Please educate me on sheep

Been thinking in turning the farm in a different direction and would like some info on raising sheep.

What would be the most profitable way to raise sheep and what kind?

What is the best feed for them?

Gestation periods?

How many sheep roughly could one raise on say 75 acres of land?

TIA, Steve

All I will say about sheep is the old saying "sheep are born looking for a place to die"
After having raised Suffolk sheep in FFA back in the early 60's I thought I'd try some Dorper sheep. I had trouble with too many worm problems and ewes that wouldn't let their lambs nurse. I went back to cattle.

What's your idea? Meat, wool, just havin sumpin around that you can watch die???
Friends have about 50 of the stupidest animals in creation (except the three border collies they bought the sheep for)....

If there is a way to die, these things find it......

Pa used to say "a sick sheep is a dead sheep"

I raised sheep as a teenager. They require quite a bit of time at lambing as ewes need to be separated from the flock as they don't always mother their newborn well.

You normaly can graze 5 ewes on the pasture required for 1 cow. They require occasional foot triming along with regular worming. Yes, a sick sheep is usually a dead sheep.

You must be dedicated to raising sheep like you would to a dairy or a hog operation to be successful. Joe

Also had sheep 30 years ago in FFA run do not walk a different direction. Sheep are a hobby.

Find out what the deal is on wool these days. My sister and her husband used to raise them, and as long as the federal wool subsidy was in effect, they came kinda close to breaking even. But I think the subsidy went away- anyhow, the wool became worthless, and they got rid of the sheep.

I'm in north east Ohio the amish around here are getting out of the hog and feeder pig business and going into sheep. What use to be a hobby farm is now a growing industry. My daughter helps out on a sheep farm with about 60 breeding ewes. They feed mostly an alfafa hay with a supplement of cracked corn during lambing season. We have 9 breeding ewes we feed grass hay with a little grain through out. Hair breeds need the least maintance being that they shed their wool vs. needing sheared once a year. There are a number of organization that promote breeds that can help selecting a breed for your use. All livestock is deadstock they just haven't realized it yet. There is no animal that does not have problems but with proper care they can be minimized. Sheep will usually have twins so their numbers will increase quickly. Most of what I've read qoute about 20 head per acre. I think that is a little high from my experience more like 10. Hope this helps.

Steve Have no ideal of you animal skills but Had a fellow purchase 85 acres next to us..(We had been renting it for years). He fenced it and purchased sheep. Long story short after three years and $ 20 + thousand he aske if I would be willing to lease his farm back. Had lots of problems and no return on the effort or expindture.. Just my two cents worth.

75 acres? Way more than you want. My idea of sheep is fried in a skillet.

My uncle got out of the sheep business a few years back. To much trouble and wool is almost worthless. Now he raises rocks. People buy them for all reasons and they can take care of themselves.

(quoted from post at 14:56:21 02/18/12) I'm in north east Ohio the amish around here are getting out of the hog and feeder pig business and going into sheep. What use to be a hobby farm is now a growing industry. My daughter helps out on a sheep farm with about 60 breeding ewes. They feed mostly an alfafa hay with a supplement of cracked corn during lambing season. We have 9 breeding ewes we feed grass hay with a little grain through out. Hair breeds need the least maintance being that they shed their wool vs. needing sheared once a year. There are a number of organization that promote breeds that can help selecting a breed for your use. All livestock is deadstock they just haven't realized it yet. There is no animal that does not have problems but with proper care they can be minimized. Sheep will usually have twins so their numbers will increase quickly. Most of what I've read qoute about 20 head per acre. I think that is a little high from my experience more like 10. Hope this helps.

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Do people actually eat and enjoy them??? I like lookin at em, but if the ones our friends' have can't think of anything else, the lambs will jump in the 15 gallon water tub and drown.... Or, a perfectly strong and healthy sheep hang/kill itself in a woven wire fence..... We had a hurt foal once that had to be confined. We got a young ram from them for company... Let em in the back yard for the afternoon... Went back an hour later and he was belly up.....

Whats the deal with the wool these days? Is it worth anything? Don't see how you can come out on sheep if the wool isn't worth anything.

Thank you Andy, you actually answered most of my questions unlike the rest of the "so and so once said......." type people that replied.

I do have experience with animals, mostly cattle (dairy and beef) as well as a better half that is heavy into horses.

Im just pondering some other options for the farm we have, have also thought about goats but there seems to be more people around going towards sheep. A few have emptied there hog barns and filled them with sheep.

(quoted from post at 15:12:46 02/18/12) Thank you Andy, you actually answered most of my questions unlike the rest of the "so and so once said......." type people that replied.

I do have experience with animals, mostly cattle (dairy and beef) as well as a better half that is heavy into horses.

Im just pondering some other options for the farm we have, have also thought about goats but there seems to be more people around going towards sheep. A few have emptied there hog barns and filled them with sheep.

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Maybe it'll help if, next time you post a ???, Just tell us up front the responses you wanna hear, save the rest of us some time... Let us know how things work out for ya....

I heard there is only one thing more stupid than a sheep and that is it's owner. I have 2 neighbors with them. First one got rid of them when it cost him more to have them sheared than what the wool was worth. Other neighbor is as poor as a church mouse.

(quoted from post at 15:17:33 02/18/12)

(quoted from post at 15:12:46 02/18/12) Thank you Andy, you actually answered most of my questions unlike the rest of the "so and so once said......." type people that replied.

I do have experience with animals, mostly cattle (dairy and beef) as well as a better half that is heavy into horses.

Im just pondering some other options for the farm we have, have also thought about goats but there seems to be more people around going towards sheep. A few have emptied there hog barns and filled them with sheep.

Click to expand...

Maybe it'll help if, next time you post a ???, Just tell us up front the responses you wanna hear, save the rest of us some time... Let us know how things work out for ya....

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so which of the my questions in my first post have you actually answered? i didnt ask how long they live or what kills them, or how stupid they are but thanx for coming out Dave2

My Grandfather always said, "Sheep are born to die."

I had sheep years ago, ran them with cattle most of the time. They take o bunch of time to care for, worming every 21 days, hoof triming, and tagging(dirty wool on the backsides),if youdon't you get maggots. I always ran 100 ewes on 200 acres but with cattle. Dogs put me out of the sheep busenes. I killed more dogs than rabbits one year, now the coyotes are here and too many nosey neighbors I would think about some other stock.

(quoted from post at 15:30:26 02/18/12)

(quoted from post at 15:17:33 02/18/12)

(quoted from post at 15:12:46 02/18/12) Thank you Andy, you actually answered most of my questions unlike the rest of the "so and so once said......." type people that replied.

I do have experience with animals, mostly cattle (dairy and beef) as well as a better half that is heavy into horses.

Im just pondering some other options for the farm we have, have also thought about goats but there seems to be more people around going towards sheep. A few have emptied there hog barns and filled them with sheep.

Click to expand...

Maybe it'll help if, next time you post a ???, Just tell us up front the responses you wanna hear, save the rest of us some time... Let us know how things work out for ya....

Click to expand...

so which of the my questions in my first post have you actually answered? i didnt ask how long they live or what kills them, or how stupid they are but thanx for coming out Dave2

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Hope it works out for ya...... Don't listen to us idiots tho.....


http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide...=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1329605395&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Guide...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329605395&sr=8-1

Thanx Dave, i didnt think to check amazon for books but thats a great idea

well I have been raising sheep for 5 years,I have several different breeds,Katahdin is a hair sheep very low maintenance parasite resistant,scottish blackface very hardy breed those are the best for me,as far as worming I dont use any wormers on the market,I think the parasites are immune to them, so I tried garlic,that worked ok but not as good as I wanted,so I tried Diatomaceous Earth,do a google search on it,works very well and cheap,I dont have many die at all like some of the posters have said the market is very good for lambs,hope this helps,gotta go my finger is getting sore,I'm a one finger typer!

Just for curiosity, does anyone try to grow sheep with different color wool than white, like brown or black, and sell the wool to hand weavers?

KEH

the wool payment went away during the Clinton years. Wool sells for about 80 cents per pound x 8 lbs per animal = $6.40. To save money, you have to shear yourself and the clippers and blades will run about $3 per sheep. Its the hardest job you will do for minimum wage.

The most profitable way to raise sheep.... probably let someone else keep the sheep.
The statement that they're born looking for a way to die about hits the nail on the head.
We've had sheep on this farm for well over 100 years continously. The old man keeps at it and I wish he wouldn't....

Basically... pasture is the cheapest way to keep them... BUT... the coyote is such a problem here that it's nearly made it impractical. The stress they can put sheep under is enough that even if the don't actually kill the whole lot, the sheep still do poorly, don't graze enough, etc. So that could be the first problem you overcome if youhave coyotes...
Other option is to confine them and feed them, which is not going to be cheap.
Either way you need to be going after them, deworming frequently (several times per year), vaccinating, vitamin injections, etc. Coccidia is generally a problem in confinement... Then you have other chores such as shearing and hoof trimming at least once per year.
If you get enough wool to cover the cost of shearing you are doing well... but there again, price is probably dependant on your local market or distance to market. Where we're at there is a limited artisnal market for wool that pays well but... is limited. Commodity price is not great here. Ranges between 30 and mabey 90 cents per pound.

As far as how many.... you could probably run 250 ewes on your 75 acres provided you make top quality feed and maintain everything for top yeilds. Buy your grain in that you need for maintenance the ewes periodically and for lamb growing/finishing as that's largely a grain diet. That's just a rough number. You could mabey run more.... or mabey a lot less if you're not getting the feed off that you need.
Gestation is 5 months... and many today are going for 3 lamb crops in 2 years by inducing heats in the off season. That can either be done through controlling light or sponging...
As far as I'm concerned, getting that extra lamb crop is where your profit will be...
Otherwise it's just going to be a marriage that will require a lot of time and effort on your part with little return. You've got to get a lot of lambs and keep them alive.

Rod

aren't we all.
Research has shown that those who drink water will die.

Wife and I have been raising "natural colored" sheep since 1993. Target market being hand spinners, knitters, weavers etc. When we started I used to joke that most knitters and spinners were older, divorced, somewhat eccentric ladies however over the last few years there seems to be a lot of younger folks getting into it.

www.sheep101.info/201

Alpaca, donkey or maremma sheepdog will keep the ferals away.You would want more than 1 to lessen the chance of being overwhelmed.
I would visit your Agriculture Dept.Officer for some information,also there is some good info via your search engine.
Wool has its cycles and this year it is on the way UP, i.e. in Australia.
A 21 kg lamb{ kg=roughly 2lbs+10%] were selling at market for $AUD198, which is slightly more in USD,
hence the price in supermarkets is $43 for a leg of just over 2 kgs.Don't think you will get any of that, you will be a price taker,not maker.
They have now reduced to $140.
The Farmers here are having the ewes for wool and crossing with meat rams to capture the higher prices.
I have 113 acres and it will run 100 sheep but America could be different.

Incidently,you are going to get a myriad of answers on here,you don't suffer fools lightly,I see, but would it not be better to let them swing and just sift out the replies which are helpful without getting on your horse and having a go at all those whose replies are mendane.
You will be run ragged without affecting them.
Think of the horse also.

Sheep, like deer don't have upper front teeth.
That's about how much I know about them.
I've always been amazed how an animal who has to graze or browse for a living doesn't have those front teeth yet can clip and crop closer than a cow can.

Way back, any black sheep in a white flock used to be killed,the theory being they would taint the flock now the coloured wool is in big demand in a niche market, how times have changed.

I have been raising my own ewes, nearly 30 years. This year looks to be the last. I have been around a lot of different breeds and a lot of different ways to produce lamb, none are the best, none are the worst, they all have their purpose.

You need to find some local producers in your area and talk to them for advice. What works where I live might not work where you live.

Here are some dont's:

Don't take advice from someone that is not currently raising sheep.

Don't get into some rare breed of sheep and expect to sell a bunch of them to other producers that want that rare breed.

Don't get into "show sheep" that markets is full of politics and your already 100 years to late.

Don't get a bunch of fancy equipment that the ewes haven't already paid for.

I could go on and on.

Dad had sheep on the yard to keep the grass trimmed up until the early 1970's.

Are there any "Mutton Producer's Associations" in your state or region. They could be a good source for both basic information and state of the art information about the industry. Your state's extension service might be another source of basic information. Your local veterinarians may know who has good breeding stock in your area.

Make sure you have a market for your wool and slaughter animals, and someone who will shear them in a timely manner. One large local herd butchers some of their own animals. They have a meat market on the farm that sells mutton directly to consumers and they deliver their mutton to other meat shops in the area.

Sheep are smart enough to always find an open gate within minutes but are too dumb to get themselves out of trouble. Woven wire fences are a must, dogs will run sheep straight into fences. Sheep just get tangled in barbed wire fences, they panic and often kill themselves trying to get out again. Some local herds now use donkeys and lamas to fend off dogs and preditors.

Are you located where you have year around grazing? If not you will need to feed them over the winter. Try to time it so the butcher lambs are sold before the pasture runs out in fall. That way you only have to winter feed the breeding stock. If your land is good you may put the best ground into hay and grain to supply your winter feed more efficiently than pasturing.

Try to select bucks that are not too agressive. It hurts to get knocked down from behind without warning, especially if you get pinned against something and get hit several times by a large buck.

It sounds like you are doing your homework. Good luck.

Sheep are just little cows, a well cared for flock does not have any more death losses than a herd of well cared for cattle. Running cattle and sheep together is a good plan both for pasture management and parasite control, also the cows will help with the biggest problem, dogs and coyotes. Sheep are timid and give up when a dog attacks, dogs kill for sport, a low slung hot wire will help but the main thing is to kill any dogs you see running the sheep or in the pasture, neighbors will say they will keep the dogs locked up but they will forget or not do it, buckshot is the answer. Depending on the growing season in your area sheep can be maintained nearly 100% on pasture, very little grain is needed even at lambing time if you have good alfalfa or clover hay. The average gestation period is almost exactly 5 months, most wool breeds do not breed well in hot weather, usually turned the rams in middle of september and started lambing from the first of March, a well fed ram at least 18 months old will service 35 to 40 ewes. There is an annual stud ram sale at Sedalia Missouri and at Staunton Virginia, the rams are the key to profitable lambs, you can cull ewes to keep the twinners and good milkers but the ram puts the growth on the lambs. Creep feeding the lambs on pasture will produce the fastest growth, it is ultra important to dock tales and castrate the lambs anywhere from 1 week to 4 weeks of age. Worm as soon as the lambs are really grazing. Shearing is a learned skill, it is hard on the back if you are not in shape, if you get good at it you can shear a ewe in less than 10 minutes, shearing around the vulva and udder is a good plan a couple of weeks before lambing but selecting and culling for ewes with clean under lines is a better plan. 75 acres of well managed pasture will easily carry 250 ewes and their lambs in most parts of the country, cross fencing and having several paddocks is easy with hot wire and then you have much less trouble with worms, always try to put the lambs on the best and cleanest pasture you have so they can get the benefit of the most nutrients with very few parasite problems. Perimeter fencing should be net wire with bottom strand of barbwire and hot wire, open front sheds are plenty for sheep if not in total blizzard country, depending on the weather lambing on pasture or in sheds works well. Some areas of the country probably have little or no wool market, when handled and stored properly wool does not spoil so it can be carried over year to year or hauled to a state with a good market, a little research can make you money. Three reccomendations, first, go on e-bay and buy a copy of ''Morrisons Feeds and Feeding'' 21st edition or later, complete work not the condensed, probably run you around 10 bucks but has sections on raising and feeding sheep and lambs with timeless information, second, join whatever sheepbreeding association is in your area or state, third, dog proof and do the fencing before you ever buy the first sheep.

Worked on a sheep farm all through school we didn"t do much maintenance on them other than shear once a year. Coyotes hit us hard we were first to kill one in pa since the 1800"s. But like everything else I think it depends on location around here goats seem to be the money maker. See them selling in the $500 range at Christmas time

(quoted from post at 12:34:43 02/18/12) Been thinking in turning the farm in a different direction and would like some info on raising sheep.

What would be the most profitable way to raise sheep and what kind?

What is the best feed for them?

Gestation periods?

How many sheep roughly could one raise on say 75 acres of land?

TIA, Steve

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Check out this website. These guys have developed a better breed of sheep. My niece is marrying into the family in June....

http://www.kitzansheep.com/

Cows don't have top front teeth either. They grab the grass between the bottom teeth and the thick 'pad' they have instead of top teeth and tear the grass off.
Surprises me how many people don't know cows have 'baby teeth'. They loose them around 2 years of age. Find some every now and then.

They lie. Jst ask any of the guys who raise them.

Neighbor turns over around 20 or so a year, mainly his kids hobby. No real problems. Has one heck of a fortress for a fence set up due to coyotes, has one dog in with the sheep. Once the fence and the dog were added, no coyote problems.

He has these 20 or so sheep on probably 4 acres adds feed. Around here you need a good dog and a rifle for the coyotes.

Rick

Pets with the lowest IQ that you can own. Except maybe for ducks?

First thing to do is NOT listen tot he blowhards that have no first hand experience with sheep. I"m down to 35 ewes from 100 and some, breeding the wool out of them and heading for 200 ewes if I can. I"m using Katadin/Dorper rams. There is no real market for wool in the US anymore that I"m aware of. Lamb is where it"s at. As far as caring for them, only at lambing time is there much work. Keep them in pasture, water, minerals and salt and keep the predators away and they do fine.

On 75 acres of pasture you should be able to run 150 ewes easily. But what about hay for winter?

can a person breed a sheep twice a year?

its a 100 acre farm so i figured 75 of it in pasture and 25 in hay

Any old Western movie will tell you! Cow men
and Sheep men don't get along!

(quoted from post at 12:34:43 02/18/12) Been thinking in turning the farm in a different direction and would like some info on raising sheep.

What would be the most profitable way to raise sheep and what kind?

What is the best feed for them?

Gestation periods?

How many sheep roughly could one raise on say 75 acres of land?

TIA, Steve

Click to expand...

Plenty of info here:

http://www.sheep101.info/201/index.html

(quoted from post at 09:47:23 02/19/12) can a person breed a sheep twice a year?

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Ewes will normally not have lambs twice a yr for consecutive years. Normally will lamb 3 times in 2 years. When I had sheep I always left the breeding up to the buck(male) sheep.

About 8 months is the tightest cycle you're going to run. Most breeds are seasonal breededs based on daylight hours. You can breed out of season by controlling light or inducing them hormonally...

Rod

There is a niche market for wool but most are raised for their meat. The demand for quality meat and the immigrant population from north africa and middle east countries is the cause. There are some farms that are raising meat goat to supply these ethnic group.

Sheep are absolutely beyond all doubt the dumbest creatures on the face of the earth. That"s why God referred to people as his "sheep". Run a goat or two with them to lead them around so they don"t get stuck in a swamp or some other fool thing.