Soay Sheep at Colorado Wise Acres Farm
 
Soay sheep are a primitive breed of sheep whose origin  can be traced to a population of feral sheep on a 250 acre island called Soay, in the St. Kilda Archipelago off the coast of Scotland.  It is unclear how they got to the island, but some suggest they arrived during the Bronze age or were brought by Vikings in the ninth or tenth centuries.  In 1932,  the island of Soay was evacuated and 107 Soay sheep were brought from the island and released.  

Their history in the U.S. is traced to sheep that were brought to Canada and purchased by breeders in the northwestern part of the country.  Breeders in Washington state and Oregon were among the earliest to develop the breed in America.  The sheep on CWA farm were purchased from one of the founding breeders in Camas, Washington.

The Soay sheep are small framed animals with good legs, short tails, and they naturally shed their wool.  Wool can be pulled (rooing) from their hides in the spring and early summer.  The fleece is extremely fine with the inner fleece and outer coat being very similar.  The fleece is used for hand knitting.  The wool quality is 44′s to 50′s with a weight between 3 and 5 pounds and a staple length between 5 and 15 cm.  It is said that the wool is so fine it was used to knit islander’s under garments.  To that, my brother, the grandson of a Scottish immigrant said, “Remember what stoic and hardy folks the Scots are….”  

The fleece colors range from light to dark brown, tan with a white belly and rump with a white patch under the chin called Mouflon or wild pattern.  They are rarely  solid color black or tan.

These animals are not like most sheep in that they lack the flocking instinct of other breeds.  They are exceptionally agile, frighten rather easily and take refuge in the area most familiar to them.  As feral animals their flight instincts took them to high cliffs and crevices.  With effort and care, they can become less anxious and more approachable.  Many breeders find them to be friendly and easy to manage.  The females are good mothers with adequate milk for single or twin lambs.

The rams have well developed horns, heavy shoulders and chests.  The females are polled or scurred.  Some females have well formed horns though smaller than the rams.
They are hardy, healthy and easy keepers in terms of adapting to varying climates and environments.  

Soays are used for their wool, meat and ability to graze weeds and brush. Their carcasses are said to be lean and their meat is considered a delicacy by some.  (We do not eat the animals raised on our farm.)  Their size makes them excellent animals for small acreages and homesteads.

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History
The African Guinea Hog, according to Ralph Nathan in his book, Revisiting America’s Food Traditions,  is thought  to have ancestors that  came to America three hundred years ago with African slaves who ended up in Applacia.  It is possible the Guinea hogs were bred to English pigs.  According to Nathan, Thomas Jefferson and his neighbors got black rose tinged hogs from Africa by way of the Canary Islands.  

Initially these pigs were called Red Guineas,  however, having been crossed with the English pigs, Essex pigs and West African Dwarf pigs, they remain black.  Both the Red and Black Guineas could be found up and down the Appalachian Trail.  They were called by various names including Acorn eaters, Forest pigs, yard pigs and Pinewoods Guinea Hogs.

These pigs provided excellent pork, ham and lard.  They were valuable to small farms because of their ability to control pests. graze rough ground, root out perenial weeds and till the soil.  They also were easy keepers eating acorns, chestnuts and fruit from orchards in addition to rodents, and snakes.  

Guinea hogs are small, from about 250 pounds for gilts and sows to 350 pounds for boars.  The butcher carcasses weight from 50 to 100 pounds.  These small, versitile hogs were found on homesteads in the Appalachians well into the 1880s.  With the improved breeds developed across the country for commercial use, the Guinea hog began to disappear.  The Guinea Hog was considered critically rare during in 1990′s.  According to the American Guinea Hog Association, the breed registry, they are critically endangered with less than 300 remaining in the country. 

Why Guinea Hogs?
These small hogs have a wonderful disposition.  They are friendly and easy to manage.  Their food intake can vary and is easy to provide.  They are avid grazers and will make short work of grass or weeds.  They also are more than adequate rototillers.  In addition, they can provide just the right amount of meat for a small homestead though consuming these sweet animals is not part of our plan.

Breeding stock available
We currently have three females and two males available.  Two females and one male were born June 26, 2009, two males and one female were born Aug. 11, 2009 and are ready and waiting for new homes.