My venture into shepherding began in 2011 before I had even closed on my farm purchase. My small flock of NABSSAR-registered Babydoll Southdown sheep is a key component of the farm. They are smaller than many sheep breeds and have delightful personalities. Babydolls are considered a dual purpose breed, producing both flavorful meat and fine wool, but I was most keen on acquiring them due to their proven track record in the maintenance of orchards and vineyards. In 2013, I started to work with their wool – learning to spin on an Ashford Traditional spinning wheel. As I worked with their wool I became intrigued with using genetics to change some of the sheep’s wool while keeping the Babydoll portion true to type.
In the fall of 2015 I purchased a brown Finnsheep ram and bred him to just 2 of my Babydoll girls, Nina (white) and Tammy (black). Since then I have acquired 3 additional Finn rams and have started to breed my own rams. Check out the wool section for the differences in their fleeces.
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