There is nothing like a flock of Shetland sheep! One of the smallest and older breeds of sheep, originating sometime around 1000 years ago and once quite numerous on the Shetland Islands off the coast of Scotland and increasing in numbers both in Scotland and in North America. They are thought to have been brought over from the Nordic countries by the Vikings to the Shetland Isles. Shetland sheep are often thought of as miniature sheep but they are not actually miniatures at all. Shetlands are a primitive, very small breed with ewes often weighing only 60 to 70 pounds at maturity. Many of the more modern meat breeds weigh between 140 to 200 pounds - quite a huge difference! The original breeding stock for North America was first imported into Canada where it went into quarantine for a number of years before the US would allow importation of the resulting lambs from these animals. A number made their way into Alaska some years ago, but that herd was dispersed completely by 2005, with several of us now keeping registered flocks here. They are a fabulous small variety of sheep with admirable hardiness and longevity that does very well in Alaska, and some have very affectionate personalities making them great for children as well as adults, and also small properties. For those wanting lamb for the freezer, yes they are indeed smaller but their meat is known for it's extreme sweetness and they age slowly - often a 2 year old will taste even better than most grocery store young lamb. The flavor is very mild!! They also have a famous and highly sought-after wool in many natural colors for spinners to make into fine woolen products! They can micron as low as 20, with 22-26 being the norm. The lengths also vary too, some fleeces have wool up to 7 or more inches long. For those who would like to keep a small breed on their farm or mini-farm, the Shetland is a wonderful breed to choose! Their naturally short, fluke tail also means no tail docking. The ewes generally are naturally polled with only the rams having horns, another good plus. Registered weaned lambs will be $180 -$250 for solids, $250-$400 for Spotteds, depending on quality. Our spotted lambs are the first in Alaska, flown in from the midwest with great care as to their selection - we are looking forward to having spotted lambs here this year. And they are way too darned cute too! Wouldn't you love to have such colorful sheep out your window??
NEWS! Captain Hook was 1st place Shetland Ram Alaska State Fair 2007! Cheesecake, Flutter, and Sleeping Beauty took 1st, 2nd and 3rd place ribbons for the Shetland ewes!
Ram lamb Topple, out of Windsprite by Spots, on left.
Ram lamb Barbados, Moorit and White, and his sister Caribbean, Black and White, out of Tropical and Two Spots, on right.
Ewe lamb Cheesecake, out of Cupcake by Spots, on left.
Ewe lamb Sleeping Beauty, out of Miss Muffet by Hopalong, on right.
Ram lamb Captain Hook, out of Curly Locks by the great Pan, on left.
ALASKA STATE FAIR BEST SHETLAND RAM, 2007!
Ewe lamb Flutter, out of Windsprite by Spots, on the right.
Ewe lamb Fairy, laying down,
out of Bippity by Captain, in the center.
Barbados along with one of his girlfriends on the left...
Twin ewe lambs born March, 2008, on the right.
Silveraurora is registered with and a member of the National Association of Shetland Sheep Breeders, flock #1546. Scrapies flock # AK18. Please enjoy visiting the NASSA website to learn more about Shetland Sheep, found at www.shetland-sheep.org . We hope you've enjoyed visiting some of our flock members and you are always welcome to email us with your questions or comments.