- Their backs are knee high to an adult human. They are not as big and heavy as Icelandic sheep. They are about the same height as Soay sheep, but have a much meatier body and faster growth. The size and weight is just right for the farmer to deal with without a lot of equipment.
What purpose do they serve?
- Cascade Farmstead sheep are for small farmers who want to produce their own quality meat on pasture without much specialty equipment. One sheep can be butchered outdoors in about 30 minutes, and brought to the kitchen counter to be cut up and packaged in a short amount of time.
- The wool is easy to procure from the sheep with absolutely no shearing. The uncut ends are less scratchy to the skin than shorn wool. Minimal equipment is needed to process and spin the wool.
- No! The wool will shed off or "roo" in late spring or early summer, like Big Horn sheep in the Rocky Mountains. Some will shed all at once and others will shed a little here and a little there.
What do I need to do at lambing time?
- Keep the binoculars and camera handy. These sheep do best without interference, and on the whole are expected to produce lambs without assistance. You can assist if needed, but that's one strike against that ewe.
What time of year do you butcher the lambs?
- We butcher extra lambs and culls in the autumn, when they are about 6 to 8 months old. Those are tender and flavorful if fed on pasture and hay. Grain fed sheep taste nasty. We also butcher older sheep as needed, and while the flavor is wonderful, we prefer to grind the adult meat into the best tasting burger we have ever eaten!
How much do these sheep cost?
- $400 each for lambs and higher for adults. Quality breeding stock is worth it. We select and select and select and cull and cull and cull, and sell only our best livestock. Buying livestock from someone who does not cull (cull = butcher) means you are definitely getting poor genetics and are throwing your money away.
Where can I get some?
- You can contact us at Greener Pastures Farm, as well as other breeders listed at the Cascade Farmstead Sheep Association website.
