Need help selecting sheep or goat breed

[birdboy15]

I also like icelandics. I dont have any yet, next spring im going to start a small flock. I am located in northern MI. I can pm you a phone #. but stupid me, I NEVER GOT THEIR NAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SarahFair]

I have a oberhasli cross and she is like a dog. When I sit on the steps on the back porch she curls up right next to me.
She comes when I call her and shes always there to greet me at the fence when I pull up in my car.
She kidded great!

"Momma" is awesome!

 

[MammaBear]

I have Alpines. They are so sweet. Love animals crackers. When it is dinner time, they run toward the barn sideways running and jumping. I am torn between keeping them, getting them bred and starting to milk them again, or selling them cause 3 just won't produce the amount of milk I need for my pigs. My original newbie thought was to milk them for milk for the pigs to help reduce my pig feed bill. But I now have 10 pigs and would have to milk about 100 goats a day to fill up the pigs. (ok so I am exaggerating a little). I just don't want to take these sweet girls to the auction and possibly a cookie-less home or worse. They are just too cool!!!

I am so torn.

 

[ChickenWisperer]

I've never owned goats, but if we did, I'd have my hands full of Lamanchas and Alpines. I like the look of Oberhaslis and Nubians, but they have been more stand offish in my limited experience. Never been around any but 2 Saanens.

Every one of them I meet is sweet and loving as can be. I've asked lots of their keepers at the fair, and so far got most positive replies about their hardiness, kidding capabilities, and milk production. Course, it gets upward of 110 in summer and usually around -10 or more in winter, high humidity and storms that can sometimes rock your socks off. Jus' Kentucky for ya. But that's what I've been told by others, not by personal experience.

 

[Hucklekree]

Yay! So excited for you!

I'm excited too that this is my area of expertise

. I've been raising sheep for 12 years and actively running a sheep operation for 5. If you are interested in dairy sheep please write off a grass only situation with small acerage. Milk requires a lot of nutrients (if you've had children and nursed then you understand the toll it takes on your body and how much food you needed) and there just isn't enough in a couple half acre pastures to support a productive dairy, that is unless you have one or two sheep only and don't expect a long milking season.

If you are interested in wool and meat the shetland, finn or icelandic sheep are all great choices-gotland and navajo-churro sheep would also be great but are harder to acquire. All the above breeds have a dual purpose to them and are heritage/homestead breeds. None have been commercialized and all are specialized for homestead purposes with a 'mini' size and great personalities to match. They provide enough meat for a family freezer and are relatively easy to handle (of course all sheep have differences in personality). They also provide a double coated wool that is marketable to hand spinners. Because they are more of a homestead breed they have high(er) lambing percentages and lamb easier than other breeds. Sorry to the person who suggested Jacobs my experience has been that they are pretty flighty (though this is just my experience don't write them off based on that).

Now, if you are not interested in wool at all (trust me wool can be a hassle if you don't have plans for it) go for a docile meat breed like the Katahdin. Soays, Barbados, Dorsets and the like are big and a little wild. You can't get many katahdins if you don't have much room but you could have a mini flock of say 1 ram and 2 ewes plus any lambs on grass alone. General guidelines are 5 sheep to an acre with some supplementation.

As far as sheep go you will want to stay away from any of the larger breeds: Romenys, Columbia, Wensleydales, Merinos, Suffolk, Hampshires...etc to keep your farm more sustainable. I raise Romneys and love them to pieces they have a really good temperment and great quality fleeces as well as delicious meat BUT they are quite large. We manage 2 rams and 8 ewes full time plus lambs feb-sep on 10 acres and they do just fine on a pastured diet.

Don't have much experience with goats so I'll keep out of that discussion

Hope this is helpful

edited to add Navajo-Churro

 

[birdboy15]

Hucklekree, no offense or anything but what you worked with probably wernt true jacobs. they were more than likely crossed, it happens a lot because a) their expensive and b) not always that easy to find. All of the jacobs i have seen would let even total strangers walk up to them and pet them. They are prized for being a very calm breed of sheep. My guess would be that several generations back someone added polypay to increase the # of lambs per birth. it works but makes horribly jumpy and flighty sheep. thats just my 2 cents.

 

[watchdogps]

Birdboy, please do pm me info on the icelandics and also interested in jacobs

 

[Hucklekree]

no offense taken and none meant on my end I see the same thing with romney sheep unfortunately some breeders want the engde in the show ring which I think it's silly to begin with and go ahead and breed larger sheep breeds in with romneys and expect no 1 to notice. I noticed because I know romney sheep and I like the romney sheep the way they are the crossbreeds just don't have the same characteristics. I'm sure the same with yourself and your jacob sheep.

 

[watchdogps]

Thanks Hucklekree, I wasnt really into "serious" dairy breeds, nor dairy for making people foods. I was actually interested more for puppies. I raise Anatolians and know a lot of breeders who would love to get it for their pups too. We use goats milk normally, but sheep milk would work too. So,it's really just a bonus.
I'm thinking the smaller ones would be better, cost wise, because I could probably raise and sell a few more lambs that way to help support my habit.

 

[birdboy15]

Hucklekree, its sad but it happens with all animals, people who dont really care mix breeds, and ruin the pure breeds especially the rare ones.
by the way guys, i dont have sheep, yet, Iv raised many for meat but next spring i am going to start a small herd of jacobs, and possibly one other breed.