Dancing Ewe Farm is home to a cross-bred flock of East Friesian Ewes and several Old Chatham Farm bred rams. We currently direct our breeding system to select ewes (mother sheep) for lambing ease, twinning, and the ability to maintain body condition on an intensive grazing program. This provides us with a flock of ewes that can give birth with minimal help, produce a healthy amount of milk for cheese production, and maintain body weight and physical health with minimal manufactured concentrated foodstuffs.
The sheep at Dancing Ewe Farm are raised naturally, the way "mother nature" intended. They have the freedom to graze lush, healthy pastures, lie down in the shade during the heat of the day to “chew their cud,” and drink fresh water when they need it. The key to our system is to allow sheep to be sheep. Unlike large factory farm systems, they are not kept penned in huge barns and fed “total mixed rations” without the ability to graze. In trying to provide the best animal husbandry for our sheep, we only selectively medicate our ewes when their natural immune system needs a little help. If body condition indicates less than optimal health, appropriate medications are used. When necessary, a sheep may be removed from milking, and/or the flock. Healthy sheep will help make quality milk…the most important element to our program.
