Our Sheep & Geese
The sole purpose of having sheep and geese live in our orchard is so we don't have to mow the grass! Sheep and geese are ferocious grazers. They do an excellent job keeping the grass and weeds down while providing nitrogen to the soil from their manure, they break the life cycle of certain diseases by eating the dead leaves that harbor the spores over winter and trample the snow as they walk though the orchard disturbing the tunnels of pesky voles.
In the 'South Block' of the orchard you'll find Magnus and Fin. They are a rare breed of sheep from the most western islands of the coast of Scotland. The breed , Soay, is registered with the Rare Breed Survival Trust. To learn more about Soay sheep click HERE
Our two Saint Croix sheep, Henrick and Camillo, tend to the 'West Block' of the orchard. These two are like big dogs...they'll follow you around if you're working in the orchard and nudge or push you to pet them. To learn more about St, Croix sheep click HERE
Certainly the most vocal animals on the farm, the geese manage the grasses in the 'East Block'. There are two Tufted Romans and five Sebastopols. The Sebastopol breed is unique in that it's feathers are curled, don't lay flat and cause them to look like they have a chronic case of 'bead-head' They are great foragers and lay large, delicious eggs from January through March. To learn more about the Sebastopol geese click HERE
