Mulberry Lane Farm visits TV26 WGBA

Dixie visited the set of NBC26 Today show to share her wooly secrets to keeping warm during the winter.

Wisconsin winters can be harsh. One farm animal we envy is the sheep.  They have a thick wool coat that is perfect for staying dry & warm in any climate.

·       Female sheep are called ewes. Male sheep are called rams. Lambs are baby sheep. A group of them are referred to as a flock.

·       Shetlands are small and slow-growing. It can take two to three years to reach their adult weight.

·       Rams usually weigh approximately 105 lbs and ewes about 85 lbs. Lambs (baby sheep) are born weighing around 5 lbs.

·       Sheep have horizontal slit-shaped pupils giving them excellent peripheral vision allowing them to see behind themselves without turning their heads.

·       Like cows, they have four-chambered stomachs, burping up their food to re-chew their cud which plays a vital role in digesting their food.

·       Shetlands live 10 to 12 years.

·       This breed is noted for its very fine, soft wool and the high quality of its meat.

·       Wool is one of the best insulating fibers known to man. It is moisture wicking.

·       Their wool repels water, but humidity is absorbed. That’s why sheep do well in both winter and summer.

·       We get wool from our sheep when we shear them each spring. We shear our sheep once a year. In the south you would shear twice a year.

·       One sheep produces anywhere from 2 to 30 lbs. of wool depending on its size and breed.