Sheep

Not only can raising sheep on a hobby farm be profitable, it can be fun too! Sheep can be raised for meat and/or wool as well as for milk. They are great for smaller farms. You can have four to six sheep per acre, as opposed to only one or two cows per acre. They are also social creatures and it is recommended you keep four to five sheep per farm.

Raising sheep is relatively inexpensive, all you need is the actual sheep, fencing, and shelter (if you don’t already have it). The main source of food for sheep is pasture grass and they can help control your farms weed population.

Depending on your goal, you can have sheep on your hobby farm for meat, wool, or milk. If you are looking to produce meat, sheep can either used for lamb or mutton. Lamb is sheep meat from an animal that is less than one year old. Mutton is from a sheep that is one year old and older. Sheep can also be used for producing and/or selling wool. There is also the possibility to use sheep for milk – more specifically cheese. Feta, Ricotta, Pecorino Romano, and Roquefort are all made from sheep milk.

Some popular sheep breeds for producing milk are Assaf, Awassi, Border Leicester, California Red, Clun Forest, Damara, Dorset, East Friesian (only used for milk), Karakul, Lacaune, Manchega, Racka, and St. Croix.

Most sheep breeds can be used for wool, but some specific breeds to consider are Black Welsh Mountain, Border Leicester, Charollais, Cheviot, Cotswold, Damara, Debouillet, English Leicester, Fat-tailed, Hampshire, Icelandic, Jacob, Katahdin, Lincoln, Merino, Ouessant, Romney, Shetland, Soay, and Wensleydale.

For sheep meat, here are some breeds you may want to add to your farm: Assaf, Barbados Blackbelly, Beltex, Border Leicester, Corriedale, Dorper, Gulf Coast Native, Hebridean, Iranian Red Oxford, Racka, Romanov, Ryeland, Scottish Blackface, Tunis, and Wilshire Horn.

Whether you are using sheep for monetary reasons or just to have some fun additions to your hobby farm, they are a great addition!

Picture:Breed:
assaf-sheepAssaf:
Origin: Israel
Coloring: White
Production: Meat, Milk
Breed Note: Yield 450 liters of milk per year
awassi-sheepAwassi:
Origin: Europe
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Milk, Wool
Breed Note: Usually produce 100 to 200 pounds of milk per lactation
barbados-blackbelly-sheepBarbados Blackbelly:
Origin: Barbados
Coloring: Black, Red, Brown
Production: Meat
Breed Note: Reaches maturity at about 2 years
beltex-sheepBeltex:
Origin: Belgium
Coloring: White, Black
Production: Meat, Breeding
Breed Note: Weigh anywhere between 150 to 200 pounds
black-welsh-mountain-sheepBlack Welsh Mountain:
Origin: Wales
Coloring: Black
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Males have horns whereas females are polled
border-leicester-sheepBorder Leicester:
Origin: England
Coloring: Shades Of White
Production: Meat, Wool, Milk
Breed Note: Shorn twice a year as their wool is highly prized among consumers
california-red-sheepCalifornia Red:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Red, Brown, White
Production: Meat, Wool, Milk
Breed Note: Polled - no horns
cameroon-sheepCameroon:
Origin: Africa
Coloring: Brown, Black
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Have thick coat that isn't suitable for the African climate
charollais-sheepCharollais:
Origin: France
Coloring: Pink, Brown, White
Production: Breeding, Wool
Breed Note: Used as a terminal sire to increase muscle and growth rate of lambs
cheviot-sheepCheviot:
Origin: Scotland
Coloring: White, Gray
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Great to help out for dog training as they are very intelligent
clun-forest-sheepClun Forest:
Origin: England
Coloring: White, Reddish Colors, Black
Production: Meat, Wool, Milk
Breed Note: Produce some of the highest butterfat of any sheep
columbia-sheepColumbia:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: White
Production: Wool, Breeding
Breed Note: One of the first breeds of sheep developed in the U.S.
coopworth-sheepCoopworth:
Origin: New Zealand
Coloring: White
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Basically have no birthing problems
cormo-sheepCormo:
Origin: Australia
Coloring: White
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Sometimes birth twins
corriedale-sheepCorriedale:
Origin: Australia
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Adapt well to any climates
cotswold-sheepCotswold:
Origin: England
Coloring: White, Gray, Black
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Are susceptible to foot rot
damara-sheepDamara:
Origin: Egypt
Coloring: Black, Brown, White
Production: Milk, Wool
Breed Note: High resistant to sheep diseases
debouillet-sheepDebouillet:
Origin: New Mexico
Coloring: White, Gray
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Weigh between 125 and 160 at maturity
dorper-sheepDorper:
Origin: South Africa
Coloring: Black, White
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Thrive in hot and cold climates
dorset-sheepDorset:
Origin: England
Coloring: White
Production: Wool, Milk
Breed Note: Have a dual breeding season in which they may raise more than one ewe
east-friesian-sheepEast Friesian:
Origin: Germany
Coloring: White, Pink, Brown
Production: Milk
Breed Note: Produce 200 to 300 litters about every 250 days
english-leicester-sheepEnglish Leicester:
Origin: England
Coloring: White, Black, Pink
Production: Wool
Breed Note: "endangered" as only 500 are registered in the world
fat-tailed-sheepFat-tailed:
Origin: Iraq
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Average weight is 60 pounds
gotland-sheepGotland:
Origin: Sweden
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Have no wool on head and legs
gulf-coast-native-sheepGulf Coast Native:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: White, Black, Brown
Production: Meat
Breed Note: Adults weigh anywhere in between 100 to 190 pounds
hampshire-sheepHampshire:
Origin: United Kingdom
Coloring: White, Black
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Rams should weigh 300 pounds while females should weigh around 200 pounds
hebridean-sheepHebridean:
Origin: Scotland
Coloring: Black, Gray, Brown
Production: Meat
Breed Note: Usually have two sets of horns
herdwick-sheepHerdwick:
Origin: England
Coloring: Gray, White
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Born black but throughout life they lighten in color
hog-island-sheepHog Island:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: White, Black
Production: Wool
Breed Note: 90% will be white in color well the remaining 10% will turn out black
icelandic-sheepIcelandic:
Origin: Iceland
Coloring: Black, White, Brown
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Known to have 2, 3, even 4 offspring
iranian-red-sheepIranian red:
Origin: Iran
Coloring: Brown, Black, White
Production: Hunting, Meat
Breed Note: Average life span is 18 years
jacob-sheepJacob:
Origin: Unknown
Coloring: Black, White
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Have 4 horns instead of the usual two in most breeds
karakul-sheepKarakul:
Origin: Central Asia
Coloring: Black, White
Production: Milk, Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Wool changes color over time
katahdin-sheepKatahdin:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Resistant to parasites
kerry-hill-sheepKerry Hill:
Origin: Wales
Coloring: Black, White
Production: Wool, Milk
Breed Note: Weigh between 125 and 150 at maturity
lacaune-sheepLacaune:
Origin: France
Coloring: White, Black, Brown, Gray
Production: Milk, Wool
Breed Note: Sheds its wool from the chest down
lincoln-sheepLincoln:
Origin: England
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Weigh between 200 to 300 pounds
manchega-sheepManchega:
Origin: France
Coloring: White, Black
Production: Milk, Meat
Breed Note: Produces the most well known sheep cheeses
merino-sheepMerino:
Origin: Unknown
Coloring: White, Brown
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Wool is soft and can be used with other fabrics for clothing
montadale-sheepMontadale:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: White
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Nearly all Montadale wool is colored white
navajo-churro-sheepNavajo-Churro:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Has a dual coat where the first is fleece and the second is of hair
north-ronaldsay-sheepNorth Ronaldsay:
Origin: Scotland
Coloring: Multiple
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Can live by just eating seaweed
ouessant-sheepOuessant:
Origin: France
Coloring: Black, Brown, White
Production: Wool
Breed Note: One of the smallest breeds of sheep in the world
oxford-sheepOxford:
Origin: England
Coloring: White, Black
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: One of the largest sheep breeds
polypay-sheepPolypay:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: White
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Ability to lamb more than once per year
racka-sheepRacka:
Origin: Hungary
Coloring: Shades Of White, Black, Brown
Production: Meat, Milk, Wool
Breed Note: Known for their unusually spiraled horns
rambouillet-sheepRambouillet:
Origin: Spain
Coloring: Shades Of White
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Wool weighs 8 to 12 pounds on average on their body
romanov-sheepRomanov:
Origin: Russia
Coloring: Black, Gray
Production: Meat
Breed Note: Born completely black but soon shade to gray
romney-sheepRomney:
Origin: England
Coloring: White
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Should be between 140 to 200 pounds at maturity
royal-white-sheepRoyal White:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: White
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Weigh between 170 to 230 at maturity
ryeland-sheepRyeland:
Origin: England
Coloring: White, Black, Brown
Production: Meat
Breed Note: One of the oldest sheep breeds
scottish-blackface-sheepScottish Blackface:
Origin: United Kingdom
Coloring: Black, White
Production: Meat
Breed Note: Very protective of young, often defend them from predators
shetland-sheepShetland:
Origin: Scotland
Coloring: White, Black, Brown
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Wool usually weighs 2 to 4 pounds
shropshire-sheepShropshire:
Origin: England
Coloring: White, Cheery, Black
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Known as an easy keeper, fun to be around
soay-sheepSoay:
Origin: Scotland
Coloring: Brown, Black, White
Production: Wool
Breed Note: Generally weigh 50 to 60 pounds
southdown-sheepSouthdown:
Origin: United Kingdom
Coloring: White
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Woolen the body weighs about 5 pounds
st-croix-sheepSt. Croix:
Origin: U.S.
Coloring: Brown, Black, White
Production: Milk
Breed Note: Very resistant to parasites due to their ability to shed their hair
suffolk-sheepSuffolk:
Origin: England
Coloring: White, Black
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Weigh between 180 to 350 at maturity
swaledale-sheepSwaledale:
Origin: England
Coloring: White, Black
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Known to have very little birthing problems
targhee-sheepTarghee:
Origin: New Zealand
Coloring: White, Black, Brown
Production: Wool, Meat
Breed Note: Weigh between 150 to 300 pounds
teeswater-sheepTeeswater:
Origin: England
Coloring: Brown, Black, White
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Having brown and black spots on their nose and ears sets them apart from other long haired sheep breeds.
texel-sheepTexel:
Origin: Netherlands
Coloring: Shades Of White, Black
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Extremely remarkable in leanness of the animal. not a lot of fat compared to muscle
tunis-sheepTunis:
Origin: Tunisia
Coloring: Shades Of White And Red
Production: Meat
Breed Note: One of the oldest sheep breeds, originating in bible times
valais-blacknose-sheepValais Blacknose:
Origin: Switzerland
Coloring: White, Black
Production: Meat, Wool
Breed Note: Both male and females are polled - have horns
welsh-mountain-sheepWelsh Mountain:
Origin: Wales
Coloring: White, Black
Production:
Breed Note: Have no wool on the face or legs
wensleydale-sheepWensleydale:
Origin: England
Coloring: Black, Grey, White, Tan
Production: Breeding, Wool
Breed Note: Weigh between 250 to 300 pounds at maturity
wiltshire-horn-sheepWiltshire Horn:
Origin: England
Coloring: White
Production: Meat
Breed Note: Both male and females are polled - have horns