Sapsucker Lamb

Vision

Sheep are an important addition to our multi-species pastures.  While cows require the highest quality forage and mostly eat grasses, sheep provide the follow-up weed control, on our farm eating lots of thistles and blackberry sprouts.  Judicious use of sheep keeps the cows from over-grazing the “good” stuff and leaving the less desirables to grow bigger and dominate.  Sheep in an intensive rotational grazing schedule increase pasture quality and minimize mechanical post-graze mowing.

Practice

We raise hair sheep that naturally shed their coat and don’t require sheering. Hair sheep are hardy and are great foragers. Our lambs spend their entire lives in our little valley. They eat a varied diet of grass, weeds, blackberries, and in winter, hay from our neighbors. Grain is an insignificant portion of their diet used only as a treat to move the flock to new pasture. No chemical fertilizer or herbicide is ever used on our land. Slaughter and butcher are performed by local, small businesses. We sell live lambs after weening to build your flock or you can purchase whole lambs at harvest time. Lambs can be fully processed for you, or you can complete any of the steps your desire. Email us for details.

Purchasing information

Lamb is sold “on the hoof” as whole animals. Harvest is in November. Price is $10.50/lb hanging weight which is between 30 and 50 lbs (about 50% of live weight). Very little weight is lost at the butcher unless deboned cuts are ordered, which can drop the weight received another 50%.  $200 Deposit is required at purchase.  You instruct and pay the butcher so you get the size and type of cuts you want.