A Happy Accident Brings Rare Winter Lambs to Stanfordville

On a hot night last August, as a summer storm rolled through Stanfordville with heavy rain and rumbling thunder, Michelle Singer brought her sheep into the barn at Stone Silo Farm, separating the ewes from the rams before turning in for the night.

The sheep had other plans.

“The girls broke into the boy’s side, and I don’t know what happened, ’cause I didn’t witness it,” Singer said.

Nearly nine months later, the result arrived on Jan. 24 — twin lambs named Buttercup and Twiggy, born just one day before a major winter storm swept across the Hudson Valley.

“These two sisters were walking within an hour,” Singer said. “It’s crazy, right?”

The lambs belong to the Valais Blacknose, a rare breed often described as the “world’s cutest sheep,” recognizable for its thick, curly fleece and distinctive black markings around the eyes, ears, knees, and nose. Native to Switzerland’s Valais region, they evolved to withstand harsh alpine climates and are known as much for their calm temperament as for their wool.

Singer, an equine veterinarian who owns Stone Silo Farm with her husband, Mark Jordan, discovered the breed online in 2018.

“If you Google them, they just look like stuffed animals,” she said. “And they’re known to be really gentle.”

At the time, Valais Blacknose sheep were still exceptionally rare in the United States. Strict import restrictions meant early American breeders worked through complex crossbreeding programs using imported semen and embryos to gradually recreate the genetics of the original Swiss animals.

Singer said she became the 13th registered breeder in the U.S. eight years ago. Since then, the sheep have gained popularity among small farms and hobby shepherds, and now hundreds of breeders participate in national programs.

Building her flock of 18 Valais Blacknose required patience. Singer first used artificial insemination, then introduced imported embryos, carefully breeding toward higher-percentage animals that more closely resemble the original Swiss lineage.

Today, the sheep graze across the farm’s 29 acres during warmer months as rescue guardian dogs patrol against coyotes. Valais Blacknose sheep produce a long, coarse wool suitable for rugs, felted goods and specialty textiles. Singer sheers hers twice annually, then either saves the wool or shares it with small-scale fiber artists. But she views her flock less as livestock and more as companions.

“I really care more about them than the fiber,” Singer said.

Nearly every animal on the 29-acre farm was born there, and Singer believes their lifelong interaction with humans shapes their social behavior. Rather than keeping their distance, the sheep approach people with curiosity, nudging for attention like household pets — and if the petting stops, they are quick to demand more, pawing or nudging insistently for another scratch.

When Singer walks outside, the flock follows closely behind. She often refers to them as her “therapy sheep”: ““I will go outside and just sit with them for a couple hours, and they sleep on my lap. You can’t think about anything else.” That connection, she said, is part of what drew her so strongly to the breed. Valais Blacknose sheep are widely known among breeders for their unusually calm and affectionate personalities — traits that make them well suited to small farms where interaction with people is constant.

The twins’ mother, Daffodil, went into labor late in the afternoon on Jan. 24, separating herself from the flock and preparing a nesting spot in the barn. Because both Singer and Jordan are veterinarians, they stepped in when the lambs arrived in slightly difficult positions, helping guide each safely into the world before placing them beside their mother.

Friends gathered to help dry the newborns and make sure they were breathing. Not long after, Buttercup and Twiggy were wobbling across the straw.

Their early and unexpected arrival — weeks ahead of Singer’s typical lambing season — has since drawn a steady stream of visitors.

“My friends come every Sunday morning and have coffee and play with the lambs,” she said. “It sort of brings people together.”