Our sheep graze in the pastures from April to December. Occasionally, spring may be very wet or late, or winter may be wet or early, which may cause us to start later or finish earlier, but the period generally runs from April to December. These pastures are natural, meaning they haven't been seeded for decades. In fact, no "work" is done in the fields, such as seeding or plowing with heavy machinery (there's very little fuel in our production). We plan to bring in some native seed varieties like clover and chicory to improve some of the less-performing pastures, but this will be done by broadcast sowing, i.e., without working the soil. From April to December, the ewes and their lambs are moved daily to a new pasture and eat only what they can find in that pasture. We don't have to "feed" them, but we do provide them with free-choice mineral powders to supplement minerals that the pastures may be lacking, such as selenium or iron. Because the pastures are so diverse, we find they don't consume many minerals. In winter, the sheep are always in an outdoor area that is fenced-in to keep coyotes and dogs out. This area is much larger than they need, and when it snows, they end up using about a 1/4 of the available space. Within this permanently fenced area is a shelter that they use to escape the wind or rain, filled with clean, dry bedding. During the winter, they have long wool that insulates them perfectly, and we rarely see them using the shelter. In winter, they are fed hay, that is, cut and dried grass. They have free access to hay at all times and receive the minerals I mentioned above during the winter. This is especially important when they are pregnant, just as it is for us women with prenatal vitamins.

We slaughter our lambs at 8 months of age. They spend their entire lives with their mothers, although the mother tends to "wean" her lambs—that is, kick them away from their teats and tell them "my work is done, go away"—around 5 months of age. For reference, pork is generally slaughtered between 4 and 6 months and chickens at 8 weeks. We also offer mutton. Our mutton is aged 12 to 16 months, which results in a larger animal, with larger cuts, of course. We like this because the animal spends a little more time on this earth, and the meat develops more flavor and fat. It is still very tender, but a little less so than lamb, and lamb is more in-tune with the seasons and cycles of nature. In our climate, mutton must be fed hay throughout the winter, which requires time, machinery, and fuel to harvest, as well as space for storage.

Icelandic sheep are a heritage sheep breed native to Iceland that has existed for 1,000 years. We raise exclusively purebred Icelandic sheep for several reasons: 1. We appreciate that they are a maternal breed, meaning they are good mothers and give birth to small, light-boned babies, which results in easy births. 2. We appreciate that they have lived in relative isolation for the past 1000 years, meaning their genetics have not been selected for modern industrial traits such as larger lambs, breeding triplets, leaner meat, etc. 3. It may seem superficial, but we love how pretty they are! They come in all colors and patterns, and both males and females have beautiful horns. We spend a lot of time with these animals, so it's fun to watch them. And the babies are so cute! 4. It's a multipurpose breed. We can eat their delicious meat, process their rare wool, and milk them for our family. 5. They're a hardy breed, meaning they're more resistant to parasites and thrive on grass. Our sheep are never fed grain, so we needed a breed that would stay healthy and thrive on natural pastures and local hay.