Icelandic sheep and basic ovine questions

[flyingmonkeypoop]

We will be getting some icelandic sheep sometime between now and spring, I will be working for them. My questions are basic.
First since the lines we are getting are 'milky' and produce good milk, is it like milking a goat? My thought is that they will be more wiggly.
Second is about fencing. We have 4 strand hotwire all around the feild that is about 4' tall, the bottom 2 strands are lower. Will this work to keep sheep in?

 

[MissPrissy]

Sheep can go right through electric fence and not be phased by it at all. Their wool insulates them from the shock. Ask me how I know. LOL

I have wire fencing and wood fencing. Once they learn home they rarely try to breach those fences. I wouldn't trust just electice wire myself.

If you look at the udder on a sheep they don't look like a goat or a cow. It looks like a bag with handlebars - like on a mountain bike. They are VERY different to milk. Did I say they were very different to milk? They are.

I just got 2 new friesians - I am hoping the lamb this spring. i was assured they had been bred. They make great cheese!

 

[Chatychick]

I agree with Miss Prissy there and with sheep you need certain minerals that dont have copper in it.

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Thanks for the info. We were just at a sheep farm looking at pups and they had some milking cross sheep and the teats stuck outward, very odd. I checked out a couple books from the library and I am glad I did because they have alot of info.

 

[greyfields]

My sheep will go through the high tensile, but only if being chased or frightened. They've all been shocked on the nose enough to know better. They're "hot wire trained" as we call it.

But, in general, woven wire at 39" is going ot give you a lot better performance. We use that with a HT hote wire at 48" above it.