We raise moderate framed heritage American Tunis sheep. We are interested in preserving the moderate frame, thrift, and parasite resistance this beautiful breed is know for. We searched far and wide for a good genetic base for our breeding stock and are pleased to be a part of the effort to preserve this wonderful breed.

Apollo the ram lamb. Tunis lambs are fast growing and feed efficient.

Stella is easily distinguished in the flock by her erect ears and perpetual alertness.

The Tunis is one of the oldest breeds of sheep having descended from ancient fat-tailed sheep referred to in the Bible. As the name indicates, the Tunis originated in Tunisia on the Northern coast of Africa.

Tunis sheep spread throughout the mid Atlantic and southeastern United States and were well adapted to the heat and humidity of these regions. The Tunis was the mainstay of sheep production in the upper South and mid Atlantic regions until the Civil War, when nearly all Southern stock was destroyed. Credit for saving the breed from extinction at this time is given to Maynard Spigener of South Carolina. During the war he protected the last flock of Tunis by hiding them on his land along the Congoree River near the city of Columbia. After the war the Great Lakes region and New England became strongholds for the breed. It is only recently that the Tunis has again been seen in the Southeast.

The Livestock Conservancy  has Tunis listed in the Watch category of their Conservation Priority List, and although the breed has been steadily gaining in popularity in recent years there are certain strains which are not being maintained. These are the more traditional, old-style Tunis which have not been bred specifically for the show ring.

We breed for hardiness, fertility, and foraging ability. We want Tunis that are easy keepers, allowing them to thrive in forage based production systems.

Our ram Clancy placed fiber Fest winner 2018, our first year entering!

Stella’s lamb fleece placed third in 2019!

We also breed for quality wool!  We love our Tunis and are proud to join other farmers who are preserving is wonderful breed. We maintain a waiting list of those interested in raw fleeces. Our flock is uncoated, so we only sell carefully selected fleeces that both showcase the wonderful fiber qualities of the breed and that lend themselves to processing by hand.

We have our fleeces processed into lovely, versitle yarn.

Tunis roving is a joy to spin for both novices and expericed spinners alike.

Tunis spins well, even for us novice spinners!

Although classfied as a medium wool/down breed, Tunis produce fleeces that can be as crimpy and lustrious as some finer wooled breeds.

The flock is enrolled in the USDA Scrapie Eradication Program and are working to secure Export status. As participants in the program, our flock is evaluated by a USDA veterinarian annually and we submit samples to a lab to ensure flock health. Our ewes and rams have been genetically tested for resistance to scrapie. All rams are Codon 171 RR.

Biosecurity is very important us. All foundation stock have been tested for OPP/CAE, CL , and  Johnes. New rams are quarantined and tested prior to being introduced to the flock. All sheep receive a yearly CDT vaccine.

The majority of our fiber is processed at small, family-owned mills. We use Blue Mountain Farm (PA), Mitten State Fiber Mill (MI), and Round Barn Fiber Mill (IN) to process our fleeces into lovely yarn and roving. We are proud members of the Livestock Conservancy, and participate in the Shave Em’ to Save Em’ challenge, an effort to promote the wool of endangered breeds of sheep.

Please feel free to inquire about breeding stock. While we maintain a small flock, we will have lambs for sale spring 2023.