# What is the best hair sheep for meat?



## FarmersDigest

I have read a lot about hair sheep's being good for meat, but is there one that is better than the others? Is there one that is easier to take care of? Also, do you clip the tail? If so when? I have read that it's better for the sheep health wise to clip them. Do you guys feed grain? DH said if we do sheep, he wants to know what's the best way to take care of them, and feed them out for butcher. So I thought who better to help me, than all of you who are so willing to help. We have asked about other animals as well, we are just trying to see what animal will be the best for us! Thank you so much, and I hope you are having the best New Year ever!


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## Southern by choice

I don't have sheep- well actually I do but they don't count... we don't do anything with them. Having said that... some meat sheep breeds may do better in your region than others. Some have tails removed some don't.  
In my region the Katahdin does better than the Dorpers. We are hot humid and wet... out toward the coast where it is dryer and sandy the Dorper does great. That makes a big difference as well as the stock you get. Stock that lives off the land year round and stock that has constant creep feed and are grained year round will be very different. Knowing which breeds have better parasite resistance for your region will be critical.


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## FarmersDigest

W


Southern by choice said:


> I don't have sheep- well actually I do but they don't count... we don't do anything with them. Having said that... some meat sheep breeds may do better in your region than others. Some have tails removed some don't.
> In my region the Katahdin does better than the Dorpers. We are hot humid and wet... out toward the coast where it is dryer and sandy the Dorper does great. That makes a big difference as well as the stock you get. Stock that lives off the land year round and stock that has constant creep feed and are grained year round will be very different. Knowing which breeds have better parasite resistance for your region will be critical.


Wonderful, thank you! You are just all around full of great info!


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## Sweetened

We have dorper katahdin crosses, one of which has romanov a few generations back.  Anything about -30, and they are outside their shelter milling about. In the heat theres a lot of pawing the ground to lay in the cool dirt, but they refuse to take shelter in the shade. I have only owned these crosses, and my pure dorper ram, but have enjoyed them. We are hoping for may/june lambs! We strictly grass feed, and will continue that. There is alfalfa in our hay and fields.


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## FarmersDigest

What's the harness I see on the rams?


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## Southern by choice

FarmersDigest said:


> What's the harness I see on the rams?


where are you looking...


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## FarmersDigest

Sweetened said:


> We have dorper katahdin crosses, one of which has romanov a few generations back.  Anything about -30, and they are outside their shelter milling about. In the heat theres a lot of pawing the ground to lay in the cool dirt, but they refuse to take shelter in the shade. I have only owned these crosses, and my pure dorper ram, but have enjoyed them. We are hoping for may/june lambs! We strictly grass feed, and will continue that. There is alfalfa in our hay and fields.



Thank you for your info. What made you decide to cross those two breeds? From what I've read, this looks like a really good breeds to mix. My DH was wondering if you know the hanging weight of the carcass of a lamb? Or does anyone?


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## FarmersDigest

Southern by choice said:


> where are you looking...


http://www.katahdins.org/
I also noticed it on one of the threads on here too.


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## Goat Whisperer

FarmersDigest said:


> What's the harness I see on the rams?


Its a marking harness. When the ram mounts the ewes it will leave (whatever color use) on the ewes so you have an estimated due date.


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## Sweetened

Its crossed out here for higher growth rate, better wool shedding for dorpers (problem with the lines here having been wool crossed so some dont shed well).  Honestly, i bought them as bottle babies to get into them on the cheap in case i didnt like having sheep or didnt do well, that way i didnt waste several hundred dollars if something happened. when the lady told me she had one lamb that had romanov genes, i jumped on it for milking and multi birth purposes. Romanovs are known for having and auccessfully raising 6+lambs a year.  Our ram is decent quality, i traded chickens for him so didnt pay anything really.  I would like more romanov, but they require a stronger and more abundant pasture and summer lambing here.


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## Sweetened

And carcass weights will vary with breeds and lines and feed style. Lambs are sold signicantly smaller for spring lamb, older girls for mutton and so on. I have no experience with our carcass weights and wont until later this year.


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## BrownSheep

Hair sheep in general are bred for meat characteristics since there isn't any usable wool. 

I see a lot of Dorpers advertised in Idaho, but as to what does better I couldn't tell you seeing as I raise wool breeds.


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## FarmersDigest

Goat Whisperer said:


> Its a marking harness. When the ram mounts the ewes it will leave (whatever color use) on the ewes so you have an estimated due date.


That's awesome, and so smart! Thank you for helping me.


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## FarmersDigest

Sweetened said:


> Its crossed out here for higher growth rate, better wool shedding for dorpers (problem with the lines here having been wool crossed so some dont shed well).  Honestly, i bought them as bottle babies to get into them on the cheap in case i didnt like having sheep or didnt do well, that way i didnt waste several hundred dollars if something happened. when the lady told me she had one lamb that had romanov genes, i jumped on it for milking and multi birth purposes. Romanovs are known for having and auccessfully raising 6+lambs a year.  Our ram is decent quality, i traded chickens for him so didnt pay anything really.  I would like more romanov, but they require a stronger and more abundant pasture and summer lambing here.



Oh, that's good to know! Wow, didn't even think of them not shedding correctly because of the cross. Well that's a smart way to getting some sheep! Thank you for telling me what Romanovs was, I was going to look that word up.  Thank you for all the great info!


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## FarmersDigest

Sweetened said:


> And carcass weights will vary with breeds and lines and feed style. Lambs are sold signicantly smaller for spring lamb, older girls for mutton and so on. I have no experience with our carcass weights and wont until later this year.



So you do your own butchering or do you get a mobile butcher? If you don't mind me asking!


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## FarmersDigest

BrownSheep said:


> Hair sheep in general are bred for meat characteristics since there isn't any usable wool.
> 
> I see a lot of Dorpers advertised in Idaho, but as to what does better I couldn't tell you seeing as I raise wool breeds.



Yeah, that's why I was looking for hair sheep. We want them for meat, and I really liked the idea that we don't have so sheer them! Thank you for your info as well!


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## SheepGirl

You said you were relocating to an established farm in Oregon? Or was it another state? Either way, I'm pretty sure it was out West. Shearing is talked up to be a big management task by the hair sheep promoters. Honestly, it really isn't (except for maybe the shearer!  ) Out West there are the huge range flocks and there tends to be plenty of shearers to shear these large flocks. Finding shearers in the East is more problematic, though I'm happy my gypsy shearer has her home about 20-30 minutes from my farm. She travels all over the US, mainly the northern East coast to the northern mid West.

All I do is the night before shearing day I pen the ewes up. The morning of shearing I help the shearer set up (just plugging clippers into extension cords), and I hand her sheep one by one. After she's done, I'm able to check over each sheep individually for hoof trimming, weight, their udder, parasite issues, etc. Those management tasks would've been done once a year anyway, might as well do them while they're being sheared. For my shearer to shear my sheep it takes about an hour or two (I have a small flock; last year she sheared 7 and this year she'll be shearing 10-11). With small flocks I've noticed she takes her time, but with the larger flocks I'm sure she goes faster. She's competed in global shearing competitions, which of course measure speed as well as skill.

There is a very narrow breed selection for hair sheep--don't forgo other breeds just because they have wool. Their ease of care as well as their productivity level may be what you desire. Check out my Sheep Breed Selector (link in my signature I believe) and tell us what you come up with.


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## BrownSheep

What SheepGirl said is so TRUE.

Shearers are pretty easy to come by. The people I use do most of the Pacific Northwest and do everything from thousands to two. I do a bit more work during shearing but I have 50 sheep. My guys generally bring a crew of 6-8 and do 85 % of the work. 

In Oregon there is also a large fiber artist community. 

This site provides a ton of information for contacts in the sheep industry. Shearers, Wool Pools and Mills, and even locations for custon processing for wool. 

It also has meat processing contacts. Something to think about since your husband is a butcher.
http://www.sheepusa.org/Contacts_IndustryContacts


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## SheepGirl

As far as your other questions I forgot to answer...

Tail docking -- Most hair sheep don't need to be docked. However many Dorper breeds dock the tails. The large majority of wool sheep breeds should dock lamb tails for the health of the animal. Rat tail breeds generally do not have this issue. I dock lambs as newborns up to a week old. The sooner the better though.

Grain -- Yes I feed grain to my flock. Flushing, 17 days pre-breeding and 17 days into the breeding season. I didn't flush this year so I'm interested to see my lambing rate and if it changes. I also feed ewes 30 days pre lambing and for 58 days of lactation. The last two days the ewes have no grain and with the grain they have, I decrease the amount by a 1/4 lb every two days until 58 days they get nothing. Lambs get grain at finishing, if I decide to feed them grain.


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## Sweetened

Tonne of good information from Sheepgirl!  Finding a sheerer here is so hard as of late -- the only guys who do it are the meat sellers and they wont do it for anyone else, just themselves.  Last I looked, the nearest guy was 500 km away from me and didn't travel half that.  I do like a good looking wooly, but decided against it.  Some people cross katahdin or dorper into wool to help shed out in the spring rather than needing to sheer, but from my understanding that's hit and miss?

We kill, gut and skin here and then take down to a butcher (Who's extremely pricy, but very good).  Lamb and goat may be different, ultimately, if we could watch someone do the cuts once or twice, we're just not equipped for full butchering (we do everything with a fillet knife).  I also keep the hides of my animals (Have like... 40 to do next year), so it's important to me to do the skinning so the only person to blame for a bad hide is myself.  Dorper's are apparently well liked for their thick hides.


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## Bossroo

Without a dought the   DORPER   ... anything else and it will cost you more money to raise in this day and age.   Google Dorper, Dorpers for Sale, etc.  and you will get a very good idea of what I mean.    Proportionally they produce more meat per animal than the other types on less feed.    As for wool...  it will cost you more to shear than what the wool is worth.  Docking is much more adventagous especially for preventing fly strike as maggots will infest the dirty back end regions and start to eat the lamb's flesh causing extream pain. Treatment is costly and labor extensive. I have raised hundreds of lambs  so I just may have an inkling as to what to raise efficiently to make a profit.


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## Baymule

Thanks to @Bossroo 's input when I asked the same question, I will be getting Dorpers. I have located several breeders close enough to me to go pick them up. We still have to finish working on the house (want it done BEFORE we move in LOL) and put up fence, but it will be Dorpers.


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## Southern by choice

Our goal, once we are on more land with actual pasture will be to have some meat sheep. My first choice would be the Dorper or I would get some of @SheepGirl  sheep. BUT, there again, our region and dorpers do not do well. It is very much like the Boer goats and the Kiko goats. People spend a fortune trying to keep their Boers alive here, they drop dead like flies. West of the Mississippi they do fine though. Boers here have to be grain fed and alot of it. Eating off the land and they are riddled with parasites. Big fast growth rate but lots of money spent on them. The kiko does great here... wet marshy, they don't have the same issues. High wean weights without constant graining.  Kathdins have faired better in our region and get to good wean weights and market weights easily. 
KNOW your region and what does well or it is just money down the drain.


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## FarmersDigest

SheepGirl said:


> You said you were relocating to an established farm in Oregon? Or was it another state? Either way, I'm pretty sure it was out West. Shearing is talked up to be a big management task by the hair sheep promoters. Honestly, it really isn't (except for maybe the shearer!  ) Out West there are the huge range flocks and there tends to be plenty of shearers to shear these large flocks. Finding shearers in the East is more problematic, though I'm happy my gypsy shearer has her home about 20-30 minutes from my farm. She travels all over the US, mainly the northern East coast to the northern mid West.
> 
> All I do is the night before shearing day I pen the ewes up. The morning of shearing I help the shearer set up (just plugging clippers into extension cords), and I hand her sheep one by one. After she's done, I'm able to check over each sheep individually for hoof trimming, weight, their udder, parasite issues, etc. Those management tasks would've been done once a year anyway, might as well do them while they're being sheared. For my shearer to shear my sheep it takes about an hour or two (I have a small flock; last year she sheared 7 and this year she'll be shearing 10-11). With small flocks I've noticed she takes her time, but with the larger flocks I'm sure she goes faster. She's competed in global shearing competitions, which of course measure speed as well as skill.
> 
> There is a very narrow breed selection for hair sheep--don't forgo other breeds just because they have wool. Their ease of care as well as their productivity level may be what you desire. Check out my Sheep Breed Selector (link in my signature I believe) and tell us what you come up with.



Yes, Oregon. So how much do you have to pay? That doesn't sound too bad!

It said Barbados Blackbelly 100% That was the breed I was thinking I really want! Thank you for sharing this with all of us! This thing was awesome! Thank you!


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## FarmersDigest

BrownSheep said:


> What SheepGirl said is so TRUE.
> 
> Shearers are pretty easy to come by. The people I use do most of the Pacific Northwest and do everything from thousands to two. I do a bit more work during shearing but I have 50 sheep. My guys generally bring a crew of 6-8 and do 85 % of the work.
> 
> In Oregon there is also a large fiber artist community.
> 
> This site provides a ton of information for contacts in the sheep industry. Shearers, Wool Pools and Mills, and even locations for custon processing for wool.
> 
> It also has meat processing contacts. Something to think about since your husband is a butcher.
> http://www.sheepusa.org/Contacts_IndustryContacts



How much do you pay to have your sheep sheered, I hope you guys don't mind me asking!

Wow this website is amazing, thank you!


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## Sweetened

Barbados are a warmer climate breed, aren't they?  I know there's a few people who raise them in the frigid cold here, but the management required is overwhelming.  I loooove how they look, but make sure you get some that are acclimated to your area and know how they are raised (heated, not, grain, not).  They are a leaner sheep as well, won't produce as much meat as a dorper or katahdin I don't think.


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## FarmersDigest

SheepGirl said:


> As far as your other questions I forgot to answer...
> 
> Tail docking -- Most hair sheep don't need to be docked. However many Dorper breeds dock the tails. The large majority of wool sheep breeds should dock lamb tails for the health of the animal. Rat tail breeds generally do not have this issue. I dock lambs as newborns up to a week old. The sooner the better though.
> 
> Grain -- Yes I feed grain to my flock. Flushing, 17 days pre-breeding and 17 days into the breeding season. I didn't flush this year so I'm interested to see my lambing rate and if it changes. I also feed ewes 30 days pre lambing and for 58 days of lactation. The last two days the ewes have no grain and with the grain they have, I decrease the amount by a 1/4 lb every two days until 58 days they get nothing. Lambs get grain at finishing, if I decide to feed them grain.



Wahoo, thank you for the help with this as well. I will have to read this over and over.


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## FarmersDigest

Sweetened said:


> Tonne of good information from Sheepgirl!  Finding a sheerer here is so hard as of late -- the only guys who do it are the meat sellers and they wont do it for anyone else, just themselves.  Last I looked, the nearest guy was 500 km away from me and didn't travel half that.  I do like a good looking wooly, but decided against it.  Some people cross katahdin or dorper into wool to help shed out in the spring rather than needing to sheer, but from my understanding that's hit and miss?
> 
> We kill, gut and skin here and then take down to a butcher (Who's extremely pricy, but very good).  Lamb and goat may be different, ultimately, if we could watch someone do the cuts once or twice, we're just not equipped for full butchering (we do everything with a fillet knife).  I also keep the hides of my animals (Have like... 40 to do next year), so it's important to me to do the skinning so the only person to blame for a bad hide is myself.  Dorper's are apparently well liked for their thick hides.



Yeah, I have read that it's a hit and miss!

That's awesome! Not many people do that here. They usually pay a mobile butcher unit, which my DH did that for 1yr too. Or there is the emergency cow got out, and farmer had to take care of the problem. So they bring them in not gutted or anything. I want to do the hides. I have only done rabbit, and 1 deer hide. So I know I would be in over my head. That's so awesome you do your own hides.


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## FarmersDigest

Sweetened said:


> Barbados are a warmer climate breed, aren't they?  I know there's a few people who raise them in the frigid cold here, but the management required is overwhelming.  I loooove how they look, but make sure you get some that are acclimated to your area and know how they are raised (heated, not, grain, not).  They are a leaner sheep as well, won't produce as much meat as a dorper or katahdin I don't think.


Oh really? Yeah meat is what DH and I want. I liked the katahdin too. You like the dorper? I know everyone has their own opinion, but I would like to hear everyone's! Well the ones that want to share.


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## Sweetened

Im impartial. I got the pure dorper ram because i traded for him and im all about trading. Other than that my girls are crossed dorper/katahdin and one is dorper/katahdin/romanov.

Our girls, i dont have a picture of our ram, Aries.

Libra was a triplet. She is haired like a katahdin



 

Gemini (left) was a twin. Has a wool coat like a dorper but with long hairs amidst the wool.


 

Nova (the lamb, of course) was a single, has wool like the dorper, i have a feeling she wont shed well, but that she wont grow long wool, and will shed more like a dog. Its just a guess though.


 

They have tripled in size easily.


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## FarmersDigest

Oh my what beautiful sheep you have! Your LGD is huge, and so cute! When I took that quiz, the second breed that came up was the Dorper. So when you have an LGD, you can't have a border collie or other herding dog help you move them to another field, right? I'm sure the LGD would kill the herding dog, right? So if you can't do that, is it pretty easy to move them?


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## Sweetened

Im not sure. I could get away with it, lola, that dog, isnt herd bound which is why someonr sold her at auction. She wants to watch the house and the property and does a great job. She is good with the livestock but would prefer to patrol.

If our lambs get loose, i just leave the gate open and they go back in at night. Aries, our ram, is leash trained and better on a leash than show sheep. He is a very calm and docile ram, which is good for him. If we have aggressive livestock they are harvested as we wont raise inappropriate agression.

I think if you were to train your lgds to the presence of a herding dog while young, thatd be the way to go. I would wonder if you could train the lgds to move them since they are part of the choice. There are others her more knowledgable about that for sure!


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## FarmersDigest

Sweetened said:


> Im not sure. I could get away with it, lola, that dog, isnt herd bound which is why someonr sold her at auction. She wants to watch the house and the property and does a great job. She is good with the livestock but would prefer to patrol.
> 
> If our lambs get loose, i just leave the gate open and they go back in at night. Aries, our ram, is leash trained and better on a leash than show sheep. He is a very calm and docile ram, which is good for him. If we have aggressive livestock they are harvested as we wont raise inappropriate agression.
> 
> I think if you were to train your lgds to the presence of a herding dog while young, thatd be the way to go. I would wonder if you could train the lgds to move them since they are part of the choice. There are others her more knowledgable about that for sure!



Oh wow, I didn't even think of an lgd, not wanting to be with livestock. Nothing wrong with a good watch dog, I want one of those too!

Well that's a good way to do it! So they don't wonder off the property when they get out? So did you start when he was a lamb with the leash training? How do you start? That's smart, getting rid of aggression. Dh said he wants to do the same thing.

That would be a good idea, starting young. Or even better, if the lgd could help with the moving! Thank you again for taking time out of your day helping me. It's amazing how all of you are so willing to take time out and help people learn!


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## Southern by choice

LGD's are not herding dogs. They will corral, move, and get the herd of flock in a tight circle if need be due to threat but they do not herd. It is not part of the LGD's nature to run after, chase etc.

@bcnewe2  does train her own herding dogs, she has a LGD that she has raised up with them. Yet this is unusual. More often than not the LGD's are put up if herding dogs are used. LGD's do not like their herd/flocks being as what they see as harrassed by the herders.
2 different jobs... 2 different kinds of dogs.


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## Sweetened

I was more imagining the herd or flock following the lgds more than moving them.  I should have worded that better.

Our animals are rarely loose, but on occassion a gate doesnt latch well or whatever and they bolt out behind me. The 2 trouble dogs get brought in the house until the livestock goes back in.  But they dont wander far from home.  A former friend of mine free ranges all her animals, and because theyve been ranging for so long, they are often found 5+ miles away from home.

I trained Aries the same way i train dogs, took 3 days before he was fluent with it. I put a collar and leash on him and start walking until theres resistance on the lead; the moment he moved forward i would release all tension. He stomped at me once and i put him on his ass (the way a dominant ram would). After that, hes never tried it again. Day two i had him walking on the leash, would drag him forward a bit until he moved on his own and by day 3 he would approach to have his leash put on. I train the goats this way as well, handle aggression the same way. If it doesnt get through their head the first couple times they are rehomed or hatvested.


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## FarmersDigest

Southern by choice said:


> LGD's are not herding dogs. They will corral, move, and get the herd of flock in a tight circle if need be due to threat but they do not herd. It is not part of the LGD's nature to run after, chase etc.
> 
> @bcnewe2  does train her own herding dogs, she has a LGD that she has raised up with them. Yet this is unusual. More often than not the LGD's are put up if herding dogs are used. LGD's do not like their herd/flocks being as what they see as harrassed by the herders.
> 2 different jobs... 2 different kinds of dogs.



Good to know! Thank you!

That makes sense, putting the LGD's up while the herding dogs are used. Thanks Southern by choice! Really appreciate your info.


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## Baymule

@Sweetened great description of how you trained your ram. I am paying careful attention because we are moving to 8 acres. Soon as we get it fenced, Dorpers are on my shopping list. Loved the pics of your lambs and LGD. I have a Great Pyrenees that has been guarding my back yard and chickens, hope she decides that she was really born to guard sheep LOL. If she decides to guard the house and land, then that will be ok too.

@FarmersDigest I have a GP that hates my Australian Shepherd. They must be kept separated if I want the Aussie to keep breathing. Since the GP commands the back yard, the Aussie became a permanent house dog. I have to walk her in the front yard, can't just turn her out, in town and she takes off. When we move, the Aussie will have a fenced yard to keep her out of trouble. ALL LGD's don't hate your other dogs ALL the time, but be prepared for that possibility. Our GP absolutely LOVES our goofy black Lab/Great Dane cross, so go figure.


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## FarmersDigest

Sweetened said:


> I was more imagining the herd or flock following the lgds more than moving them.  I should have worded that better.
> 
> Our animals are rarely loose, but on occassion a gate doesnt latch well or whatever and they bolt out behind me. The 2 trouble dogs get brought in the house until the livestock goes back in.  But they dont wander far from home.  A former friend of mine free ranges all her animals, and because theyve been ranging for so long, they are often found 5+ miles away from home.
> 
> I trained Aries the same way i train dogs, took 3 days before he was fluent with it. I put a collar and leash on him and start walking until theres resistance on the lead; the moment he moved forward i would release all tension. He stomped at me once and i put him on his ass (the way a dominant ram would). After that, hes never tried it again. Day two i had him walking on the leash, would drag him forward a bit until he moved on his own and by day 3 he would approach to have his leash put on. I train the goats this way as well, handle aggression the same way. If it doesnt get through their head the first couple times they are rehomed or hatvested.



I really like the way you do thing's! I like the idea of training them, as I am sure that makes thing's so much easier. Thanks again for such great info!


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## FarmersDigest

Baymule said:


> @Sweetened great description of how you trained your ram. I am paying careful attention because we are moving to 8 acres. Soon as we get it fenced, Dorpers are on my shopping list. Loved the pics of your lambs and LGD. I have a Great Pyrenees that has been guarding my back yard and chickens, hope she decides that she was really born to guard sheep LOL. If she decides to guard the house and land, then that will be ok too.
> 
> @FarmersDigest I have a GP that hates my Australian Shepherd. They must be kept separated if I want the Aussie to keep breathing. Since the GP commands the back yard, the Aussie became a permanent house dog. I have to walk her in the front yard, can't just turn her out, in town and she takes off. When we move, the Aussie will have a fenced yard to keep her out of trouble. ALL LGD's don't hate your other dogs ALL the time, but be prepared for that possibility. Our GP absolutely LOVES our goofy black Lab/Great Dane cross, so go figure.



I hope that your GP loves to guard sheep too.  You'll have to keep us updated. 
Nothing like your dog getting to decide who will be a permanent house dog for you.  That's great you have thing's already planned out for when you move! Thank you for helping me. I am really worried about dogs not getting along. We had 3 Malamutes when growing up, and man when they got into it with each other, it was bad! I don't want that at all! Lol they usually do love the goof balls. What a mix!


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## alsea1

I have American black belly sheep and really enjoy them.
Thus far I have not had any illness problems with my flock the whole time I have owned them.  All my sheep have easy births with healthy offspring. They can have two lambing's per year as well.  I started out with three. I now have eleven.
So far I have been able to keep the ewes and ram together year round with out any problems. This is a management plus for me.
My stock is thriving on small area without issues with parasites.
Due to the size of my pasture I must feed year round to supplement their diet.
I do find that I must trim hooves as there are no areas in the pasture that they wear them down on.
If you want a large carcass weight then black belly is not for you.
They are smaller than the katahdin and dorper.
The flavor of the meat however is extremely good.


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## BrownSheep

FarmersDigest said:


> How much do you pay to have your sheep sheered, I hope you guys don't mind me asking!
> 
> Wow this website is amazing, thank you!



Not at all! I pay $10/ewe and $20 a ram.
I've gotten quotes for 5/ewe and less if they keep the wool but these guys were available first and did such great work we'll always use them. 

Admittedly, with our wool pool we make just enough to break even with shearing. Wool pools aren't the most profitable way to go but is the easiest. I just bought some roving and spent about $4/ ounce....compared to the $1 something per pound I got at the wool pool.


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## Southern by choice

We pay mileage and $7 per head.
For us we try to coordinate with others in our area so mileage isn't so bad.
Last year we had it coordinated, I was gifting someone else the travel fee  and shearing fee for their sheep... had it all set up but it rained... we got ours done but the people we were gifting had no power where the shelter was so they didn't get done. I felt so bad for the shearer as she traveled a long way for my 2 sheep. She had her brand new 8 month old sweet baby with her... Paid her for ours and the other farm anyway. Shearers are few and far between here and they do alot of work for nothing. Always tip your shearer generously!
We use the wool for felting and eventually we will spin it... one day...


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## FarmersDigest

alsea1 said:


> I have American black belly sheep and really enjoy them.
> Thus far I have not had any illness problems with my flock the whole time I have owned them.  All my sheep have easy births with healthy offspring. They can have two lambing's per year as well.  I started out with three. I now have eleven.
> So far I have been able to keep the ewes and ram together year round with out any problems. This is a management plus for me.
> My stock is thriving on small area without issues with parasites.
> Due to the size of my pasture I must feed year round to supplement their diet.
> I do find that I must trim hooves as there are no areas in the pasture that they wear them down on.
> If you want a large carcass weight then black belly is not for you.
> They are smaller than the katahdin and dorper.
> The flavor of the meat however is extremely good.



Thank you for all this great info about the breed! How long does it take you to trim the feet? How do you know when it's needing to be done? How much do you trim? Sorry for all the questions. Them being smaller is what had my Dh worried.


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## FarmersDigest

BrownSheep said:


> Not at all! I pay $10/ewe and $20 a ram.
> I've gotten quotes for 5/ewe and less if they keep the wool but these guys were available first and did such great work we'll always use them.
> 
> Admittedly, with our wool pool we make just enough to break even with shearing. Wool pools aren't the most profitable way to go but is the easiest. I just bought some roving and spent about $4/ ounce....compared to the $1 something per pound I got at the wool pool.



Well thank you for being ok with me asking and for answering! I didn't know they take the wool.


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## FarmersDigest

Southern by choice said:


> We pay mileage and $7 per head.
> For us we try to coordinate with others in our area so mileage isn't so bad.
> Last year we had it coordinated, I was gifting someone else the travel fee  and shearing fee for their sheep... had it all set up but it rained... we got ours done but the people we were gifting had no power where the shelter was so they didn't get done. I felt so bad for the shearer as she traveled a long way for my 2 sheep. She had her brand new 8 month old sweet baby with her... Paid her for ours and the other farm anyway. Shearers are few and far between here and they do alot of work for nothing. Always tip your shearer generously!
> We use the wool for felting and eventually we will spin it... one day...



What great advice, and what a kind person you are!


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## bonbean01

Right now we have a dorper ram and part Katahdin/Dorper ewes....our full Katahdin ewe is no longer with us   but glad we kept her ewe lambs through the years.  We love both breeds and a cross of the two.  Not thinking there is any right or wrong hair sheep breed....you will see and feed and interact with them daily, so pick what you love   Check them all out...go all one breed, or mix it up...mainly...enjoy the whole experience.  We've found that checking feet often is a good measure of letting us know when to trim feet...only have a handful of sheep here and with lambs now, up to only 11, so checking often is easier for us than people with large flocks of sheep.  Our sheep are very tame and enjoy being loved on....that does not include the ram though...I would strongly suggest you read up on this forum in the sheep section on how to handle rams for your own safety....many people have no problem, but here...we have learned to watch the rams from some painful experiences. 

Before you buy any sheep or lambs....be sure to read much on the subject of what to look for and what to avoid...you don't want to buy someone else's culls...that is something else we learned the hard way...LOL


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## purplequeenvt

Everybody is going to promote the breed that they prefer. Some may even say that it is the only breed worth raising. My advice, take everyone's opinion into account, but then figure out what YOU want and go from there. There is no one perfect breed. You can make money with most, if not all, of them if you work hard enough.

Personally, I love my woollies. We raise Border Leicesters and Shetlands with a few Southdowns and crossbreds thrown in for good measure. Shearing is not a big deal. We normally pay $6/head, doesn't matter if it's a ram or ewe and we keep all the fleeces. My youngest sister (17 yo) has started shearing and will soon be taking over all the shearing so that we don't have to pay someone to come.

If I were to pick a hair sheep breed to raise, I'd probably go with Katahdins. Why? Because they originated in Maine so I know that they will do well in New England. They also do well in a grassfed production operation and that is what I would be getting them for. Not that I have anything against Dorpers, I just believe that the Katahdin would do what I wanted better.


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## BrownSheep

FarmersDigest said:


> Well thank you for being ok with me asking and for answering! I didn't know they take the wool.


I may have phrased this poorly. 
Most shears don't keep the wool. It was just an option for a cheaper shearing job. 
With my current shearers they compress it into "wool bales" for me at about 400 lbs a piece which I than sell with others from my area. This year the buyer was from Utah since they offered our area the highest bid.


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## SheepGirl

Our shearer normally charges $35 for a farm call plus $5/hd but she normally just charges me $10/hd.


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## alsea1

Foot trimming is easy for me. My sheep are easy to handle due to their size.
I use a pair of pointed pruning type shears. I trim off the excess hoof. Takes a few minutes per sheep.
I usually trim the feet when I need to get fecal samples or worm.
When choosing a breed you need to figure out what is your goal.
Personal meat or wool or are you going to want to sell them.
If you want to sell then you should choose a breed that sells well in your area.
Black Belly sheep are great lawn mowers and have not required what I would consider a lot of maint.
The smaller size works on my place. I have under two acres with a house and shop on it. So am limited on pasture size.
I have noted that the black belly is slower to mature and grow out than the katahdins and dorpers.
This is okay for me since I view this as a hobby with perks.


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## mikiz

Does anyone have Damara sheep? They're my next option since we can't get Painted Desert Sheep in Australia, and I was wondering what they were like as a meat breed?


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