Dairy sheep

[zzGypsy]

I looked at icelandics,they've got a lot to recomend them. I've used the lopi yarn commercially made from their wool, I like it for heavy sweaters and such, but the double coat might be an issue if you want to separate it for a finer softer wool. I wasn't able to find dairy production numbers, but because of the high birth rate they're probably better than most. we've got large to very large sheep, and the medium size is smaller than what we breed, so we decided against them (our ewes are 180-220 and rams are all over 300 lbs). if we add a separate breedm they're one we'll look at.

 

[Faith Hope]

Wow! I have been looking up information on the Icelandics -- I do like what I am reading. They look to be a really good choice. I found a farm about an hour from here that has them. I will try to visit them and see them in person.

 

[2pinkmom]

I'm late to the party, but had a question about dairy sheep prices. I was looking at some East Lucerne from a sheep dairy in the area. The owner quoted me a "few thousand" for a bred ewe, and $500 + for a lamb ewe. I realize that prices vary by breeding quality, cost of living, etc. But that sounds crazy high. I was talking to a Coopworth breeder (not a dairy breed, granted) and I could get a very nice bred ewe with a proven track record as a mama for $350. Are dairy prices much higher than dual purpose breed prices?

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
it depends...
one of my friends is getting that kind of price for high-production dairy goats when she sells to goat milk production folk. so for a bred, known-production dairy ewe, that price is possible. consider that in a production facility she'll bring several times that in production value.
2 years ago I bought some ewe lambs from a dairy in CA that has reached their full production flock size so they're not keeping all their ewe lambs as replacements. they sell the excess ewe lambs, I paid $175 each for 2-month old lambs. well worth it as they've added great milk production to my flock, but you will feed them for 1-2 years before you have milk from them.
these are the east fresian/lacouna ewes I mentioned.

 

[zzGypsy]

BTW, if you're looking to breed in milk, rather than milk right away, consider getting a dairy ram... they're considerably cheaper as a rule as most of them are a 'by-product' of the dairy flock.

 

[Faith Hope]

Okay guys. I am the original poster, and I have another question (well, a lot of questions really

)

I really like the icelandics after researching them and have pretty much decided that is the breed I want. We are really several months away from being ready for the actual sheep. We have just been researching. We don't have fencing. We don't have shelter. We pretty much have nothing yet -- no feed boxes, watering, etc. However, we found some sheep we want. Two icelandic ewes who have been bred -- for what I think is a really good price. We are really considering taking them -- Is that a crazy dumb thing to do?

My husband is off for the holidays for a couple of weeks and he says he can get the pasture fencing up while he is off, and we have a temporary shelter we could use, just until we get a barn built. But we have never had livestock; I am not sure we can be prepared to feed and water these ewes starting in the winter.

Thoughts are appreciated!

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:
you need fencing, a shelter, feed, and a way to provide water and keep it from freezing. if you can do that, you've got the physicall requirements.

as for being bred, you need to find a vet or another local sheep/goat breeder you can call on if you should have lambing problems, health issues, etc.

you'll need connetions anyway (vet, other knowlegable folks nearby) anyway, just for general health care and to answer quesitons (we can help, but we're not *there* with eyes on site).

depending on when they were bred, you may have a little time to put togeter supplies (shots, iodine, lamb milk replacer, drench and other things you should have on hand).

winter isn't the easiest time to start, but sheep are pretty weatherproof, and you have to start some time...

if you've got specific questions, feel free to ask, and you can always PM me.

 

[Faith Hope]

Thanks zzGypsy for your advice. Your list of needs are very helpful. It looks like this might be possible then. We do have a couple of local sheep people that can help as needed. My daughter is also getting started in 4H, and I was told they will have people that can be resources as well. So I think we are heading the right direction. We are working on the fencing and shelter. I will have to find a resource for hay. What a crazy thing to do right at Christmas! But you are right -- you gotta start some time.

We haven't made a final decision yet, but we are leaning strongly toward getting them! The lady we are getting them from said we should take our time to get set up; she will hold them for us.

Tell me about fencing. My husband wants to put up a 6 ft tall fence welded wire with huge poles in the ground -- this will be expensive! We do live next to a woods. I would guess our biggest problems would be coyotes and dogs. We do have a good dog that protects the chickens, and we plan to get a flock guardian dog as well. I am not sure if we need that big (or expensive) of a fence.

 

[zzGypsy]

Quote:

cool.
fencing...
sheep generally won't get out of something 4' or higher, and the icelandics aren't particularly big sheep, if I remember correctly. so that should contain them. the bigger problem is predators getting in. coyotes will go over 4', and occasionally over 5', and will dig under if an easier meal is not available (harsh winters, no other supply). adding a hot wire to a 5' fence (one at the top, another 6" off the ground and 4-6" away from the fence) is a good deterent for coyotes and dogs. few things are fool-proof, but the wire fence + hotwire works pretty well. properly trained Livestock Guardian Dogs (LGD) are a very good deterent as well... if you can get an adult trained dog. if not, you have to start with pups, and that's a 2 year process in which their effectiveness varies from none to excellent, depending on lots and lots of factors.

type of fencing: welded wire rolled fence is not always the best choice... sheep may stand on the grid, and unless it's pretty heavy and very well welded, it may break down. I've had some that held, and some that didn't last a single season. "no-climb" is better (the wires are wrapped, not welded) and sturdier, but a bit more expensive. in my opinion, unless you're only looking for a 1-season fence, it's a much better alternative, and very cost effective in the long run. I recommend 2x4" grid, not 4x4"... small lambs can get their heads stuck through 4x4", and while it's usually only distressing, sometimes they can die. if they have horns, they generally cannot get themselves free. the triangular grids work well too.

poles - what you use depends on how permanent you want the fence to be. around here, lots of folks use T-posts, set 12-18" deep, every 8', and use wood or steel pipe posts only at gates and in corners. treated wood posts, or wood set in concrete is the most durable short of heavy steel pipe posts. a lot depends on your ground, your weather, how much moisture you get, etc. certainly Tposts aren't the most attractive option, so it just depends on what matters to you in your environment.

a couple more things on hotwire - sheep can be trained to respect hotwire, but it's problematic as the more wool they have on the more shock proof they become.
also, if you're in dry country, sometimes you have to run a hot wire and a ground wire both to get a good bite on predators, because the ground gets too dry to conduct well. let me know if you need more info on this.

nice that you have the option to have the seller hold the sheep until you're ready. build your network, read everything, let me know if you need sources. you'll also want to ask your seller about how icelandics do at lambing time, and if the sheep are first timers or experienced mothers, or older ewes. different ages and levels of experience bring different lambing issues (first timers and old ewes may have diffuculting lambing... first timers may not know how to help the lamb nurse...) best place to start is with young-ish ewes that have a history of good mothering and no birthing problems.

 

[zzGypsy]

oh, and there are some good discussions on other threads, here and on BackYardHerds.com, regarding feeding of sheep, nutrition, supplements. let me know if you search and don't find info... I'll dig up links.