Janet Garman - The Good Living Guide to Keeping Sheep and Other Fiber Animals: Housing, Feeding, Shearing, Spinning, Dyeing, and More

Copyright 2019 by Janet Garman

Photos on by Julie Smith, Siddalee Photography.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Series cover design by Jenny Zemanek

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Print ISBN: 978-1-68099-404-9

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68099-405-6

Printed in China

C ONTENTS

I NTRODUCTION

Learning to raise wool animals is an age-old tradition. Sheep, goats, alpacas, llamas, and rabbits are some of the animals raised for fiber. I chose to focus on the Pygora breed of goat over a decade ago. After researching wool-producing animals, I decided goats fit into our farm and lifestyle the most. The Pygora goat is a specialty breed that was developed in the twentieth century from a breeding program between the registered Pygmy breed and the registered Angora goat breed. They are hardy and friendly goats. We enjoyed raising our small Pygora flock and welcoming the new babies in the spring. We learned to shear this breed and harvest the soft downy mohair fleece. Pygora fleece is so fine that it works better as yarn if it is blended with a wool that has more memory to it, such as merino. Sheep were added to our flock in the last few years and we created a line of farm yarn from our wool-producing animals.

Recently, I challenged myself to a year of sheep and wool immersion study. I began reading, meeting other shepherds, taking classes, getting personal instruction, and picking the brains of fellow crafters and shepherds. I tried to gain a deeper understanding of the connection we have to the ancient practice of raising sheep.

I made the decision to focus on sheep in this book, but much of the information in these pages applies to any kind of fiber animal. Youll find more specific information on other animals starting on .

In the pages to follow, I encourage you to keep learning. Find your own rhythm for farming, and do what works for you as long as the animals are well cared for. No matter if you choose to raise two sheep or sixty alpacas, observe, roll up your sleeves, and keep learning. When you harvest that first year of fleece from your flocks, run your hands through it. Feel the fiber. You and your flock created that raw material. Its renewable, too. You will discover what you love about it and adjust for improvement. And soon you will hold the clean roving or yarn in your hands and decide what it can become.

This book is partly our story of shepherding, growing fleece animals, and preparing yarn, but it also includes stories from a number of other craftspeople, shepherds, teachers, mill owners, and dye artists. If you dream of owning a fiber farm of any size, raising and caring for the animals, shearing, preparing, spinning, dyeing, knitting, weaving, or felting, this is your story, too. I hope that this book will encourage you to step down the path and begin the journey.

If someone wants a sheep, then that means that he exists.

Antoine de Saint-Exupry

Choosing Animals and Making a Plan

You might be choosing to raise a fiber flock because you love to knit or to spin wool into yarn. Sheep are an attractive choice for many people because they come in various sizes, and most are well mannered in the barnyard. Sheep are nonaggressive for the most part, except for rams. They easily adapt to the management style that is right for you. Satisfaction is found in raising animals that provide fiber for clothing and warmth, in addition to milk, cheese, and meat. Preparing handspun yarn, weaving cloth, and creating craft goods for sale are worthwhile, rewarding pursuits.

Goats, llamas, and alpacas are also fiber-producing animals discussed later in the book. Angora rabbits fit the needs of someone who cant raise traditional fiber-producing livestock, perhaps because they live in an apartment or townhome and dont have space for a larger animal. Angora fiber can be used by itself or blended with sheep wool or alpaca fiber.

Are you considering raising a small flock of wool-producing animals? What would that look like for you? Consider the time you have available to care for the animals. Most small ruminants dont require much in the way of daily hands-on care. As long as they are fenced in securely, fed, watered, and have access to shelter, they dont need a great deal of supervision. Take into account your finances. If you dont have unlimited grazing land, you will need to provide hay and possibly some grain for optimal nutrition. Hay prices can vary, so its hard to give an estimate of how much youll need to spend. Check with other local farmers to find out who the best local hay providers are and what they charge.

Before raising fiber animals, I thought that I would carry out every step in the process from fresh shorn fleece to yarn. The truth was, I could not do it all. We have other farming tasks to take care of in addition to the fiber flock, and there is only so much time in a day. As fleeces stacked up in our basement, I realized that my dream of doing it all was not going to come true anytime soon. I began to research using commercial mills for yarn production. Outsourcing this step in the process allowed me to focus on keeping the animals healthy and the farm running somewhat smoothly. I hired a few mills over the years and then found one that really met the criteria for what I wanted in a yarn product.

You may have fewer animals and more time to do it all. But if you find that you cant tackle every step of the process effectively, decide which parts are most important to you, or that you most want to do yourself. Then create a plan that works for you. Hire a shearer, hire a mill, or do it all yourself. The journey is yours to design.

H OW M UCH L AND I S N EEDED TO R AISE S HEEP AND F IBER A NIMALS ?