Homesteading Forum banner
Cancel

suggestions for good all-purpose breeds for newbie?

826 Views 11 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  hoofinitnorth, 
H
IF I were to get some sheep for meat, milk, and wool, what would be good breed that would be easy to handle, feed, and care for in a cold, northern climate?

Locally I know I can get icelandics and shetlands but I don't know much about them except that shetlands are not a great meat breed (small carcass).

Would be feeding family and pets with the meat and hopefully using the milk for same. Wool could be sold or I may learn ANOTHER hobby! :baby04:
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 1 of 12 Posts
caberjim
Icelandics are known for being the triple purpose breed - meat, milk and wool. And being, well, from Iceland, they do well in cold, northern climates. that's why you see a lot of them in Mass, Vt, NH, etc.

They are great browsers - put our goats to shame in their ability to chow down on scrub. There are some really good sites with info on Icelandics, just google them.
Reply
Save
Like
1 - 1 of 12 Posts
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Homesteading Forum
A forum community dedicated to living sustainably and self sufficiently. Come join the discussion about livestock, farming, gardening, DIY projects, hobbies, recipes, styles, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!
Full Forum Listing
Explore Our Forums
Countryside Families Homesteading Questions General Chat Goats Survival & Emergency Preparedness
Top