Our Sheep

Close up of two sheep grazing

On our ranch we have Corriedale, CVM/Romeldale, and registered Romney sheep. We currently have breeding stock available for sale.  For more information on price, selection, or our flock in general, contact us.

 

Corriedale Sheep

Corriedale sheep are hardy with a long life span. They are docile, easy-care mothers with high fertility and adapt well to a wide range of climate conditions.

Standing Corriedale ewe with her lamb lying down

Corriedales are a dual-purpose sheep that produce a thick-stapled bulky fleece. Its wool is popular with spinners and can be used for a range of handspun garments. With a micron width of approx. 25 - 30, many can wear this wool against their skin. The Corriedale fleece is a bright white with good crimp, soft handle, and is very even.

We have 100% Corriedale yarn in Fingering and Worsted weight and Corriedale batts in our shop.

 

CVM/Romeldale Sheep

Development of the Romeldale sheep began 1915 when Californian sheep farmer A.T. Spencer bred his Rambouillet ewes with his new prize-winning New Zealand white Romney rams. By the 1960s, however, coloured sheep began appearing within the flock, the result of a mutate gene.

Badger faced CVM standing on top of hay stack eating

These coloured Romeldale sheep, called California Variegated Mutants (CVM), are generally considered a variant within the breed as they share similar characteristics. They are recognizable by their "badger face" of dark eyes, underbelly, and legs, and a fleece that offers a range of colours. A dual-purpose sheep, the CVM/Romeldale grows a fine light-weight wool with next-to-skin softness. They are an intelligent and long-lived sheep with active rams and docile mothers. Our CVM/Romeldale sheep are affectionately called CVMco because they have been partially cross-bred with our Corriedales.

Check out the range of colours available in our 100% CVMco worsted weight yarn

​

Romney Sheep 

The Romney is a dual-purpose sheep known for its calm and friendly disposition. In general, the Romney is an open-faced breed with strong wool and a long staple that grows over the legs in full. It may have either coloured or white fleece, and we have both here at Disdero Ranch.

Three Romney sheep, two brown, one white

"Romney is the fleece most likely to be voted president of the Wool High School senior class. It can't do everything, but it's an all-around good citizen and extremely versatile, with personality and charisma."* Romneys produce a heavy fleece with a micron width of approx. 29 - 36 (medium coarseness). A healthy mature ram can yield at shearing upwards of 10 kg per year. The Romney fleece is highly valued for hand-spinning and felting and is often recommended to beginners.

*From The Fleece & Fiber Sourcebook by D. Robson and C. Ekarius, p.110

Would you like to get your hands all over some Romney wool? In our shop, we have 100% Romney bulky and Romney worsted weight yarn and Romney batts. For spinners and needle felting, we have an assortment of fibre to choose from.