What are the best type of fiber sheep you have raised?

I need something that's wool will go well with my Angora rabbits.

I also need a breed that is known for few birthing problems.

I hope to get a breeding pair of some kind of fiber sheep or Angora goats by this spring and I want to get a good breed to begin with!

-- Suzy in Bama (slgt@yahoo.com), January 18, 2002

Answers

Suzy hon, Ya'll might wanna mosey over to this hyer website and ask the fine folk thar 'bout Angora goats. Tell 'em Cabin Fever sentcha on accounta these are friends of mine: Singing Falls Ranch --Happy trails, Cabin Fever

-- Cabin Fever (cabinfever_MN@yahoo.com), January 18, 2002.

That is a BEAUTIFUL site. Very informative, wonderful graphics. Makes me wish I was back on the Oregon coast. Lived near Umpqua Lighthouse many years ago. Georgeous area.

-- Michaela (flhomestead@hotmail.com), January 18, 2002.

I love angora goat woll a well as the next person but I don't see angora goat and angora rabbit together unless it is blended with a sheeps wool. What ever you made firstly would be so warm you couldn't wear it even here in MN when you have -17, like we did this morning. I also raise angora rabbits and some of my favorite fleeces come from the following sheep; Targee (similar to Marino in microns, very large sheep, Polworth (really nice soft with lots of bounce), Marino ( my friends will not blend angora with anything else, and they are small sheep). I would look for something that has a lot of crimp in it. Angora has no elasticity so you want to be sure to blend it or ply it with something that does or youu can wind up with a shapeless something. It also depends on what you are making with this wool/wool blend.

-- Susan northern MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), January 18, 2002.

Hi Suzy,

Sheep breeds and wool properties vary widely. You'll want to consider things like felting properties, colors, crimp, etc., in addition to the mothering abilities, pest resistence, size, etc. of a breed before making a decision about which breed to raise.

Check out the Oklahoma State site on sheep breeds. (http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/) Nearly every breed is described and most pages include info about breed associations and registries (other great resources for information).

A good book to pick up about wool properties is _In Sheep's Clothing: A Handspinner's Guide to Wool _: written by Nola and Jane Fournier; published by Interweave Press; ISBN: 188301011X, in Feb. '96. Check out the book description and customer reviews on Amazon.com. It's quite a respected reference.

There are several Yahoo! and usenet groups and mail lists that discuss wool, sheep, spinning and other fiber-related topics. You'll find some amazing websites by using a search engine to search the web for any of these, or other topics of interest. (One of my favorite websites of a handspinner's flock is for the farm Lavender Fleece in Michigan -- http://www.agdomain.com/web/30201/ -- The shepherdess there raises both Icelandic sheep and Angora rabbits.)

Good luck!

~S

-- Susan in Chicago (slschultz2001@yahoo.com), January 18, 2002.

Hi, I'm not a Susan from anywhere haha but I like to spin just angora or I mix it with a bit of my cheviot I love the cheviot as they are small (so am I) so I can handle them and I have never had any problem with them lambing or anything else. I also have Shetland and the work really well also. Good luck Cindy

-- Cindy (hollo@bitwisesystems.com), January 18, 2002.

HI Suzy! I'm in 'Bama' too! I don't know a heck of a lot about sheep, but I have a friend who has angora goats and corriedale sheep, and I know that she uses the wool for spinning. In fact she gave me a lovely warm hat for Christmas that was made from the corriedale wool. If you are looking to buy fiber animals, hers are top notch...and I know that she is selling some of the angora goats and also some young ewes in the corriedales now. Email me if interested and I can put you in touch with her. She lives in central Alabama, about an hour north of Montgomery.

-- Tracey in Alabama (trjlanier@cs.com), January 18, 2002.

We had a Leicester once. It had very nice wool but UGLY scrawny lambs. If I was looking for a wool breed I'd find a Lincoln, better lambs and Leicester wool! OK State U web site link.

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), January 18, 2002.

I have many sheep (200) of different breeds and angora mixed with rambuillet or merino is the best.The sheep wool really complements the angora and this is definitely a luxury fiber. I had yarn made from it and it's softness is just wonderful.I have not had any problems with birthing with these type of sheep . They also come in colors that are light to dark and I mean really black. They are bothe from France and Spain respectively and would both be more suitable to your climate. Texas has herds of these type of sheep. Terry

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), January 19, 2002.