In honor of my recent birthday, we added 3 purebred registered Finnsheep ewes to our flock. We think they are lovely and look forward to adding these brown genes to future fleeces. By introducing these sheep as a group, they integrated with the rest of the flock readily. They have been strong and healthy, which has been important as they adjust to a new environment and find a place in the social structure of a new flock. These ewes come from breeding lines different from an

Finnsheep have a lightweight, single coated fleece. The wool is typically soft and fairly uniform across the body with a medium to long staple length of between 3 and 6 inches. A representative fleece is normally open with a moderate amount of crimp. There can be a range of wool fineness with individual Finnsheep, but the representative spinning count is in the 50's (24-31 micron count) and the American Wool Council ranks Finnsheep at the fine end of the medium wool category.

Finn sheep have the potential for several different color variations. These colors are buried deep in the genes of the sheep - both the ewes and the rams. White is probably the most common color found in Finn sheep, but there are other natural solid colors and variegated shades that show up in characteristic patterns. Finn sheep are genetically part of a group of sheep called the Northern Short-Tailed breeds. So they typically exhibit the same patterns and colors as the Shetl

Late spring is the hardest nutritional time of year for sheep. Even though it is a little warmer, there is still little nutrition on the landscape. Plants from last year are bleached of nutrients and this year's growth is yet in its earliest stages. High elevation landscapes are still cold, windy and dry, further retarding new plant growth. This leaves our sheep still relying heavily on stored nutrients and stored energy from last year. The situation for the ewes is further c