
American RBST Foundation
Flock USA0001
Breeders of
British Registered Soay sheep

Kathie and the girls heading to pasture
photo Steve Werblow Deere & Company, Homestead
magazine
(winter 2006)
About Soay Sheep
The Soay (Ovis aries L.) is a
small European sheep. It is often grouped with the northern short-tail but is in fact
more primitive. [Ryder,1983] It may even be more accurate to describe it as a
prehistoric sheep rather than an individual breed. No one is certain of its origins,
but some believe it could be a living remnant of a 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 and its complete isolation on the
tiny, uninhabited St. Kilda island of Soay, west of Scotland, this feral ruminant evolved
into an adaptable animal capable of surviving in a challenging environment. Since the late
nineteenth century conservationists, farmers and handspinners in Scotland and England have
kept Soay in small numbers and a few are now found in Europe and the United States as
well.
There are two
different Soay sheep in the US and Canada. British
or RBST Soay (terms not recognized in the UK)* are the primitive, historic Soay of St.
Kilda. Through continuous records these animals can be traced directly to the UK and
in some cases to Hirta itself. In 1990 six sheep were brought from England to Montreal and
at the end of the century all of their progeny were imported into the United
States. This is one of a few satellite flocks of Soay outside of Great Britain, the only
one in North America and is currently the only one recognized by the Rare Breeds Survival
Trust. Since their arrival in the US ten years ago the number of registered ewes
has gradually risen to about 300 and offspring are slowly being disbursed to farms around
the country.
The American (North American) Soay is a modern composite breed. It was developed in the
United States and is often confused with the Soay sheep of Scotland. In the early 1980s a
few animals were brought from Canada by exotic animal dealers.These had originated
from a small group imported by a Winnipeg Zoo from Scotland in 1974. Early records
are non existent for any of these sheep, however, those on the west coast are
documented to have begun with a single Soay ram which was crossed with several hair
breeds. The resulting ewe lambs were linebred to the ram and by the early 1990's
their offspring were being interbred and sold as Soay sheep. They have been further refined since that time and are now kept by people
with no interest in historic preservation but who do want an easy to care for breed for
meat, wool, conservation grazing or to simply enjoy. Those that have been crossed with
British Soay are now marketed as American/British.
.
Wild Soay ewes
grazing on Hirta St. Kilda, island of Boreray in distance
photo by Kathie Miller
British Soay are either brown or tan (blond) with a
white belly, white rump patch and occasional white markings on the face, legs and/or body
(referred to as mouflon or wild pattern). Rams
horns vary from tight to wide curls. Scurring in rams and polling (no horns) or scurring
(short, misshapen horns) in ewes are important characteristics of the feral flock on St.
Kilda, but so far none of these traits have appeared in the US. Self-color (solid black or
tan) also have not been seen here yet.
All have a naturally short tail,
their soft, short wool molts in the spring if it is not rooed (hand plucked) and ewes lamb
very easily with few problems. As browsers they thrive on land often considered too
marginal for use by more domesticated breeds. With females commonly weighing less than 50
pounds and rams less than 80 they are very manageable, even for one individual. Soay are
delightful to live with and very forgiving which makes them ideal for people who have
little experience with sheep. 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, with all of its diversity, as an undiluted genetic reservoir for
the future . Because this is a controlled population (a small group with complete
breeding records) it also provides a unique opportunity to study inheritance in sheep.
Their wool is prized by handspinners and artisan hand weavers, their low fat tasty meat is
ideal for personal consumption or gourmet meat markets. Their value for conservation grazing and forest fuel reduction is
just beginning to be recognized in the United States.

Soay ram, Oregon,
Nov. 2009
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
true Soay sheep outside of Europe from Montreal, Canada. As a result of this opportunity
and of our travels throughout England, Wales and Scotland, including St. Kilda preserving
this treasure became our mission and our interest shifted entirely to the conservation of
this British Soay flock. Working with fellow US breeders the population is slowly
increasing. Because sheep registered with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in England are
reciprocal (interchangeable) with Soay in Britain an eight year dream of importing RBST
semen from the UK to establish an artificial insemination program was realized 2008. It was the first time in the 4000 year history of Soay
sheep that AI had been tried and the results were very encouraging; we will try
again in 2009. Hopefully important characteristics seen on St. Kilda, but not
in the US (polling -non horned ewes, scurring and self (solid) color) will find their way
into North American flocks. We are now working even more closely with keepers in the UK to
save this diverse prehistoric relic for future generations of farmers.
We are members of the Soay Sheep Society (UK), the RBST (UK), Soay Sheep Breeders
Cooperative (US) and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. Our sheep are 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.

"Maya", Kathie, Val and "Lindy"
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.
* 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.
Ryder, M.L. Sheep and Man, London: Gerald
Duckworth & Co., Ltd. 1983 pg.522
|
Soay
Conservation
The Sheep of St.
Kilda, Soay and Boreray
A website dedicated to
information about the two unique breeds of sheep
that live feral on the islands of St.
Kilda, an archipelago 100 miles west
of Scotland. The
articles and photo collections are based on a decade
of research and travel throughout the UK
including St. Kilda.
Conserving
Heritage Breeds in America
British and American Soay, an explanation
Viewpoint, a monthly farm
newsletter
Each month we will
present a featured article on Soay Sheep farming,
a Monthly Calendar of farm
management reminders, a Tip of the Month,
personal reminiscences, as well as
related lists, recipes or schedules
that complement the articles.
History of Soay
Sheep
History
is an important component of any breed conservation program
Raising Soay Sheep
A
Beginners Guide to the Care of Soay Sheep
A comprehensive guide to care of Soay sheep: Handling your
Soay, *Keeping your Soay healthy- vaccinations-worming-feet-when
to call the vet, trimming ram's horns, * Breeding season
-Rams and the rut *Lambing (birthing, baby shots, ear
tags, record keeping) weaning, banding,* old timers, *precautions,
*shipping (transporting) Soay, *biosecurity, a few
resources.
Housing
Fences, Shelter (sheds and
barns), Catchpens, Creep
Pens and Feeders
Information on a variety of Soay shelters and
fencing ideas from the US and Great Britain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a British Soay, an American Soay,
a Hirta Soay or a Park
Soay?
What does a Soay look like
(color, pattern, horns), Health
Issues
, Lambing, Some Management
Issues, Do Soay
suffer from
fly-strike, Can I use
dogs to herd my Soay?
Wool & Meat
Fiber: Shedding, rooing (hand plucking) and collecting wool, shipping
wool, hand weaving, wraps, table runners, bookmarks.
Meat: Low cholesterol heritage meat for personal consumption
and gourmet
meat markets
Links and Literature
Our Links and Literature page got so long and cumbersome we have
broken it into three separate pages
Links links on the internet, places in the UK to see
Soay sheep,
Resources
for flock management, sites for fiber artists, St. Kilda
on the
Internet, Lists, Societies, Organizations
Literature DVDs & Videos, Books on a
variety of topics related to
Soay
sheep, general sheep care, livestock protection animals and
the
preservation of endangered livestock breeds,
Magazine
Articles on Soay Sheep, Journals and magazines
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
Conservation Grazing & Forest Fuel Reduction
Our Breeding Program & Sales
Primitive Sheep and Fiber Events and
Shows
Selected US/UK show schedules for 2009
Recent Introductions:
Sam's
Soay Sheep Book, a children's book by Michael Darlow
DVD Soay: Sheep on
the Island on the Edge of the World , a
film of the Soay of St. Kilda by Michael Darlow
The issue of scrapie in the UK
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!
|