Another which sheep to get???

Hey all. Well my wife really wants to get some milking goats. Problem is I really don't like what I have read about goats. The rams smell and do disgusting things. They try to get out of anything you put them in. They prefer to eat brush not pasture, etc. So started looking for an alternative and am really looking hard at sheep.

A little about the farm. It is 16.5 acres. 10 acres + of pasture with about 4 wooded (rest is a yard around the house). There is a small pond about 1/4 acre. We presently have chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, and turkeys. I also have about a 1 acre garden with greenhouse and plan on putting another greenhouse up this winter for aquaponics to grow fish. We are trying to grow wholesome food for our son (6 yo last week) and ourselves.

So anyway to the questions (sorry I have so many!).

1) Which breed would do well in my area (Southeast Virginia i.e. hot, humid summers and relatively mild winters - although you wouldn't know it from last year!) and would provide both good meat and are adequate milkers? We are looking to have enough milk for our own use and to make some cheese.
2) Can any sheep be milked? I would imagine that they could.
3) How do you go about finding breeders? I tried craigslist.
4) When is the best time to buy sheep?

Not real interested in the wool aspect but that would not deter me from getting a wool breed. Also I have been reading a lot of posts that say that it is expensive to pay to shear...I remember in College that one of my animal science classes we had to catch and shear a sheep. Didn't seem too hard.

5) Do people do their own shearing? We would not be trying to sell the wool and I am not real sure that we would not be doing it only for animal comfort with the wool being given away or composted (?).
6) How many sheep could we adequately support on 10 acres? I have seen about 3-4 sheep/acre is that about right (we get about 50 in/yr of rainfall so the pastures are pretty lush)? We would be doing intensive rotational grazing and would prefer to feed grain sparingly.

Whew so there you go! Thanks for any responses!!!!

Workinthedream said:

Hey all. Well my wife really wants to get some milking goats. Problem is I really don't like what I have read about goats. The rams smell and do disgusting things. They try to get out of anything you put them in. They prefer to eat brush not pasture, etc. So started looking for an alternative and am really looking hard at sheep.

A little about the farm. It is 16.5 acres. 10 acres + of pasture with about 4 wooded (rest is a yard around the house). There is a small pond about 1/4 acre. We presently have chickens, ducks, geese, rabbits, and turkeys. I also have about a 1 acre garden with greenhouse and plan on putting another greenhouse up this winter for aquaponics to grow fish. We are trying to grow wholesome food for our son (6 yo last week) and ourselves.

So anyway to the questions (sorry I have so many!).

1) Which breed would do well in my area (Southeast Virginia i.e. hot, humid summers and relatively mild winters - although you wouldn't know it from last year!) and would provide both good meat and are adequate milkers? We are looking to have enough milk for our own use and to make some cheese.
2) Can any sheep be milked? I would imagine that they could.
3) How do you go about finding breeders? I tried craigslist.
4) When is the best time to buy sheep?

Not real interested in the wool aspect but that would not deter me from getting a wool breed. Also I have been reading a lot of posts that say that it is expensive to pay to shear...I remember in College that one of my animal science classes we had to catch and shear a sheep. Didn't seem too hard.

5) Do people do their own shearing? We would not be trying to sell the wool and I am not real sure that we would not be doing it only for animal comfort with the wool being given away or composted (?).
6) How many sheep could we adequately support on 10 acres? I have seen about 3-4 sheep/acre is that about right (we get about 50 in/yr of rainfall so the pastures are pretty lush)? We would be doing intensive rotational grazing and would prefer to feed grain sparingly.

Whew so there you go! Thanks for any responses!!!!

Click to expand...

Nobody? Someone must be able to answer some of the questions.

1. Any breed that is local will suit you fine. However most breeds nowadays can be adapted to any climate, so long as the individual animals can adapt (ie don't bring sheep from the West to the South... there will be too many issues with parasites and they won't adapt nor thrive; the reverse is also true... sheep from the South are adapted to lush pastures and would not survive in the rough country of the West. However, sheep of the same breed raised locally will usually have no problems with the environment/climate).

2. Any lactating sheep can be milked because they all produce milk. However you need to select breeds noted for their dairy use (ie East Frieisan, Lacaune, Dorset, etc) and then select individuals with teats that have the correct conformation for the type of milking (long teats for handmilking, any size teat for machine milking, etc) you wish to perform.

3. Craigslist is okay, you tend to find some reputable breeders but most are backyard breeders who may or may not keep good, detailed records and who may or may not care about the health/biosecurity of their animals.. Google Sheep Breeders Directory.

4. Anytime you want, but at least 30 days prior to when you introduce them to other sheep (ie breeding). You can buy lambs at weaning and breed them that fall or you can buy older mature ewes with no history of lambing problems.

5. Yes, people do their own shearing, but most don't. I have my sheep sheared by Emily Chamelin, she travels all over PA, MD, VA, and even out West to shear. The wool my sheep produces (3-5 lbs of medium grade wool per head) does not pay for their shearing so it is counted as a cost of production.

6. Depends on soil quality, forage variety, production, etc. But in general the UMD recommends 1 AU (1,000 lbs of livestock) per acre for the Mid Atlantic region. In Frederick County, MD I currently have 6 sheep/8 lambs on 1.5 acres continuously grazed.

Sheepgirl thank you for responding. I appreciate everything you have to say. I haven't been looking long but do you know of any reputable breeders down my way (Hampton Roads Va area)?

I'm not sure of any in particular, but check out this Web site: http://www.vasheepproducers.com/

And here is a link to the Sheep Breeder's Directory: http://www.nebraskasheep.com/directory/Breeds/