The Farm

Chasworth Pottery and Farm is home to our flock of Angora goats, Leicester Longwool sheep, a chicken house full of laying hens, and one very special chicken named Molly.

The bulk of our flock is comprised of naturally colored Angora goats. Goats are full of personality and are quite intelligent—and caring for them is a real pleasure. Angora goats have long been prized as companion animals and can, in fact, profess to be one of the oldest domesticated animals known to mankind. The magnificent, curly fleece of the Angora goat was revered in biblical times, just as it is today, for its strength, luster, and versatility. The word “mohair” is from the Arabic mukhayyar (mukhaya) meaning "cloth of bright hair from a goat". As naturally colored goats, our animals offer shades of mohair ranging from white and reddish-beige to silvery charcoal. The goats are shorn twice a year and each goat may produce up to 5 pounds of mohair at each shearing with a staple length averaging 5-6 inches.

We also have a small group of registered, naturally colored Leicester Longwool sheep. Leicester Longwools were popular during the colonial time period for their large frame, hardy and efficient disposition, and excellent wool and meat. Their genetics played a vital role in the development of many of our modern sheep breeds. By the 1930’s, however, the breed had become virtually extinct in the United States. In the 1990s, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation began conservation efforts to reestablish the breed. Today it is classified as a rare breed with "critical" status by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. The breed is enjoying a revival of interest due to the wonderful lustrous fleece and other desirable traits.

The Leicesters are shorn once or twice a year. A full year’s growth produces an exceptionally heavy, curly, and lustrous fleece with a staple length of 8-12 inches. Our animals offer taupe and silvery-charcoal colored fiber that is softer and finer than most other longwool breeds.

Next door to the sheep and goat barn, our hen house is filled with lively layers and a couple roosters, including our lead rooster, Jake. We primarily raise Americauna chickens, but have a few rare-breed Dominiques and Hollands. With our cold Vermont winters, these breeds are well suited to our climate. Americaunas, also called the Easter Egg Chicken, lay beautiful tinted eggs generally in shades of blue and green, but many colors are possible. Over the years, we’ve been fortunate to have a couple hens who’ve laid olive green eggs, and one who laid spectacular pale pink eggs! Before we started keeping chickens, I had not realized how unique one egg really is from another in terms of its shape, size, shell texture, and color. With the Americaunas, this is particularly true since there is so much shell color variation between the hens.

And finishing up the group is Molly, a chicken who just doesn’t think she’s a chicken. One of these days we will get around to writing a children’s book about Molly. She is our farm’s Mother Hen, in charge and on duty. She refuses to stay in the hen house with the other chickens and has chosen instead to live with the goats and sheep. She’s very affectionate and loves spending time in the studio, but unfortunately this past summer she decided it was more fun to explore my work tables—and especially the freshly thrown pots on them—than to stay on the ground. So, these days, Molly’s time in the studio is limited.

Our farm products include raw fleeces, naturally colored and dyed rovings, and handspun and millspun yarns. If you are interested in our fiber products, please contact us via email for our current sales list. Eggs are available for purchase at Healthy Living Natural Foods Market in Burlington, VT, under the label Triple H Eggs.

 

For more information on Angora Goats and Leicester Longwool sheep, please visit the following sites:

Breeds of Goats (Oklahoma State) www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/goats
Breeds of Sheep (Oklahoma State) www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy www.albc-usa.org
Leicester Longwool Sheep Breeders Association www.leicesterlongwool.org
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation www.history.org