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I keep a small flock of Shetlands and slaughter 5-10 lambs every fall. I have customers that have been buying my lambs since the first crop and call every summer to reserve one. I haul them to a custom slaughterhouse and have them cut and wrapped to order, then deliver the meat ready to pop in the freezer. Even with the small operation I have, I make a little cash even after paying for all inputs and putting a free one in my freezer. With 12 acres and good fences, you should be able to do quite well. I have a bit over 3 acres fenced and even with a maximum crop of lambs running about 15 sheep on it they don't even come close to overgrazing it. I usually have to mow 2-3 times a year to keep it from getting ahead of them. I'd recommend a "primitive" breed such as Shetlands, Katahdins or Jacobs. MUCH less hassle with lambing and diseases that way, and they'll eat about anything that won't eat them first. I even manage to make a few bucks on the wool. I sell it "in the grease" to craftspeople who prefer to clean and card their own wool. The only labor I have in it that way is paying for the shearing and a few minutes per fleece of skirting (removing manure tags and trash). I don't know how (or if) NAIS is going affect the situation, and I don't plan on asking any stupid questions. If you sell privately, it's a lot easier regulation and inspection-wise. If you sell commercially, things get quite a bit more complex. Do yourself a favor and limit access to your farm. Only clean, vetted, certified animals in, and once they leave, they don't come back unless they're in a package. Get your own ram(s) so you don't have to deal with breeding.
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