Narnia Farm is located in South Central Wisconsin on top of a hill in the woods. The first winter we lived here, there were record breaking snow levels. As the months went on and we moved into Spring with no let up with the snow, my husband said, "This must be Narnia". The name stuck but the snow did eventually melt.
We have a variety of animals at Narnia Farm: Soay Sheep, Clydesdale horses, Orpington chickens as well as other types,a guard llama and two border collies.
Our focus on Soay sheep is the preservation of an historical breed. Our flock of British Soay Sheep are all registered with the Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST)in the UK. Conservation of the Soay breed involves genetics playing a big part in breeding. We also keep a detailed record of each Soay sheep we have and their lineage to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy this prehistoric breed of sheep as much as we are.
We got our first Soay sheep in August 2009. Having never raised sheep before we weren't sure how much work was involved or whether we had the skills to care for them properly.
What we found was Soay sheep are so easy to care for and require very little maintanance from us - apart from feeding them. They are wonderful little creatures that are a delight to watch. Beware! Soay sheep can be quite addictive! Once you start raising Soays you'll never want to stop!
In addition to British Soay sheep, Narnia is home to a guard llama named Dahli. Dahli takes his job very seriously and if he senses any danger, he herds his sheep into the barn. The lambs like to tease him into a 'running game' where he chases them and they stot off in different directions. It's quite fun to watch! The lambs are actually exhibiting typical Soay behavior. When chased, then split off in different directions. Soays won't herd like typical domesticated sheep. However, Dahli seems to be able to get them into the barn when necessary.
Our Clydesdales, Janis and Gracie are currently staying at a local stable, Country View Equestrian Center. http://www.countryview-equestrian.org/
The trainers there are wonderful and have worked with them and Jan & Gracie are now proven under saddle. They will make their debut at the St Patricks Day Parade in Monroe Wisconsin.
Update:
Jan and Gracie did a tremendous job at the St Patrick's Day parade. They looked like pros!
Now that the snow is almost gone, our chickens are having a field day scratching up the soil looking for worms and bugs. They are also back into full speed egg production. We typically get 4-6 eggs per day. The Araucanas or as they are commonly know as 'Easter Egg' Chickens, lay green and pink eggs. The Buff Orpingtons and Wyandottes lay brown eggs. They are quite colorful, but they all taste the same. Much better than store bought eggs!
Connor & Lucy, our two border collies like to run through the forest. They don't
bother the chickens, choosing just to watch them run around the yard.