A while ago now, I mentioned that I was planning to buy some Bluefaced Leicester sheep. Well, it’s real now.
I am buying four ewes from Smiling Sheep Farm in New Hampshire on May 22nd. I purchased two adult ewes aged 3 and 4, and my mother invested in two lambs. Technically, I’m buying these sheep from a 12 year old girl who has them as a project alongside her parents’ Romneys. For financial matters, I’ve been talking to her mom. I’ve really enjoyed corresponding with Hilary (Mom), and I hope that we can be resources to each other raising Bluefaced Leicesters in the Northeast.
More pressingly, Mom and I are now planning our May 6-7th trip to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. This festival owns sheepandwool.com, so you can tell they’re a big deal. We’ll be meeting two Bluefaced Leicester farmers from Michigan there. Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival hosts the Bluefaced Leicester National Show every other year, so we’ll get some great information about how to evaluate our sheep and which flocks have the features we want most. As a bonus, we’ll get to spend some time with my sister and niece!
We are buying a ram lamb from Pitchfork Ranch . He will be white. We are also buying an adult ram lamb from Beechtree Farm, also in Michigan. It took me a really, really long time to pick the right ram with the right pedigree configuration, but I finally settled on two year old “Outlander”. Look through these shamelessly-pilfered pictures with me, and let me know what you think!
Nice, nice wool, and perfectly in line with the breed standard.
He doesn’t want to be on the stand. Lucky for him, I don’t own one of those (yet).
This is the business end of a ram. Not for the obvious reason, but because that width and nice, meaty leg is what makes money in the meat business. As much fun as wool is, the meat business pays the bills.
Aaah yay I’m so excited for you :-). Are you planning to cross your current flock with BFL rams and get some mules, or keep them separate?
I make make terminal crosses, but I don’t think I want to mix BFL with the Cormo in future generations. The F1 would be awesome, but their offspring will be randomish. I think that’s part of the problem I’m having with the Cormos now.