elena. Hoping for ewes this year as Elena has given me four sets of twin ram lambs for the past four years. These should grow to have a classic meat conformation. One moorit/grey ram and one solid moorit.






Evening lamb check on April 15th had Sarabella and Panda standing out in my lambing paddock with their lambs at their sides - up and nursing. I decided to leave them with mom and moved them to separate lamb jugs in the morning. Sarabella gave birth to two well built chunky ram lambs who weighed about 8 pounds and Panda gave birth to a gorgeous solid black ram lamb who weighed about 6 pounds. All three ram lambs are available.




Snugs showed labor signs on the morning of April 16th. I don't know why but I had been worried about her pregnancy. We were expecting triplets as she was so huge and her udder was massive this year. As the day progressed Snugs grew more and more restless and finally started to push in the afternoon. The labor was not progressing well so I had Mark hold her while I examined her. It was a backwards birth and I knew that I had to pull the lamb immediately as I saw meconium in the amniotic fluid.

I pulled the lamb and it came out fine until I reached the shoulder area and then it appeared to be stuck. I was frantic as I knew the lamb would begin to breath any second and sure enough it was struggling in my hands. I followed the neck of the lamb and when I finally made it up and inside where the head was - I realized the problem was the lamb's HUGE horn buds were caught on the pelvic bones and the cervix. Instinctively, I covered the horns with my hand pushed down and pulled the head through the birth canal. The lamb was floppy, limp, eyes half closed, tongue hanging out . . . . I thought it was dead. I cleared out as much of the fluid around the mouth as I could and placed him in front of Snugs.

She began to clean him off and within two minutes his body began to shake and spasm and he began to revive. Snugs ram lamb is so beautiful and big - nearly 10 pounds! His sister was born shortly afterwards ~ a gorgeous black badgerface who weighed only 5 pounds. Both of these gorgeous lambs are available.




That evening on April 16th, I heard Pip calling to her babies. Oh, what beauties they are too. . . two ewe lambs. A moorit/grey mouflon badgerface and a light moorit spot. Both weighed about 7 pounds. I am keeping both of these girls.

Only two more ewes left to lamb . . . . . then I can sleep again:)

Buy local . . . . . eat well . . . . . . .

Lambing Update ~ April 13

Our first lambs out of Woden . . . . and our first lambs out of Hunnie. Such beauties. Both appear to be black/grey badgerfaces. I did not get close enough to see if they are rams or ewes when I took the photo (they look like twin ewes). I watched the birth of both through our kitchen window.

If twin ewes - I am keeping one. Hunnie has such a sweet disposition. Her brother is our beautiful ram ~ Hun who is also very easygoing and has a gorgeous conformation. One ewe or ram lamb is available.

Update: Both lambs are gorgeous boys and are available (Noi, Flotti, Liefer, Lodi, Peli, Aboti, Hunn and Ari genetics behind them).

Lambing Update ~ April 11

On the evening of April 9th, Lil' Snugs was found with one gorgeous black mouflon ewe lamb in the barn. The white ewe was out of the barn and calling for momma. After a chase in the dark I finally coralled everyone into a waiting lambing jug. Both pretty ewe lambs weighed about 6 pounds. Both are available.



This morning, I walked out to do chores in the rain to fine Ayn had just given birth to a HUGE black mouflon ram lamb. He weighed nearly 11 pounds! Check out his huge horn buds His back hoof was injured and it needed to be splinted. I think his hoof got caught and strained during the birth process. This is Ayn's first lamb and I am so glad she was able to give birth to this big boy unassisted. This ram is available.

Lamb Update ~ April 6

The birth that I have been very anxious about took place sometime between 6pm and 8pm last night. Helena developed a vaginal prolapse a few weeks ago and had to have it stitched into place by our vet. I cut the sutures on Sunday ~ a little too soon but she was okay and did not prolapse again. This birth was a case of "go with your instinct and not the textbook". Helena had her water bag out for several hours yesterday and since she was not distressed and having contractions I decided to wait and see what would happen. My lambing guide says a baby should be born from 30-45 minutes after the waterbag presents . . . .If not, then there is probably a malpresentation. Nope . . . . not in this case. Helena just decided to go easy and take her time having her lambs.

Her current prolapse is due to an extremely difficult birth two years ago when she was a ewe lamb. Her lamb Bee-Bee was huge and became stuck overnight. By morning when Helena was checked the lamb's head was swollen and sticking out. Helena had tried so hard to give birth, she had begun to prolapse. I managed to pull Bee-Bee out - it was a miracle that Bee-Bee survived! Helena's prolapse healed but it recurred this year.

I was thinking about culling her in the fall but decided last night not too. She gave birth to two of the prettiest lambs this year. An 8 pound ram lamb with HUGE horn buds and a moorit spotted 8 1/2 pound ewe lamb. Her spots are on the leg so you can't see them in the photo. I am thinking about keeping the ewe but the boy is for sale. Both have beautiful conformations and will be finely fleeced (Helena is a Noi granddaughter).

Lamb Update 4/5

Manon had a very large single black/grey mouflon ram lamb ~ he weighed close to 8 pounds and came out back feet first. This was a tricky pull as I had to do it super fast because the umbilical cord would be pinched causing a "gasp" reflex in the lamb. Some lambs drown and die immediately when this happens. To complicate matters the hocks of the lamb were locked and needed to be straighted. Since Manon has "always" given us twins, I became concerned that there was another one stuck. I caught our vet just leaving her office and she came over to give Manon an internal check just to be sure. Nope - this year she gave us just one big single. I needed penicillin anyway and I was out of lubricant so it was a good thing that she was able to stop by and help out . . . . . Thanks so much Dr. Church!

Yesterday evening during lamb check, Mark woke me up to say that there was a lamb in the paddock but it was too dark to see who it was. I went out and saw that the lamb was up and nursing and Penny was the mom. Penny is a grandaughter of NMI famous ram "Tolkis". This was her first lamb but since she was doing well and all the other pregnant ewes were sleeping in the barn - we decided to wait until morning to move her and her lamb into the lambing jug. She gave birth to a beautiful 6 1/2 pound black mouflon ram lamb with huge horn buds.

This morning at lamb check Saltina had just given birth to a beautiful black/grey badgerface ram. He was up and nursing and weighed about 7 pounds. His dad is Hun - who has been giving us some beautiful lambs this year. All three ram lambs are available for sale.


Buy local . . . . . Eat well . . . . .

We Made The News!!!!

On Thursday the Bangor Daily News came out to do a story on our farm. Here is the link to the article:

http://new.bangordailynews.com/2011/04/01/news/making-maine-home-urban-professionals-carve-out-a-farming-life/

Thanks so much, Sharon for the great article . . . . the photo's were wonderful . . .

Buy local . . . .Eat well . . . .

Lamb Update 3/31

Saltie gave birth in the middle of my barn paddock early yesterday morning to twins just as the sun was coming up. Lambs were up and nursing in minutes even though it was in the mid-20's. The boy is a very splashy and cute moorit spot and the girl is a black badgerface. Both are very long-bodied like mom and are available for sale.

Buy local . . . . eat well . . . . .

Icelandic Lamb Skins

Our lamb skins came back from the tanner last week and have only now had to chance to put them up on the blog. I have four lamb skins available. All are machine washable (directions will be included with each lambskin). They are beautiful with very long and fine tog (like mohair) and a very warm soft inner coat (thel) which feels like cashmere. two are the color of moorit/grey mouflon (wonderful light smoke grey with caramel tips). The other two are moorit mouflon (cocoa with caramel tips). These are great used as throws and rugs. Some people even sew them together to make a very luxurious and warm coverlet. Please e-mail or phone if you have any questions. Price for these beauties is $165.00 each plus shipping and handling. All Maine state residents are required to pay 5% sales tax.



Buy Local . . . . Eat Well . . . .

Lamb Update ~ March 30th

Woke up yesterday and looked out my bedroom window and saw a newborn lamb by himself staggering around the pasture. I ran out to the barn to find Liz licking off her second lamb. The first had wandered outside the barn. This year our lambs have been very vigorous . . . . up only a few minutes after birth. I am so glad I moved all the girls into the nearest paddock to the house to keep an eye on everything. After saving Liz's wayward baby I put both into a lambing jug immediately. The first lamb was chilled and I needed to get more colostrum in him to warm him up. A few minutes later, I noticed that the babies were just standing at Liz's side and not nursing. I had to strip the teats to get the milk flowing. Liz had a slight case of mastitis last year ~ my fault as I left her ewe lambs with her too long and they damaged the udder and caused mastitis when they got too big to nurse. Her udder had grown huge over the last few weeks and I was afraid that her mastitis was back and she would have no milk . . . . not the case as both sides of the udder were producing loads of milk. I finally got the babies to nurse and they were up and bouncing around later in the day. Liz had a gorgeous 8 pound black/grey lamb ram and a 6 pound moorit mouflon ram lamb. Both are available for sale.




By mid-morning I noticed Pepper had separated herself from the flock and saw her as she ran to the barn . . . . I knew it was her time and because she has been such an easy lamber and Pumpkin's daughter, I knew that I should just give her some privacy and go check on her a few hours later. Imagine my surprise when I went out to the barn two hours later to see her in the final stage of labor as she was finally pushing out the largest lamb ever born on our farm. He was a whopping 12.5 pound black spotted ram lamb! He has both Liefer and Ari leader genetics behind him as well as Noi and Peli. Such a great combination. This big boy is for sale.