Judging a Flock By Its Cover
Selecting and raising sheep for wool can be a rewarding experience for animal - and pocketbook-lovers alike. Breeds renowned for their silky and highly marketable wool can be raised on remarkably little land and with a minimum of toil. Let MOTHER'S sheep guru show you how.
"I was fascinated, drawn to them," she recalls.
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Shortly after moving to the place where lambs beckoned her,
Child obtained seven or eight Suffolk-based ewes. The sheep
produced sparse, white, medium-weight wool, typical of
mutton-type breeds in the region. It wasn't quite what
Child had in mind.
Mary Child "skirts", or removes, less desirable wool from
the edges of a recently sheared fleece.
Determined to produce dense, soft, naturally colored
fleeces, she added to her flock a black, mostly Corriedale
ram and a purebred Lincoln ram to improve the wool on
future lambs.
Corriedales produce a soft, dense, medium-long fleece with
a medium-tight crimp grading in the mid-50s (see " Wool
Grades "). Lincoln fleeces yield a lustrous, extremely
durable, long-staple fiber, great for specialty items such
as socks or carpets.
Although Lincoln wool grades only in the low 40s,
handspinners generally favor it over 50-grade Suffolk wool,
which can be harsh or brittle and tends to handle poorly.
"Lincoln adds luster and strength to Corriedale wool,"
advises Child, who today shares six acres with 14 ewes and
four rains. In a drier, less fertile area, six acres might
limit her to a flock of six or less animals. In a more lush
area, or with intensive rotational grazing, she might
pasture 25 to 30 sheep. In all cases, well-drained sloping
land reduces hoof and worm problems, and is an important
first step in keeping a healthy herd.
Healthy Sheep, Healthy Wool
In general, sheep thrive on good quality pasture or hay,
clean water and a sheep mineral salt. Mineral salt intended
for cattle contains more copper than sheep usually need and
can be toxic. Most sheep minerals contain higher levels of
selenium, which is necessary to metabolize vitamin E, and
prevent serious muscle-related diseases.
Sheep that graze on pasture with selenium - deficient soil
are prone to prolapse (of uteruses or rectums) and may
produce stillborn or weak lambs with poor lung capacity. In
some regions, feeding miner also containing even the
maximum legal level of selenium isn't enough. Supplements
of selenium/vitamin E are available from your veterinarian,
but be sure not to overdo it. Too much selenium can have
the same effect as too little.
Sheep love alfalfa... too much. If suddenly given free
access, they'll gorge and possibly die from bloating. Some
shepherds graze alfalfa, but most store it for winter as a
high-protein (about 17%) hay. Corn provides great energy,
but is only about 8% protein. Corn-based feeds sold in
100-pound sacks at farm stores incorporate soybean meal
(about 42% protein) and other protein-rich ingredients.
Sheep do well on 10% to 12% protein; lambs need more. In
cold weather and late pregnancy, ewes need extra energy.
High-quality pasture or hay normally provides adequate
energy and protein. Ewes carrying twins or triplets often
run out of rumen room for hay and may need grain to
supplement their diet.
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