Spring Approaching at Stark Hollow Farm

Spring is here, though you wouldn't know it with the sky spitting snow up here on the side of Vermont's second highest peak, Camel's Hump.

But down in the barn, Icelandic ewes are bringing their beautiful lambs into the world, the new heritage breed chicks are feathering out in their nice, toasty brooder and our two pregnant Tamworth Pigs are starting to nose at the slowly thawing earth.

It's only a matter of time before the crocuses show their lovely faces and the pastures start to green.

Celebration Of Breed Specific Yarns & Fibers!

Stark Hollow Farm Natural Colored Icelandic Yarn

Northeast Fiber Arts Center in Williston, VT will be hosting a Celebration of Breed Specific Yarns & Fibers at their center on Route 2 in the village of Williston on Saturday, January 12th, 1- 3 p.m.

There is a growing interest in single-breed yarns and Stark Hollow Farm's Icelandic wool will be featured prominently in the this hand's on exploration of the unique qualities of the fiber that is available from the diversity of local breeds here in Vermont.

There will be a presentation introducing the farms and some of the individual sheep that the fiber comes from as well as the history of some of the breeds. There will be an opportunity to handle the product and knit some of the yarns during a "fiber tasting" session following the presentation.

Purchase one of Northeast Fiber Arts Center's white local Vermont yarns or fibers at this event and bring it back (all spun up or felted, if you got fiber) and they'll have some dyepots going for you on January 26th so you can custom dye your project!

This is a great opportunity to learn about the specific breeds of sheep, their wool characteristics, the farms that they were raised on and the interesting history of sheep in Vermont!

Here is a link to the event page for Northeast Fiber Arts Center. Scroll down to see the event and to register:
http://www.northeastfiberarts.com/events.php.

Another Icelandic Ram Lamb Off to New Home

Stark Hollow Farm Icelandic ram lamb heads off to his new home in Potsdam, NY. Congratulations to Vanessa Bittner of Old Market Farm on this wonderful guy.. Drake is a handsome ram with great conformation, wide horns, nice broad chest, round, well form rump and an overall nice stature. His base color is moorit, though he appears white (he has a "hole" in his white pattern through which you can see the moorit color!). He may carry the badger face pattern.  Good luck, big boy! To see more of our gorgeous Icelandic rams for sale at Stark Hollow Farm,Vermont, go to www.starkhollowfarm.com.

Icelandic Ram "Drake"

Registered Icelandic Breed Stock in Vermont

Stark Hollow Farm provides superior Icelandic breed stock to small farms and breeders throughout New England. In recent months, several start flocks as well as ewe lambs and ram lambs were sold to farms in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Connecticut.

We strive to produce superior animals with excellent conformation, meaty builds, luxurious fleeces and good parasite resistance.

Icelandic lamb is considered a gourmet tasting lamb, mild yet flavorful. Our lamb typically sells out in a matter of weeks! Contact us if interested. Lamb will be available in mid November. Check our website for more information at www.starkhollowfarm.com.

The dual coated fleece, natural colored fleece of these animals is prized by handspinners and felters.

Daphne, a gorgeous moorit  ewe lamb headed off to her new home in Waitsfield, Vermont today.

For more information on Stark Hollow Farm Icelandic sheep for sale, visit us at Stark Hollow Farm.

Icelandic Sheep Travel to New Home

Congratulations to Kate Maclean for her purchase of three of our beautiful Icelandic ewe lambs. Here is a photo of the lambs in the back of her Subaru on their way to their new home...check out Kate's blog at the longest acre.

Delphie, Dubrah & Dax

2012 Icelandic Lambs for Sale

2012 Icelandic lambs for sale at Stark Hollow Farm in Vermont. Something for everyone: stocky, meaty builds, great conformation, wonderful fleeces, great AI lines, good temperaments. These are registered Icelandic sheep from good blood lines.

Follow this link to see our 2012 Icelandic ram lambs: http://starkhollowfarm.com/icelandicramlambs.html

and click on the tab "Icelandic Sheep & Lambs for sale, or follow this link to see ewe lambs: http://starkhollowfarm.com/id71.html

Inquire about adult ewes for sale and bred ewes for sale in the fall. Two rams to choose from: a black grey or a solid moorit both with excellent AI genetics.

contact us at farmer@starkhollowfarm.com or call 802-434-3953 (farm), 802-734-0180 (cell).

Laura & Vanessa
Stark Hollow Farm
Huntington, VT

Running of the Lambs (warning: severe cuteness alert!)

Flash mob at Stark Hollow Farm! At feeding time, while mamas are preoccupied with munching hay and battling each other at the feeders, the lambs begin to congregate. Soon they commence to run. I warn you...the cute factor could cause severe retinal damage...recommend viewing at fast speed too!

2012 Icelandic Lambs at Stark Hollow Farm

Lambing season is underway at Stark Hollow Farm in Vermont. Lots of gorgeous lambs in a variety of colors/patterns. Lots of ewe lambs and ram lambs...

Moorit Ewe Lamb

To see more photos, follow this link: 2012 Lamb Photo Album

Stark Hollow Farm Icelandic Sheep Featured in Recently Published Book

Stark Hollow Farm is featured in Textiles & Textile Production in Europe from Prehistory to 400AD, a recently published book by editors Margarita Gleba & Ulla Mannering. Margarita is an archeologist who specializes in ancient textiles and used a photo of our Icelandic sheep as an example of an ancient breed in her most recently published work. She lectures internationally and will be using samples of our wool and photos of our sheep on her lecture tours.

We visited with Margarita in London last summer in the lab at University College of London. We got to look at the enhanced images via electron microscope of ancient sheep fibers from digs in parts of Western Europe. It has been exciting to speak with her about the Icelandic breed and the wonderful fibers that these animals produce. We hope she will visit the farm soon on one of her lecture tours in the U.S.



More info on the book is available here: http://www.oxbowbooks.com/bookinfo.cfm/ID/91563//Location/DBBC

Modular Portable Livestock Shelter

Vanessa's custom designed livestock shelters are modular and may be taken apart and moved. No tools required! Panels maybe be added or removed to accommodate smaller or larger quantities of animals. The roof system utilizes a durable panel system that will stand up to the winds and snow loads we get here in the north east. The hemlock boards were sourced from a local mill the next town over. The whole system is designed to have a removable floor and can be compartmentalized inside with simple gate style panels to create smaller pens.



We use this shelter for overwintering of our flock of 25 Icelandic sheep. In the spring, several panels will be added to extend the shelter to accommodate lambing jugs. Ewes will spend approximately 2-3 days bonding with and caring for their lambs after birth before they are turned back out on pasture to make way for the ewe mom.



To find out more about this system, including pricing and delivery options, contact Stark Hollow Farm. See more photos about our simple, sustainable structures by going to our website at www.starkhollowfarm.com

Icelandic lambs go to college

Stark Hollow Farm sends two ewe lambs off to college. Corinna and Cavona were purchased by Basil Tangredi, retired veterinarian and professor at Green Mountain College. They will be used by students to learn about shearing, body condition scoring, parasite management, wound dressing and other general animal health care to support the pre-med vet program. Green Mountain College was voted the "nation's greenest school" by Sierra Magazine.

Vanessa & her lambs

Splish, Splash

Splish, splash, he was takin' a bath, along about a Saturday night...



Hello, Daddy!

More Icelandic Lambs

Mara's lamb "Codina" which mean "little tail" in Italian. She got this name due to her breech birth...she came out tail first. Shepherdess Vanessa was amazing in her vigilance, patience and courage getting this little girl out and breathing. She is beautiful!


Mocha's ram lambs are black with the two patterns, mouflon & badgerface, sitting on top. They were out, up, and milking within an hour! She is a great mom.

2011 Lambing Season is Underway!

The first three lambs are born. Mocha and Mara both had their lambs tonight. Mara has a beautiful black mouflon ewe lamb and Mocha gave birth to twin mouflon badger-faced ram lambs.

Here is Mocha with her first ram lamb.

Sheep shelter gets new floor!

We had a torrential downpour here on Saturday. The sheep shelter became a soggy mess. We spent most of the day on Sunday installing a new floor to keep them up off the soggy ground. It came out beautifully.


1 x 6 x 12 foot hemlock boards from P&P Lumber in Starksboro...gorgeous.


Lots of fluffy, dry straw!

Icelandic Lambs on the way

Our registered Icelandic sheep are getting close to lambing. The first lambs are due the end of this month. Vanessa is busy, busy building a modular lambing shelter...

Beverina must be part goat!

Little Bevera seems to be part goat! With all the deep snow, Bevera has managed to figure out how to get up onto the roof of the lamb's shelter...I had to take a steel shovel to remove the snow to keep the little rascal off the roof!

Ember Comes Home

Ember comes home after his breeding season visit to Bloomfield Farm in Charlotte. Matt, co-owner of Bloomfield Farm and Vanessa off-load the rambunctious fellow. He was very happy to be home to his flock at Stark Hollow Farm.

Pearl Heads to West Corinth VT Farm

Our beloved Pearl "of Siam" headed off today in the back of a mini-van contentedly munching away on hay. She was sold as a bred ewe to a farm in West Corinth. We are sad to see Pearly leave us, but know that she will have a great place in West Corinth. We'll miss her complaisant gaze and bossy demeanor. She is a good, hardy mother and will make a fine addition to the flock at her new home. Farewell Pearl!