Firefly Fields

The word "Helmi" means pearl in Finnish and Helmi's wool is as white and glistening as the pearl she was named for. Helmi is a white ewe and the daughter of Lumi and Teddy. Teddy is Sandy De Master's brown ram at Wee Croft Finnsheep. Mara was born in March 2004. Although I purchased Lumi in July 2003, she did not come to live at Firefly Fields until November. Instead, Lumi stayed at Wee Croft and was bred to Sandy's ram Teddy. Teddy is a rare brown Finnsheep. He is the grandson of two brown Finn rams who live in Finland. Both his parents were conceived using artificial insemination.

Baby Helmi

Brown is the most recessive color in Finnsheep. In order to be brown, a Finnsheep must have two copies of the brown gene. Therefore, both parents must carry at least one copy of the brown gene in order to produce a brown lamb.

Lumi does not carry a brown gene, so she could not have brown lambs. However, because her father is brown, Helmi carries one copy of the brown gene. This means that when bred to a brown ram or a ram who is recessive for brown, Helmi can produce brown lambs.

In April 2006, Helmi produced twin ewe lambs when bred to Usko. One was black and the other was a very cute piebald marked like a panda.

Helmi is one of the friendliest sheep in our flock. Whenever we go out to the barn or pasture to work, Helmi is always nearby "helping" by nibbling on our clothes! She is the twin sister of Mara.

Back to Meet our Flock

Last update: June 22, 2008