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SHEEP-fed-barely-sprouting-fodders, page : 217
Wool and hand spinners:
Selling fleeces to hand-spinners in itself won't bring in a big cash flow, whereas a good income can be earned by raising breeding stock.
If you kept your fleeces clean, relatively free from vegetation such as hay, grain and burrs, and your sheep were shorn carefully, and the fleeces were handled properly after shearing, you will have a product that is valuable for handcrafters.
Immediately after shearing, put your best fleeces to one side, and make sure they are completely dry before storing. Nice fleeces sell quickly so because of this they can be stored in a plastic bag. However, for longer storage, gently place one, no more, unrolled fleece into an empty paper bag such as a feed bag. Another approach that has several advantages is to lay the fleece out into a large shallow box, thereafter you can shake out a lot of the particles attached to the fleece as well getting rid of second cuts before you bag and this makes the fleece more valuable.
Fleeces that are unusual are sought after by hand-spinners, these fleeces are those with unusual natural coloring, or they can be from the long-wool breeds that are highly lustrous and easy to spin. If you are interested in doing your own hand-spinning, or marketing to hand-spinners, you may like to consider the more exotic breeds for your flock, such as Shetland, Cotswold, and Cormo. Finnsheep, although they are not noted for their wool production, have soft, fine wool that is valuable for blending purposes.
Tips of how to market your fleeces:
If you live in the west, there are most likely craft classes that teach the techniques of spinning wool and so on. Contact them and let them know you have fleeces for sale.
You might also try selling them over the internet.
Success is built upon reputation. A satisfied customer will return and buy more from you so bear in mind what they are looking for. If the wool is poorly sheared, or is full of either manure tags, burrs or other vegetable matter that has to be picked out by hand it is time consuming and does not attract a customer to come to you again. Establish a good reputation for yourself by supplying hand-spinners with only your best fleeces.
Colored fleeces for handcrafters:
Many weavers and knitters spin yarn for their own use and to sell, this has created a special market for naturally colored fleeces that can be beige to red, or gray to black.
If this is your market, you might consider getting a black ram with a suitable type of wool and breed him to a small flock of white ewes. It has been said that the lambs born of such breeding will be white but carry the black gene. However, in many cases when a dark ram sires a flock of white ewes, the ewes have often given birth to darker lambs. Don't forget
Selling fleeces to hand-spinners in itself won't bring in a big cash flow, whereas a good income can be earned by raising breeding stock.
If you kept your fleeces clean, relatively free from vegetation such as hay, grain and burrs, and your sheep were shorn carefully, and the fleeces were handled properly after shearing, you will have a product that is valuable for handcrafters.
Immediately after shearing, put your best fleeces to one side, and make sure they are completely dry before storing. Nice fleeces sell quickly so because of this they can be stored in a plastic bag. However, for longer storage, gently place one, no more, unrolled fleece into an empty paper bag such as a feed bag. Another approach that has several advantages is to lay the fleece out into a large shallow box, thereafter you can shake out a lot of the particles attached to the fleece as well getting rid of second cuts before you bag and this makes the fleece more valuable.
Fleeces that are unusual are sought after by hand-spinners, these fleeces are those with unusual natural coloring, or they can be from the long-wool breeds that are highly lustrous and easy to spin. If you are interested in doing your own hand-spinning, or marketing to hand-spinners, you may like to consider the more exotic breeds for your flock, such as Shetland, Cotswold, and Cormo. Finnsheep, although they are not noted for their wool production, have soft, fine wool that is valuable for blending purposes.
Tips of how to market your fleeces:
If you live in the west, there are most likely craft classes that teach the techniques of spinning wool and so on. Contact them and let them know you have fleeces for sale.
You might also try selling them over the internet.
Success is built upon reputation. A satisfied customer will return and buy more from you so bear in mind what they are looking for. If the wool is poorly sheared, or is full of either manure tags, burrs or other vegetable matter that has to be picked out by hand it is time consuming and does not attract a customer to come to you again. Establish a good reputation for yourself by supplying hand-spinners with only your best fleeces.
Colored fleeces for handcrafters:
Many weavers and knitters spin yarn for their own use and to sell, this has created a special market for naturally colored fleeces that can be beige to red, or gray to black.
If this is your market, you might consider getting a black ram with a suitable type of wool and breed him to a small flock of white ewes. It has been said that the lambs born of such breeding will be white but carry the black gene. However, in many cases when a dark ram sires a flock of white ewes, the ewes have often given birth to darker lambs. Don't forget