Are some sheep just raised for Sheepkin products only?

Question

Or are the sheepkins a bi- product of the meat industry?

Answer 1

meat or milk are the things sheep are raised for primarily..

wool right now is not worth the cost of sheering.. its pathetically low...

sheepskin also isnt worth much - since you still have to tan it etc.. so its a by-product of the industry..

did you know there are some sheep who are HAIR sheep, these sheep do not have wool but instead have hair much like a German Shephard dog.. they shed...

EDIT - ew I just read some of the other answers.. that is just sick and cruel.. dang I wish I had not seen that.. must make a note to myself to NEVER buy anything made of black wool hides...

Answer 2

I know a breed called karakul- they use the lambs (1-3 days old) as a source of sheepskin.

They are born with black wool, as they get older it changes colour. So they get it while it's still black.

Answer 3

Most sheepskins are a by product of the meat industry, but some sheep like Karakul's are used to produce skins for the coat industry and the carcasses are not used for meat.

Answer 4

Most sheepskins are a byproduct, but sometimes, fiber sheep (sheep that are mainly used for their wool, and not regularly eaten as lambs) have to be culled (gotten rid of/killed) for various reasons and they have beautiful fleeces.  Also, male sheep are not in as high demand as female sheep, so they are usually eaten as lambs, and even the fiber sheep would then be used as meat and fleeces.  The only time the meat would not be used is if the animal were very old and/or sick.

Answer 5

Hamid Karzai wears hat made from karakul sheepskin, obtained by beating a pregnant ewe until it aborts and then skinning the fetus. This practice supposedly comes from Russia, the same people who club to death baby seals as well. I'm not sure how this answers your question, but in this case the sheepskin is definitely not a by-product, though in most cases they are a byproduct of the meat industry.  A question to you about your question.  I'm not sure what you mean by sheepkin, I assumed that you meant sheepskin, but since you used the word twice it doesn't seem to be a typo. What is a sheepkin.