Overwhelmed with breeds.

[purplequeenvt]

That is really good to know that their wool isn't very good! Thank you! As far as Shetlands I will look them up more but how large to their get? The 2 goats I currently have are Nigerian Dwarfs. Size doesn't matter to awful much, I just don't want sheep that would tower over the little girls.

Friesians have crappy wool. If you are looking for nice wool, Border Leicesters and Romneys and crosses of the two have very nice wool that is popular with hand spinners. Bonus with BLs/Romneys would be that you could slaughter any extra ram lambs for meat. If you are looking for something smaller or more fun, Shetlands are great. They are little and come in lots of colors.

I've milked an Icelandic before....not too bad. Sheep years are small and harder to milk than a goat's.

My Shetland adults are around 80 lbs. Lambs are 4-6lbs when born. They are also very goat-like in their grazing/browsing preferences.

 

[Mylittlefarm]

That is really good to know that their wool isn't very good! Thank you! As far as Shetlands I will look them up more but how large to their get? The 2 goats I currently have are Nigerian Dwarfs. Size doesn't matter to awful much, I just don't want sheep that would tower over the little girls.

Friesians have crappy wool. If you are looking for nice wool, Border Leicesters and Romneys and crosses of the two have very nice wool that is popular with hand spinners. Bonus with BLs/Romneys would be that you could slaughter any extra ram lambs for meat. If you are looking for something smaller or more fun, Shetlands are great. They are little and come in lots of colors.

I've milked an Icelandic before....not too bad. Sheep years are small and harder to milk than a goat's.

My Shetland adults are around 80 lbs. Lambs are 4-6lbs when born. They are also very goat-like in their grazing/browsing preferences.

That may be a really good match for your goats. Our goats are actually smaller than that. Our does top out at 45 and 55 lbs and babies are around 2lbs each. I just don't know about mixing huge sheep with mini goats. Makes me a little nervous.

 

[Timily Farms]

I am also looking at starting into the sheep business which I used to be in when I was in high school but stopped and I was wondering if Romney, Hampshire, and Suffolk working together. I want to start with Romney and then slowly get Hampshire and Suffolk do these sound like good breeds

 

[JW]

Check out Sheep101.com site has a list of every breed of sheep with information on each one. It'll be a good starting point. It's where I started when I was trying to figure out which breed to go with and that would fit my situation. Hope it helps.

 

[purplequeenvt]

I am also looking at starting into the sheep business which I used to be in when I was in high school but stopped and I was wondering if Romney, Hampshire, and Suffolk working together. I want to start with Romney and then slowly get Hampshire and Suffolk do these sound like good breeds

Your choice of breed all depends on your personal preference and what your goals for your flock are.

Romneys are a dual-purpose long wool breed. Their wool, at least in my area, is enjoyed by hand spinners. The lambs are slow growing, but tasty. The ewes are generally good mothers. I liked our Romneys, but I have never regretted selling them in favor of our Border Leicesters.

Suffolks and Hamps are both meat breeds and are both large breeds. I don't have any experience with them so I can't speak to their attributes.

 

[SheepGirl]

Check out Sheep101.com site has a list of every breed of sheep with information on each one. It'll be a good starting point. It's where I started when I was trying to figure out which breed to go with and that would fit my situation. Hope it helps.

Or go here: http://www.sheepusa.org/ResearchEducation_Literature_BreedDirectory