Recently, I received a phone call from someone needing some help re-homing their 8 month old border collie. They had purchased the dog thinking it would be a good companion for their son, but have begun to have trouble with the puppy. Now, they wonder if a border collie is a good fit for their family. When I questioned him … Read More
When we were on Gotland island, one shepherd we visited with, kept saying, “Gotlands are smart sheep.” He told story after story of the many different ways his flock of Gotlands have shown him just how smart they are. In most of his stories, the sheep, and their intelligent inquisitive nature, usually got them in trouble with the shepherd as … Read More
Frost seeding provides an easy, no-drill method to boost your pasture nutrition and extend your grazing season. With frost seeding, you can add various herbs and legumes to your existing pasture. Seeding is done in the early spring when the night time temperatures fall below freezing and day time temperatures are above freezing. In Vermont, this coincides with sugaring season. The … Read More
Scrapie is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. There is no cure and there is no treatment for scrapie, though scientists around the world are searching hard for one. Scrapie is classified as a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE). Both scrapie and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE; a.k.a. “Mad Cow” disease) are TSEs, as is … Read More
About 18 months ago, we made the decision to transition over from raising Romney sheep to raising Gotland sheep. A little over a year ago, our small starter flock of Gotland sheep arrived to our farm. Looking back, it was, and still is, an extremely difficult process, and I am learning the challenges of keeping two breeds of sheep. Selling … Read More
