Expenses per head Every year First year Purchasing sheep: ram $600-1200 Purchasing sheep: ewe $300-500 Feeding hay for the winter $50 $50 Health care: deworming 3 times per year $2.82 $2.82 Health care: shearing $5.00 $5.00 One time purchases including gates, feeders, fencing, waterers, etc. ??? ??? Income per head Every year First year Selling…
Lamb and sheep are confusing terms when applied to sheep for eating. What is the difference between the two? People eat both lamb meat and sheep meat. The meat from a lamb is from an animal 4-12 months old, is called lamb and is more tender. Meat from a sheep over 12 months old has…
It can be a little confusing to understand the differences between sheep and lambs, since most people use the terms interchangeably! We’ll go over the key differences between sheep and lambs, so you can easily tell which is which. The main difference between sheep and lambs is age. Lambs are sheep up to one year…
Wondering about the best time to shear your sheep? Actually, sheep can be shorn any time of year, so we want to time shearing to do what is best for the sheep. The best time to shear sheep is in the spring before lambing for most sheep, however, breeds with extra long wool growth per…
Ever wonder why you see sheep all over the place in some areas, then in other places, no sheep! What is so useful about sheep that has people choosing to raise a flock of sheep instead of other livestock like cattle or goats? Along with meat, wool and milk sheep also provide vegetation control, income…
Interested in raising some sheep, but not sure how much land is required for your flock? Let’s look into some things that will help you decide how to figure this out and get started raising sheep! The amount of land needed to raise sheep can be an average backyard to as much as multiple acres…
The start of lambing season is always a big day! Exciting but a bit scary, too! All of your preparation up until now will get you great results, or maybe not so great. Since your sheep income for the whole year starts here, let’s make sure we are ready! To be ready for lambing season,…
Want to know more about sheep, but are not sure where to start? I’ve got you covered. We’ll go over all the terminology and production ideas related to sheep, starting with the very basics! Sheep are ruminants. Sheep have a special design to their stomach that allows them to eat and grow well on grass…
Looking into getting a new fleece to spin or felt? Maybe you’ve just seen a fleece that catches your eye and you’re wondering what you could craft with it? You’ve come to the right place! The uses of a fleece depend upon micron count, staple length, crimp, felting ability, ease of handling, ease of dyeing…
Why do some people raise sheep with black faces? Are they any different than sheep with white faces? Let’s look into some breeds. Sheep breeds with black faces include: Suffolk, Hampshire, Shropshire, Black Welsh Mountain, Dorper, Karakul, Romanov, Scottish Blackface, Clun Forest, Valais Blacknose and Swartbles. Any sheep can have a black face if it…