# What are these?



## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

I had a lady email me saying she found these 3 "goats" wandering around. She was wondering what breed they were...but I'm thinking are they even goats? They look rather like sheep to me. Any ideas on what they are?


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

Those are sheep.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

Those are sheep...not sure on breed, they sure are cute!


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

By the looks of the pics, they may be a hair sheep breed. Often hair sheep wont completely loose all their fleece and you have clumps stuck like the one does in the picture.

Shearing would of gotten that clump.
Unless, it was a real bad shear job.

Hope their owners are found.


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## all1965 (Oct 6, 2007)

They are haired sheep.
We had some St. Croix at the farm I worked at and they resemble them a lot. The St.Croix were more of a cream color though.
Also, are those hay strings tied around their feet and legs?


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Okay, guys thanks! Thats what I was thinking this morning, hair sheep.  

all1965 not sure what is around their feet and legs. :shrug:


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Yep, look like sheep to me also...and the twine around their feet was probably ID of sorts when they when they were loaded into the slaughterhouse/auction truck and even more probale that is where they escaped from....have her check local auction barns and slaughter houses....someone probably already paid for the "lost sheep" and figure them "gone"


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## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

A neighbor of mine raises those, they aren't a hair sheep but they are some kind of special variety and a lot of people think they look like goats. Sorry but I can't remember the breed.


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## FarmGirl18 (Oct 5, 2007)

Thanks for the input everybody. Not sure what she is planning on doing with them...I have no idea where they came from.


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

They somewhat look alot and shed out like my American Blackbelly sheep. I would guess that they are a part balckbelly. 

You can look at my site, and I have pics of them under other animals. The coloring is a bit different but the body, hair, and horns look like mine. Are they tame?


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## Sweet Gum Minis (Oct 6, 2007)

It might be wise to see if they're missing from someone's farm. I mean they may have gotten out a spot in the fence and be missing to someone.


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## gnomes'n'goats (Oct 8, 2007)

Katahdin hair sheep.
Looks like they were "hobbled" so they wouldn't run away. (obvious not a very good hobbling job)

http://www.thousandhillsfarm.com/katahdinlambs.jpg


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

gnomes'n'goats said:


> Katahdin hair sheep.
> Looks like they were "hobbled" so they wouldn't run away. (obvious not a very good hobbling job)
> 
> http://www.thousandhillsfarm.com/katahdinlambs.jpg


Not Kats, maybe muttlys. 
JFI
I used to raise Kats.
They are a polled breed with both ram and ewe being polled. 
One of those sheep have horns.
Also, they are a large and heavy built breed and the ones here are small built.

Here is a page to a list and descriptions of some breeds of hair sheep.
http://www.raftersb.com/abouthairsheepbreeds.htm

There are a lot of different breeds.


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## gnomes'n'goats (Oct 8, 2007)

Polled eh? Hmmm... 
Maybe they're part Jacob? :shrug:


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

If they were part Jacob the odds are they wouldnt have hair, they would have wool.
I have Jacobs too and cross breed. 
All lambs born to our Kat and Jacob cross, were wool covered.
From everyone I know you get wool or a wool hair blend sometimes happens, with there being more wool than hair.
It usually takes away from the wool for fiber as hairs will often be scattered throughout making it difficult to separate for spinning.
But you do get a nice meat lamb from crossing. 
Hair sheep are a meat breed and even crossing with the smaller framed wool breeds, the meat yield is still high.


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## gnomes'n'goats (Oct 8, 2007)

Oh duh. My brain is not functioning today! Of course Jacobs are wool sheep. Sorry. LOL
Out of curiosity (cuz I like Jacobs) are Jacobs very good meat sheep or no?
Maybe those sheep are part Barbado Blackbelly something or others.
hmmmm...


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## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I do think they have Blackbelly in them -------


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## Ivy (Aug 9, 2008)

gnomes'n'goats said:


> Oh duh. My brain is not functioning today! Of course Jacobs are wool sheep. Sorry. LOL
> Out of curiosity (cuz I like Jacobs) are Jacobs very good meat sheep or no?
> Maybe those sheep are part Barbado Blackbelly something or others.
> hmmmm...


Jacobs themselves are a small breed yielding less meat than duals.
All sheep can be eaten and any can be delicious providing good age, younger is better and such.

I like crossing Leicester breeds with a Jacob ram for the following reasons....
Leicester are a fantastic dual breed. Large size, great meat, and fabulous wool.
Crossing gives us lambs as fantastic in growth rate and fiber as the Leicester, but a firmer build and they are extremely hardy.
The Jacob ram being small aides in small birth lambs, but they still grow at extremely fast rates.
Our little black ewe there is almost as tall and long as mom Leicester and she is 3 months old.
She was a single and 10 pounds, slender built at birth.
So birth size being small is easy for the ewes.

The Jacob ram being a small breed is easier to handle for both human and ewes. 

I wouldnt do Jacobs for dual without crossing because they dont yield as much meat.
Their fiber also isnt as silky and curly as the Leicesters.
They have a wonderful fiber, but its more cotton like and without the fantastic curl, more frizzy.

I blend my Leicester with the Jacob fiber for a better balance and more softness. The Jacob fiber alone is more course, but fluffy. The two fiber types make a nice bouncy, poofy, yet silky yarn thats softer than commercial wool.


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