What will my Soay lambs look like when they grow up?

Kate, a first-time Soay breeder, called me excitedly the other day to announce the arrival of her very first British Soay lamb and sure enough, she wanted to know what the furry little creature will look like when it grows up. Has any new Soay breeder not wondered what her lambs will look like as adults?

The truthful answer is, of course, “no clue. Be patient.” But perhaps a few examples will give Kate and other first-timers, and those of you just thinking about getting heritage sheep, an idea of what some Soay look like as lambs and as full-grown sheep.

You may ask, are these pictures typical of Soay sheep? Are the animals pictured here a random sample of the possible variations? A confession: as shocking as it may seem, I tend to take more pictures of lambs who are even cuter than average, who exhibit the less common phenotypes (black, tan, white spotted), or adults who stand still for the camera — than I do of sheep who insist on lying down or burying their heads in the grass, or who seem less photogenic for whatever reason. In that sense, the pictures are not a random sample. But none of these animals is unique and I tried to pick both plain brown sheep and the more noteworthy appearing animals. Enjoy the pictures, and then go watch your own lambs grow up; it’s a lot more fun than looking at someone else’s sheep.