Re: Please educate me on sheep

Posted by ss55 on February 18, 2012 at 18:42:19 from (173.26.32.153):

In Reply to: Please educate me on sheep posted by Super Steve on February 18, 2012 at 11:34:43:

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.

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