# another newbie question, is my sheep a hair sheep?!?



## marliah (Jun 16, 2011)

Hi everyone again. I seem to be having real issues with this boy sheep of mine. I was told first off he was a shetland/southdown ram and found out he is a wether, and looks nothing at all like the breeds I was told he is. Well now his wool is falling out in chunks. I at first assumed he had wool lice (as I was told he was "shorn" right before we got him) well his wool was growing in nicely and it had reached about 2 inches long now its falling out. I looked up wool lice and spread DE over him and put some in the pen, then I realized it was awefully strange that none of the other sheep were loosing any wool and when I looked at this sheeps coat underneath (where he had lost wool) he had fur there, not bald spots and the fur looks and feels like goat fur (as does his face) whereas the other sheep all have soft almost like cat fur, fur on their faces....did I yet again get sold a bill of goods on this guy? or is there a possibility that lice would do something like this? The other thing is his wool has no curl to it, our sheltand lamb whos wool is about as long as his has tiny curls and not strange undercoat like this guy has....

Thanks in advance! 

- Tara


----------



## aggieterpkatie (Jun 16, 2011)

I would be really surprised if he was a hair sheep.  Can you take pictures of him with the missing wool?


----------



## rockdoveranch (Jun 16, 2011)

I agree with Aggie . . . it would help if you posted pictures.  

I have hair sheep and from what you describe it does not sound like he is a hair sheep.  I don't know where you live, so I do not know if cold weather is a factor for you, but our sheep start shedding out their wool in spring and do not grow it back until fall or winter.  As it grows back it is so subtle that you don't really realize the wool is there until deep into winter when it is really thick.

We have not ever had lice.  Maybe they are not common on hair sheep.  So I cannot help you there.

Sad your seller was so deceptive!  I will never understand people.


----------



## carolinagirl (Jun 16, 2011)

That sounds like he may have been the product of a wool sheep and a hair sheep crossing, giving you some of the hair sheep characteristic.  My Katahdins and Barbados Black bellys are shedding now and the wool comes out in clumps.  The fur under it is a smooth goat fur type coat.  Pictures sure would help.


----------

