Our Sheep

At Aberdeen Acres we are proud breeders of Shetland and Valais Blacknose sheep! We primarily breed our flock as pets and for their wool which we use to make various crafts and products on-farm. 

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​Shetland sheep originate from the Shetland Isles in Scotland. Their native habitat is craggy, rocky, moors with harsh seaside weather and for the most part poor vegetation. They have adapted thick wool coats to protect them from their harsh native storms, and some have even retained their ability to shed the wool in spring (called “rooing”) although this trait has somewhat been lost to selective breeding for higher wool production over the years. 

 

Shetlands are considered a “primitive” breed that has largely remained unchanged over their existence. Shetlands were one of the first established breeds of sheep to exist and have retained characteristics like hardiness, parasite resistance, and metabolisms that allow them to survive on rougher, less nutritious forage. 

Shetlands grow to be only around 60-80 lbs at maturity though some animals can be smaller or larger. They are small, compact, and agile animals that can jump, run, and climb (read: make sure you have good fencing!). 

Shetland wool influenced an entire subsection of knitting, called fair-isle. Traditional fair-isle designs are a type of stranded colourwork that uses specific colours and small, repeating motifs throughout the piece. Traditionally, fair-isle pieces were produced only in the Shetland Isles of Scotland (to be truly authentic) with wool from Shetland sheep, and adhered to strict standards. In modern culture the term fair-isle has broadened to include pieces following a less specific standard of work, allowing new designs, motifs, and constructions to be included — although many argue these designs can not be labeled fair-isle, and should instead be categorized as simply “stranded colourwork”. 

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We also run several needle felting and weaving workshops a year using wool from our sheep. Learn how to needle felt while simultaneously learning about our heritage breed sheep.

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Please visit our other "sheep" pages to learn more about our flock.