# sheep



## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

So if I read right  ...

A few people on this forum have sheep ... Want to tell me about them !?!

I have Jacob and a few Icelandic, great for the home spinner and not bad at the tabe either ... 

Tell me about your sheep. :flower:


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## sunny (Dec 26, 2010)

I'll have to get back to you on this one. I have an order in for a Dorper. The producer was asked to pick the longest legged lamb and let his kids make a pet out of it. He promised me that his kids would love it, so... I need a lawn mower, I'm in a position to experiment, and I'm curious...
When my daughter was in FFA, she raised a couple market lambs over 2 years. The first, a ewe lamb, ended up going back to the producer. She got sore mouth at weigh ins and didn't make final weight. The second was an auction lamb I bought, he was great. Well within the limit for weight, square, long loined, beautful meat lamb. Well, we failed again. He wasn't the popular black faced hamp or even a suffolk. In fact, he was a rather homely gray speckled cross bred much heavier bodied but, not as sleek, coarse wooled, and hand sheared. Well, this time, there was no way I was going to let her work so hard for nothing. We brought him home and put him in the pack goat team. 
This boy worked his tail off for us. He was attentive on the trail, he had better hearing than the goats, he was quieter moving through the woods, and he loved it. He did have problems with heat, but, this boy hiked 3 states in his lifetime. 
I wonder though, what if I raise one just for packing, what if it's a desert hair sheep with a lot less heat issues, and grow him slowly to be a sturdy workng animal? 
I don't know, I think it's a worthwhile to try again. Maybe I just miss Dexter on the trail but, he did add something to the team.
My new boy will be weaned in febuary. If you'd like I will make sure to let you know how he does.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

forgive my ignorance on this; but if you don't care about the wool, can't you just shear/clip him more often?


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## sunny (Dec 26, 2010)

The_Blob said:


> forgive my ignorance on this; but if you don't care about the wool, can't you just shear/clip him more often?


 Sure and we did keep Dexter cut very short. It's not like you might think though. A coarse wooled meat sheep has interesting wool. You can't touch it with a regular pair of hair clippers, it just won't cut. My horse clippers wouldn't cut him. We had to do it by hand and boy if you want to see blisters...those hand shears are a pain to use and if you're not careful you end up skinning the sheep by accident. There is an art to it that I couldn't figure out.


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## dawnwinds58 (Jul 12, 2010)

I don't have any sheep, but I have been on quest to find a breeder of American Blackbellys since I saw my first one. It's a hair sheep breed that develops a hair coat to protect it from winter cold and sheds out every summer, has great "camo" coloring for woods and grasslands so predators (even 2 leggeds) will be hard pressed to visibly target them from a distance, AND the rams have excellent protective horns.

If any one knows somewhere in KY, IN, or TN that raises them, I'd appreciate a link to them!!


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