The southern half of Virginia Beach is full of farmers and farmland, a few acres of which belongs to the family of junior Savannah Coulter. Her family has welcomed six new baby sheep into their small farm off North Landing Road.
“We have been raising animals since October of 2021, when we moved into our house in the Pungo/Chesapeake area,” said Coulter.
As soon as they realized their sheep were pregnant in the late fall, Coulter and her family began a months-long process of prepping for the births. They were keeping a careful eye on them while making sure they were going to give birth around the predicted time in the spring.
“We usually want [the sheep] to have babies in the spring because it is warm enough that they won’t freeze, and the moms have plenty of grass,” said Coulter. “It all depends on when they are bred.”
Coulter’s family is not the only Salem family with sheep. The school’s very own Photography and Technology Education teacher Mr. Markus Pfeiffer also breeds sheep.
“My sheep became pregnant around September and they gave birth in March,” said Pfeiffer. “One sheep is still pregnant and should be giving birth in July.”
According to Pfeiffer, sheep typically give birth to twins.
“I connect with other farmers in my community through our shared love for farming and animal raising,” said Pfeiffer. “Sometimes I bring extra sheep to an agricultural farm auction to sell, making around $100 per sheep.”
Would you ever consider raising sheep in Virginia Beach? Let us know in the comments.
