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livingontheland - Re: [Livingontheland] keeping sheep

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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Aliza" <aliza@jeffnet.org>
  • To: <livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Livingontheland] keeping sheep
  • Date: Mon, 29 May 2006 10:50:07 -0700

I raise fine wools and do not worm or grain my girls. They do get hay in the winter when the grass is dismal though and they get free choice redmonds, kelp and an organic mineral mix. I made sure that my choice of sheep - cormo mostly - were bred initially with this in mind. I get excellent wool, excellent lamb and with their easy disposition could also milk them. Cormo were bred to be range sheep with minimal intervention. There are other breeds out there besides the navaho's to do just this. I understand the importance of rare breeds but there are other ways to get an animal that will work in a more sustainable way. Well actually the cormo is also a rare breed. If someone could send me a navaho fleece that is as soft and wonderful as my cormo I would be much more interested in the breed. I am a soft girl. Plus I have no scrublands LOL. I have some irrigated pasture which if I can really get it together would go away and just be hayed in rotation for a more sustainable land and some dryland pasture which is very good for about 4 or 5 months in the spring - just long enough to raise some good lambs.

I do have some finns and while they are prolific they do not fit into my type of stock plan. They do take more care and more feed - maybe not for pounds of lamb on the ground but in terms of purchased imputs. They came to me and I am trying to figure out how to ease them out. Lovely fleece though.

I am also looking into Tamaracks. They are bred to raise triplets on pasture with no intervention. This will be the beginning of my sustainable (or close to it) milking flock. I aspire towards something like Lovetree - where their sheep just graze and give milk with minimal imputs. The tamaracks do carry the boorola gene for productivity which some might frown on. But they can feed triplet lambs on just the the grass.

Just another way to look at it.

Aliza




  • Re: [Livingontheland] keeping sheep, Aliza, 05/29/2006

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