CWDigitalDigest 19th Century Merino Sheep - Vol V, Episode 16

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Published on Jul 31, 2019

In this episode, we bring you more of life on the 19th century farm! Do you enjoy wrapping up in a wool blanket or slipping on a nice breathable wool coat? Those were staples for folks living in the 19th century - both civilians and soldiers. We get the details of where that wool would come from during the 19th century and today, sheep and sheep farmers! We also learn all about the period breed, merino. Merino are popular today because they produce a very soft wool. Why is it so soft? Watch to learn the answer! We want to extend our gratitude to The Henry Ford, Steve Opp and the rest of the staff at Greenfield Village for their hospitality. Plan a visit to Greenfield Village and the working Firestone Farm to see history in action...


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Civil War Digital Digest (CWDD) is your first stop for high quality videos on Civil War history, living history and Michigan Civil War history. Here the avid living historian, relaxed arm chair general and teachers will find resources that both educate and entertain.

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Sheepherders were despised out west before the prairies were fenced off. I know I have seen some in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, but I have never been closely related to farm and livestock production. It is interesting, but must involve a certain amount of detachment from the animals at hand. I enjoyed the video, it being very well produced. Thanks Mike.
Lubliner.
 
Sheepherders were despised out west before the prairies were fenced off. I know I have seen some in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, but I have never been closely related to farm and livestock production. It is interesting, but must involve a certain amount of detachment from the animals at hand. I enjoyed the video, it being very well produced. Thanks Mike.
Lubliner.


We raised sheep when I was a young lad. Originally it started because I wanted a (1) lamb to raise as a 4-H project, well Dad decided to buy a herd at an auction. 34 head in total as I recall, with a very frisky ram :whistling: .

We also had cattle, hogs and horses at one time or another.

but must involve a certain amount of detachment from the animals at hand.

Indeed, especially when it came time to castrating and docking their tails, which was my job. I also sheared them and I was a fair barber of wool. And never ever name one, cuz they might become...what's fer supper/dinner.
 
I love sheep! I have 5 Navajo-Churros and they are a heritage breed. There are only about 5 thousand left in the United States. In 1972 there were almost none. The great sheep boom in New England came started around 1820 and lasted about 20 years and made a number of people quite rich.
 
I love sheep! I have 5 Navajo-Churros and they are a heritage breed. There are only about 5 thousand left in the United States. In 1972 there were almost none. The great sheep boom in New England came started around 1820 and lasted about 20 years and made a number of people quite rich.

Suffolks here, and when a rare Black sheep was born, I appreciated his or her arrival. :D I related.

UKSuffram.jpg


Note: Not me or one of my rams, we both looked better, back then.

http://www.sheep101.info/breedsT-V.html
 
Navajo-Churros and they are a heritage breed.

As an "old"sheep guy that is interesting and good for you.

More than Four Hundred Years Ago ...

... the first sheep were brought into the Southwest by Don Juan Onate. The fact that these sheep still exist today is a testimony to their endurance and endearment. No other sheep population in the history of the world has survived so much selective pressure with such dignity and spirit.​

IndexGuide4horn.jpg


http://www.navajo-churrosheep.com/

 
As an "old"sheep guy that is interesting and good for you.

More than Four Hundred Years Ago ...

... the first sheep were brought into the Southwest by Don Juan Onate. The fact that these sheep still exist today is a testimony to their endurance and endearment. No other sheep population in the history of the world has survived so much selective pressure with such dignity and spirit.​

View attachment 320248

http://www.navajo-churrosheep.com/
I am familiar with the story of Jacob and Laban and the breeding of sheep, by setting out branches of wood and wetting them among the sheep and separating. An early story of husbandry, but unsure of its accuracy to matters of fact. Do the sheep you have displayed have hearty constitutions by breeding out the weaker of the lot?
Lubliner.
 
Do the sheep you have displayed have hearty constitutions by breeding out the weaker of the lot?

Only with the assistance of masterful animal husbandry.

I do have 1 blue ribbon and a red in my scrap-book. And, sheep are not as stupid as they are usually portrayed in my experience. One must out think them, as they are not easily "corralled", independent spirits so to speak and why many of the more wiley sheepherders use dogs.
 
Sheep are not stupid, especially any of the heritage breeds like Churros, Icelandics, Shetlands, etc. Jacobs, more than Churros have those wild horns, though there are some Churros with them. My Churros are about half on the horns. Half have just curved horns and the other half appear hornless but have what are called scurrs (sp?) - small little stubs of horns, but they are not genetically "polled." Typically, out west, you will see more (but not a lot) wild and crazy horns on Churros but it's not something that breeders really like because those wild horns near the eyes can also be part of the eyelid which is a very serious breeding fault. And, as you can imagine, all these horns make them difficult for shearing.

Jacob sheep (Jacob and Leah but how much is myth is anyone's guess) have those crazy horns but amazingly soft fleece.

If people think sheep are stupid, it is because people are stupid about how they handle sheep. You can lead sheep or drive sheep. Much better to be a gentle leader than a hard driver. Then the sheep trust you.
 
We raised sheep when I was a young lad. Originally it started because I wanted a (1) lamb to raise as a 4-H project, well Dad decided to buy a herd at an auction. 34 head in total as I recall, with a very frisky ram :whistling: .

We also had cattle, hogs and horses at one time or another.



Indeed, especially when it came time to castrating and docking their tails, which was my job. I also sheared them and I was a fair barber of wool. And never ever name one, cuz they might become...what's fer supper/dinner.
I have a friend whose parents were back-to-the-landers in the 60s and 70s. They purchased two piglets one year and my friend asked if she could name them. Her dad told her no, that he had already named them. One was "Christmas" and the other "Easter". She got the message.
 
In researching my master's thesis, I read a great deal of material about Merino sheep and how and why they were introduced into the US from Spain, as part of the Agricultural Revolution that took place in the late 18th and early to mid-19th centuries. As part of my research I attended a conference of the Agricultural History Society, which that year was meeting in the Detroit area. We visited the Henry Ford and were able to get into the research rooms and archives, which was amazing!
Deerfield Village is a wonderful living history museum. I bought myself a little stuffed Merino sheep whose fleece can be zipped off. Too cute! The highlight of my sister's trip was seeing the Oscar Meyer Wienie-mobile and Abraham Lincoln's rocking chair from Ford's theatre.
 
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