How many are currently raising hair breeds of sheep?

[carolinagirl]

I have found no logical reason for it. Perhaps it's just a hardiness thing that came from years and years of "survival of the fittest". I have seen it with fish too. I keep koi (ornamental pond fish). The closer the variety is to the wild carp, the more resistance they have to parasites. Parasites that will wipe out one variety of fish barely even affects certain other varieties. It would be interesting to do lab work and see if they both breeds of sheep are carrying the same parasite load and just aren't affected....or if they even resist taking on the load from the start.

 

[Beekissed]

It would indeed! I think your answer lies in what you just said....maybe they carry the same loads but their health is less affected. Maybe they develop more red blood cells than do their counterparts, thus not evidencing the anemia that is usually indicative of parasite loads. Maybe the mucosa in their bowels has a naturally more acidic mucus layer or even has a more fibrous nature that doesn't allow worms to thrive or attach well.

It would be great to know...but as soon as science discovered it they'd find a way to mess it up, so it's probably just best they do not know, huh?

 

[carolinagirl]

maybe if I learn how to do fecals with my microscope, I'll do some studies later in the summer when the ewes are back together. They are separated now for breeding.

 

[Beekissed]

Thought folks would enjoy this video about raising hair sheep, specifically Katahdins, in the southeast:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRafrBl5hGY

 

[boykin2010]

The lady in that video is a good friend of mine. I live about 10 minutes from her an buy all my breeding stock from
Her. She really knows what she is doing and has excellent excellent sheep. Very parasite resistant. This is her website www.houndriverfarm.com

 

[Beekissed]

Isn't that cool? Small world! I liked the looks of her sheep also and the fact that she is actually using the hair sheep for their trait qualities instead of trying to raise them exactly like the woolly breeds by throwing dewormer down their gobs instead of addressing the real problem. That she is culling/breeding for parasite resistance makes her a woman after my own husbandry heart!

The place I bought my hair sheep was from an older guy who had previously owned woollies. He got the hair sheep because he was attracted to their traits of shedding, parasite resistance, conditioning well on grass, mothering, lambing, etc. Then, what did he do? Started treating them like wool breeds...feeding a lot of grain, dosing them with meds, jugging them for lambing and providing too much assistance, etc.

He soon found out that as soon as he did this, the hair breeds started performing just like his woollies(illness, poor lambing, poor health, increased parasites, etc.) and he hadn't gotten very far in the exchange of breeds.

He is slowly making the transition back to a grass-based, less chemical interference based operation but he still isn't managing them well or breeding for their good traits of parasite resistance and lambing without too much interference.

 

[Doug Stone]

I got my first sheep in June I got Painted Desert. One ram and one Ewe going to get two more Ewes this week.

 

[mikiz]

They're beautiful Doug, I'm so jealous, we don't have those in Australia

 

[Doug Stone]

Thank You. They are certainly unique, and they are not very friendly, they are very skiddish. But they have eaten out of my hand. Takes time I guess

 

[IndigoFoxFarm]

I got my first sheep in June I got Painted Desert. One ram and one Ewe going to get two more Ewes this week.

Beautiful pair, Doug. Thanks for sharing.

I don't have any sheep yet, but will be getting some hair sheep next year. I'm currently looking into Dorper crosses and Painted Desert sheep, as there is a breeder who has both flocks available. I like color, but the Dorper-x being a bit more mellow would be good for starting out. lol.