What struck me right away when my first Icelandic sheep lambed were the similarities that these sheep had with dairy goats. I had a commercial goat dairy in years past and these ewe lamb mothers had udders that would be respectable for a good milking dairy goat.
Read MoreWhere can you find an all-in-one lambing calculator that also works to factor a pig’s gestation period and a cow’s pregnancy length? Here!
Read MoreOne way to maximize your wool value is to target fiber festivals which include spinners, weavers, and dyers. As a small producer specializing in fine wool sheep, our business depends upon finding innovative and profitable ways to market our wool.
Read MoreThere are numerous breeds in the world and raising sheep serves many purposes. Some sheep breeds lend themselves to provide the whole range of products, Rambouillet sheep, Dorset sheep, and some other sheep breeds are good providers of wool fiber, lambs, milk, and eventually, meat.
Read MoreSoay sheep are the hardiest miniature sheep breed from St. Kilda, Scotland. Their light weight and self-sufficiency make them ideal for land management and homesteading, plus you don’t have to shear them!
Read MoreHow smart are sheep, actually? Most people consider sheep stupid. Have we misunderstood their custom of following each other? Research has revealed considerable intelligence, social bonds, and survival skills guiding their flocking behavior.
Read MoreWould you like to raise Dorper sheep, one of the fastest growing breeds in the United States and many other countries? There is good reason for the popularity of the Dorper sheep breed.
Read MoreA large part of raising wool animals is knowing what to feed sheep in order to obtain good quality wool. Feeding choices will vary from place to place.
Read MoreRaised for their hides, meat, milk, and wool, sheep are versatile. In addition to providing a local source of food and fiber, small flock owners are looking to support livestock conservation by venturing into raising rare sheep breeds.
Read MoreIn 1915, A.T. Spencer purchased New Zealand Romney rams from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (the 1915 World’s Fair) in San Francisco. The prized rams could not be returned to New Zealand, and A.T. Spencer seized an opportunity.
Read MoreHeritage sheep are rare, but their wool is special. The Livestock Conservancy’s new Shave ‘Em to Save ‘Em project is focusing fiber artists on using rare breed wool and yarns to draw attention to their unusual and fine qualities.
Read MoreDuring show season, pink eye in sheep can be a common livestock issue. Small ruminants easily transmit pink eye from one animal to the next.
Read MoreMany people who are interested in keeping sheep hesitate because they have heard that rams are dangerous and hard to keep. So, are rams dangerous?
Read MoreDon’t you just love how sheep keep teaching us what we never knew we needed to know? The past lambing season was one in which I got an advanced education in “Sheep Feet 101.”
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