Wool & Meat But hair sheep, traditionally kept for meat, have coats akin to wild sheep. Crossing with larger breeds, such as the Suffolk or Mule , can produce larger carcasses which will be lean and still retain much of the flavour. In historic times, St. Kilda’s only settlement was at Village Bay on Hirta, although ruins on Boreray (an island four miles to the north) and at another site on Hirta suggest earlier settlements there. Soay sheep are currently listed as “at risk” by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust. Soay Sheep We raise soay sheep, which are one of the oldest heritage breeds still walking the earth. The flocks of sheep were central to the survival of the people on Hirta and the neighbouring islands of Soay and Boreray, providing wool, skin, milk and meat. Let me set the stage. However, the meat is more gamey but lean and tender. Ewes can appear polled, scurred or horned while rams are either scurred or horned. This breed is considered the descendants of Feral sheep. The latest Soay venture is to produce quality meat for local (Reno) restaurants Thanks to the initiative of our son-in-law (Dave Pappas), we located the Old Granite Street Eatery with a sincere interest in local produce and meat. 8/14/2012. The Soay sheep is also a wonderful alternative to chemicals or the bulldozer in reclaiming land overgrown with scrub such as blackberries, willow, poison oak and a variety of forbs, noxious weeds and shrubs. There are two types of Soay sheep in North America (1) American Soay and (2) British Soay. Their name comes from the island of Soay off the coast of Scotland. In Great Britain it is a heritage breed valued for its lean meat which is tender and has an excellent gamey flavor. The Soay is a small (45 to 90 pound), hardy domestic sheep. Soay sheep are small, almost deer-like, about one-third the size of domestic sheep. The Soay has a variety of economic uses. We have stabilized our flock size to around 25 breeding ewes, so every Spring we look forward to the arrival of around 30 beautiful Soay lambs. Feeding through winter would mean less "profits". They tend to look like miniature Bighorn Sheep. We also host J.A. Soay sheep are fine-boned and late maturing, with prominent withers. The Unique History of Soay Sheep – A Relic Population Gevan Marrs - ©2006 – WoodlandCreekFarm.com Note: much of the information in this article is a distillation of the information presented in Clutton-Brock, Juliet, (1987). This is probably what sheep looked like in the stone age. For those who don’t like “fatty lamb” soay meat is a good option. The Soay are small framed, good legs and a fleece varying from light to dark brown and sheds naturally in the summer. It has a stronger flavour with a gamey taste when compared to more common sheep breeds. Soay meat is lean, very tender and has a good flavour. Our sheep are raised for wool, meat, and show. 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. Soay lambs are slower to maturity and produce smaller carcasses compared to commercial breeds. Soay sheep is a domestic sheep breed found in Scotland. Soay sheep are small and easy to deal with. Since the sheep belonged to the Scottish laird who owned St. Kilda, Soay’s sheep were rarely carried home to be slaughtered for meat. Soay means “sheep island” in Norse which suggests that there have been sheep on the island since at least the time of the Vikings. We are also in a position to offer a starter flock of Soay sheep, including an unrelated tup. They are the oldest European sheep, and predate the division of Wool and Hair Sheep. Successful Farming Staff. 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