The Sheep
We have 7 Shetland ewes of different colours. We bought these from a smallholder in Thorlby, near Skipton in November 2007. This breed was chosen as they are small, (so easier to handle!) hardy hill sheep that will live and thrive outside all year on very little.
They have lively lambs; usually twins or triplets, with a strong will to live, get up quickly and feed. They are also supposed to roo (shed) their own wool but only one sheep did this – the others we sheared! We have our ewes 'tupped' by a Lleyn ram (a Welsh sheep with the same attributes as the Shetland) in November. Crossing them with a Lleyn ram produces a 'bigger, meatier' lamb, whereas pure Shetland lambs are small and so produce quite small, although lean, joints of meat. Their names are Coco, Fudge, Norris, Woolly, Lulu, Poppy and Nellie