Shetland Sheep
It is
generally believed that the Shetland's roots go back over a
thousand years and it is likely that they are descendants
of sheep brought by Viking settlers to the Shetland
Islands.
Shetlands are considered a primitive or unimproved breed,
which means that although they are small and relatively
slow-growing, they maintain a natural hardiness,
thriftiness, easy lambing, longevity, adaptability and the
ability to survive under harsh conditions.
One of the smallest of the British sheep breeds, Shetland
rams weight between 90 -125# and ewes about 75 - 100#. Rams
have beautiful spiral horns and ewes are usually polled.
They are fine-boned and agile and often remind us of
mountain sheep as they cavort and kick up their heels in
the pasture. Their short tails are fluke-shaped and do not
require docking.
Bitterroot
Ranch is
located in the scenic Mission Valley of Western Montana. We
have raised Shetlands since 1991 and are still delighted
with the friendliness of these little sheep and the beauty
of the fibers they produce. Our Shetlands are offspring of
the original 1980 importation from the Shetland Islands
into Canada and are registered with the North American
Shetland Sheep Registry. Having had a fairly large flock of
Shetlands for many years, over the past few years we have
downsized our flock to a less labor intensive sized flock
and are specializing in Dailley katmogets.
We will have some very nice Shetland lambs available for
sale in June, 2008.
BITTERROOT RANCH
David & Judy Colvin
St. Ignatius, Montana 59865
(406) 644-3042