Show Season and Sheep for Sale

With the end of September comes the end of show season. All lambs have been sheared and their fleeces are being prepared for the Rhinebeck New York Sheep and Wool Festival next weekend.
At the farm we had a wonderful show season. My ewe Margery took champion ewe at Woodstock Fair, The Big E, and at Topsfield Fair. My ram lamb, Jamie, took champion ram at Woodstock Fair, The Big E, and at Topsfield Fair. He also was judged as best fleeced shetland at the Big E. Here are some photos from all the fun!

Champion Ram

Best Pair 

Pen of Three Lamb

Champion ewe at Big E

As for sheep for sale, I have three ewe lambs for sale. A gray gulmoget, a dark gray ewe lamb, and a lighter gray ewe lamb. They would be 250$ each. I also have three ram lambs for sale. The champion ram, pictured above, is for sale for 300$. He is a sweet boy that would make a great sire, I unfortunately have too many ewes from that line to keep him around for breeding. Finally, I have two yearling ewes for sale. A gray gulmoget and a shaela. Both would be 275$. I will have more pictures of them soon. But let me know if anyone has questions or would like more information!

Happy Fall

Phoebe for Sale

This year we kept three ewe lambs to grow up as yearlings. Two of these beautiful girls will be my pair for showing next year and the third is being kept to be shown under my mothers name. However, we can only keep so many sheep on our little farm, and I would love to find Phoebe a good home even if that means not showing her. Phoebe is a beautiful gray gulmoget. Her mother is a black gulmoget and her sire was a gray bersugget. Her fleece is dense with a medium crimp and nice luster. And Phoebe has excellent conformation, breed character, and a fabulous tail. She is a wonderful ewe who would be a great brood ewe, fiber animal, or pet! Price $300.

Wrapping the Season Up

So show season is finally over. It was a great year filled with fabulous friends, good food, and the great sheep. The last two shows were the Big E and Topfsield Fair. Five of my fleeces were brought up to Rhinebeck Sheep and Wool Festival and they all sold! This half of the fair season belonged to Margery. She was best fleeced and reserve champion ewe at Big E. At Topsfield she was champion shetland ewe and overall champion shetland. I could not be happier with her, she has a stellar fleece a great body, and the sweetest personality. Margery will be one to stay in my flock as a brood ewe.

The yearling ewe class at Big E. Faye was second place and Rosie was 7th out of a very large class.

Margery posing for the honor of Best Fleece and Reserve Champion

My two ewe lambs this year. Quite the pretty pair!

Margery and Redbud Walker (Champion Shetland Ram) competing for champion Shetland overall Shetland

Margery with her overall champion Shetland ribbon

This is my beautiful flock that I was lucky enough to work with. And thanks to all of my amazing
friends that helped me show them!



Back at the farm, all the brood ewes are in with the ram. A friend and I went up to Maple Ridge Farm and brought back a beautiful yearling ram. I am very excited to see how the lambs turn out. He has excellent breed character and a very nice gray fleece. I have five ewes being bred this fall so if anyone is interested in lambs, please shoot me an email because I will have plenty in the spring! I am down to three ewe lambs now and all of my rams are sold or soon headed to their fall appointment. 

2015 Show Season

Now in the midst of our third show of the year we are begging to look forward to some cooler weather. This weekend marks one of our favorite fairs, The Woodstock Fair in Connecticut. Next up will be the Eastern States Exposition on the 25th of September. Pictures from Woodstock will be up soon! But the highlight was Faye getting champion ewe in the open show. So thus far, my yearling ewes are doing wonderfully against a lot of tough competition.
Rosie was champion Shetland Ewe and Supreme Champion Ewe at the Bolton Fair earlier this summer!

 And my flock won as well!

Although sometimes things got a bit wild.

If anyone is interested in my lambs I do have several available for sale this year. Four of my ewe lambs will be available. 

Flow and Phoebe are twins and can be seen in the rodeo picture above. Flo is the black and white HST (she is actually a beautiful gray underneath the tips) and Phoebe is the black gulmoget ewe lamb in front of her. 

Lady and  Etta make up the other pair that is for sale. They are both black HST ewe lambs. 

Please email montana@airey.us for more information, pictures and pricing on any of these lambs.

Growing Like Weeds

The lambs are all growing up wonderfully! I am still unsure who I wish to show this season since I can't make up my mind who I like better. I ended lambing season with 8 lambs in total. Two ram lambs out of Eloise who are inevitably my choice of rams for the year. They are also huge mischief makers who somehow keep escaping their pen.

The other six are ewes, four of these in total will be shown by my mother and I. The first show I am attending this year is the All American Junior Sheep Show which is coming to the Big E Fairgrounds in West Springfield, MA. There will be Shetlands from far away places such as Michigan and possibly even Indiana!  Halter training and preparation for the show is about to begin here on the farm. In the mean time I get to enjoy watching them mature into a very nice crop of lambs!

My three HST girls

A shot of 7 out of 8 lambs!

Oliver

Dickens posing for the camera



 

 These pictures are a little old. I just got back from a trip to Ireland and am just starting to catch back up on everything. More pictures will be soon to come, along with more detailed information about the lambs. Both rams will be available for sale after the show season this year and I will have quite a few ewe lambs for sale as well! Please feel free to email me with questions about anything or interest in buying. My email is montana@airey.us

Wild Air Farm in the Boston Globe

This happened earlier this month, the neighborhood in which I live was in an article in the Boston Globe! I'm so proud to call this place and all the wonderful people who live there my home. It has a picture of my home and sheep in it. Enjoy!

https://www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2015/04/11/backyard-gardens-bolton-wilder-farm-echo-nature/4qjD9sncwERfO6V0MLbcqJ/story.html

 

The End of a Lamby Week

I came home from college yesterday and to my great surprise and pleasure, my last ewe was going into labor! A couple of hours later, I had two beautiful ewe lambs. Both are HST, and their names are Etta and Lady :) That makes the total lamb count six ewes and two rams.
Here is a selection of lamb snapshots from today's fun!

Izzy with the two new arrivals!! Both sired by Bard. Etta is left and Lady is right

Little Etta posing for the camera 

Phoebe and Florence hanging with mom

Inseparable sisters

Rosie with her beautiful baby Daffy

Its the year of the HST

Oliver and Dickens are growing quite well

Oliver has the sweetest face

As the only ewe that didn't get bred this year, Faye is looking quite svelte and ready for the upcoming show season!

Margery is full of mischief and cuteness