Members of SOA utilize a variety of breeding programs.  Some begin by collecting any number of Soay sheep that are as unrelated as possible and start from there.  This is an acceptable method, particularly if you intend to run a Wild Flock, but there are other considerations before making decisions about which sheep to purchase.  No matter which program or lack of program you choose to use for breeding Soay sheep, culling poor specimens is essential.  To cull means to neuter or butcher.  Please visit the Faults page for more information.  Pet breeders who cannot bring themselves to cull generally make poor sources for breeding stock; we have yet to find a Soay breeder that has neutered a ewe!

TRADITIONAL FLOCK

• The typical breeding program that most people think of is the Traditional Flock.  Ewes are kept separate from the rams, and ewes are exposed to only one ram at a time.
  

• Some breeders, especially those who keep small flocks, use just one ram per year.  This is an easy method, but it means that all the lambs produced the following spring are 1/2 siblings, and possibly even more closely related if any of the ewes are related to each other.  Flock owners that intend to produce their own homegrown meat find that this method is a very easy way to keep and breed Soay sheep.  Conservation breeders that can only keep a small number of sheep might choose just one bloodline to preserve, and make their initial and subsequent purchases with this goal in mind.
  

• Some breeders divide their ewes into many smaller flocks, putting one ram to each group, enabling the breeder to sell unrelated pairs or trios of lambs to buyers.
  

• Breeders with large or small flocks may take one of two paths.  Some breeders breed for a particular "look" or phenotype, while other breeders choose to preserve one or more bloodlines.
  

• Breeders with conservation in mind divide their flock of ewes up by bloodline, with each group of ewes receiving a somewhat related ram from the same bloodline.  This method is recommended in "A Conservation Breeding Handbook" published by American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. 
  

WILD FLOCK

• Breeders who wish to duplicate the living conditions found on Soay and Hirta may want to keep their sheep in a Wild Flock.  This means that ewes and rams are kept together year round, and the sheep themselves decide who they mate with.  This is a very easy method of management, and such flocks are registerable with SOA as long as the Bylaws are followed.  See the Wild Flock page for more information. 
  

• When purchasing sheep for a Wild Flock, it is imperative that all the sheep are fully registered.  It is recommended to purchase at least 3 unrelated rams to begin with.  If they come from different flocks, they should be of the same age for safety reasons.  If they come from one flock, the ages of the various rams won't matter as much.  Begin with as many ewes of any age that you can manage.  Some Wild Flocks begin with a diverse group of bloodlines, but a Wild Flock could also be managed within a single bloodline. 
  

• The disadvantage of Wild Flocks are that any sheep sold will not have a sire listed on their pedigree, and multiple purchases from Wild Flocks may be very closely related to each other. 
  

• Running a Wild Flock within a single bloodline gives the advantage of ease of management, while also contributing to the conservation of a particular bloodline!  This may be more appealing to buyers striving to preserve your bloodline of choice.  Click here for more information about Wild Flocks.
  

LINE BREEDING

• Many people have preconceived notions about linebreeding which are not always accurate.  Linebreeding allows concentration of certain characteristics that might be lost otherwise.  While it is true that linebreeding can concentrate bad characteristics as well as good ones, this creates an advantage by being able to pinpoint a defect in a bloodline that might lurk unnoticed otherwise.  Most breeds of livestock and pets we recognize today were created through extensive linebreeding and inbreeding.   
  

• Linebreeding, often confused with inbreeding, is less of a problem with Soay sheep, because this population has been inbred for millennia, thereby eliminating the problems often cited as a reason not to linebreed.  Mother Nature herself has weeded out those problems over thousands of years, having created a genetic population that is difficult to differentiate from one another.
  

AGE SOAY SHEEP CAN BREED

• Soay sheep, both ewes and rams, can breed their first autumn as lambs.  Ewe lambs typically come into estrus at about 7 months of age.  Ram lambs can breed as early as 4 months of age.
  

If you have questions about the Breeding Program that most suits your situation, or which bloodlines are most in need of conservation, please contact the SOA Registrar!

Links and References about various breeding programs:

• A Conservation Breeding Handbook, by D. Phillip Sponenberg and Carolyn J. Christman. Published by American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.  This book explains in detail how the various breeding programs will help save small populations, how to implement such a program, and how to continue it.
  

• Some Special Genetic Characteristics of Domesticated Breeds, by Willard W. Olson, published in the May/June 2005 edition of ALBC News.  This article dispels many myths about inbreeding and small populations of farm livestock.
  

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