Colorado Sheep and Wool
There are more than 80,000 family farmers and ranchers caring for over 6 million sheep throughout the United States . Lamb is produced in every state in the country . Colorado ranks third in the country for sheep and wool production . Fresh , local lamb is available year-round .
Before it makes it to your plate , American lamb is raised by farmers and ranchers who care for the land , their animals , and their local communities . Sheep are a natural , low-cost way to protect the environment . Sheep have pointed hooves which break up the soil so seeds can find a place to grow . They eat woody and broadleaf plants as well as tall weeds and grasses . The U . S . Forest Service uses sheep in firefighting . Fires need fuel to burn . Sheep eat the underbrush , or fuel , in forests and other areas . This means there is less fuel to burn in the fire and makes fires easier to control . Controlled livestock grazing is used to improve habitats for wildlife .
Sheep produce wool , a renewable resource because it grows back every year . Sheep must have their wool removed once a year because they do not shed it like other animals shed their hair . This process is called shearing . Shearing does not harm the sheep . Wool is a natural fiber that has many uses and benefits .
Photo credit : Caleigh Payne
Protecting Sheep from Predators
If unprotected , sheep are vulnerable to many predators such as coyotes , foxes , wolves , mountain lions , bears , and domestic dogs . Sheep are vulnerable to predators because they are defenseless . They have no way of protecting themselves . Sheep run when something frightens them . Their only protection is to stay together in a group .
Livestock protection dogs are used to protect sheep from wild animals . The protection dogs stay with the sheep day and night and scare wild animals away . Some livestock protection dogs are the Akbash , Great Pyrenees , and Anatolian Shepherds . Without these protection dogs , thousands of sheep and lambs would be injured or killed by predators in the U . S . every year . Sheep producers are required to follow state and federal laws that protect the overall predator population , but can remove the offending predator that is attacking the sheep .
6 - Colorado Agriculture in the Classroom Sources : AmericanLamb . com and CFA ' s Wool & Sheep Activity Book