talk to me about Shetland sheep?

[patandchickens]

I was going to stick with just these two British Milksheep-Dorset cross ewe lambs I am getting next week, and figure out some way to get them bred however I can; but now people are tempting me with Shetlands.

So, those who have (or have had) them, what can you tell me about them? Are they actually of some practical use (aside from if you are a handspinner - tho my MIL *is*) or are they more of a yuppie-hobby-farm decoration/pet type thing?

And, would it be reasonable to use a shetland ram to freshen the aforementioned MilksheepX ewes this fall, or would that be not so good an idea (would he be tall enough to reach? )

Thanks for any and all info/opinions,

Pat

 

[jessica117]

I loved my shetlands. They were friendly and easier to handle due to their size. As far as usefulness... I had them as part of my handspinner's flock. I know that they are supposed to be quite good for eating, though the cost for processing may be an issue, depending on the processor. Some charge by the animal while others charge by the pound, due to their smaller stature the latter would be the better deal.

The other thing about shetlands is mine were more browsers than my tunis. The tunis were perfectly happy with grass and hay, the shetlands however wanted to eat anything but.

As to milk... I have NO experience there.

Hope this helps

 

[jen6265]

Hi Pat - My husband and I breed shetland sheep near Niagara Falls, New York. They are bred primarily for wool, but their meat is excellent. We know some breeders that will cover other breeds with shetland ram to get a bigger carcass, the ones I know of are cheviots and BFL's. The shetland ram is small, but very resourceful.

They are not high volume milk producers, I would guess a standard ewe would give about 1 pint per day. Some people sell the pelts. I sell the fiber, and I get $1/oz for raw, unwashed fleeces. That's assuming they are sheared by a professional and don't have a lot of hay in the wool. I figure about $60 per ewe for an adult fleece.

The small size is a benefit as they are easy to care for, don't require a lot of space, and consume less hay. We estimate 10 bales per animal per year, assuming they are on pasture from May - Early October. In the summer they thrive on just pasture, water and minerals.

Would be happy to share more info if you are interested, we started breeding in 2001, never looked back, they have improved the quality of our life 100%. Kids do 4H, I spin, hubby cleans the barn...

Jen
www.wpshetlands.homestead.com

 

[nissa_loves_cats]

I have been breeding Shetlands for over 15 years. I DON'T do handspinning or market wool. I sell live Shetland meat lambs to foreign-born customers who do their own butchering. (Once I got a customer to butcher one for me in exchange for a discount on the ones they were buying.)

Shetland lambs do tend to be slow-growing. But then, their meat is mild enough that I often sell yearlings for meat and the customers are pleased.

I currently have a White Dorper ram and am crossing him to some Shetlands. The ShetlandXDorpers shed their wool fully and are larger than the pure Shetlands which pleases my customers.

Admittedly, lots of Shetlands in the US are raised as ornamental/hobby pets, but they are a serious and useful breed even without the wool aspect.