We're still here!

It's been almost a year since the last blog post. I'm not sure exactly how to sum up 2019 in a family friendly format, so I'll just go with the generic and vague, "It was a difficult year -- to say the least."

Howling Hill Farm is still here, though, and, although we suffered some setbacks in 2019, we are pushing on with our breeding programs. The most active at the moment just happens to be our Harlequin/spotted Babydoll sheep program. While we took a rather large hit in 2019 in the form of a coyote attack, our top spotted Babydoll ram, Ike, lives on through his offspring. Check out these two cuties who are being retained for our program: this little back daughter of Poppy, who is as yet unnamed, and the great Steve, a stellar example of a Harleydoll sheep -- a pure spotted Babydoll/Harlequin cross. His dam is one of my all time favorite sheep, a white Harlequin named Lily with stunning fleece.

As the future herdsire of our breeding program, Steve has some pretty big shoes to fill, but so far he seems up to the task with that little bit of extra bravado and moxie that says, "I wanna grow up to be a stud!"

We've also been working on a new project -- Teddywidder rabbits (photos to come). This is a sort of "side project," if you will -- not a cornerstone of the Howling Hill pantheon of critters -- but it's fun and exciting so far to see so many cute fluffy rabbits hopping around.

We still have alpacas, of course, though our numbers have decreased dramatically. Our focus remains on producing a truly elite Harlequin Appaloosa, though we are still working with Tuxedo Grey as well. Expect big things to come from our top herdsire, Red Granite's Pinctus, who is the DENSEST alpaca yet biopsied in the USA, period, and who begins his breeding career in 2020.

All in all, 2019 could be easily said to be our roughest year yet, but in the end, we survived, and Howling Hill Farm lives on. Keep an eye out for more updates as we continue to forge ahead -- onward and upward!

Poppy's latest Babydoll Southdown lamb

Steve, a Babydoll Southdown / Harlequin cross lamb who is being retained as a herdsire