SORRY, we are not currently raising turkeys for Thanksgiving.
SHEEP and Baby Goats FOR SALE! BORDER LEICESTER SHEEP and Saanen cross goat kids, for sale, $200 each.We have a flock of two purebred Border Lecicester ewes, three crossbred ewes, and one show-winning purebred ram named Winston, descended from Infinity who I brought back from Maryland on a charter tour bus (that’s another story).
We raise 3-6 lambs each year, which are for sale between March – December. Great for fiber, pets, or 4-H projects.
We also sell RAW FLEECES for $75 for approximately 8 lbs of fleece. The fleece is soft and lustrous, with a long staple and nice crimp. Suitable for spinning or felting.
We sell WHITE YARN for $20 PER SKEIN, DK WEIGHT, can ship through the mail (postage additional).Border Leicesters are known for their long, soft wool that is excellent for hand-spinning. They aren’t very common in the US compared to many commercial breeds, and are considered a heritage breed.
The Border Leicester breed was founded in 1767 in England and were introduced intothe United States by George Washington, who kept a small purebred flock of Leicesters and used the rams extensively in his flock of 800 head at Mount Vernon. However, the decline of the wool carpet industry in the 1940’s resulted in reduced numbers of all longwool breeds including the English and Border Leicesters. By the 1970’s, increased interest in handspinning and other crafts had rekindled interest in these unique sheep with their distinguished heads and long, curly, lustrous wool. Thank goodness!
AT RIGHT: a hat knitted from handspun yarn from our sheep’s fleece!
Rhode Island Red Chickens
We have a flock of about 1500 laying hens on the farm at most times of the season. Sometimes we downsize in the wintertime and the older chickens are bought by neighbors for stew. Does this sound coldhearted? Do you eat chicken? We feel that both the animal and vegetable food webs are an integral part of the farm ecosystem.
Our chickens are housed out in our fields where they spend their time eating clover that Chris has planted as a cover crop (to add nitrogen to our soil), bugs, and digging holes in the dirt. Anyone who has tasted eggs from pastured chickens raves about the difference from store-bought eggs – the yolks are very orange and the egg has a lot more flavor. Our eggs are higher in Omega-3’s as well (this comes from the chlorophyll in the greens the chickens eat) so they’re better for you, too!
