Good dual purpose wool sheep breeds?

[alpinewelsummer]

Hey all! I'm thinking long-term goals for our little farm down here in the midwest (if climate is relevant!) and, as a hobbyist weaver and someone who would love to have a source of fresh milk, I've been slowly turning my eye towards the possibility of wool sheep. I've located 2 breeders in my state that have invited me to come to lambing/shearing classes later in the year, so that's very exciting! But after seeing so many wonderful different breeds... I really can't decide which I'd be most interested in!

So I thought I'd turn here for suggestions; if you were to choose a sheep breed that provided both ample wool and plenty of milk, which breed would you turn to?

Thank you in advance for any responses!

 

[my gang eats grass]

It's hard to find a sheep that has good wool and milk, usually dual purpose means wool and meat. I've only raised hampshire/suffolk crosses which are mostly raised for meat but have a fairly good fleece as well.

 

[alpinewelsummer]

It's hard to find a sheep that has good wool and milk, usually dual purpose means wool and meat.

That is good to know! I'll keep in mind that people usually mean wool-and-meat when I ask such questions in the future, thank you. Would it be practical then, in your opinion, to keep a small mixed flock? Some for wool and some for milk?

 

[my gang eats grass]

You could do a mixed flock, but if you are planning on breeding them it could get complicated. You could also try to find awwasi sheep, they supposedly have good milk and wool, but I've only seen awwasi crosses for sale in my area and have heard they are hard to find.

 

[my gang eats grass]

That is good to know! I'll keep in mind that people usually mean wool-and-meat when I ask such questions in the future, thank you.

You can refer to milk-wool as dual purpose, I was just saying that meat-wool is what it usually means.

 

[Sally PB]

What do you want to do with the wool? Spin it? Sell it?

I used to spin wool. I loved Corriedale wool because it was so easy to spin. I had a Corrie fleece from a jacketed sheep (the jacket kept the fleece VERY clean), and it was the best fleece I ever bought. It isn't the softest of wool, but nice enough to make a sweater.

 

[alpinewelsummer]

You could do a mixed flock, but if you are planning on breeding them it could get complicated. You could also try to find awwasi sheep, they supposedly have good milk and wool, but I've only seen awwasi crosses for sale in my area and have heard they are hard to find.

Since I'm so new to sheep, could you detail what those complications would be? I want to go into this as knowledgeable as possible. The awwasi looks like an interesting option, thank you for the suggestion! I noticed a lot of people point to the icelandic sheep for tri-purpose flocks, but they also seem difficult to get ahold of.

What do you want to do with the wool? Spin it? Sell it?

I used to spin wool. I loved Corriedale wool because it was so easy to spin. I had a Corrie fleece from a jacketed sheep (the jacket kept the fleece VERY clean), and it was the best fleece I ever bought. It isn't the softest of wool, but nice enough to make a sweater.

Spin it! I will look a bit into the corries too, thank you!

 

[my gang eats grass]

Since I'm so new to sheep, could you detail what those complications would be? I want to go into this as knowledgeable as possible. The awwasi looks like an interesting option, thank you for the suggestion! I noticed a lot of people point to the icelandic sheep for tri-purpose flocks, but they also seem difficult to get ahold of.

If you had a mixed flock, your lambs would be crosses, so they probably wouldn't be as easy to sell, or as worth keeping. Icelandic are a tri purpose, but aren't a true "dairy breed" so they don't have the same lactation period and production amounts as dairy breeds of sheep, but a small herd can still provide enough milk for a small family, so if you don't need a whole lot of milk, they could be a good option for you. I don't think Icelandics are that hard to find, but you could check craigslist in your area to see what kinds of sheep are available.

 

[alpinewelsummer]

If you had a mixed flock, your lambs would be crosses, so they probably wouldn't be as easy to sell, or as worth keeping. Icelandic are a tri purpose, but aren't a true "dairy breed" so they don't have the same lactation period and production amounts as dairy breeds of sheep, but a small herd can still provide enough milk for a small family, so if you don't need a whole lot of milk, they could be a good option for you. I don't think Icelandics are that hard to find, but you could check craigslist in your area to see what kinds of sheep are available.

It's just me, so not a ton is needed, and after looking more into them I definitely like them a lot, so they're currently at the top of my list.

That iiiiis true about the lambs It would be a drain on resources to have lambs that don't give as much and aren't marketable. It might be prudent to compromise on some things and keep just a single breed.

Are there breeds that "cross" well with each other, or will any crossing tend to dilute desirable traits beyond the point of being worth it?

 

[my gang eats grass]

sounds like Icelandic is a good breed for you!

Are there breeds that "cross" well with each other, or will any crossing tend to dilute desirable traits beyond the point of being worth it?

There are some breeds that are common to cross, one of them is the East Friesian, which is a dairy sheep, but typically it is crossed with other dairy sheep that do well in a specific area, and not sheep bred for other purposes, (wool, meat, etc.). Market lambs are also usually a cross, one common one is Suffolk/Hampshire, but both of these already have the characteristic of quality meat. Awassi are also fairly common to cross with other dairy sheep, but I don't know how the wool quality turns out. So if you are going to cross sheep, you want to chose breeds that are very similar, and both already have the characteristic you want to sell them for.