mikiz
Loving the herd life
- Joined
- Jan 16, 2015
- Messages
- 254
- Reaction score
- 153
- Points
- 183
So I've narrowed it down to 3 breeds I want to keep, 2 are hair breeds and one is a wool breed:
Damara
Wiltshire Horn
Cheviot
I want to at least attempt to milk, and obviously have meat, however I'm undecided about wool, but don't think it would be a bad thing to have as an extra. I want to be able to use all of the animals I slaughter so the horns are a plus when it comes to using skulls on the hair sheep, but not good for wool, so Cheviots are polled. I really do like the look of Wiltshires and Cheviots, but I want the colour of the Damaras for killer sheep because I utilise the hides.
I want as low maintenance as I can get, so year-round breeding isn't a priority, and I know how to shear so that's not a big deal either, just a bit more work, but I'd be getting wool out of it once a year. All are flystrike and worm resistant.
A good return is a plus though, and all three breeds have majority multiple births and strong mothering instincts.
I can crossbreed the two hair breeds, but I don't know how to fit the third breed in without keeping an entirely separate flock which means I would have to have twice as many paddocks, which is more work. And also considering the ease of moving the sheep, Damaras have excellent flocking ability, whereas Wiltshires are friendly and trainable, but I don't know about Cheviots.
I don't know what hair sheep taste like either, unless that's what they use in the shops. One of my friends raises mixed breed wool sheep and says that hair sheep just don't taste right. (I have a feeling that sheep taste like sheep)I've also heard it said that hair breeds you don't have to castrate the killer ram lambs because they don't develop a bad taste in the 5-6 months they're alive? But then I suppose wool breeds couldn't taste all that bad by 6 months surely?
The land I'm looking for will have enough pasture for minimal assisted feeding, so pasture year round. The area's climate ranges from dry 30*C in summer to soggy wet below 0*C in winter. Sometimes frost. So I'm worried about the hair sheep getting too fat even on pasture, as they're more suited to sparser forage diets.
What I'm actually asking is if anyone has any insight to the pros and cons of each of these breeds? Will the wool breed do "better" on lush pasture year round than the hair sheep?
Help?
Damara
Wiltshire Horn
Cheviot
I want to at least attempt to milk, and obviously have meat, however I'm undecided about wool, but don't think it would be a bad thing to have as an extra. I want to be able to use all of the animals I slaughter so the horns are a plus when it comes to using skulls on the hair sheep, but not good for wool, so Cheviots are polled. I really do like the look of Wiltshires and Cheviots, but I want the colour of the Damaras for killer sheep because I utilise the hides.
I want as low maintenance as I can get, so year-round breeding isn't a priority, and I know how to shear so that's not a big deal either, just a bit more work, but I'd be getting wool out of it once a year. All are flystrike and worm resistant.
A good return is a plus though, and all three breeds have majority multiple births and strong mothering instincts.
I can crossbreed the two hair breeds, but I don't know how to fit the third breed in without keeping an entirely separate flock which means I would have to have twice as many paddocks, which is more work. And also considering the ease of moving the sheep, Damaras have excellent flocking ability, whereas Wiltshires are friendly and trainable, but I don't know about Cheviots.
I don't know what hair sheep taste like either, unless that's what they use in the shops. One of my friends raises mixed breed wool sheep and says that hair sheep just don't taste right. (I have a feeling that sheep taste like sheep)I've also heard it said that hair breeds you don't have to castrate the killer ram lambs because they don't develop a bad taste in the 5-6 months they're alive? But then I suppose wool breeds couldn't taste all that bad by 6 months surely?
The land I'm looking for will have enough pasture for minimal assisted feeding, so pasture year round. The area's climate ranges from dry 30*C in summer to soggy wet below 0*C in winter. Sometimes frost. So I'm worried about the hair sheep getting too fat even on pasture, as they're more suited to sparser forage diets.
What I'm actually asking is if anyone has any insight to the pros and cons of each of these breeds? Will the wool breed do "better" on lush pasture year round than the hair sheep?
Help?