Last week a small flock of ewes departed from the farm. Cormo ewes Chanel, Dolce, Sienna, Nimbus, Lucida and Helvetica hopped into the back of Andy's truck for a journey to their new home – on Martha's Vineyard.
About eight weeks ago I was approached by a sweet couple who have some improved acreage on the island. They visited Springdelle, to meet us and my flock. Mike and I spent several hours talking sheep with them, showing them our ewes and answering their questions about keeping fine wool sheep in New England. I had assembled a small group of ewes for sale in the barn. One at a time, I brought each ewe forward for their inspection. They had a really hard time choosing because this is a terrific group of sheep.
The girls are so lovely, it pains me to let them go. The gals range in age from 4 – 2 years and are descendants of Buttercup, Charlotte and Pansy – my original Cormo starter flock from Alice Field at Foxhill Farm. Nimbus is a Cocoa granddaugher.
You're probably wondering why I have decided to part with them.
I've run into a breeding cul-de-sac with my Cormos. The girls in the "sale group" are too closely related to Teaberry (my only Cormo herdsire at the moment) to be bred to him. I am not ready to purchase a new Cormo ram this year. And so I've decided to part with these ewes. I've been careful to retain ewes out of all the bloodlines, so my breeding program can resume, once I've found the right ram.
On the positive side, the six ewes bound for MV will be bred this fall. Ewes love having lambs at their side – and so this group will have babies this spring. Michael and Genevieve (their new owners) will have some amazing fleeces – a great start to their fiber farm venture. And Mike and I will have a very good reason to plan a trip to Martha's Vineyard next summer, to see how the girls are getting along.
If you know a reponsible shepherd, serious about improving their breeding program – or someone interested in starting a fiber farm, please share this post. We have a small group of select ewes that we are willing to part with – but only to the right home!
Here is a pic of the ram who will be partnered with the MV sheep. A sharp looking guy with super-fine wool, he comes from Andy Rice's flock – but his lineage traces back to my herd. I can't wait to see the results of this pairing next spring. The ram traveled along with the ewes to the island, in separate quarters. There was no sheep necking on the ferry to Martha's Vineyard!
