The Sheep at Dream Catcher Ranchito

Hair Sheep
Interesting Facts

Around the 1950's, "wooled" sheep in the U.S. numbered in excess of 50 million. Today, with the synthetic replacement of wool and other natural fibers, sheep numbers dipped below nine million by the end of the century.

Hair sheep originated from Africa and were first imported to the U.S. in the early 1500's by Spanish and Portuguese colonists. Because of their many unique and appealing traits, the Hair sheep population has grown exponentially. Hair sheep are hardier than and more disease and parasite resistant than the woolie sheep, and they do not require shearing! Their pelts produce a high-quality leather that has a high sales potential. This market is now in the early developmental stage.

Hair sheep are non-seasonal breeders, more prolific than other breeds with strong mothering instincts. They are alert and possess a strong herding instinct, which reduces loss due to predation. Rams frequently will turn and fight feral dogs and other canines.

Raising Hair Sheep

Hair sheep are cheaper to feed because they require lower protein levels to achieve the same weight gains and growth. They could survive on low-quality grasses and weeds if necessary and are compatible with most other livestock in terms of shared space and diet.

Hair sheep tend to store fat internally, reach market conditions on forage, and contain more healthy fatty acids with less fat on commercial cuts with a unique desirable flavor. Hair sheep have their own unique, ethnic market, which is higher in cost than the traditional lamb market.

Very light lambs are often in high demand in this niche market. Meat associated preponderance such as fatty acid contents, HDL/LDL cholesterol levels and total fat show in early studies of hair sheep. The pure hair sheep breeds have been shown to have a more healthy meat that is similar to goat meat. Both animal species tend to store their fat internally.