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…
As a sheep farmer, not only are you working with sheep, you are also probably working with some sort of fencing for the flock. Since sheep are not too tall, they don’t need an overly tall fence but they can jump pretty well, so how high of a fence do you need to contain the…
Mowing is one of your pasture management tools that you have to decide if, when and where to use. Sometimes mowing is a great option, other times your pasture would be better managed with a different tool, so how do you decide? Should you mow your sheep pasture or not? Are the sheep keeping up…
It’s common to see sheep outside for the nicer parts of the year when the grass is growing and the weather is nice, but what about the times of the year when the weather is not so nice, like when it’s cold? Can sheep be outside in the winter or do they need to be…
Sheep standing in the rain look less than happy to be there, we’ve all seen it! But the real question is are the sheep okay out in the rain or do they need to be brought inside? Healthy adult sheep can be out in the rain as long as they have a sheltered area to…
Electric netting, it’s all over the place! Why use it, what makes folks put up netting rather than putting up a permanent fence? If you’ve got animals, you need some sort of fence. Is electric netting worth the money? Basic electric netting costs start at $0.82 per linear foot. Electric netting must be used with…
When you are thinking of raising some sheep, you need to know how many to start out with. But…how do you figure out how many sheep you need since every area of the country is so different? An area with productive land can support 5 sheep per acre, while a less productive area can support…
If you’ve got extra grass, you need sheep! Sheep are easy to handle, grazing machines that are the classic four legged lawn mower. How much space do you need to keep sheep, for both pasture and in the barn? You need 3.6 acres of grazing for a flock of 20 sheep (130 pounds each) in…
I’m sure you’ve looked around at your sheep fencing options and come across ElectroNet being used as a portable sheep fence. Will it work for you or should you spend your money on something else? Premier 1 ElectroNet 9/35/12 is a 164 foot long, 9 strand portable electric fence netting for sheep on pasture. Dryland…
Most sheep are happy to stay with the flock as long as the flock is safe and comfortable. But can sheep jump out if they want to? Sheep can jump over a short, sagging or damaged fence. A fence that is 48″ tall will be too high for most sheep to jump over. Sheep stay…