Why Raise Sheep?   Raising sheep can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience.  Or, it can be a chore.  A little thought and planning before getting started can determine whether raising sheep will be a success or a chore for you.  So, before you start, you may want to ask yourself, “Why am I doing this?”   There are many reasons.  Quite often a person just wants the experience of raising some animals and sheep are a reasonable place to start.  They are relatively small and fairly inexpensive to get started.  But, if you have a particular goal in mind, a little research will save you a lot of time in the long run.

Maybelle Farm’s advice is “Learn about sheep before you get them, and make sure your facilities, such as barns and fences are ready before you bring them home.”  (Kathleen Meeks with daughter Darcy, little Rowan Kathleen and son-in-law Todd.)

Over the centuries, sheep have been selected for many different reasons.  As you might expect, they are grouped by the trait that they have been selected for.  For example, sheep that have been selected for their wool production are considered “wool breeds” and ones selected for meat are considered “meat breeds.”Starting with the breed that is going to help you reach your objective is only common sense.  Common meat breeds would include, Dorset, Hampshire, Suffolk, Texel and North Country Cheviot.  Common wool breeds would include Romney, Lincoln, Merino, and Coopworth. 

Some breeds have been bred for meat and wool.  They are referred to as “dual purpose” breeds.  They would include Columbia, Corriedale, Polypay and Targee. 

Of course wool breeds produce meat and meat breeds produce wool unless you are raising a hair sheep such as a Katahdin.  Their wool is more like hair and they shed it naturally.

There are many other breeds of sheep that have unique characteristics or fill some special niche.  Jacob, Navajo-Churro and Shetland sheep have naturally colored fleeces.  East Friesian sheep have become popular in the past few years because of their milking ability. For an extensive list of breeds see the Oklahoma State University breeds of sheep site.