Adding More Farm Animals to Fill the Void in My Soul 

Back in the 80's my family and I raised sheep in Wyoming. We had nearly 2,000 head. I personally love sheep and baby lambs are some of the cutest animals on earth. We never tried using electrical wiring on the farm, it was all barbed wire fen ing which I'm not too big of a fan of now. That being said, I would be slightly concerned of them escaping electric fencing due to their thicker coats not being very conductive. Also, you will definitely need to field rotate them behind the cows and be careful not to allow them to eat too deep. Sheep eat grass way down towards the roots/soil level and cows do not like to be in fields behind them because of that. Out on the prairies, our cows would avoid sheep fields all together.

As a knitter, you have no idea how excited I am about you adding wooly sheep to your flock!!! There’s a community of knitters, spinners and weavers who love traceable yarn or fibres to work with! You can also see if there’re local mills who can process the raw fleece for you. There’s also an annual wool & sheep festival in Vermont, if I’m not wrong. Can’t wait for the sheep, Morgan!!!

Time to add more native animals. Install bat houses, martin houses, owl houses and fields set aside for native grasses and flowers to draw in more pollinators .

As a beginning sheep farmer I would highly suggest the Shetland sheep there small so you can get a large biomass with lots of body’s as there smaller very good for one person to handle and sheer weight the wool is of fine quality and soft and they can be milked as well so there’s an additional bonus if you so choose hope this helps

I think a donkey is in order. Theres an animal that'll cover grass consumption, inside your lines protection, and give a good laugh.

All the cows waiting in line for you to finish talking so they can have fresh grass was so cute. You have them trained to your system very well 😂

Hi, Morgan. I am Simon a poultry farmer in south africa. I also have sheep. I choose native breeds as they are more hardy and familiar with weather, parasites, etc. Sheep is not as messy like pigs but also manure anywere the want, like in their shed and in their water. But their manure is great for gardening. I let my chickens walk with the sheep as they spread their manure. Great animals. Meat, lots of offspring, wool and in a few breeds milk. Nice videos!

Morgan, the Vermont sheep and wool festival is in Tunbridge World Fairgrounds at the end of the month! Lots of very experienced sheep farmers with every breed imaginable. Maybe us sheep folk will see you there!

Hearing ''good morning large white farm dogs'' melts my heart. Every. Single. Time.

There is another advantage of sheep that I have seen around many solar farms. As sheep do not jump all over the solar panels as goats etc. do, lots of solar farms use sheep to keep the grass under and around the solar panels mowed down. Just another thought for you going forward.

I love how he's talking at the end and the cows are lined up like "SiR wE jUsT wAnT oUr FrEsH gRaSs!"

It’s nice to see the trees that you planted , flourishing 😊

As a knitter, I recommend Icelandic sheep. Great wool.

Well as a Yorkshire Lass, i can only say one, Swaledale, Magnificent horns, good lambs - rough wool though mind you 😂 Proper answer now, Romney are great dual purpose beasts, fit lambs and thick wool. Pretty also. Ryeland are the friendliest ive ever come across and so easily managed next to other breeds, good meat and a Lot of wool! Proper excited to see whatever sheep you get up on the top pasture. I think if you can find a breed with a personality that suits for you, You're going to be a sheep farmer cos you're going to love it 😄😂

Morgan, I have an idea. I appreciate all the artwork in your new book about Toby and the farm. I am a colorist and would love to see these drawings available in a coloring book.

I raise katahdin hair sheep and I love them. Easy, no birthing issues, parasite resistant, no shearing and hardy. Mine are trained to hot wire and rotational grazing. The hair sheep is a little smaller then the wool breeds but the meat is very mild flavor which I prefer. I wanted an easy, hardy animal to raise for meat and I feel the hair sheep are it.

The overgrowth of a wet summer, constant rolling fog, and brief miasmas of flies that block out the sun...Gold Shaw farm is looking like a farm in the Russian Far East! A bit like Scotland, too, as you mentioned.

I love the cows ‘come’ when you call them. Thanks❣️

You seem to be most comfortable with the cattle so you should add more of them to the farm.

As I commented on an earlier video, I like the idea of multi-purpose sheep. Just make sure you research which plants are toxic to sheep, as that might differ from other grazers. As to breed, I still think Icelandics or Shetlands would be good to start with. They're hardy, don't need a fancy barn for winter, and produce nice wool and tasty meat. Icelandics are still double-coated, so you'd have to make sure you have a wool mill nearby that can handle that type of wool. If they do, you can get three types of yarn from them: inner coat only (very soft and warm), outer coat only (very rough, but interesting for rug weavers), and the mix of both types processed together (think Lopi sweaters). Both Icelandics and Shetlands come in a variety of colors too... And Icelandics can be milked (I don't know about Shetlands), if you're interested. Otherwise, yes, as others have commented, stay away from pure Merinos. They have very fine and soft wool, but it is actually not the easiest to spin. Mixed breeds are easier to keep, to shear and their wool to spin. My favorites for spinning are Cormo and Romeldale/CVM. Check the Livestock Conservancy for breed ideas too....

Morgan and farm family, thanks for including us all in your daily life. You bring a peace to all your viewers across the world that cannot be matched/measured. It has been marvelous watching your farm/knowledge grow. *Stay curious!* .🐛🦋

The echo of your cow call was amazing!!!

I'm SO EXCITED for sheep! I follow Sandi Brock on RU-vid, she runs a sheep farm and has her favorite sheep grazing that she calls the Golden Girls. I would absolutely love if you got sheep!

My friend has a sheep farm and raises about 150 sheep. I go up every year and she has them all sheared and I buy about 4 to 6 fleeces every year. We set up a station together and pick the wool, wash the wool, dye the wool, pick the wool again, then card the wool. It’s a tremendous amount of work, but we have a lot of fun together doing it. Then I take it home and I spin it into yarn and make ponchos, rugs, etc. I either knit, crochet or weave the yarn. Don’t get to fine of wool. It’s way harder to process. A courser wool is a delight to handle.

If you have more grassland than the cattle can handle, maybe consider using it for growing your own hay, and baling it for your cattle feed during the winter, and save on buying the bales you have been getting.

The best thing about adding ruminants regardless of the species is that for the most part cattle, sheep, goats and equine can all be combined into a large herd.

Still love the beautiful shots of the land . Very picturesque.

That white with black bars Silky chick is so cute. Absolutely adorable!

I can’t wait to see how sheep work out on the farm. You won’t know until you try! Im excited to follow along! 🐑 🐄 🪿 🦆

Your ecosystem mindset is honestly so wonderful to see. Thanks for another great vid and an update about possible new animals!

I love all the updates on all the animals ❤ Rosy and her chicks are darling! I was wondering if tossing in some meal worms would make mama Rosy happier? Hens love scratching for their chicks teaching them to forage ❤I look forward to more farm content! Especially keeping an eye on a barn building video 😉

I died seeing that old clip of baby Toby.... Tooooo cute... Help🤣🤣🤣😍😍😍😍

Marino sheep might be worth considering, as their wool is considered to be luxurious. i.e. very fine and soft.

I’m a knitter and wool spinner and a farmer like you in Oregon and I’d encourage you to consider heritage breed wool sheep. If you get a heritage breed of sheep, you can help to keep a dying part of the wool industry alive that is going away due to large wool processing mills being closed. You can sell fiber to habdspinners like me to keep these vital wools available in the world!! Consider breeds like Dorset, CVM, Rambouillet, Gotland, etc. to keep these breeds going! Happy to answer questions for you- lots of great fiber events out in Vermont also!

That is absolutely awesome that you include the viewers/ subscribers in your next choice of animals to the Farm. You are an amazing human. For real. Thanks for the great content and let the sky be your limit. 😊. Watching from Las Vegas. My grandpa had a farm in Ohio when I was young that we all loved to go to.

Very exciting! Sheep are great. Go for “beginner” sheep that do well in your area. Some commercial crosses are good options, they are usually easy keepers and productive. If you go purebred, production Dorsets are dual purpose for meat and wool and are a good size. Polypay are another nice breed, similar to Dorsets in terms of being good mums and productive though not as well known. Good luck!

I think you should try sheep. worst thing that happens is you dont like them, best thing that happens is you love them. give it a go, its always good to get more experiences in life and personally i think sheep are very cute and fluffy and would love to see a few introduced next year.

If you're thinking about doing sheep i recommend talking to Sandi Brock Shes farm RU-vidr in Canada who deals with large scale breeding and selling sheep I believe she would be a great person to get input from. I think she could help you decide what breeds would go best for the farm your doing and potential problems she has already gone through that might help!

Morgan- you are SO smart not to get too many animals too soon. We did that on our farm along with fruit and veggie plantings and I feel so stretched. I feel like nobody gets enough attention. Please don't make the mistakes we did.

If you get sheep, you’ll need something to guard them like a llama or a donkey

Awe rosie is a beautiful silkie i mean she truly is beautiful and omg her babies they are so adorable omg

I agree that starting some sheep makes sense... you do have the room and by room, I mean grass...I agree with Allison those cute cloud ones!!!🎉

Having raised sheep of all breeds over the last 20 years, I would say that if you go with a wool sheep, it will cost more money and your profit margin will be lower because they put energy into wool production over meat. You also must take into consideration the cost of having them shorn, and the processing of that wool. Wool sheep are more likely to become wool bound (caught up on brush) and even in fencing, they are also more difficult to fence in with electric fence because they are insulated and once they get a head through they are gone. Meat sheep / hair breeds are great because they are efficient ruminants in feed conversion, they are also better at browsing weeds, they are easier to fence behind electric and typically are better equipped to handle the moist, green - lush environment without foot rot. If you are interested in playing with wool products for additional farm business, just ask a local farmer about having some spare wool around and you will be surprised how many bags they have stuffed in their barns. I used to give it away for free, lol. Another angle to consider is to specialize in registered pet sheep like shetlands or southdowns/babydolls. These are dual purpose animals that are typically smaller and easier to handle and have a good value as a lamb or adult. They have great value particularly as a bottle lamb, as they are highly sought after as pets. I think that as an experiment, you may want to consider purchasing some inexpensive short yearling lambs of any breed next spring and grow them all summer, butcher them in the fall just like your pig adventure. This will give you a feel for it anyway. Do yourself a favor if you do settle on sheep, consider an investment in electro-netting from premier 1 - you will thank me later haha.. Best of luck in your decision. Can't wait to see which way you go.

The Merino sheep are the ultimate dual purpose animal, not only producing the highest quality wool, but also nutritious and flavoursome meat.

I like the idea of adding sheep for meat and wool. I also like that if you chose to sell either you'd be selling something useful as oppose to the common practice of selling bad ideas or fear mongering some other channels have become entangled. Also, channels like this are super for those like myself that live within city limits, or in my case rural town limits. I can daydream, learn, make plans, and one day hopefully have land in the middle of nothing other than wild abundance.

I've had the pleasure to interact with Valais Blacknose sheep on a farm in Switzerland, and it was lovely. Considering you have Highland Cattle, I would assume this breed of sheep would fit in well.

I definitely think sheep are a must at some point!! Like you said it would just work so well to have them be used for both wool and meat. And if you can get them Valais Blacknose are super quirky lookin’ and adorable!!

honestly at this point morgan I think the best thing you can do is just upgrade your environment, like the layout of the farm, infrastructure etc. It's a pretty complete farm but adding more maintenance of the supporting structure of the farm seems wiser. Like, make sure everything is well organized and usable before adding more. Just like a filing system, the hard part is creating a filing system with already mismatched items but if you continue to add and do filing half way that's gonna cause a mess. Once you have a good filing system it is easy to add more cause all your support structure are well oiled and work smoothly

Sending support, love, and kindness from Lexington, Michigan, USA

Great choice for putting Abby around chickens! If she gets out of line, Rosie will spring into action 😂 Honestly sheep sounds good! You would enjoy it and my guess is Allison would too.

Oh my God, those black and white sheep where they have a little black face, those are so stinking cute! Baldwin, welsh mountain sheep might be perfect for Vermont. They look like a stuffed animal. 🥰

Two of my favourite channels, besides this one, are Sheepishlyme and The Sheep Game. Both are entirely different ways of keeping sheep, totally indoor vs outdoor.

Allison would love the super cute Babydoll Southdown Sheep. Here is some Info...Their small size means that they can be used to mow under trees and vineyards. They make a perfect prime lamb, with succulent meat. They have one of the finest wool. The micron count typically ranges from 23 to 29, meaning many people can wear it comfortably next to the skin. I would only start with four.

You forgot the bees!

Yes we approve of sheep. And we agree with the previous post that supporting native habitat and wildlife would help the ecological balance of the entire area.

For sheep, make sure to find a sheep mentor and if you want shearing sheep, try and find someone local to learn how often for each breed! Right Choice Shearing is based in Texas, but I'm sure they could offer advice, either directly or through their own content. They can also point out how to find a shearer who would be happy to do smaller contracts and what sort of set up you'd need to best assist them! I think Sheep would also be a great compliment to the cows, but you've spent time at the Rhodes, so you'll know that better than I!😄

Hi Morgan, My partner has 5 acres on the outskirts of Perth, Western Australia, granted our conditions are very different to yours. He does have 2 sheep, one ewe and one wether, Dorpers. They are breed specifically for meat production because their wool is pretty crappy and they are constantly hungry. My partner often has to supplement their diet with hay and sheep cubes to get their nutrients. They would chomp through your grass pretty quickly. Another thing with this breed they are noisy bleaters but they do have quirky personalities.

From what I've heard sheep are very simple but just as messy as the pigs. Alpacas and llamas tend to be quite mean, especially towards farm dogs, you could try getting some working animals like horses or donkeys. Or possibly go in a completely different direction and raise something like earthworms to further cut down on food costs for the birds at least. Not really sure though, to be honest.

i have never been on a farm before and i cannot stop watching these videos

I just spent the day in an alpaca ranch in South Korea and they are the cutest animal~ so soft and pretty chill~~

If you go to Abundance +, there is a woman (I think it was the Divergence Series) that grew a particular kind of sheep. They are known for their meat and wool, as well as withstand frigid temperatures. I think sheep would be the perfect addition to your farm. You would also have the support of friends like Jess Sowards and Justin Rhodes.

If you want wool sheep then Texel is the way to go - good feed conversion and parasite resistant.

If you go with wool-bearing sheep, what you get should depend on what kind of wool you’d want to produce. There are a lot of sheep farmers in VT…make some friends!Vermont Sheep & Wool Fest is coming up later this month. It’s a good opportunity to talk to other farmers and homesteaders, and to get a sense of the local wool market, breed options suited to the climate and your needs, etc. (Also: fresh sheep’s milk cheese is a whole other level of delicious. I’m just saying.)

I love the idea of getting a Gold Shaw wool blanket or sweater.

Depends on what you are looking for in your products. The market is oversaturated with merino wool. Jacob and Shetland are small sheep and their wools are delightful. Romney sheep have awesome wool also. I’m a spinner and a knitter.

not a farmer myself, my father inlaw used to be one, he had sheep, pigs and cows. He always used to tell stories about how pigs and cows were good for business and sheep were good for fun. sheep meat is worth next to nothing in Austria, the wool can be sold but didn't make a dent into the cost of having sheep. He also used to joke about how sheep were the only animal on this planet activily trying to die. Aways eating things they shouldn't, getting sick, getting stuck, going where they shouldn't, they need ALOT of help with labor and so on... But he kept having them so he must've loved having them around for whatever reason :)

Waterfowl and waterfowl accessories. Love it.

I don't care what type of sheep you get. I just wanna know what type of sheepdog you're getting. I vote border collie.❤

I am experimenting with Suffolk sheep. We started with 4 last year, 2 ewes and 2 withers. Bought them off of the local fair here in Ohio. One got polio and I put her down. The withers were sent to the sale barn and I kept the other ewe as a challenge. The other ewe has had constant soft stools, mud butt since we put her on grass this spring. I am also giving here a ration of sheep and lamb feed once a day with a few flakes of hay. The combination may be too much protein for her? This ties into the next part of the story. During selling off the withers, and testing the yearling for parasites, came back negative, I bought 5 ewe lambs. They literally came off the truck from a local farmer and he loaded up the withers, she was alone for 5 minutes. The new ewes have been great! There was some acclimation involved. All are healthy and we have had them now for around 8 months. With a total of 6 sheep, they really don't eat that much grass. We have 8 acres of pasture and I still have to knock it down with the brush hog. I could cut it in half and hay it. I think we could have up to around 30 sheep out there as long as we moved them everyday. I am keeping in mind those sheep will multiply after next year and am going slow. If I am lucky I will have 15 out there in two years. Moral of the story: don't buy off the fair stock. Those sheep are meant for the sale barn. Who knows what those kids did to their rumens to get their animal as big as they could in that short time frame. Find a local farmer and buy from them directly. Mine is even allowing me to use the ram to get started, when they are ready. The new ewes are friendly but I spend a good 2-3 hours with them a day. Not always direct contact, I am out there where I can be seen. They respect the electric fence. I run two 12.5 ga hot wires. Now I think about it, everything respects that fence but the chickens. No fried chicken yet or half cooked eggs! I have it up to 11,000 so it bites petty good. Sheering is a work out. I do a few a day. This year I waited until it got to 85 before I sheered them, around 2 months ago. The farmer I bought off of sheers around 60 and I don't think he sells the wool. I think he burns it or trashes it, stinky hair fire. If you run short on your future wool projects you might ask for theirs. You should be fine with sheep. They are really not that much work, until lambing. Up every 6 hours bottle feeding isn't much fun. Make sure they have good Teets, two of them.

Your common sense way of making decisions about the farm is great. Your farm will continue to thrive that way. I understand sheep and cattle eat different plants so having both might be quit beneficial. I know there are blogs online about people hiring sheep herds to clean up weedy overgrown land. So they could help there. My uncle raised Suffolk sheep. The one thing I know that is a plus is they don’t get the wool on their face and feet. So they don’t get wool blind and it makes sheering easier. I’d be careful about considering alpacas and llamas. Make sure you have a vet who is competent on treating them before getting them. I’ve seen on RU-vid that isn’t always the case. A guard donkey sounds like good idea

I think if you get sheep, you'll need a herding dog. So, I'd go with more cattle.

Adding sheep would be cool. Baby doll sheep are beautiful.

Valais Blacknose these are the cutest sheep!!! They are good for meat and wool, but mostly they are super cute!!

Don’t rush the decision … because as of right now it seems there really is no need to. The only pressure to add another animal to your farm comes from the plot of land that you seem to be managing well as of right now. Here me out… You like/ love your current set up. Heck you light up with happiness when you talk about caring for the farm and completing your daily responsibilities. I would be very slow to change that until the need to add sheep or cattle becomes greater. For example instead of adding another animal this year, you do something that actually preserves your current schedule/ farm. You are more than ducking capable of change and learning curves and new responsibilities… you’re the one with years of experience, research, and passion and at the end of the day you can trust yourself. Go with your gut because as of right now you have built a beautiful farm that says a-lot of good things about your decision making. I f*** love your channel man and can’t wait to see your next post. Take care. Hope you read this ❣️🤜🏼🤛🏼🐄

Valais Blacknose sheep are the cutest things ive ever seen! Purely on 'aww' factor i recommend them ! No idea on temperament, hardiness etc. Fluff factor 💯

Sheep are great! And you can halter train them as well to make moving them a bit easier as well - I showed them for years in 4-H and they are awesome.

You can also extract lanolin from your sheep and start a line of Gold Shaw Farms skin care products in addition to your soap business.

I love seeing the pigs slurp their way through the apples. They look so happy and content.

Well, the dogs will love the sheep. And sheep eat different grasses than the cattle. So they will be able to balance out the state of the pastures. Plus the babies are sooooo cute!

Yes! Sheep! We started with sheep on our homestead (chickens don't count). They are the ultimate rotational grazing animal, and can yeild a far greater profit than cattle, as they often have twins or even triplets. I would definitely go with a hair breed, however, as I don't believe there is much market for wool and it can be quite expensive to shear sheep, and the fact that they are far more prone to fly strike which is yet another medical issue to deal with. We have Katahdin sheep because they are supposed to be a more parasite resistant breed (but we still have had a bear of a time with barberpole worms this year) and their meat quality is excellent. We've only had them less than six months though, so I'm mostly speaking from my research, not personal experience. But I LOVE my sheep, they're wonderfully friendly, and very easy to control and contain. The only change you would need to make is to swap out your pigtail posts to run another strand of hot wire at a lower height. I am so excited for you to add sheep! I think Americans need to eat more home grown lamb, and we have so much grasslands to raise them.

Valais Blacknose sheep...at least one just for the cuteness!!!

I ❤ your videos, either way I'd love sheep or more cattle. Audrey was so patient with you at the end of the video 😂

I love the idea of adding sheep. They can help break pest cycles if you have them follow behind the cows in pasture rotation. Just be sure to source someone local to shear them, so you're not stuck attempting it yourself.

Love the way you think!

From some advice I've heard from other channels: maybe start with hair sheep, because shearing is a whole thing to figure out with professionals and infrastructure at the different stages of wool harvest and processing. Year one, a few hair sheep to learn how you like sheep. Year two, a few wool sheep to see if you like/ have time for the wool process. Year three, scale up either hair or wool sheep.

Just love the sound of the cattle marching thru the grass at the end. 😊

I think sheep is a great idea. The wool can be a money maker. Love the videos

Sheep are great grazers and don't tear up fences like goats. They do need shelters (at least a three sided one), hoof trims and deworming on a regular basis. There's an expression that sheep are born looking for a place to die. I guess it's because they can and will do some pretty stupid stuff and end up offing themselves. I've not had cattle, so I don't know if they do that kind of stuff, too. The hardest part I had with having sheep was finding someone to shear them. Most shearers (at least I've found) want to have a lot of sheep to shear. Maybe it's just where I live. I'd highly recommend talking to farmers/ranches/homesteaders in your area that have sheep. They are a source of invaluable information.

Valais Blacknose sheep would be a good fit, they're very friendly, multi purpose and extremely cute.

As a knitter, wool from Merino Sheep is my favorite yarn; therefore, my 2 cents towards your decision making process is Merino Sheep.

Budget for a shearer. But have your own tool to shave the rear ends up for lambing. When you are feeding hay the necks will get full of it but the neck wool is the finest. You can shear the neck wool off before starting them on hay and have some to play with hand processing. If you lamb on pasture you need to shear the necks so that the mommas know to come in out of the rain to have their lambs. I raised Shetlands and Shetland/FinnDorset crosses. The primitive Shetland lambs were on their feet in less than a minute. The crossbreds took about five minute to ten minutes to get up. If Shetlands are too small then go with their cousins Icelandics. Icelandics are a triple use breed, meat, milk, and wool. They come in an array of colors just like the Shetlands. Both sexes are horned, but you aren't afraid of horns. If I have to deal with a rowdy ram give him horns and I just need to grab the horn and I have control. I once saw my Shetland ram put his ewes in a corner of the field and stand off against 5 dogs before I got there. I was running the dogs out of the field when I got a but in my butt that launched me 8 feet. I caught myself on my feet and turned around to see my ram bellering at me. He was cussing me up and down for letting the dogs in. He continued to yell at me while I repaired the hole the dogs had scrambled under the fence. By the way, I was alerted to the dogs by my guineas who are noisy in general but had taken on a hysterical tone to their shrieks. I had bonded the keets to my flock and was very pleased with how that worked out.

I love wool. Wool is my favorite material for textiles.

YAY!! Just bought an Abbydog Chaotic good tshirt-please please please bring back pyjamas with "All Ducks Go To Bed" I would buy them for all my friends hahahaha xxx

Just a thought - and don't know if someone else mentioned it - but whatever you get Morgan, look at a Heritage Breed. A quick Google listed Randall cattle bred for Vermont's winters. Also, maybe Lynch Linebacks, which are apparently better for small farms like yours. For sheep, I got a page that listed two "Heritage" breeds that are listed in the Livestock Conservancy. One of those breeds is Tunis - which are adorable sheep. A lady in Ontario Canada that I follow has them in her flock and their babies are so adorable as they tend to be red/brown colored. The other was Dorset Horn. Whichever or whatever animal you get, maybe Heritage would be a good think to look into. Not only for the sake of adding new breeds to your farm, but also helping to expand those rare breed numbers.

We’ve raised Icelandic sheep for several years for meat and and wool. They have wonderful wool and delicate flavored meat, but are definitely a wilder breed and scoff an electric fence, so that may be a consideration. If they are horned you have something to grab onto when moving or need to medicate them. Icelandics also birth easily and are great mothers.

We only have 4 types of animal on our farm! I’m waiting for the newest batch of baby chicks next spring, and I’m trying to convince my parents that I will “totally sell the baby goats” this time 😂

Go with Shetland Sheep. A heritage sheep, hardy, with beautiful wool, and don't have the copper issues other sheep can have. Easy shearing as their face and legs are bare. A variety of colors available and some have horns and some are hornless. Best of all worlds.

i've raised sheep for 11 years ish and have had them be worse than goats to fence in, die quickly when they struggle (they dont let you know they're dying before they do) and the wool breeds are very susceptible to parisites. Ive had most of the common wool breeds (romney, suffolk, hampshire, dorset, cheviot, tunis, shetland etc.) And eventually found Katahdins worked the best for my farm since we needed something easier to manage and that was less susceptible to foot rot and parisites from our NY rain and wet weather. Second favs were romney. If you want less work I'd encourage keeping to the cows (so much easier )! But if you wanted a new sort of time investment livestock sheep are so much fun to keep, just lots of work!! They'll move/herd a lot like the ducks depending on what breed you get. Lambs are adorable, and theyre smaller than having to wrangle cattle. Having useable wool from wool breeds also means sheep coats to protect from burdocks, hay seeds etc that they collect in their fibers, and shearing every year which is sort of back breaking.

One thing to consider is that you would absolutely need to have a professional come in and shear the sheep each year. There's a channel on here called "Right Choice Shearing" and she talks about how dangerous it can be be. It's not something you want to try and do yourself. Sheep might be a nice fit for you in that they can produce wool year after year rather than only making money when they go to the freezer. So you could safely get attached.

I like St. Croix, but they are a hair sheep so you won’t get that wool. I’ve heard good things about keeping them with cattle too. They could also replace the pigs with pushing back the woods