I've heard tha there are some wool sheep, goats, etc that you comb out the wool, as opposed to shearing it. Does anyone know what breeds these are and how much wool I could I could expect to get? Also any info as to hardiness of breed and quality of wool would be appreciated.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), October 20, 2001

Answers

I am personally thinking of switching from wool sheep to hair sheep. At the present in our area the hair sheep are discounted for some stupid reason because they are excellent and only used as meat sheep. It takes people awhile to catch on though. I have researched that they are hardier, in the parasite area, which is very important to me so - if they discount the sheep I probably would still be ahead because of less wormer in them! The Katahdins, the one I am at presently interested in, is a good grazer and I have lots of grass. Right not I am raising Suffolks for meat and club lambs.

-- Debbie (bwolcott@cwis.net), October 20, 2001.

I raise English Angora rabbits and some of them you can get a good deal of their early hair (especially when they are young) by combing or brushing it out....most of them tho I shear with a simple pair of scissors and that works out well.

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), October 20, 2001.

Well, it looks like nobody has answered your question, so I'll take a stab at it. The goats that you comb the fleece out of are cashmere's. I understand that any goat except angora will produce cashmere, as all it is, is the undercoat that dairy breed goats produce for the winter. Even my Nubians probably are starting to grow some. But there are undoubtedly lines that produce more cashmere than others -- none produce much, only a few ounces per animal, which is why it's so expensive.

For sheep, you are probably thinking of some of the primitive breeds, like Soay, Shetland, and perhaps Icelandic. The Shetlands and Icelandics do need some shearing usually, but some strains will more or less shed most of the fleece for you. Most breeders, I believe, are trying to breed that characteristic out, but I think it would be useful. Before you commit to any breed, it would be a good idea to visit a breeder, and examine the fibers and the animals.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), October 20, 2001.

Why is it you would rather comb out the fiber?? Just curious. You don't get very much of the down from cashmere goats at all in comparison to shearing. I have an angora goat...who must be sheared twice a year. I have done it myself with hand shears twice. (and in the over 5 years I have owned him I have gladly paid someone to do it since then!!) I recently got icelandic sheep and they must also be sheared twice a year if you really want to use the fleece. They will eventually shed it off, but I can just see it dragging through the pasture and hanging on the fence. Their coats are so long after 6 months that it would be a shame to waste it. The spring coat is not as nice and is used for felting from what I hear. In answer to your question...I don't think there is a specific breed, just a tendency toward growing more undercoat on goats and as far as sheep...I am just not sure how nice the wool would be if you wait too long for it to be ready to just fall out. I wish you luck though. Hopefully someone knows more.

-- Jenny (Auntjenny6@aol.com), October 21, 2001.