# Low maintenance breed?



## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

I am wondering what breed would be best for someone who is new to sheep. I have goats, so some of the care is familiar. Mostly I want some meat, but I also want to enjoy them, so docile and personable sheep are preferred. I am leaning toward shetlands or dorpers. Shetlands are not exactly a meat breed, but they are easy keepers, I am told. They are also available here in NW Ohio. Dorpers are bigger and meatier, but I don't know if they are easy keepers or not. Also, I don't know anyone who has any. We have a large Muslim population, so I know I could sell lambs for meat quite easily. 

Anyone know more about Dorpers? 
Any other suggestions?
Any info about Shetland meat?

Oh, I have 6 kids, so safety is a concern. One big reason why I am thinking Shetland (small ram). Also, my goats are on the small side and I may run the girls together. Shetlands would be closer in size to the goats.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

One of the breeds that we raise are extremely low maintainance.
Lincoln Longwools are a great multi-purpose breed with a calm and gentle disposition. 
Our Lincolns are extremely easy keepers and most keep their condition very easily on pasture/hay.
They are large in size, but are slower growers. The rams (who don't have horns) are gentle giants. But, like any breed, should always be watched and respected.
They have wonderful maternal intincts, and produce lambs that are lean and have a well-muscled carcass for meat. Their wool is long & lustrous and come in color or white.
When crossed with other breeds they are wonderful sheep too.

Although we are located in Wisconsin, we could easily transport


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## Sue (Jul 22, 2002)

Dorpers are a wonderful choice for easy maintenance meat sheep. They have a fast rate of gain, no shearing required, good mothers, very docile disposition ~ even the rams. We have been raising them for about five years now and just love them. The meat is mild flavored compared to wool sheep. 

You can find a Dorper breeder near you by checking the membership directory at www.dorperamerica.org ~ there are quite a few breeders in Ohio.

Katahdin and St. Croix breeds are other good choices as they are also a hair sheep although they do not grow nearly as fast as the Dorpers.


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

Thank you so much! I had not really considered Lincolns because I thought their size would make them more difficult to handle. I may have to rethink them a bit. 
Thanks for the Dorper tip. I will have to see what we have in our area. I bet they would be awesome crossed too! :goodjob:


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## elgordo (Apr 9, 2005)

We have Katahdins, a hair sheep breed. I've found the ewes to be gentle. The ram was another story! He would be friendly until he got that certain "look" in his eye! We used a ram blinder on him, and while he wore that he was fine. I would recommend a sight blinder for any ram, regardless of how gentle he seemed esp. around young children. You might consider a hair sheep breed if you don't want the wool. Ours are also parasite and foot rot resistant. We also run them with goats with no problems. Happy researching!


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## GeorgeK (Apr 14, 2004)

Soay are smaller so easier to handle, dont require tail docking, shearing, I dont even do vaccinations. They haven't yet jumped over a cattle panel in the 5-6 years we've had them and taste more like elk than sheep


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## adnilee (Feb 1, 2004)

There is a fellow by the name of Tim Hoober in Fountain City, IN (not too far from OH) who sells Dorpers and Dorper crosses. He is a great guy and most of our sheep came from him. He will give you an honest deal and you could visit his farm to see if you like the breed. The Dorper crosses our our most friendly (anoyingly at times) sheep we have. If you get the right genetics, you will not have to shear. Just watch for the wooly ones!
PM me if you would like the contact information.
Adrian


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

Check out the Sheep Board Directory for both the breeds you're interested in. I beleive we had a good responce to both the breeds as "Breeds of the month" I like the look of Lincolns but I want a wool breed and meat but they will need shearing so be prepared! Mind the wool should be worth a decent price if its kept veg free.


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## Hank - Narita (Aug 12, 2002)

We have 2 bummer ram lambs that are mostly Katahadin/Dorper crosses. They are 3 months old. So far they are very low maintenance. We even put them on one of our Alpines to milk her. Saves me time and trouble. These ram lambs are very gentle so far. They eat the goat's leftovers and also oat hay we bought for bedding. Every night they go in the barn in their own stall with the goats. Good luck. Sheep are fun.


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

Thanks so much for all your responses.


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

I was just reading about Finn sheep. Does anyone have any? I was wondering about getting one or two to join the flock. A cross would produce more young for the meat market, but are they high maintenance? Do the tails need docking, higher grain rations, more meds etc.? Anyone know? Do they cross well with Dorpers or other meat breeds? Soay? I've got to quit getting so distracted when I check out your suggestions. Sorry. :shrug:


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## quailkeeper (Aug 18, 2004)

Whoever said shetland rams were small?? My registered ram is well over 250 lbs. No way is he small. His horns make him dangerous as well. I would NEVER recommend a horned ram around children. Rams are dangerous enough polled, the horns make them deadly. I would highly recommend the Katahdin. The rams and ewes are very gentle and easy keepers. My shetlands have to be wormed every two months, my Katahdins once or twice a year. They are slightly smaller than the dorper making them easier to handle. The dorpers have to have their tails docked whereas the katahdins and shetlands do not.


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## minnikin1 (Feb 3, 2003)

havenberryfarm said:


> I was just reading about Finn sheep. Does anyone have any? I was wondering about getting one or two to join the flock. A cross would produce more young for the meat market, but are they high maintenance? Do the tails need docking, higher grain rations, more meds etc.? Anyone know? Do they cross well with Dorpers or other meat breeds? Soay? I've got to quit getting so distracted when I check out your suggestions. Sorry. :shrug:


I just bought my first Finns, and I love them. 
They're low maintenance, like the Shetlands, but have a more laid-back temperament. They're very friendly, not skittish at all. The ram lambs lay down and relax by me every time I'm near. Or they'll rest next to the angora bunnies when they're out. Too funny to describe!
Short tails, can go almost entirely on forage. 
I know there is a breeder in PA who specializes in Finn/Dorper crosses...


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## ShortSheep (Aug 8, 2004)

quailkeeper said:


> Whoever said shetland rams were small?? My registered ram is well over 250 lbs. No way is he small. His horns make him dangerous as well.



Some shetland breeders are selectively breeding the shetland larger in size for the meat market. Anyone interested in getting into shetlands should shop around and make sure the person they are buying from has similar flock goals. I saw a few shetland rams at Michigan Fiber Festival last week that were darn near Icelandic size. Since the breed standard does not limit height or weight except to exclude undersized animals, this is acceptable although it is raising a few eyebrows in the shetland world. I don't personally like it, nor do I want super sized shetlands in my flock. To me, part of the novelty is the small size. 
Most breeders choose a more moderately sized shetland, not weedy or runty, but still small. To be honest, if I wanted strictly meat sheep, I'd have chosen another breed than the shetland. 
I'm working on a polled strain of shetlands. I currently have two naturally polled registered shetland rams, by the end of the year I'll have 3. Someday I hope to offer polled shetland rams to potential shetland owners who don't want to deal with horned stock. 

Juliann


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## quailkeeper (Aug 18, 2004)

Yeah I wasn't aware of how large they actually got. I didn't know until I had driven four hours to pick him up. I will be selling him later this fall so I can buy a polled Shetland ram, found one about three hours away. Apparently they are becoming more common. I have a Katahdin ram that is in the same pen as my Shetland and I just don't like it. One horned and one polled is just asking for trouble.


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## ShortSheep (Aug 8, 2004)

QK, can you share the registered name of the polled ram you are getting? I'm researching the pedigrees on known polled shetlands on the Nassa database, looking for common anscestors and donors of the polled gene. 
Thanks in advance,

Juliann


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

minnikin1 said:


> I just bought my first Finns, and I love them.
> They're low maintenance, like the Shetlands, but have a more laid-back temperament. They're very friendly, not skittish at all. The ram lambs lay down and relax by me every time I'm near. Or they'll rest next to the angora bunnies when they're out. Too funny to describe!
> Short tails, can go almost entirely on forage.
> I know there is a breeder in PA who specializes in Finn/Dorper crosses...



No way! Do you have any info about this breeder? PA isn't too far from here at all. 
The more I consider it, the better Finns look to me. Funny. I started this thinking about shetlands and now I like Finns. No tail docking, easy lambers, high lambing rate, and LOTS of milk to grow those babies. Katahadins have good milk rates too, but I am not sure about the lambing rate and meat production. Finns and Katahadins are both nice, but I am leaning toward Finns. I like Dorpers for meat too, but I am having a hard time finding details about them. I just don't want to get stuck with a breed like Suffolks which need constant worming, hoof care, docking, etc. and are less hardy. Losses are not nice when you have children who have helped raise them : :grit: ( no offense if you raise Suffolks.)


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

Where did you get your Finns, Minnikin1? Are they horned or polled?


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## Shahbazin (Dec 10, 2002)

> Whoever said shetland rams were small?? My registered ram is well over 250 lbs. No way is he small. His horns make him dangerous as well. I would NEVER recommend a horned ram around children. Rams are dangerous enough polled, the horns make them deadly. I would highly recommend the Katahdin. The rams and ewes are very gentle and easy keepers. My shetlands have to be wormed every two months, my Katahdins once or twice a year.


Wow! That is a HUGE Shetland! I didn't know they came that big. Mine run about 65-85 lbs for ewes, 100-120 lbs for rams (they're all small enough I can pick them up & put them on a shearing stand); seems pretty typical of most west coast stock that I've seen. A friend butchers some of hers, & I've tried it, & they're quite tasty, even older adult animals are very mild. I worm mine 2X/year, have had them for going on 9 years w/no problems. No docking, good mothers, easy lambers, shear annually w/lovely fleeces (I shear them myself). I wouldn't *trust* any ram around kids, but some are more aggressive than others (like roosters); I prefer rams that are pretty wary around people, so stay a long way away from me, but many of my ewes & wethers are real friendly. My long-term keeper rams are those that respect even light flimsy fences, & are good with new lambs (I generally run rams year round with their group). I haven't found horns to be a big deal for me. My friend & I often run Angora goats w/our Shetlands. Here's one of my friend's does w/some of her Shetlands in the background (Apache Trails Shetlands & Angoras): 









And here's a goat of mine w/a couple of Shetland ewes:


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## minnikin1 (Feb 3, 2003)

havenberryfarm said:


> Where did you get your Finns, Minnikin1? Are they horned or polled?


Mine are polled. 
Here is the the breeder directory where I found the breeder in PA I was talking about, but I apologize because I mispoke- The cross was Dorset, not Dorper - a true duh moment...

http://www.finnsheep.org/directory.htm

I bought mine from Stillmeadow.


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

Shahbazin, your shetlands are so nice! to be honest, reading some of your old posts was what got me interested in Shetlands to begin with!

Minnikin, thanks for the info. I'll be sure to look it up.


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## Shahbazin (Dec 10, 2002)

Thanks! Obviously, I'm a real Shetland fan  but there's lots of breeds out there for a reason - try to visit with folks that have different breeds (if there's any county fairs or fiber festivals, those are great for seeing many kinds in one place!) & see what really appeals to you. A really fun book on breeds is "Handspun Treasures from Rare Wools" that shows not only a lot of breeds & descriptions, but gorgeous things made from their fleece. ALBC sells it: https://secure.cnchost.com/albc-usa.org/store/store.htm
as does the publisher, Interweave Press: http://www.interweave.com/spin/books2.asp?pscp=2


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## Laura Workman (May 10, 2002)

Here's a thread regarding Finn sheep, pros and cons:

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=78732&highlight=finn


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

Thanks for the great websites.


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## shepmom (May 29, 2003)

Hi just wanted to give you a url for checking out available breeds in your area.
http://www.nebraskasheep.com/directory/

My fondness is with the hair sheep. I have blackbellies. Easy care. No shear, no dock. No worming in nearly 3 years. (I do fecal exams) No shots. Intelligent and alert. Not pet like. They have mild flavored tender meat.
I love just watching them. All rams are potentially dangerous. Don't turn your back ever on any breed.


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## afrikaner (Sep 5, 2005)

Hi everyone - new to the forum and thought I may be able to share some info.

I'm originally from South Africa - a harsh climate by anyone's standards. The Dorpers are very hardy animals and exceptionally popular in SA for this very reason. They are gently and you really have to mess with them a lot to get them worked up. Great meat, if not a little on the rich side.


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

Thanks for the info. I like Dorpers, but it helps to hear it from the voice of experience and not out of a book. what I have read so far is that they are good mothers, good milk supply, excellent meat, and mostly haired. Also, they can breed out of season are gentle, mostly polled, and short-tailed. Is any of that false? Anything else to add that the books did not mention?


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## quailkeeper (Aug 18, 2004)

I do not like the dorpers myself. There has been some debate here but they are considered a mutton sheep and they almost all have their tails docked so I am sure there is a reason for this. Here is a great link with lots of pics of sheep http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/ . 

I have spoken to three different people here who have tried the dorper. All three disliked it for different reasons. This is why I went with the Katahdin. One lady tried a dorper ram in a crossbreeding program and regrets it to this day. She can not stand the intense lanolin taste that has sprung into her line. She is crossing back with a Katahdin ram to get rid it. My Katahdins grow as fast as the dorper without the necessity of feeding a 250-300lb ewe.


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## quailkeeper (Aug 18, 2004)

Also any of the hair breeds can bred out of season. The Katahdins will lamb twice a year generally having 2-3 lambs at a time. My neighbor had quads this year and her ewe fed all four. Boy was I jealous!! I'm expecting my first Katahdin babies next week.


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## willow_girl (Dec 7, 2002)

Hair sheep are nice if you really don't want to be bothered with the wool. I have a Kahtadin ewe, a real good mother. Not real friendly, but not flighty either. They seem to be laid-back and sensible sheep. My ram is a Kahtadin/Shetland cross, very gentle, has always been my pet. Wags his tail when you scratch his ears! 

It seems if you cross Kahtadins and Shetlands, you will get a wooly sheep most of the time. My ram is the only one with the hair trait, although he has patches of wool along his back and flanks. He's a mess!  










And yes, he's a bit on the chunky side, too ...


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## afrikaner (Sep 5, 2005)

havenberryfarm said:


> Thanks for the info. I like Dorpers, but it helps to hear it from the voice of experience and not out of a book. what I have read so far is that they are good mothers, good milk supply, excellent meat, and mostly haired. Also, they can breed out of season are gentle, mostly polled, and short-tailed. Is any of that false? Anything else to add that the books did not mention?


Well, they are good mothers - can raise their young in most conditions. Good milk supply and personally, I LOVE the meat. All other mutton makes me sick (literally - too rich for me). They will breed at odd times, so be prepared or keep them seperated - they are also gentle - to a point. I've seen some of them acting up a bit - can be very stubborn. Most that I have seen had short tails. All in all, I like them. My ideal mix of farm animals will be 10 chickens, 4 dorpers and 2 Dexters (and if my mum had anything to do with it, everything from ostritches to llama's! She doesn't even live with me anymore, but still manages to control everything-drives my wife nuts).


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## afrikaner (Sep 5, 2005)

quailkeeper said:


> I do not like the dorpers myself. There has been some debate here but they are considered a mutton sheep and they almost all have their tails docked so I am sure there is a reason for this. Here is a great link with lots of pics of sheep http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/ .
> 
> I have spoken to three different people here who have tried the dorper. All three disliked it for different reasons. This is why I went with the Katahdin. One lady tried a dorper ram in a crossbreeding program and regrets it to this day. She can not stand the intense lanolin taste that has sprung into her line. She is crossing back with a Katahdin ram to get rid it. My Katahdins grow as fast as the dorper without the necessity of feeding a 250-300lb ewe.


I am sorry to hear that yous friends ran into problems with their dorpers. when it comes to animals, nothing is a safe bet. I am by no means a professional breeder, so I wouldn't be an expert- just happened to be around them quite a bit. Thanks for sharing your experiences. I hope we can help our forumite friend in her quest.


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## havenberryfarm (Dec 9, 2003)

Thanks guys. I sure appreciate the help. Hubby says to wait until next spring, so I guess I will have some time to do research and find a breeder.


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## billooo2 (Nov 23, 2004)

Does anyone know much about the Clun Forest breed? I have heard that they are low maintenance, but i have never had them.


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## jimahall (Sep 18, 2005)

The Icelandic is a low maintance breed, but not as friendly. Any ram, polled or horned, can be dangerous. I am sold on the Icelandic and have a very gentle ram. But you will never see me turn my back on him. Definetly do a lot of research and then visit several breeders. Look around and make an informed purchase. Start small and build on that. Often you can purchase pregnant ewes. Get a ram next time. Luck may bring you all ewe lambs and then you will need a non-related ram. You can use a ram back to his dam. So get expecting ewes and raise your own ram. Being on this forum and others (yahoo groups has many) is a great start.


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## highlands (Jul 18, 2004)

We have Montedales. Asside from the annual chore of shearing them they are very easy. We don't have to do anything for them during laming. They take care of themselves winter and summer. I do move them between pastures to rotational graze along with the pigs and poultry.


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## Farmboy (Sep 17, 2005)

If you want a low maintenance breed, try looking into St. Croix. They are a medium sized hair sheep, and don't need to be shorn. They are also hornless and have a calm temperment. For more info: www.stcroixsheep.org


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## GOATDADDY (Feb 22, 2005)

Back in April I obtained three kathadin/barbado cross sheep. Two ewes and one young ram. They seem to be very easy keepers, good foragers, sociable with my goats and the rams grow some impressive horns that get sold some times for trophy rams.


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## ShortSheep (Aug 8, 2004)

billooo2 said:


> Does anyone know much about the Clun Forest breed? I have heard that they are low maintenance, but i have never had them.


 I saw some of these at Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Fest in Wisconsin. I was very impressed with them. The woman running the booth said they need very little grain. I also admire the "no show" rule that the breed has.


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## Lora (Sep 19, 2005)

We raise hair sheep - Katadin, Barbado, Black Hawiian, Texas Dall, and Mouflon all in one flock. We are raising for 2 markets - meat and trophy hunting.

Yes, all rams CAN be agressive. However, we currently have 4 rams in out flock, and once they got the 'pecking order' figured out, they have not been violent. My main problem is being run over when I have treats. Dorper can really add meat and size to your flock. Also color, since if you cross a dorper ram with any ewe who is not white, you get an animal with a coat that looks like a Holstein cow.

We had one (dorper/barbado cross ramlet) that sold at 4 1/2 months old - and we weighed him at over 100 lbs!

The meat of the hair sheep doesn't have the fatty taste that woolies have, and there is a good market here in the south for the hides. 

You can de-horn the males if you don't want to have horn and you don't have a naturally horned breed. Dorpers are polled, or mostly polled. Hair sheep appear to be hardier and less parisite-prone than woolies. 

Good luck!


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## kirsten (Aug 29, 2005)

I am going to go with Finns too. I researched a lot of breeds and just fell in love with the Finns. I want two from stillmeadow this coming year but transporting them is a problem since they are like 2000 miles from me! 
Glad there are more finn owners now on this site. Couldn't find any a while ago. They are a great choice as their is a market for the rams commercially, everybody wants finn blood for their prolificacy. Won't ahve trouble marketing them and they seem to be sold out across country- a very good sign.


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