Hi, I have been wanting to get some Cheviort lambs but just for 4-H and wool I do not have a tast for lamb. If i were to sell the wool how much do you think that I would be able to get for it.And what are your thoughts on Cheviorts. thanks Vince

-- vince (USjersey2002@hotmail.com), April 10, 2002

Answers

If you just sell the wool straight off the sheep it's worth about 5 to 8 CENTS per pound! If you sell that fleece to a spinner/crafter as is, maybe up to a dollar a pound if the animal had been kept very clean, had the kind of wool the artist is looking for, properly skirted, etc. If you wash and card it maybe up to 5-6 dollars a pound, again, depending on quality, type of wool, staple, and how well it was prepared. A lot of variables and a lot of work to get the top dollar. Of course I am making my way there anyway. I love sheep and wool so I have to find a way to make them pay! Hubby says no more free rides for them! hehehe.

-- Novina in ND (homespun@stellarnet.com), April 10, 2002.

Oh well, maybe 30 cents a pound and typically you'll only get 4 lbs tops off a cheviot and the shearer will charge you $3.00 a head plus travel. Get the picture? Unless you can develope a niche market for handspinners, unfortunately the value of wool has plummeted to an all time low due to exports stockpiled in this country from Australia and New Zealand.But here are some other ideas. Our 4 H'ers sent their wool to Zeillingers in Michigan to be processed into comforter batting and made comforters / quilts to enter at the fair and for themselves. As our project expanded and we had more wool, some donated, we had fund raisers to process the wool, buy material, and made wool filled baby comforters for the Lakota Indians on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. A great community service project for the kids. Even our 7 year olds were able to complete the baby quilts.We are now into our 5th year with this project.

-- Kate in New York (Kate@sheepyvalley.com), April 10, 2002.

Marketing, marketing, marketing. I've seen lots of clean (Very little vegetable matter), well-skirted raw fleece on the web, usually $3-$6 per pound, depending on breed, quality, color, second cuts and whim. I've bought two entire fleeces and paid $5 to $6 per pound for very nice, clean, but uncoated Targhee and Romney. Had several given to me. They were largely unusable or required huge amounts of preparation before spinning because they were not clean. Anyway, I suggest learning about fleeces, producing the best, and selling them on the net.

Here's a good site with lots of fiber for sale. You can also list your own fibers here:

http://homepages.together.net/~kbruce/kbbfiber.html

Here's another site, with descriptions of the fiber produced by around 30 different breeds, including Cheviot:

http://www.hifiber.com/sbs.html

Good luck!

-- Laura Jensen (lrjensen@nwlink.com), April 11, 2002.

Why don't you consider Romneys instead? They are nice and big for the 4-H (they like the meat types) and they have lovely fleeces that take dye well and are easy to hand spin. Consider using a coat(for the sheep!) and sell directly to a handspinner for top dollar. You can find out where the hand spinners are in your area by going to a store that sells things like spinning wheels and they should know the name of the local spinners' guild and who to contact. You can't beat direct marketing! I sell my Shetland fleeces for $10.00 Canadian a pound and never sell a poor fleece. The more you can learn about wool, the better the price you can ask because you will know what you are selling. Good luck!

-- Kathy (homefarmbc@pacificcoast.net), April 11, 2002.

Hi,

I would ask what size Cheviot are you interested.. The Big North Country Cheviot, will give you alot of fleece and some nice meat. Not as well known,, but just as good as Suffolks and such.

The Border Cheviot are a medium sized, will give you between 4 & 10 pounds of sellable fleece. They are also used as a meat breed. But many lines can be flighty.

And in the USA, you have the small Brecknock Hill Cheviots.. Their fleece is excellent, and there is a growing market for it. I sell the Well skirted Raw fleece with just a bit of VM, for $8.00 a pound. If the sheep is coated The fleece will go between $12.00lb for white to $16.00 per lb for colored.(Selling the fleece at your local state faires is a good way to go) The Fleece is Medium to medium soft with a nice spring and slight luster to it...and is very easy to handspin. They are not used as a meat sheep in the USA,, they are mainly raised as a fleece sheep. They however are not in the main stream,so most people do not know about them. There are only 350 in the USA... But go here if you are interested in learning about them.... http://hometown.aol.com/brecknocksheep/association.html

-- Bergere (autumnhaus@aol.com), April 14, 2002.