In the sheep business now.

[kato]

A while back there was a discussion going on here about the wisdom of getting into sheep.

Well, I did it, and here's my report card so far. I did it in a tiny little way though, so take that into consideration. I bought 10 bottle lambs last spring. Raised the all. Two were wethers, that I sold at a break even price. One is a ram that I'm keeping, and the other 7 were ewe lambs that are going to be bred in a couple of weeks. I also bought six more ewe lambs to add to the mix.

What I've learned so far....

The price is half what it was last year, so I guess sheep get the same roller coaster market ride that the cattle get. The market is smaller, so it can get upset even more easily. Rumours are that U.S. sheep are coming up here be fed due to the drought.

The first lamb pays the bills. The second lamb is the profit.

Management pays. If you're not going to do it well, you're wasting your time.

One sheep does not get out of the fence. They all do. On the other hand, if you can get one back in, the rest will go too. LOL

I'm also finding that I like the animals. They're easy to deal with, don't try to kill you like cows sometimes do, and they are just plain nice animals. They force you to be patient, which is a good husband training exercise.

So far, I'm keeping them. I'll see how I feel after lambing. ;-)

[freewheat]

Cheers! I also got a few sheep this
year! Maybe we can get some threads
going on this sheep forum...

I like the beggars too, the math is
there, and NOW is the time to buy in in
my opinion.

The math is good. Compare...

1 cow, produces 1 calf, which in fall
may weigh what? 600 pounds?

The equivalent in sheep is 6 or 7
depending on who you ask. These six
sheep should give you 10 lambs, which
would weigh around 1000 lbs. by fall.

So what kind of fence did you build?
Predator control? Long term plans?

I have the land for alot of sheep. I
have a lot of water bush and such. If I
fence the marginal land, I should have
enough grass for 500 ewes without
seeding more grass. This land has been
underutilized for far too long. Add in
stubble grazing, etc. and a fellow can
cut down a lot on the feed bill.

I am excited about the prospects, and
feel like deep down inside I am a
shepherd! lol!

Glad I am not the only one.

[Smithy]

Kato that was a fun to read report card. I have had sheep for 12 years now and it sounds like you have already pretty much figured out the ups and downs.

We don't produce nearly enough lamb in Canada to meet domestic supply, so it is nice to see two more producers. The market is really nuts and hard to predict but aside from that I have really enjoyed being a shepherd, too.

[freewheat]

Regarding supply/demand, it would be the
first time I raised something that only
provides 45% of the domestic need. This
CANNOT be a bad thing...

[kato]

We're still working on the fence thing. Right now they're in part of one of our cow sheds, with panels separating them from the cows, and sheep wire on the other side. For pasture, we're thinking six strands of high tensile electric, and subdividing into paddocks with portable mesh. It's not built yet though, so spring will be busy. This summer they were pretty young and silly, so I kept them in a corral, and a small outside area that had panels around it.

The cows go out with the bulls on April 20, so I'm going to confiscate the calving barn and start lambing at the end of April. If the ram had his way, we'd be starting sooner. LOL

I have seven donkeys, so I'm hoping predator control is covered. ;-)