The sheep flock at Observatory Hill Farm consists mainly of white and naturally colored purebred Corriedales.  The Corriedale breed was developed in New Zealand around 1900 by crossing the Merino and Lincoln breeds. Corriedales are now the second most common sheep in the world after the Merino. 

We also have several moorit sheep that were originally recessive colored sheep from the Australian Bond breed.  These sheep are descendents of a population imported from Australia by Joanna Gleason in 2000. These sheep were rejected from commercial white Australian Bond flocks, as the proverbial “black sheep” (or in this case, moorit).  The Australian Bond sheep was developed during the same period as the Corriedale, and by crossing the same original breeds, Merino and Lincoln.   At the time it was developed, the Bond was sometimes called an Australian Corriedale, as the body type and fleece are very similar.

Corriedales are generally known for a fleece of medium-fine crimp and fiber diameter, ideal for handspinning and yet not so delicate a fiber that spinning it results in neps and noils.  However, most of our flock has unusually fine and soft fiber for Corriedales, with a tightly spaced crimp similar to Merino or Cormo, and average fiber diameter of 25-26 microns.

Our flock is therefore special among Corriedale sheep, and the fleeces the sheep grow are prized for their exceptionally soft handle.  We owe a debt of gratitude to Dick and Gretchen Regnery for their years of careful selection and breeding which resulted in this population of unique Corriedales.

We also have a few sheep which have fleeces that are much more traditional for the Corriedale breed.  The crimp of these fleeces is a bold “french fry” pattern.  This “classic” Corriedale wool is often a better choice for beginning spinners.  Drafting fine wool fibers consistently is sometimes a challenge even for experts, and the more typical Corriedale wool can be a bit less trying for those who are still learning the art of spinning wool into yarn.

The flock wears jackets year-round to keep the best part of their fleeces clean.  Some people have expressed concern about how comfortable the jackets are for the sheep, especially in the summer.  In fact, since most of our sheep have dark wool, wearing a light colored jacket keeps them much cooler on the sunny pasture than they would normally be.  Also, sheep cool their bodies not by sweating from their skin, but by panting (like dogs), and by allowing the wind to blow on their undersides which are not covered by wool.  Since the jackets do not cover these areas, they do not prevent the sheep from keeping themselves cool.

Our sheep receive a great deal of individual attention, although they are always ready and willing to have more!  We would not enjoy keeping sheep if they ran away from us every time we approached.  Our sheep interact with us and love being rubbed and scratched, and we enjoy getting to know their individual personalities.  Some of those individuals, it seems, want to make sure we understand that they are the bosses on the farm!  We admit, we answer to our flock at all times.