Will your flock make money? That is a tough question to answer, since the real answer is “it depends”. But, since “it depends” is not a helpful answer in the slightest, let’s dig into the things that will be helpful. Let me be upfront with you, you’ll have to do some math here and do…
Sheep are becoming more popular and for good reason, they are a family friendly livestock that fits well into many situations, even folks with minimal acreage available. Since raising your own flock has potential and you have the space to put them, the only thing left is to figure out if raising sheep going to…
Most of your sheep production year is centered around lambing. You plan the best time for lambing in your area and you’ve kept the ewes in good condition, so you are as ready as you can be. Then, when the lambing season is only days away, you wonder how do you know if a ewe…
Lambs that are nursing are already on a watery diet, as are lambs on lush grass. Do lambs need drinking water as well or is grass wet enough? All lambs need water. Bottle lambs need access to water at a week of age or as soon as solid food is available to them. Weaned lambs…
When you are new to raising sheep, you are happy to have as many sheep as you can and certainly wouldn’t dream of selling any of them. Then you get a few years down the road you realize that maybe a few of the flock members need to be sold or replaced. How do you…
Dorper sheep have come on strong as a top breed for producing market lambs in the country. If there are a few sheep raisers in your area, chances are you have a Dorper flock or two pretty close to home. With so many breeds of sheep available, what is it about the Dorper that makes…
Getting fall lambs, having flexibility in the breeding calendar, splitting the flock to lamb at multiple times in the year all require an extended, if not year round breeding season, which most sheep do not have. If you want sheep that can breed year round, you have a few breeds to choose from, including both…
When you have more than a handful of sheep, you reach the point where you could get another ram to make sure that all your ewes get bred on time or to have a spare if anything happens to the first ram. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having multiple rams in a smaller…
We have all seen flocks of sheep out grazing on the hillside or in the pasture by the creek, a pretty picture for sure. The catch is that not everyone who wants sheep has the ability to put those sheep on pasture. What can these pastureless folks do? Give up on the dream of raising…
Suffolk sheep are the big, black headed sheep that you see on small farms and in show rings across the country. What is it that makes Suffolk sheep special and has them topping the list again and again? Weight of rams 250-350 pounds Weight of ewes 180-250 pounds Appearance tall, polled, shiny black head and…