Depends where you are. Canada produces
only 40% ish of the lamb meat we consume
here. This is a lot of the reason I
looked at sheep, to produce something we
really need. But one of the canadian
lamb issues, is that many smallholders
get up to say 25 ewes. This leads to
less consistent supply, and a lees
consistent product. There are too many
small flocks, and not enough producers
who take the industry seriously. Not to
knock them at all, but more flocks of 3
4 5 hundred, or a thousand ewes plus,
would help gain market share form places
like new Zealand, and the market is
there indeed.
Kinda going off on a tangent, but we
intend to take the industry seriously,
and believe we could run 1000 or more
ewes in the long term, without needing
more pasture and such.
When one does the math, sheep pencil WAY
better than cattle, produce much more
quickly, and wean much more meat in
weight an acre than the best herd of
cattle. Predators, fencing, and handling
seem to be the fear in the industry.
In Sask, we have the voluntary Sask
sheep development board, which markets
lambs regularly. There are several
feedlots who buy lambs. The price has
slowly come up the last few weeks, after
dropping badly the past few months.
A good time to get into them, IMO.
All that being said, we have a whopping
7 ewes so far!!! So I am one of those at
this point who are hobbyists. But this
is the beginning, fences need building,
a bit of experience needs to be gained
before jumping whole hog.
Buying ewe lambs, breeding them is a
fast way to enter the industry. Within a
year, in theory, your initial investment
in stock should be recovered. Tough to
say that buying cattle. And you should
be able to nearly double your flock in a
year. Also tough to say about cattle.
The mathematics speaks to me.... Trouble
is most today want to curl, go to Hawaii
be generally lazy in the winter.
Grain farming is too easy in some
circumstances. If weather cooperates
etc., there is no incentive to do
anything else. Fortunately/unfortunately
for me, and my family, we have
incentive!!! lol
only 40% ish of the lamb meat we consume
here. This is a lot of the reason I
looked at sheep, to produce something we
really need. But one of the canadian
lamb issues, is that many smallholders
get up to say 25 ewes. This leads to
less consistent supply, and a lees
consistent product. There are too many
small flocks, and not enough producers
who take the industry seriously. Not to
knock them at all, but more flocks of 3
4 5 hundred, or a thousand ewes plus,
would help gain market share form places
like new Zealand, and the market is
there indeed.
Kinda going off on a tangent, but we
intend to take the industry seriously,
and believe we could run 1000 or more
ewes in the long term, without needing
more pasture and such.
When one does the math, sheep pencil WAY
better than cattle, produce much more
quickly, and wean much more meat in
weight an acre than the best herd of
cattle. Predators, fencing, and handling
seem to be the fear in the industry.
In Sask, we have the voluntary Sask
sheep development board, which markets
lambs regularly. There are several
feedlots who buy lambs. The price has
slowly come up the last few weeks, after
dropping badly the past few months.
A good time to get into them, IMO.
All that being said, we have a whopping
7 ewes so far!!! So I am one of those at
this point who are hobbyists. But this
is the beginning, fences need building,
a bit of experience needs to be gained
before jumping whole hog.
Buying ewe lambs, breeding them is a
fast way to enter the industry. Within a
year, in theory, your initial investment
in stock should be recovered. Tough to
say that buying cattle. And you should
be able to nearly double your flock in a
year. Also tough to say about cattle.
The mathematics speaks to me.... Trouble
is most today want to curl, go to Hawaii
be generally lazy in the winter.
Grain farming is too easy in some
circumstances. If weather cooperates
etc., there is no incentive to do
anything else. Fortunately/unfortunately
for me, and my family, we have
incentive!!! lol
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