Sheep milk

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 6:50 pm

Brebis...for sure...i'd be up for that...nice B&B holiday too...PEC is a spectacular place to visit

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 7:18 pm

TomK wrote:QR_BBPOST Okay, this thread has me kinda excited...its easy to get this old guy excited it seems these days...lol...we are definitely getting sheep this year...and I'm not one to worry about milk volume etc...so I'm looking at sheep for wool, and letting them lamb, leaving the lambs full course on the ewe and milking the ewe(s) after the fact...MJ is looking into sheep milk cheese making...now for that fence............

I was checking out sheep breeds today too! I was thinking, maybe, Icelandic ? For the wool mostly, and some milk.

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 8:08 pm

Robbie...I'm looking at Lincolns...rare breed...and awesome wool quality...I'm not in it to make a fortune, just enjoy doing anything metging worthwhile...that's been my focus the last few years..those Icelandics look very interesting tho...

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 8:13 pm

Seems like there are a lot of sheep breeds to choose from! Who would have thought?

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 8:16 pm

TomK those Lincoln sheep are awesome! I hope you don't have burrs in your paddocks though!

ross · Post by **ross** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 8:41 pm

I like the 4 horned sheep . Had um at zoo . Lots a handles on head to get holt of .

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 8:56 pm

Robbie wrote:QR_BBPOST TomK those Lincoln sheep are awesome! I hope you don't have burrs in your paddocks though!

Yeah, that's the problem with sheep here-burdocks are a bugger to keep out of the fleece. Curiously, sheep love eating them but you have to make sure they get cut down before they make burrs.
Which leads to one small problem with having fleece sheep vs. Hair sheep...they need shearing and that can be a pain. Most shearers don't like shearing very small flocks and it's a tough job to do yourself well so the wool is useful. Sometimes you can arrange to have them sheared if you have someone near you that has a large flock getting sheared if you take them there and they/you don't have concerns about bio security.
Lincolns are beautiful sheep, I'd love some Wensleydales as they have a similar fleece but were also used for milking but I don't think there are any in NA and after the Mad Cow outbreaks it's impossible to move sheep around across borders.

SandyM · Post by **SandyM** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 8:58 pm

There's a difference of fur on sheep? Fleece verses hair? Wow. Who knew!

Brebis · Post by **Brebis** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 9:07 pm

Yes, there are quite a few different types of fleece and hair breeds depending on the use for the wool. The English breeds and the Merinos have very fine fleece good for fine wool fabrics and knitted wear. The Icelandic has a double fleece withe a fine soft undercoat and hair outer so it makes very soft but rugged fabrics and knitting which felt easily making really durable, wind and waterproof garments that are essential in a climate like Iceland!
Many of the Mediterranean breeds have a much tougher fleece that makes really good carpets.
There are several breeds of hair sheep that have a short hair rather than wool and are quite popular her since they don't require shearing which here is not even worth the price one gets from the wool these days. The most popular hair sheep here is the Katadin.

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Sun Feb 28, 2016 9:22 pm

I don't have burdock...kinda lucky in that the meadows haven't gone that wild yet...whew!