What is the best hair sheep for meat?

[BrownSheep]

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.

 

[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...

 

[FarmersDigest]

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.

 

[FarmersDigest]

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.

 

[FarmersDigest]

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!

 

[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

 

[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.

 

[BrownSheep]

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.

 

[SheepGirl]

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

 

[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.