# Should I?



## herdsman (Dec 12, 2012)

Well it is still a long way away before spring and I am still thinking on what new farm animals I should get and I am thinking maybe sheep? I already have cattle poultry and hogs but looking to expand my farm.Well I have a few questions. If I do it right could I make a good profit from breeding sheep and selling the fiber? If I do get sheep I am planning on registering the parents but should I register the lambs before I sell them? How much does it cost to register a lamb or adult?What is a good price for a registered ewe lamb?Also the breeds I were thinking were Icelandic, Jacob, Suffolk, Romney or dorset.
Thanks


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## bonbean01 (Dec 12, 2012)

Not sure about your area...but here fiber is not in demand at all.  We raise hair/meat sheep and there is a strong market for lambs in spring.


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## herdsman (Dec 12, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> Not sure about your area...but here fiber is not in demand at all.  We raise hair/meat sheep and there is a strong market for lambs in spring.


Well lambs are all im really interested in. But the fiber was just to really almost give to my female friends that do that kinda work.


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## boykin2010 (Dec 12, 2012)

bonbean01 said:
			
		

> Not sure about your area...but here fiber is not in demand at all.  We raise hair/meat sheep and there is a strong market for lambs in spring.


I agree. Fiber is basically worthless in my area. There is a HUGE market for hair sheep. I raise Registered Katahdins. 
Most breeders usually sell out before lambing even begins. I have started taking deposits on lambs already. 
Katahdins are all around good keepers. Good parasite resistance, meat, mothering abilities, flocking instinct, and very rarely aggressive. 
Even the commercial hair sheep are selling really well at the auctions around here.


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## SheepGirl (Dec 12, 2012)

herdsman said:
			
		

> Well it is still a long way away before spring and I am still thinking on what new farm animals I should get and I am thinking maybe sheep? I already have cattle poultry and hogs but looking to expand my farm.Well I have a few questions. If I do it right could I make a good profit from breeding sheep and selling the fiber? If I do get sheep I am planning on registering the parents but should I register the lambs before I sell them? How much does it cost to register a lamb or adult?What is a good price for a registered ewe lamb?Also the breeds I were thinking were Icelandic, Jacob, Suffolk, Romney or dorset.
> Thanks


Sheep are a very profitable species. In my area with a flock of 8 ewes, you can expect a net profit of $120 per ewe off of commercial lambs and wool with no sales of breeding stock. Commercial wool (coarse white face) sold for $1.00/lb this year. If you were to direct market fiber, you could expect maybe $10+/lb (but you would have to spend time/money to get it to the point it's worth that much).

If you are wanting to sell seed stock, you will be expected by the buyer to know what you're talking about when answering sheep questions. So before you get into that, know LOTS about sheep, or at least where to send them if you don't know the answer.

You should register lambs as you sell them so you don't register lambs you can't sell as seedstock and have to send to auction instead. Registration costs vary by breed association. Prices paid for registered stock varies depending on breed, quality, and individual characteristics. You can expect Icelandics and Jacobs to probably be in the $300+ range. Suffolks--depends on who you buy from. Commercial Suffolks are probably $200-$350 but show Suffolks, expect to pay $400+. Romneys I guess would be in the $225+ range. Dorsers also depend on who you buy from. Production Dorsets are gonna be $400+ out of imported lines and $200+ for domestic lines. Show Dorsets are gonna probably be $450+.


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## Sheepshape (Dec 13, 2012)

I'm very pleased to hear that sheep are profitable in the States.

Here in "Three times as many sheep as people......Wales" they are far from.  We have only about 60 and keep them as a hobby/for the love of sheep, but we make a loss year on year. Commercial sheep farmers manage to make a profit from shed numbers and various Government subsidies plus Single Farm Payment......a strange system of buying land entitlements which is the followed by a payment annually. Wool (even the fleeces from Blue Faced Leicesters) sells at a pittance.

Our climate is quite harsh, so they need lots of feeding and protection from the worst of the elements in the mountainous area in which I live. The sheep grow very slowly, and this, and the forage type, is the reason given for the meat tasting very good. As a pretty strict vegetarian, I cannot directly comment!

But to repeat, good to hear that sheep turn a profit for you.


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## Shelly May (Dec 13, 2012)

I agree with Boykin 2010, We run 258 Registered Katahdin ewe's, you can't go wrong with this breed.
Babies are sold with registration papers, paid for by breeder, that is if they make the breeding stock cut.
I pay $5.00 per registration for each lamb, sheep will run you close to about 300.00, per ewe, And we too
are Sold out before the lambs hit the ground. 90% of the ram lambs go to market, and prices are a little low
right now, but climbing back up, average price is about $1.40 per lbs, and climbing because of Christmas 
holiday. The Katahdins have a very mild taste compared to others, But for any sheep you want to butcher
before they are a year old. Any thing after that is called Mutton, younger is called lamb meat. The wool breeds
carry a lanolin flavor because of the wool, The hair sheep don't have this, So flavor is milder. I have received as
much as $1.95 to 2.00 per lbs, from PA new Holland sale. The physical work involved with the Katahdin breed
is so much less than other breeds, it allows us to work full time jobs and still take good care of the livestock.
Here it cost an average of $5.00 to have a sheep sheared and the wool is only worth a $1.00 per sheep,
that is a loss of $4.00 per head. But on the other Note: you can't beat the size of a wool lamb chop. We just
have to eat 2 hair sheep lamb chops to everyone one wool lamb chop. Well what ever you decide to do good luck.


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## Bossroo (Dec 13, 2012)

I find that at least in Cal. and Wa. that the hair sheep Dorper  ( developed in S. Africa using the Dorset ram on Persian fat rumped ewes) is very profitable as a herd sire ( comparable to Suffolk)  for crossbred for wool breed ewes as those lambs bring a very good price at auction as well as private on ranch sales to ethnic groups.  (My across the street neighbor has Suffolk, Ramboulett , and other xbred ewe flock and uses a Dorper ram in Cal. )       Dorpers are much heavyer in bone structure as well as in muscle mass  then the Katahdin. In Wa. , I saw this evidence on a pretty large( 130 ewes) Katahdin flock that test bred half of their ewes to a Dorper ram, half to their Katahdin rams.  Quite a difference is shape and weight at same age in favor of the xbred to Dorper. The  Dorper  ( purebred as well as xbred)  lamb chop is comparable in size to any or the wool bred ones but much more mild in taste.         Since in this day and age  sheering costs far outwiegh the price recieved for wool, ...  If I was to start raising sheep again, I would choose the Dorper if I  expect to make a profit.


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## herdsman (Dec 13, 2012)

Could ya'll give me more info on Jacobs and suffolk those are the to breeds I am really leaning towards. Because the Jacob is kinda unknown round here and the suffolk lambs sell fast in the spring because its fair time for the kids (Man I remember 4-H  
And all I really plan on doing is breeding and selling the lambs not in it for meat and wool (cept for myself) because all I want to do know is is get a good registered 3-5 ewes and in the the fall get a stud to breed them. Because I know how it is you gotta start small then grow my farm I started with 3 head of cattle and have grown to almost 150. So can ya'll gimme more info on Suffolk and Jacob?
THANKS


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## Shelly May (Dec 14, 2012)

speaking for the suffolk, I believe you have alot of good breeders in your area, You want to buy suffolk from 
a good farm. They are more prone to hoof problems and parasite problems. But they are Awesome fast growing
meat breed, Good lambers but require a small area to lamb in as they will or have the habit of having one lamb 
and then walking off and having another, and forgetting about the first one and leaving it. So lamb in small area
is important. In barn or small lot. But there are good breeders still left out there that have keep their stock closed
and don't bring in outside sheep and kept the orignal blood lines true to the breed. I just remembered their name
try to find Slack suffolks, I think they have a web site. If I remember right they are in your area. Good Luck.


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## herdsman (Dec 14, 2012)

Shelly May said:
			
		

> speaking for the suffolk, I believe you have alot of good breeders in your area, You want to buy suffolk from
> a good farm. They are more prone to hoof problems and parasite problems. But they are Awesome fast growing
> meat breed, Good lambers but require a small area to lamb in as they will or have the habit of having one lamb
> and then walking off and having another, and forgetting about the first one and leaving it. So lamb in small area
> ...


Thanks yea I have a barn in the pasture im putting them in I pen her up in the when shes lambing.
But what do ya'll think is better for making money breeding Suffolk or Jacob?


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## BrownSheep (Dec 14, 2012)

I would say Suffolk just because there is more of a demand.


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## herdsman (Dec 15, 2012)

Are katahdins in demand at all?


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## boykin2010 (Dec 15, 2012)

herdsman said:
			
		

> Are katahdins in demand at all?


Katahdins are in HUGE demand. Like I said earlier, most breeders sell out before their lambs are already born. Ewe lambs sell for $350-400 in my area. 
They are pretty profitable and that is part of the reason why I raise them. Plus they are easy maintenance free sheep.


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## herdsman (Dec 15, 2012)

boykin2010 said:
			
		

> herdsman said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks a bunch That is my breed I have settled on then! Also I have 2 more questions 1  I will feed grain before lambing&breeding could I just use Alfalfa pellets for weight instead of grain? 2 If I was just going to feed hay through the winter Should I just use Alfalfa hay since the pasture will be all snowed over? Also do you let your ewes naturally wean or do you wean?
Thanks
Sorry I have raised market cattle and hogs all my life, breeding sheep are way different


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## boykin2010 (Dec 16, 2012)

Here is a good resource for anything Katahdin. There should be plenty of information here and on google 

http://www.katahdins.org/


Here is a list of breeders in your state. Check and see if there is a breeder near you 

http://www.countrylovin.com/KHSI/map/oh.html


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## Shelly May (Dec 18, 2012)

Alalfa pellets can be used, But they are not as good as Alalfa hay because when they process any pellets, it looses some
of the proteins during the heat cycle of the formation of the pellets, So you can flush your ewes at breeding with alalfa hay
or a good grain mix, As far as when they are ready to lamb yes 1 month before their due date give them grain and some good
hay, For the balance of the time during winter, just a good quality hay is all they need, timothy,orchardgrass,alalfa mix. make sure
it is not moldy. If we were to feed grain and good hay all threw the pregnacy they will get to fat, Yes there is such a thing as to
fat, this can kill the lambs inside the ewe because there is no room for them to grow, also can cause lambing problems. So there 
is a balance you are looking for on the condition of the ewe. If you feed just plain grass hay with no high protien level, then I would
say to feed a supplement of grain every day, but if you feed a good protien level of hay then no grain needed until the last month.
does this make any sense? Hope this helps.


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