We keep and breed Cascade Farmstead Sheep, which are small, as can be seen in the top photo. They are only knee-high to us, and thus very easy to handle. Yet they are meaty and produce a carcass large enough to butcher in the fall when the lambs are only 6 or 7 months old, yet small enough to fit in the freezer above the fridge, all without the necessity of feeding grain!
Our Cascade lambs grow quickly, and reach a live weight of 40 to 65 lbs by 4 months of age. They are able to breed the first autumn when they are about 7 months old, producing a lamb by the time they are 1 year of age, and in subsequent years they produce twins. Ewes and rams shed their fleece in late spring or summer. You can see that Lavender, above with her strikingly beautiful lamb, has shed off her luxurious fleece in mid-May, while Igraine has not. We gathered Igraine's fleece about a month later.
Keeping sheep that are productive, taste great, don't require shearing, are easy keepers and easy on the land, if managed intelligently, is an absolute joy. They keep our pastures mowed, we get healthy, tasty meat without feeding grain, fleece if we want it, or we can let it drop and the birds use it to make nests. We've tried 5 different Northern Short Tailed breeds of sheep, and our Cascades are the easiest and most productive breed in our opinion.
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