The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: ThomasR on January 02, 2017, 06:36:57 pm

Title: Improving fleece growth
Post by: ThomasR on January 02, 2017, 06:36:57 pm

Hi I was wondering if there is anything that you can do it improve the rate of the fleece growing. I'm not allowed to shear until May but I was wondering if there is anyway to make the fleece grow better as some of mine compared to tother flocks had a rather short fleece.

Title: Re: Improving fleece growth
Post by: Bionic on January 02, 2017, 07:16:13 pm

Are you comparing yours to other flocks of the same breed or different breeds?

Title: Re: Improving fleece growth
Post by: ThomasR on January 02, 2017, 07:24:35 pm

Hi, i was comparing to the same breed. Most of the flocks were like mine but a few flock had  a great length of fleece. For the ones I'm not showing and will go to the sales when is the earliest you can shear (Hebrideans). I see zwartbles etc shorn in january I don't know how they get a rise that early  but I was thinking more april time

Title: Re: Improving fleece growth
Post by: Fleecewife on January 03, 2017, 12:14:09 am

Hebrideans have a wide variety of fleece length, from a couple of inches to up to 12 inches.  The average for a truly double coated Heb is about 3 inches for the under layer and about 7 inches for the hair layer.  To change the length of your fleeces, buy different Hebs.

Title: Re: Improving fleece growth
Post by: ThomasR on January 03, 2017, 12:49:10 am

Thanks it Isn't that, they do end up growing to the same length it is just that some seem to get their faster and I was wondering if that was due to feed or genetics. I was also wondering what happens if you shear before the rise as I'm curios on how the zwartbles and other breed do it as does the rise not appear on the fleece later or does it just not come?

Title: Re: Improving fleece growth
Post by: Foobar on January 03, 2017, 11:07:27 am

To increase fleece volume you need to increase food intake and make sure they are getting all the correct minerals that they need.  You can see this clearly if you compare two flocks of the same breed, one kept on a mountain and one kept on a lowland farm.  The lowland animals will generate a much bigger fleece purely because they have the excess energy available to do so compared to the mountain sheep.


Also, some individual animals will have short or long fleece genetics (within the same breed). Keep only those that produce the fleeces that you want in order to enhance the traits you desire.

Title: Re: Improving fleece growth
Post by: ThomasR on January 03, 2017, 12:09:19 pm

thanks so it is more a case of more grass will encourage more fleece