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American RBST Foundation Flock USA0001
Breeders of
British Registered Soay sheep


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Kathie and the girls heading to pasture
photo Steve Werblow Deere & Company, Homestead magazine
(winter 2006)

                                                               About Soay Sheep

The Soay (Ovis aries) is a small Scottish sheep which is often grouped with the northern short-tailed breeds but it is in fact more primitive. No one is certain of its origins, however, it is thought to be the remnant of a prehistoric semi-domestic sheep brought to Britain prior to the invasion of the Romans; certainly the Soay is the UK's oldest surviving livestock breed. Because of its broad genetic diversity it has been able to adapt to the challenging island environment of St. Kilda (off Scotland) where it has lived feral for thousands of years. Since the late nineteenth century conservationists and farmers in the UK have kept Soay in small numbers and a few are now found in Europe and the United States as well.

There are two different breeds of sheep in the US and Canada called Soay Sheep: British and American. British Soay are the historic sheep of St. Kilda, are participants in a global conservation program and are all registered in the UK. The flock here originated with six Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) registered animals exported from England to Montreal on January 10, 1990. After a ten year quarantine in Canada their surviving progeny were exported to the United States. They are members of the only satellite flock outside of Great Britain recognized by the RBST. As of January 1, 2012 there were 476 registered ewes in the US and Canada. American Soay are a hybrid of Soay and a variety of American breeds developed in the United States in the 1980s. They are not part of the RBST conservation program.

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                                  Wild Soay ewes grazing on Hirta  St. Kilda, island of Boreray in distance
                                                                      photo by Kathie Miller

British Soay are various shades of brown (dark phase) or tan (light phase) with a wild or mouflon pattern; white belly, white rump patch and occasional white markings on the face, legs and/or body. Rams horns vary from tight to wide curls. Self-color (solid black or tan), scurring in rams (short, misshapen horns) and polling (no horns) in ewes seen on St.Kilda do not occur here yet, however, with the introduction of new genetics from the UK in 2007 and 2010 that is expected to change. 

All have a naturally short tail, their soft, short wool molts and can be rooed (hand plucked) in the spring. Ewes lamb very easily with few problems even when older, twins are common. As browsers they thrive on land often considered too marginal for use by more domesticated breeds and are useful in eradicating blackberries and other noxious weeds. Females commonly weigh less than 50 pounds and rams less than 80 which makes them very manageable, even for one person. Their light weigh makes them easy on pastures. Soay are delightful to live with and very forgiving making them an ideal livestock breed for beginners. Comparatively low in maintenance they make a wonderful addition to a small farmyard.

British Soay are being kept in the US as part of a global conservation effort to preserve this historical archive as an undiluted genetic reservoir for the future. Because the US flock is a controlled population (a small group with complete breeding records) it also provides a unique opportunity to study inheritance in sheep. The wool is prized as a novelty by hand spinners and artisan weavers and it is especially suited for felting. The low fat, tasty meat is ideal for personal consumption or gourmet meat markets and the sheep's value for conservation grazing / forest fuel reduction is just beginning to be recognized in the United States.   
 

         
                                                                          British Soay ewe lamb, April 2011                                               
               
                                                                                      
           

Who are we and how did we discover Soay Sheep?

We are Val Dambacher and Kathie Miller, two Pacific Northwest friends from Oregon, who fell in love with these marvelous little Scottish sheep and whose husbands gladly encouraged our association so they would not have to listen to us talk about Soay.

Val (now retired) had raised sheep since her move to Oregon in 1992 while I, on the other hand had respected my husband's request "to bring anything home, but sheep!" For 25 years I raised everything else, until one evening the phone rang and the woman on the other end of the line said she needed a home for some SMALL and very RARE..... I didn't hear the rest. Within the week I was a sheep farmer. My only regret now is that I did not know about Soay sheep while I was living in southern California; they would have been the perfect animals for my "farmette" in the city.

As our passion for these sheep grew we made friends in both Canada and Great Britain. Over the course of three years, 1998, 1999 and 2000 we imported the only flock of Soay sheep outside of Europe from Montreal, Canada to Oregon. In 1999 we were able to get the sheep reinstated in the Combined Flock Book of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in England. As a result of these opportunities and of our travels throughout the UK, including St. Kilda, conserving this faunal treasure became our mission. US born Soay registered with the RBST are reciprocal (interchangeable) with Soay in Britain and as a result I was able (after Val retired) to establish an artificial insemination program with the help and support of Christine Williams a breeder in the UK. With semen she had collected from four of her registered rams in 2007 and 2010 the very narrow gene pool that we had been forced to work with from the beginning was finally  widened. The first "AI" lambs were born in 2008, a second round in 2010 and a third in April 2011. More are planned.

Southern Oregon Soay Farms is a member of the Soay Sheep Society (UK), the RBST (UK),   the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy (ALBC) and Sheep and Friends, A Circle of British Soay Conservationists (US). Our sheep are all registered in the Combined Flock Book of the RBST and we have been enrolled in the federal Voluntary Scrapie Program since 1999. Visitors and inquiries are always welcomed.

                                         Kathie and Val relaxing with Maya and Lindy
                                                      "Maya", Kathie, Val and "Lindy" (Nene gosling)

                                       We hope you enjoy the information on our site.
Click on the links below to learn more about Soay Sheep and how to care for them.

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British Soay is a term used only in the U S and Canada to distinguish RBST registered Soay sheep
                                       from North American Soay Sheep which are only registered in the United States.
                           


Raising Soay Sheep

  • Care & Maintenance A quick summary guide
  • A Beginner’s Guide to the Care of Soay Sheep   Updated
     also available in PDF format
    A comprehensive booklet on how to care for Soay sheep: Bringing your sheep home, What do Soay sheep eat, Handling Soay Sheep, Keeping your animals healthy, Routine maintenance, A Soay's life cycle (rams and the rut, lambing, old age) Shipping , Biosecurity. Poisonous plants, Precautions, Resource guide
  • Lambing and Lamb Care
    also available in PDF format
      
    A basic guide to lambing and lamb care in Soay sheep, from birth to weaning, castration, vaccinations, common problems
  • Housing
    Fences, Shelter (sheds and barns), Catch pens,
    Creep Pens and Feeders  Information on a variety of Soay shelters and fencing ideas from the US and Great Britain. Extensive photo gallery
  • Frequently Asked Questions


Viewpoint, a monthly farm newsletter
 is designed as an educational, entertaining and useful tool to enhance the reader’s knowledge and enjoyment of this breed and its care. Husbandry, resources, management ideas. PDF Index

            
History of Soay Sheep
        History is an important component of any breed conservation program and it has been critical to this one. Without it pedigrees and databases have little meaning.


Soay Conservation
Conserving Soay Sheep in America
  why we need to be                    committed to the conservation of endangered livestock breeds and in particular to the ancient British Soay sheep of St. Kilda.

The Sheep of St. Kilda, Soay and Boreray
   
   A website dedicated to information about the two unique breeds of
        sheep Soay and Boreray that live feral on the islands of St. Kilda
with a
        photo gallery of Soay sheep as they are found in their native habitat and
        in the UK
 
        Color and Pattern in Soay Sheep
, Photographic ddescriptions of dark
        phase, light phase coloration and Mouflon/wild and self patterns in Soay
        Sheep on St. Kilda

Our Breeding Program & Sales


Wool & Meat
          Fiber: Shedding, rooing (hand plucking) and collecting wool. The
          double coated Soay produces soft, short wool that makes it ideal for
          felting but
it can be hand spun or commercially processed into
          yarn for use by handweavers
 
        Meat:  Low cholesterol heritage meat for personal consumption
          and gourmet meat markets and restaurants.

Conservation Grazing & Forest Fuel Reduction


Of Sheep and Friends, A Circle of British Soay Conservationists. A circle of friends, located in all parts of the USA, who
       are dedicated to the conservation of this very special flock of sheep.

       Breeders list, calendar of events, goals and objectives.
     
www.britishsoaysheep.com

Primitive Sheep Shows and Events
          Selected US/UK show schedules for 2012  
       
  The issue of scrapie in the UK
         

Links and Literature
         
Our Links and Literature page got so long and cumbersome we have
            broken it into three separate pages

            Links  on the internet, places in the UK to see Soay sheep,
            Resources for flock management
            Literature DVDs, Books on a variety of topics related to Soay sheep
            endangered livestock breed conservation, Livestock Protection Dogs
            and St. Kilda

            Resources and Catalog Suppliers Livestock  handling equipment
             (including the US version of a British hurdle), veterinary
             supplies, lambing supplies, halters, fencing supplies, Soay baby ear
             tags


Photo Galleries of Soay Sheep (our own and St. Kilda)  
          British Soay Sheep pictures:  Southern Oregon Soay Farms
          St. Kilda pictures:   Wild Soay Sheep on St. Kilda (Hirta)

 




Kathie Miller
Southern Oregon Soay Farms
P.O. Box 1382
Merlin, Oregon 97532 USA
kathiem@soayfarms.com
(541) 955-8171

Thanks for Visiting!
Thanks for Visiting!

Home Page  -  History of Soay Sheep  History of Soay Sheep in North America - FAQ
Care and Maintenance - Shelter and Fencing   -  Meat, Wool, and Fiber  -  Breeding and Sales 
Our Soay Sheep Photo Gallery - St. Kilda Pictures -Conservation Grazing and Forest Fuel Reduction

LinksLiterature - Supplies-Beginners Guide - Soay Sheep Conservation -Primitive Sheep, Events and Issues

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