OUR SHETLAND SHEEP
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OUR SHETLAND SHEEP |
We purchased our first breeding trio (descendents of
the Dailley 1980 importation)
in 1990 when they were still quite rare and hard to find. The following year we
bought an additional ram and ewe. Over the years we have added some new blood
lines, bringing in Shetlands from flocks in Virginia, Vermont, Oregon, Oklahoma,
etc. The flock size eventually grew to about 55 Shetlands, which is the size we
can maintain considering our barn and pasture space.
Regulations now prohibit overseas importation of any more Shetland sheep into the States. However, in 1997 the USDA granted a permit for the importation of semen from Britain. We took advantage of the wonderful opportunity to broaden the genetic base and improve our wool quality by purchasing straws of semen from six different high-quality rams from Britain. Artificial insemination of some of our ewes with this semen began in the fall of 1997. We have recently purchased straws of semen of another five rams from Shetland and Britain for future use.
Our breeding program is a balancing act between conservation and improvement. We strive to maintain their primitive characteristics and the genetic variations within the breed while selecting for physical soundness and fine wool quality.
Shetlands are delightful, endearing animals and easy to care for. They have a natural hardiness that is virtually unknown in the modern sheep breeds.
Our pastures are fenced with woven wire to protect them from predators. We also have a few guard llamas with our ewes. A small barn offers shelter from cold winds, snow or rain; the sheep have free access to shelter and pasture at all times and are able to live off pasture from May to November. During the winter they are fed good, tender grass hay and free-choice sheep mineral/salt. Ewes are supplemented the final six weeks of their pregnancy with a grain mix.
The only vaccination our sheep receive is CD/T. They are wormed two or three times a year, depending on pasture rotation and our vet’s determination of parasite loads.
The health of our flock is very important to us. In 1996, 1997, 1998, and
2001 we blood tested our entire flock for OPP (ovine progressive pneumonia—a
debilitating, contagious viral disease). We are pleased to state that our entire
flock has always tested OPP negative. In order to keep our flock from being
exposed to contagious diseases such as sore mouth, foot rot, and pinkeye, we
keep the sheep on our farm and do not bring them to shows, etc. We do not bring
many new animals into the flock; those that we do are required to have a
veterinarian’s certificate of health and must be negative for OPP. We provide
health certificates for anyone who buys sheep from us.
In 1997 we enrolled our flock (WI40) in the Voluntary Scrapie Certification Program--a voluntary program in which a flock is monitored for five years or more in order to be identified as free of scrapie. We obtained this certified scrapie-free status by the USDA in the fall of 2002.