# which breed is beter CLUN FOREST or TUNIS sheep??



## country farm girl (Jan 10, 2012)

I am looking for a breed of sheep that will have " a long breeding life, can do well on good or bad pasture, and are easy lambers, parasite rezisen " does not have to be, but will be nice" can have wool or hair, and the lambs are a good size for fall-winer butchering. do you have the breed I am talking about? if so tell me what you like or dilike about the 2 breeds. if you have anther breed you think I may be looking for, tell me!!!


----------



## boykin2010 (Jan 10, 2012)

Sheep really need good pasture no matter what the breed. You cant put a sheep on a dirt lot and expect them to grow but there are some breeds which can thrive on different grasses in different amounts. I dont know very much about wooled breeds but i do know a lot about hair breeds. I will tell you from experience that katahdin sheep are among the top mothers ever. They have multiple lambs per birth, produce plenty of milk, and take good care of the babies. The best for parasite resistance depends on the actual genetics of the sheep i think. But if i had to choose a breed for parasite resistance, people say barbados are among the top. Barbados are not as meaty as Katahdins or other hair sheep. Dorper is one of the top meat hair sheep breeds. I have barbados/katahdin crosses so that i can have good mothers, parasite resistance and meaty lambs. 

I always recommend Katahdins to people. They are my favorite breed.   
Sometimes the best choice is a mixed breed so you can have the best of both worlds.


----------



## country farm girl (Jan 10, 2012)

someone told me that katahdin sheep are crazy meaning they act like goats. is this true??  and she had them as well.


----------



## boykin2010 (Jan 10, 2012)

Any breed of animal can act differently. It doesnt matter the breed, it is how it is raised. My ewes come up to me in the pasture and let me scratch their heads, eat from my hands, check their eyelids, and pet them without difficulty.  I think they are quite tame but you find that sheep in general are not as friendly as goats. If you raise sheep from babies they act more like dogs. I wish i could find some videos of my bottle baby. He stayed in my house, wore a diaper, slept in my bed and is the most friendly thing ever. He still wants me to hold him and give him treats ( even though he is probably over 150 pounds).   
I am getting another ewe lamb bottle baby soon because i love their temperments. They act just like little dogs. Sheep that dont get bottlefed can be worked with and they can be pretty friendly. 

I personally dont think goats are crazy and neither are sheep. I dont have goats because they are escape artists. Sheep are happy where they are and rarely try to escape. I have a 5 strand electric fence and have never had an escape. They respect the fence and smart enough to know not to try it. 
Google katahdin sheep and watch videos, and look at pictures. There are lots of videos of Katahdins with little children and being gentle and not acting crazy.  But, i am sure if you searched hard enough you could find a video of one acting "crazy."  

I have never regretted getting my sheep and probably will have them for a long long time...


----------



## boykin2010 (Jan 10, 2012)

Here is my little bottle baby


----------



## country farm girl (Jan 10, 2012)

boykin2010 said:
			
		

> Any breed of animal can act differently. It doesnt matter the breed, it is how it is raised. My ewes come up to me in the pasture and let me scratch their heads, eat from my hands, check their eyelids, and pet them without difficulty.  I think they are quite tame but you find that sheep in general are not as friendly as goats. If you raise sheep from babies they act more like dogs. I wish i could find some videos of my bottle baby. He stayed in my house, wore a diaper, slept in my bed and is the most friendly thing ever. He still wants me to hold him and give him treats ( even though he is probably over 150 pounds).
> I am getting another ewe lamb bottle baby soon because i love their temperments. They act just like little dogs. Sheep that dont get bottlefed can be worked with and they can be pretty friendly.
> 
> I personally dont think goats are crazy and neither are sheep. I dont have goats because they are escape artists. Sheep are happy where they are and rarely try to escape. I have a 5 strand electric fence and have never had an escape. They respect the fence and smart enough to know not to try it.
> ...


do they try to eat the bark on the trees?  your little bottle baby


----------



## SheepGirl (Jan 10, 2012)

country farm girl said:
			
		

> I am looking for a breed of sheep that will have " a long breeding life, can do well on good or bad pasture, and are easy lambers, parasite rezisen " does not have to be, but will be nice" can have wool or hair, and the lambs are a good size for fall-winer butchering. do you have the breed I am talking about? if so tell me what you like or dilike about the 2 breeds. if you have anther breed you think I may be looking for, tell me!!!


Long breeding life - so you're looking for longevity. Any sheep can live a while, just depends on how you raise them. Most commercial flocks do cull at 5-7 years old because that is the end of their peak production (as in producing multiple births). Any type of "production" sheep such as Dorsets (not the show version with the long legs) and slower maturing breeds will tend to be productive longer.

Do well on good or bad pasture - Any breed can do this, but high producing animals (multiple births, fast growth, etc) will not thrive. They may pass by, but they will definitely lose a lot of condition unless supplemented with hay or grain due to pasture quality. You can select for this, i.e. culling any hard-doers and retaining easy-keepers.

Easy lambers - I have heard that Hampshires tend to have lambing problems though IDK if it's true or not. Most sheep lamb without a hitch. We've only ever had to pull one lamb, she was ~16 lbs out of a 1/2 Babydoll 1/2 Montadale ewe (about three times normal size). The lamb ended up getting mechanical pneumonia and to top it off, was stepped on by another ewe so she also had a hard time getting around. She ended up dying when she was a week or two old. Get some mature ewes with lambs under their belt with no history of lambing issues. They will be the best buy for you, and in a couple years, you will have a nice young flock if you keep their daughters.

Parasite resistance - TBH, parasites are a problem, but they really aren't as much of a problem as people make it out to be IMO. We worm once per year at shearing, IF the ewes need it. Most ewes don't need it...usually only one or two need to be dewormed. We have lost sheep, but none of the losses have been attributed to worms. It could just be our location though. But usually the breeds marketed as parasite resistant are hair breeds. You can select for resistant sheep--just don't deworm them and whichever ones fail to thrive with a worm load die (I know it sounds harsh, but it's like "natural selection" - or if you want, you _can_ worm them, but just cull them later and don't keep any of their progeny).

Lambs good size for fall/winter butchering - Define good size. Do you like light lambs 60-90 lbs or do you like heavy lambs (120+ lbs)? Growth rate and their plane of nutrition will influence how fast they grow to get to your desired size when you want to eat them.

Clun Forest and Tunis sheep - Don't have them. If you want to sell their wool, Clun Forest you can sell to a wool pool, but Tunis wool you won't be able to. You will need to market it to handspinners, use it yourself, or throw it away. Here is info on each breed: Clun Forest & Tunis


----------



## country farm girl (Jan 10, 2012)

SheepGirl said:
			
		

> country farm girl said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


what I ment by bad pasture is I have a lot of weeds in the pasture. I am trying to get them out but it will take some time.  I am looking for 90 or more lbs.want, "but just cull them later and don't keep any of their progeny)." what does their progeny mean?


----------



## SheepGirl (Jan 11, 2012)

Well, sheep will eat the weeds, though they will go after the grass first. You can usually expect a lamb to gain 1/2 to 1 lb per day when nursing on mom. After weaning, they will be able to gain the same amount WITH grain feeding. If you are just pasturing them, you can expect about 1/4 to 3/4 per pound per day. So to take a lamb to at least ninety pounds will take 4-6 months, depending on breed, genetics, feeding program, etc. Plan the time you're lambing appropriately to get lambs you want at the right size when you want them.

Progeny = offspring/children


----------

