We are breeding sheep of Finnish Country stock. At the moment we have 40 ewes and they are of white, black, brown and grey colour. The sheep give us wool that becomes yarn, skins, meat, and also manure that can be used as fertilizer on the fields after composting. Furthermore, the sheep make perfect landscape preservers.

In summertime and all the way until autumn the animals are grazing outside, and some of them are transported by boat to small islands in the neighbourhood. Here on the arid shores of the archipelago, the sheep are excellent landscape preservers.

When moving and collecting the sheep we get help from our two Border Collier working dogs. This dog breed is specially suited to work with sheep and it's the best thing they know!

The sheep get sheared twice a year and the wool is being sent to a spinning mill. From the mill the wool is sent back as yarn of different types. From the yarn we are knitting and weaving various products, for example socks, gloves, hats, shawls. We are also colouring the yarn using plants that grow here in the archipelago. The products are being sold at the Summer Market in Pellinge or directly from the farm. The skins are also being preserved, curried and sold. They have become very popular to use in the children's pram, on the carseat or in the favourite chair at home!

In springtime, March-April, the lambs are born in the shed. One ewe ("mother sheep") gives birth to 1-4 lambs at a time. The female lambs are allowed to stay with their mothers until autumn while the male lambs are being transported to some island in May for "male-grazing"!

In autumn when the sheep are collected, some are moved further for breeding and others go to slaughtering. The meat is sold by orders.

One Saturday each summer we are arranging a thematic "Sheep-Saturday" at the Pellinge Summer Market (Pellinge Sommartorg). On that day we are bringing with us some ewes with their lambs. Moreover, we offer a demonstration on how yarn was traditionally produced at the spinning wheel as well as a demonstration on needle feltmaking. We have had a very positive response to this event and will try to reorganize it again next summer.

PLEASE CONTACT US IF YOU OR ANY OF YOUR FRIENDS IS INTERESTED IN YARN, SKIN OR SHEEP MEAT
TEL 0400/ 44 84 85 (Camilla) sundback.sundo@pp.inet.fi