During winter time, sheep grow very thick wool coats.  These coats protect sheep from weather such as rain or snow.  Wool is sheared once a year. When summer begins, the wool is cut [sheared] off.  This wool is made into yarn.  This yarn is made into clothes that people wear.  Sheepskins with the wool still on them are made into clothing.   Another use for sheep is the oil in the sheep wool. 

    Sheep are raised for different things.  Some sheep are raised because they will give really great wool.  These kinds are mostly raised in Australia, New Zealand, South America and western United States.  They are of the merino or Rambouillet breed.

    Other sheep are raised for their meat.  These are called mutton-types.  Some of these are Suffolk, Lincoln, Hampshire, Dorset, Leicester, and Romney Marsh.
    Farmers have been trying to get great wool AND good meat from the same animal.  Some of these breeds are:  Columbia [combination of Rambouillet and Lincoln] and Corriedale [combination of merino, Leicester, and Lincoln].  
   Sometimes sheep are raised for their milk.  Sheep milk is richer than cow and goat milk.  It has more than double the fat of cow’s milk and more protein.  People don't usually drink it.   It is used for yogurt and cheese.  Roquefort [French cheese] is a sheep milk product.
   Most of the time, sheep graze on open land and are watched by shepherds.  The herd might have one or two thousand sheep in it.  They might be moved to different pasture lands from time to time.  This makes the animals easy to raise.  Sheep like to herd together.  If they are scared, they will run away in a tight herd.  This makes a large herd much easier to handle.
     Sometimes the sheep are kept on farms where they are fed special food with added vitamins and minerals.  These sheep stay in fenced in pastures.
  The biggest sheep raising countries are Australia, China, Iran, New Zealand and India.