What is now referred to as the British (or RBST) Soay* was brought from England in 1990 for research purposes, kept in quarantine in Quebec for a decade and imported as a flock into the United States at the end of the century. It is one of a very few satellite flocks outside of Great Britain, the only one in North America and is currently the only one recognized by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in the UK. Since its arrival offspring have slowly been disbursed to farms around the US.


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                              "light-phase" (blonde) ewe lambs resting with a friend on a rainy winter day
                                                                    March 2008

British Soay are either brown or tan (blonde) 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 have appeared in US flocks. Self-color (black or tan with no white markings) also have not been seen here yet. Grey is not known in these sheep.

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

The British Soay is being kept in the US as part of a global conservation effort to preserve its diversity as an undiluted genetic reservoir for the future. Because it is a controlled population (a small group with complete breeding records) it also provides a unique opportunity to study inheritance in sheep. Its wool is prized by handspinners and artisan hand weavers , its low fat tasty meat is ideal for personal consumption or gourmet meat markets and its value for conservation grazing and forest fuel reduction is just beginning to be recognized in the United States. British Soay rams are also being used by a number of  breeders on their North American Soay ewes.

          
                                                             Mr. Mom  April 2008                
                                                                 
                                                                                                                           

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 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 mutual passion for the Soay has grown we have made friends in both Canada and Great Britain. Over the course of three years, 1998, 1999 and 2000 we imported the only   pure flock of Soay sheep outside of Europe from Montreal, Canada. As a result of this opportunity and of our travels throughout England and Scotland, including St. Kilda, preserving this treasure has become our mission and our interest has shifted entirely to the conservation of this British Soay flock. Working with fellow US breeders we are slowly increasing it's population. Because sheep registered with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust in England are reciprocal (interchangeable) with Soay in Britain we have also been able to develop an AI program with imported semen. We are now working closely with keepers in the UK to conserve 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 participate in the Open Flock Book Project in the US. 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