Sheep
Our fluffy sheep are always a hit with visitors!
Meet our sheep flock! Our 8 ewes (female sheep) graze our pastures and grow fleece that is made into beautiful wool products for our Queens community. Our two breeds, Jacob mixes and Cormos, are fleece sheep, meaning they are shorn for their wool once a year here on our farm. Shearing entails shaving each ewe and harvesting its fleece to be spun into yarn or felted into products like shoe inserts, coasters, or small purses. For a first hand, in depth view of the shearing process, come visit us every spring for our Sheep Shearing festival.
DOB: 01/30/2021
Breed: Jacob Mix
- Close with Rosemary.
- Very passive, watches from afar.
- Can sometimes be very friendly, but is usually wary of people.
DOB: 01/30/2021
Breed: Jacob Mix
- One of the leaders.
- Generally aloof and wary.
- Has magnificent horns.
DOB: 01/30/2021
Breed: Jacob Mix
- Loves people, attention, and being pet.
- Spoiled rotten, but very friendly.
- Will often lay down near the fence to accept pets.
DOB: 01/30/2021
Breed: Jacob Mix
- Squarely between friendliness and wariness.
- Waits for other sheep to test the waters.
- Will often follow behind Sweet Pea and Ginger.
DOB: 01/30/2021
Breed: Jacob Mix
- Smallest, but has the most attitude.
- Very food motivated.
- Has a favorite person and will push other sheep to get to them.
DOB: 05/14/2018
Breed: Cormo
- Shy, but warming up to people
- Food motivated.
- Warmed up after her introduction to the Jacobs.
- Wrinkly.
- Very photogenic.
DOB: 05/14/2018
Breed: Cormo
- Wary of people.
- Will watch you from afar.
- Very skittish.
- Won’t come up for feed unless all her friends do too.
DOB: 05/14/2018
Breed: Cormo
- Wary of people
- Very skittish, like Franny
- Will lead the group with Rosemary.
Jacob Sheep:
Jacob sheep are a highly unique breed well known for their black and white mixed fleece and prominent horns. Both males and females are horned, and they are one of the few breeds that often sport 4, 6, or sometimes even 8 horns on one animal. The origins of Jacob sheep are obscure and highly contested, to say the least, but before being imported to the US there were only a few held on small estates throughout England. The breed name “Jacob” comes from what is thought to be the earliest record of selective breeding in livestock, the Biblical story of Jacob’s attempt to achieve spotted sheep and goats.
Our five “Jacob mix” ewes are a trifecta of 3 important sheep breeds: Jacob, Finn and Dorset. Mixed breeds are often preferred in animal agriculture because the diverse gene pool gives animals ‘hybrid vigor’, or more resilience against parasites, disease, and higher productivity. These ewes came to us in 2022 from Spot Hollow Farm in Tompkins County, a farm dedicated to keeping the genetics of the rare Jacob breed present and relevant in New York.
Cormo Sheep:
Cormo sheep are beloved amongst fiber enthusiasts, sporting long-stapled and uniquely consistent fleece often as gentle as cashmere, highly elastic, and fluffy. The Cormo breed is interesting as it was developed by a man named Ian Downie in Australia in the 1960s through a very selective and intentional process of crossing Corriedale rams and Superfine Saxon Merino ewes. The goal of such a cross was to create a breed with increased fertility, frame size, and yield of fleece. Cormos have since become highly popular in the US due to their uniquely consistent fleeces, tendency to eat significantly less food than other similarly sized breeds, and calm temperament.
Cormo sheep have a connection to New York. When the Spanish crown allowed their Merino ancestors to be exported in the early 1800s, it created a minor economic boom to the point where, by 1810, students in New York were being taught how to spin wool.
Our three Cormo sheep came to us in 2018 from Buckwheat Bridge Farm in Elizaville, NY.
Adore our sheep? Help care for them year-round! As a Fund-A-Friend Sponsor, your support helps provide essential food, veterinary care, and enrichment to keep them happy and healthy. Click here to learn more!