We have had three hair sheep. The one with the black head was Boaz, the white one is Ruth, the one with red spots and a black knee is Sarai. They were all orphans and we bottle fed them. Did you know that if a baby lamb is separated from its mother more than 45 minutes in the first 48 hours, she will never accept her baby back? There….a little sheep lesson for you.

We got Ruth and Boaz from a farm in western Kansas. Ruth was orphaned by her mother when they get separated accidentally for a little while and Boaz was separated from his mother because he got attacked by a dog and needed his wounds tended to. They were taken care of the first 5 weeks of their life by a 9 year old boy. Sarai came from a farm on the east edge of Topeka.

These sheep are all hair sheep. Hair sheep do not make wool like normal sheep. They shed out so you don’t have to shear them. Ruth and Boaz are Dorper X Katahden. Boaz looks more Dorper and Ruth looks more Katahden. Sarai is all Kahtaden I believe. Hair sheep are raised for meat- yes, for LAMB!

Ruth and Boaz will have their first lambs this fall. Adding these two to our flock was fortunate for Moses who was beginning to wonder why he was such a weird looking goat.

Boaz- he was our ram. He will be the patriarch of our flock!

Sarai and Ruth grazing early spring grasses- 2008.

Ruth has grown quite a bit and should be expecting lambs in the spring 2009.

Ruth and Boaz as babies in the barn stall during the fall of 2007.
Weren’t they cute!?

Boaz is now in our freezer after he attempted to ram William to death in the pasture. He was a magnificent creature, but so dangerous! Now, he’s so delicious! Hopefully his offspring will live on in Ruth and Sarai! We will post baby pictures when we have them. They are due March 15, 2009 with Boaz’s babies!