You should choose sheep breeds based off what your farm can provide, rather then simply deciding which breed is best for your farm. Is it a quick-growth lamb needed for market? Is it consistent income from wool? Are you establishing a small dairy farm?
The variety among sheep breed exists. It shows in the healthiness of their existence (do they require daily care?), their ability to raise multiple lambs per year, and rate of growth.
How to Choose the Right Sheep Breed
To help you do this quickly, I’ve laid out the differences between the various categories of sheep (meat, wool, dual-purpose, etc.) on a chart (above). You don’t need to commit all of it to memory, what’s important is knowing why certain characteristics group up, like how meat breeds expend more energy building muscle instead of wool which can be a burden when wet or hot. When you have those patterns down, it make the decision-making easier.
For instance, think about heat and humidity. Do you have long, hot summers with high parasite pressure? Breeds that shed their own coat eliminate one whole level of management. Plus they generally handles better, reducing stress levels on the handler and animal. But in dryer or cooler climates, those same characteristics aren’t so desirabel. Thicker coats insulate and can be another product to sell. And they’ll hold condition on sparse pasture where a thinner coated sheep might not fare as well.
Small differences can add up in a hurry when it comes to lambing rate. For example, having an ewe that routinely produces twins or triplets will change your flocks economics quicker than nearly anything else. That said, a higher number means you has to pay more attention to them at birth. You must also provide extra creep feed and occasionally supplement with colostrum. Inexperienced help or smaller farms with limited help usually fares best with more modest rates. They’ll get good income out of it while not overburdening the spring workload.
The same is true with milk production. Some sheep breeds can produces enough milk to sell as cheese or yogurt, which requires careful udder management and regular milking schedules. Most homesteaders find it is easier to keep a dairy group along with meat or wool sheep (or both) rather than asking each ewe do everything.
Which is where the chart’s true worth lies: It brings those trade-offs into a single view so you can scan down rows and see that the heat-tolerant types generally produces less wool; that the best-lambing percentage breeds require more careful attention; and on through production goals and climate categories. If out-of-season breeding, for instance, is non-negotiable, then you know you’re looking at one of those two or three breed, and from there the options quickly narrow.
If you talk to most people who have regrets about getting into sheep breeding, they will all tell you the same thing; they decided on a breed based on one outstanding characteristic and didn’t consider the remainder of its characteristics in relation to what they had available or could provide. The chart keeps that from happening because it shows you complete package beforehand so you can make an educated choice before buying any animals. You should of checked everything first.