# Tell me about Finnsheep



## Pigeon Lady (Apr 4, 2004)

We have an extremely steep hillside pasture that we can't do much with, so we're thinking of getting a small herd of sheep. 

I'm interested in the Finnsheep for their meat and fleece ( I spin and knit) and their tendency to birth multiple lambs.

Getting older with a back that goes out real easily, so these days I have to think long and hard before jumping into new animal enterprises,  

We have a local shearer who's prices are very reasonable so I think we'll be hiring that job out.

How large are they?

Will they tame down well?

Are the rams good natured? 

Hardy?

Easy births/good mothers?

Are there any in Virginia?

Would they cross well with Jacobs? 

Thanks for any enablement- I mean advice 

Pauline


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

Here is the Registry site with lots of good info for you. They are what I would call a medium to large sheep.

http://www.finnsheep.org/

And

http://www.nebraskasheep.com/directory/Breeds/Finnsheep/

Will have to let others answer your questions, as I have not personally dealt with this breed. ;O)


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I decided on finns last year to start a little flock. I am a beginner with them, but here's what I know.

*How large are they?* You can expect 125-150lbs

*Will they tame down well?* Yes, I have 2 ewes and a ram that are almost pets. I have another one that wasn't handled at all until she came here from NY at 3 months of age. She's a bit more wild and nervous around people.

*Are the rams good natured? * Well...if the ewe's are not in heat. But they are RAMS. Mine is the first to the fence for treats and you'd best spend more time with him. I had a 2nd ram earlier this year that was not registered but a full finn - a bit larger than a typical finn ram. The nicest little friend you could ever have...until the ewes came into heat. He was about 150 lbs and could knock me right over. I finally learned to tie him to the fence if I needed to be in the pen. 

*Hardy?* I finally put mine in the barn because they wouldn't go into their shelters outside - no matter if it rained or snowed on them. I couldn't stand it. They don't like being confined inside which is why they wouldn't shelter inside. They didn't seem to be harmed from being outside...but I couldn't stand walking to the barn and having the little snow drifts raise up and come running for food. 

*Easy births/good mothers?* You also need to ask if they are milky enough to raise all the babies they can have. Yes, they are good mothers. Most will give plenty of milk, but some will not. Have a bottle on hand JIC. I had a ewe last year that had quads. She could have raised 3 of them on her own. For the most part - the only trouble was that the lambs came so fast the mom couldn't clean them up fast enough. 

*Are there any in Virginia? * I can't help you there.

*Would they cross well with Jacobs? * I think a finn x Jacob would be a great cross! I got some fleeces from OLF this year. I think the finn can be a bit more curly and shiny. My white ewes look like the almost have a little polyester in their fleeces. LOL

I have trouble keeping mine from getting too fat. Right now they are so pregnant they are starting to look like little boats. Howver, I do not think they are as easy of keepers as they are reported to be. I fed mine a small helping of sheep rations year round. I think, if they are not raising babies, they can get by without it, but you will want to start them up on it again before putting them in with the ram. AND - they are year-round breeders. 

Good luck! I hope you find some near you!


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## minnikin1 (Feb 3, 2003)

Hi Pigeon Lady, 

One of the reasons I chose finns when I got sheep was the smaller size - they are very easy to handle - and the bloodlines we have are extremely tame. 
Our rams are good with people, and even when ewes are in heat will not be aggressive towards us. HOWEVER, they do bash one another and if you happen to be standing next to a ram who is getting bashed, down you go. 

Our sheep are very hardy but they are not the thriftiest breed we've had. 
They eat a lot compared to others I've had. 

They are wonderful mothers and mostly lamb without assistance. But when they do need help, it can be tough sorting out a tangle of multiple lambs. 

I adore my finns, and most folks who meet them are shocked at how friendly they are. Meat is good, but they are slow growers. 



Pigeon Lady said:


> We have an extremely steep hillside pasture that we can't do much with, so we're thinking of getting a small herd of sheep.
> 
> I'm interested in the Finnsheep for their meat and fleece ( I spin and knit) and their tendency to birth multiple lambs.
> 
> ...


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## Pigeon Lady (Apr 4, 2004)

Thanks so much for all the great info! Glad to hear from people who actually raise them. They look like very nice sheep. 

We don't have that pasture fenced yet ( expecting the fence man as soon as the weather warms) so I have time to research different breeds.


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Callieslamb said:


> . I had a ewe last year that had quads. She could have raised 3 of them on her own.
> 
> Good luck! I hope you find some near you!


Actually that part throws me a bit . Is that a rare event? At one point most of my non lamb mothers had quads or better.
LOL be ready for LOTS of lambs.
They are rough eaters drop a tree and they will strip every leave and the love brambles(but you will hate brambles in their coats)


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

If you lambed early March and were selling the lambs in Sept/Oct how big would the finn lambs be? They would just be out on pasture (no grain added) but it is a good pasture and my suffolk cross lambs do awsome on it.

how would finn sheep do crossed with a suffolk? I have a smaller suffolk ram that I use with my flock which weights 130-250 (small romney to LARGE suffolk). 

could the finn sheep provide two litters in three years (I think that what I heard). 

Thanks


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Finns will do out of season breeding but the cooler it is the better.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

lambs.are.cute said:


> If you lambed early March and were selling the lambs in Sept/Oct how big would the finn lambs be? They would just be out on pasture (no grain added) but it is a good pasture and my suffolk cross lambs do awsome on it.
> 
> how would finn sheep do crossed with a suffolk? I have a smaller suffolk ram that I use with my flock which weights 130-250 (small romney to LARGE suffolk).
> 
> ...


Mine were born in April and large enough for breeding by Oct. Probably right at 100 lbs. 

I sold my unregistered ram to a lady that used him on her suffolk. I will let you know what that turns out like. The unregistered ram was larger than what I consider a normal finn ram. My yearling ram wouldn't have been large enough to breed her - next year he might though. 

Yes, they can provide 3 litters in 2 years. But I am not sure I would do it. That's can be a lot of wear and tear on a ewe. Part of me says let them do what they want to do naturally and the other part says let's be smart about this and think of lengitivity of the ewe. And it's less complicated for me to have them lamb kind of together. 

As for the multiple births - one of my ewes is a quint, one a twin, and the other from quads. Triplets are what is normally considered the least they should have - except for their first year lambing. Twins are plenty for that in my book. I think some ewes could have a nervous breakdown trying to keep up with 5-7 lambs.


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## fantasymaker (Aug 28, 2005)

Callieslamb said:


> As for the multiple births - one of my ewes is a quint, one a twin, and the other from quads. Triplets are what is normally considered the least they should have - except for their first year lambing. Twins are plenty for that in my book. I think some ewes could have a nervous breakdown trying to keep up with 5-7 lambs.



I know it sounds cruel but often all but 2 of the ewe lambs are pulled off Finn mothers.
What you do with the others is up to you and your wallet.


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## lambs.are.cute (Aug 15, 2010)

soo they can't feed more than 2!!!! to me that would defeat the purpose of having more than 2 lambs becuase they cost extra (and really if I had to bottle feed the extra two lambs it would be cheeper for me to keep an extra ewe out of my suffolk ewe who has and feeds triplets for three years running). 

callieslamb - I was thinking about buying ewes and was wondering if they would be too small to be bred to the ram. Also what the cross would be like (I would love to know and or see pics).


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I had one last year that raised 3 and maybe could have done four with a bit of help. I left them with her and just took a bottle out a couple times a day and fed the hungry ones. 

There's a lot to think and consider with Finns. I have a milk cow so bottling won't be a problem for me. Also - if I decide to keep a ewe, I am going to bottle her so she will be a bit easier to handle as she gets older. Of course, there's the ram let the ewe raise last year that was able to be handled anyway. The breeder in NY that I bought a ewe from last year never bottles anyone. They either do or die. She also feeds no grain. That ewe was a lot smaller than the other lambs her age that I had fed bits of grain to.. I wouldn't keep a ewe that doesn't have enough milk for at least 3 of them. I plan on only bottling part-time but we will see what hits the ground in a month or so. I don't mind bottling lambs.

I would not use a large suffolk ram on a Finn ewe. Too much size difference. I wouldn't breed them to any ram much larger than the ewe. I don't have book and verse reasoning on that - just my opinion. I have only seen one cross - Corriedale X Finn. It's a nice cross - larger lambs than full finn, faster growth but still a nice soft fleece. I had a couple Finnx Corriedale lambs last year with very crimpy fleece. I also had a couple with very little crimp. I understand each type fleece has it's advantges, but I am not experienced much with fleeces yet. 
I have only 1 cross ewe left now. I might keep a ewe of hers this year since those lambs have been easier to sell. 

Finns don't have the lanolin or very little anyway- that many sheep have so they don't smell the same. Their meat is very lean.


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## KIT.S (Oct 8, 2008)

I, too, chose Finnsheep because the land we bought had lots and lots of blackberries and other bushy stuff we wanted eaten down. They have done an excellent job, but I've had to rescue Poppy several times because she would push herself into the blackberry pile, get the naked vines caught in her coat, then not be able to get out again. She'd stand there patiently until someone noticed and rescued her.

I was also attracted to the multiple births, but that turns out to be both a blessing and a curse. We were given one ewe who had up to 8 lambs at a time! She was a lamb machine, but wouldn't raise any herself. These little 3+/- pound babies all needed to be and we finally ate her because it just wasn't worth the problems.

We crossed our all-Finn females with an Icelandic ram because we like the taste of Icelandic in particular but I don't know much about handspinning and I don't know if you'd like the wool. I could send you a hank. The meat flavor is excellent.

All our animals are very friendly and come right to me. In fact, do NOT carry apples in your work-coat pocket! 

Now that the blackberries are under control, I'm leaning toward a bigger sheep. I would certainly not say Finns were large compared to the sheep we see beside the roads or the St Croix or other hair sheep locally, and the nearly-year-old lambs seem pretty small too. The chops are about 2.5 x 3.5 inches - not huge but tasty.

Kit


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