Two Moon Farms
Call us: 315-280-0107
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About Two Moon Farms
Two Moon Acres is family-owned and operated right here in Oneida, NY. Since I started owning sheep in 2007, I’ve treated every customer like they were a part of our family. Other breeders may offer similar sheep, but my animals are the best, and come with a personal touch. I know each one personally.
In 2007 I moved to Oneida and got a couple of purebred sheep as companions for my horse. I never would have imagined I would enjoy sheep so much. I started with Oxford and Romanov sheep, which I thoroughly enjoyed. But they just didn't turn out to be the breeds for me.
I liked the Oxford for her calm even temperament. But she was quite large for easy management, keeping a small flock of only a dozen, for me anyway. I do my own shearing and care.
The Romanov was a wonderful unique short tailed breed which I liked because they were naturally polled (no horns), had short tails (so I didn't have to dock), and they weren't too large. But their temperaments weren't very consistent. Their flightiness was not easy to manage for catching, shearing, medicating or handling.
I also kept Dorset, Suffolk and other breeds (Lincoln, Border Leister, Romney) and crosses of those, for several years.
Being particularly attracted to unique colored sheep and markings, eventually (2011) I discovered Finnsheep. I enjoy looking out the window into the pasture and being able to tell them all apart.
I went to visit a sheep and goat dairy who purchased several of my ewes for their dairy. That is where I saw my first Finn... and I returned shortly to buy him. At first, I had no plans on breeding him or getting into registered purebreds. Although I had some purebred registered animals I had not been registering lambs.
His name was Denny. He was purebred, but unregistered. His mother was a purebred born in 2010, but was the product of a ram flock accidentally getting into the ewe pasture. So although all animals on the property were purebred, the father was not known. So the entire flock of 2010 lambs born in that time frame were unregistered. But that does not change his quality.
While enjoying Denny so much, I started looking for Finns. I soon acquired My first registered Finn, Xenya. I was in love. This was the breed for me.
Ever since, I have sought acquiring good pedigreed, healthy, registered Finns, from varied lines and colors.
I diligently choose to keep the animals with great fleece quality, color, health and temperament. In additionto those fantastic qualities Finnsheep are also known for.... multiple lambs, mothering ability, manageable medium size, milk production, polled (no horns), naturally short tails (no docking) ease of management, and so on.
For more history and information on the Finnsheep breed as well as pedigrees, please see www.finnsheep.org .
Brownie, a Romanov, one of my first sheep in 2007.
Denny, my unregistered purebred Finn ram (2011). My best boy. The ideal ram temperament, plus...
For those wanting to keep and breed a flock of sheep who are unsure about keeping a ram, consider a Finnsheep ram. His daughters increase the prolificacy of your flock, the genetic tendency to produce multiples (triplets, quads etc.) is carried in the ewes.
And although I always recommend keeping safe around rams (never turn your back on a ram), Finn rams, in my experience, are not only very easy to keep together with other rams, but exceptionally non-aggressive to humans, even during breeding season. I am sure there are exceptions, but in my experience they are few and far between.
If you want a fiber animal, and being a pet is important to you, I always encourage the boys. I can also neuter them for you.
Denny, as a 2 year old ram showing his wonderful temperament with his 4 year old friend Cash, maintained this gentleness until his untimely passing at 6 years of age.
About Rams
Finnsheep Colors
Finnsheep have a very high quality fleece, often compared to Marino in softness and fineness (micron count). The difference Finns offer to the hand spinner who may be seeking to acquire a fiber flock, in addition to the many qualities listed above, is the fact that they come on a wide variety of natural colors, patterns and shades.
While trying to maintain the attributes of the Finnsheep breed, I also breed for color (and temperament).
White has been the most traditional sheep color in most breeds, including Finns, because the ability to dye it into many colors.
Many would be surprised to find that the various shades of grey can produce a wonderful 'dusty' color when dyed, in addition to mixed colors, black and white, and brown and white which provide a very different effect when spun together, or dyed.
I attempt to keep the color pattern of Badger-face solid. Meaning no white markings. The solid colored sheep become increasingly uncommon because once white markings (genetics for spotting), known as HST or head, socks, tail, tend to proliferate. I particularly love the striking dark facial stripes, unobstructed by white. Animals that I produce that are considered solid, can produce this lack of spotting pattern in other colors, since it is a dominant trait, if you are also looking to preserve this trait within the breed. Your solid sheep can produce other colors and since it (solid) is dominant, and only requires on gene to express it, depending on their background, they can also produce offspring with white markings. However, I have not yet seen an animal showing HST spotting or piebald produce solid without at least 1 solid parent. If they carry it, they typically express it (this being labeled "dominant") and this characteristic is not a hidden gene, "recessive" which can be carried and not shown. Once the solid (non-spotting) genetics are lost, they cannot be regained without out-crossing. SO I seek to retain this quality in the Finnsheep breed.
On the other hand, I also love the Piebald! I currently have only the 'Dalmatian' variety of piebald pattern, which is a piebald spotting pattern with colored "ticking" on the white areas to a greater or lesser degree (seen in Patric, on the Ram page and Splash, Angie, Amelia, Dharma and Fresh on the ewe page). And I also have a piebald pattern I call 'Overo' which is a very irregular "splattering" of white on a predominantly dark animal, that the white does not cross the spine on the neck or back area (seen in Splash, who also is a 'Dalmatian', on the Ewe page and Mogwai on the Ram page).
Colors are so much fun! Lambing season is like Christmas! I cant wait to see what colors, patterns or markings we will get in each litter. And planning breeding to see what we will get while maintaining quality is always fun. Decisions, decisions!
Photo by Pine Tree Imagery
Photo by Pine Tree Imagery
Flock health
All adult sheep over 2 years of age, on my property are tested negative for Johnes and OPP every other year. All new bloodlines acquired from other farms are also from tested flocks and will be tested themselves when they are of age. All lambs born here are presumed negative by parentage and lack of exposure to affected animals but will be tested themselves when they become of age to maintain negative status.
My flock status is closed. This means they do not leave my property, including shows, or risk exposure in similar manner. Any new breeding stock it acquired from other closed, tested flocks.
All goats on my property are also from closed, tested, non showing flocks and are tested along with my sheep (CAE and Johnes).
When not bringing in new animals for pedigree diversity my flock is closed (closed as of summer 2016). That means no new animals in and existing animals do not leave property of have exposure to outside animals. When the flock is closed, I will test yearly until all animals who were not born here have tested negative twice over the age of 2 years. Continued annual testing should not be required yearly unless flock opens again.
All animals that leave will be as up to date in CDT vaccine as their age allows at the time they leave.
Deworming of adults is done according to FAMACHA protocol and body condition scoring with Cydectin, Ivomec, Valbazen, Safe-Guard and occasionally Corid (for nursing ewes and weaning lambs for stress related coccidia) on an individual basis ONLY as needed, as deemed appropriate. Not routinely. Lambs wormed more frequently according to weaning stress, by FAMACHA scoring, fecal exams, and body condition.
Jerry a 4 year old wether out of Patric and Xenya hogs ALL of the attention... as usual. He resides at Fort Rickey Discovery Zoo.
