Looking for info on fiber farming

[AnachainAcres]

Hello everyone

I had been looking into raising several sheep for hobby. I have a small holding of 5 acres of flat grassland. I would be interested in raising several shetlands for wool as a hobby not for profit. I know nothing about sheep really and was wondering if anyone could share their experiences.
I have raised goats in the past so familiar with the delicate ruminant digestive system. How are they in comparison to goats in the amount of feed required?
Is my property large enough for a small herd?
How many would I need to get enough fleece to do anything with?
Thank you!

 

[Stipenvlerk]

Hi Anachain Acres. What a wonderfull idea!
In our books it says 10 sheep per Hectare. (European measurements.)
1 Hectare = 2.5 Acre.
But it all depends on the breed of sheep, quality of grasss, availability of different foods etc.

Above are traditional numbers. In france the experimented with fertilizing the grass and divide your acres in lots where every lot has it's turn to feed the sheeps with an interval of 3-4 weeks. They found out, if done properly you could have 16 sheep per hectare

Hope this helps

 

[HomesteaderWife]

@AnachainAcres - if you haven’t already, I really recommend checking out BYC’s sister site called BackYard Herds, they may be able to help you more