Sunday, January 20, 2013

Raising Livestock for Fiber

I've always wanted to raise certain types of livestock for wool.  Sheep and angora rabbits are the ones that I've been considering the most.  I've considered these two because of the other products that they could provide.  Sheep cheese and yogurt are both amazing; and rabbit dung is fabulous for crops and flowers.  One good thing about rabbit dung is unlike some other types of dung (like chicken dung), you could use it right away.  There is no need to compost it first.  Along with those these provisions, I would also have some wool!

I'm not really a big fan of how sheep are sheered which is a downside.  I've seen how sometimes people literally sit on sheep while sheering them. I perfectly understand that sheering them is good for them in the summer; I mean, who wants to have such a warm coat when it's so hot out?   It's just that there are much gentler ways of harvesting the wool without causing the poor creature so much discomfort.  Why make it such an unpleasant experience for them?

I've also seen angora rabbits' wool getting cut.  It makes me sad that some actually tie up the rabbits before cutting them.  The rabbits don't really seem all that uncomfortable, but rabbits tend to stay still even when they are uncomfortable.  It isn't really necessary to do it like that.  I've seen people just sit the bunny on their laps while cutting the fur.  This may take more time, but then the rabbit doesn't have to feel scared or uncomfortable.

The more I learn, the more excited I become about these creatures.  I look forward to learning more.  If any of you raise sheep or angora rabbits, I welcome any information or advice.

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