The sheep breeds on my farm
Polypay
Polypay sheep are a mix of 4 different breeds (hence the “Poly”) which were specifically picked and crossed to earn high dollar for the farmer in the US sheep market (which gives us the “pay” side of things). The four breeds and their purposes were Finsheep (many lambs and fast maturing), Dorset (mothering, fast maturity, out of season breeding, and great meat qualities), Targhee (long breeding season, wool quality, and large size), and Rambouillet (wool quality, ability to thrive in all conditions, and productivity). This relatively new breed of sheep was first put together in the US in 1970 and named in 1975.
Ewes tend to weigh in at 190 lbs and rams closer to 275, the Polypay breed is the foundation of my flock. Since I practice accelerated breeding (meaning that ewes will have three sets of lambs in two years) I need my sheep to mature quickly and bounce back, ready to breed again as soon as possible. Polypay are known to be a quick maturing variety and are used in many commercial meat sheep operations because they can naturally breed during any season (most sheep breeds can only breed during the fall and early winter). Another benefit of the breed is their tendency to have multiples, it is very common for the ewes to have two or three lambs and take good care of them as well.
Polypay wool is of fine quality and usually grows to 4 inches in one year. They don’t have a lot of woo on their faces or bellies, but still do boast those “mutton chops” on their cheeks in most cases. Their wool is very oftenused by handspinners though you probably wont see it advertised in commercial or even boutique yarns as the breed is not well known for their wool.
Ile De France
I added the Ile de France breed to my flock sort of by chance. I was looking to do my big initial sheep purchase in 2023 and I couldn’t find anyone who had enough of exactly what I wanted from one farm. While I was looking for “pure” Polypays, I ended up going with a recommendation to a very reputable breeder, Richard Erhardt, who just happened to have a group of Ile de France crosses that fit my needs.
This breed originated in France in the early 1800’s and have
Dorset
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East Friesian
I have just three pure bred East Friesians on my farm, but I like keeping their lambs (which are all cross breeds since I only keep Polypay Rams) in the breeding flock to add milkiness to the group. My dairy girls (Penny, Muffin, and Clover) provide delicious, sweet, fatty milk that I can make into all sorts of dairy products for my family and I. Sheep’s milk is 6-7% fat and often contains twice as much protein as whole cow’s milk. It is also easier to digest than cow’s milk as the fat globules are smaller and homogenized and the milk contains only A2 proteins which means many people with sensitivity to milk are just fine with sheep’s milk. EFs are very common in commercial sheep dairies, especially in cold climates, and they have a calm, docile personality. Due to their large size and wide frame, the breed is often crossed to produce meat lambs and the Canadian version of a Polypay (called the Rideau) includes East Friesian in a relatively high percentage to add milk volume to their ewes.
My East Friesians are just a little smaller than my Polypays, but you can always pick them out of the flock. East Friesians have absolutely no wool on their faces, legs, or tails (which means that their tails are often left un-docked and naturally long, which is the case with my girls as well) and some even have no wool on their bellies (I am looking at you, Clover). Their wool coverage often makes them look like they are fancy ladies wearing a big coat and a fluffy scarf which matches their lofty attitude, preferring to chill out rather than investigate or be curious.
East Friesian wool is nothing to get excited over since it is quite coarse so it is usually used for something that does not touch the skin (like a rug). Because I first started out with just EFs, I have used a lot of their wool for hand spinning and I find it quite enjoyable. When I bought Muffin and Clover as two year olds they had never been shorn before so they had over 9 inches of matted wool on them, but the usual growth rate is about 4 or 5 inches a year.