Sheep
For many years High Meadows Farm had a flock of sheep. The size of the flock started out small but soon grew to as many as thirty sheep. The sheep produced food for the dinner table and wool that was sold to the local wool mill. Some of the wool was kept for home spinning and knitting. However, the greatest utility of the sheep was keeping the fields from growing in - especially once the milk cows were no longer on the farm. During the summer the sheep were kept in the the lower pasture or rotated through the fields along the stone walls (with temporary fencing). In inclement weather they could seek shelter in the Sheep House or lower part of the barn. In the winter the sheep were kept in the first level of the barn.
Sheep Pen 1988. The sheep pen was adjacent to the rear of the barn. The
sheep could go into the rear of the barn to seek shelter (below first
level). They also could seek shelter in the Sheep House (not in picture
but to the left of the view). Below the sheep pen was the farm garden.
In the lower pasture is the Allis-Chalmers tractor. Besides being kept
in the sheep pen the sheep would rotate through all the farm fields
throughout the 3 seasons.
Sheep 1988. In this picture is the Sheep House to the left, the rear of
the Barn in the middle, and the Well House to the right. Note one sheep
with a black face and an all black sheep.
This painting is of a sheep and two lambs in front of
the sheep house on the High Meadows Farm.
Painting - "Sheep in Pasture"