Tips for the Beginner Sheep Farmer
His & Her Edition
If we’re being honest, I would still call myself a beginner in the world of sheep. I’m not sure when I’ll bump myself up. In the short time we’ve had our flock, however, we have learned an immense amount about this hardy animal. Sadly, a great deal of this learning came from mistakes and loss. So Daniel and I tried to put together our best pieces of sheep-farming advice in hopes that our trials and errors may bless you with healthy, happy, and productive sheep.
I know all too well that sheep are a unique animal and a fairly small part of the agricultural industry. Therefore, if you feel your heart pulled to these sweet beings, I admire you already and consider you a person of my own heart. From one shepherdess to another, may you push through the struggles of starting from scratch and instead focus on the most important part of farming - enjoying it.
Stick to this basics below, follow God’s direction in your pursuits, and you will be greatly blessed.
Feel free to comment with any further questions or your own pieces of advice!
1.
His: Breed matters.
The big question to ask yourself when considering sheep is simple: wool or hair?
For reference, we have hair sheep. As crazy as it seems to me now, most people only know of wool sheep, as they are a more traditional livestock, but there is a fairly new market for hair sheep in the US. Whichever you choose, you should be prepared for the specific work and expectations surrounding each.
The main difference is that wool sheep need to be sheared. Hair sheep, on the other hand, just get fluffy in the winter and shed clean in the summer. While shearing may sound fairly simple (anyone can use a razor, right?), it requires true skill, meaning you will likely need to hire someone to come to your farm for your girls’ yearly haircut (Schwartz Shearing! The best.). While the value of wool has decreased in recent years, you do have a byproduct from wool sheep not available from hair sheep.
Other differing factors include the need to dock wool lambs and crutch wool ewes, which isn’t required for their hair counterparts. Additionally, wool sheep often grow faster and larger than hair sheep, which obviously affects turnover time and needed handling facilities.
Her: Start small.
The comparison bug spreads too easily. I can guarantee that you will find yourself, consciously or not, comparing your operation to those around you. While I understand the appeal of big and shiny and new, as we have friends who are fantastic large-scale farmers, they did not get there overnight. Neither will you.
Give yourself grace to start small and build with your successes. Bringing in too many animals too quickly can (1) open up opportunities for new illnesses to be introduced into your flock and (2) risk the wellness of all your sheep if you aren’t yet equipped to support large numbers. Additionally, you can easily find yourself in a financial hard spot if you take out multiple loans to finance land, livestock, equipment, or all of the above.
We have found both success and satisfaction from growing slow. Reinvest your profits at the rate they are received.
Our first group of ewes being delivered nearly three years ago!
2.
His: Shelter. Shelter. Shelter.
Even if you have prior farming experience, sheep will have a learning curve. Some people describe them as small cows, insinuating that they require the same care, but I would dare to disagree. Sheep are smaller, true, but they are also much more vulnerable. Therefore, it is likely that at some point you will find yourself with an injured sheep. When this time comes (or when freezing temperatures and a snow storm are coming during the middle of lambing - thanks Kentucky weather), you will be glad you have some sort of shelter.
We fell victim to no-shelter disasters in the beginning. We were doctoring numerous injured ewes and found that when we returned to check on them each day, they had always managed to use the ground or a tree or the rain to wipe off all of the Wonder Dust used to doctor their wounds. I can only image how much faster they would’ve healed had they been dry, under roof, and well fed. Building shelter became our #1 priority.
It doesn’t need to be anything fancy. We are finally starting the process of building a barn, but we have survived thus far with a small shed. Instead, just focus on establishing an area where (1) you can care for injured/lambing sheep and (2) your flock can get out of the weather.
Her: Trust yo gut.
When we first got sheep, Daniel called me the sheep whisperer * insert hair flip *. And I will admit that I did have an odd ability to notice when someone was hurt or when a ewe was acting strangely. But more than some weird spiritual connection with the sheep, this was simply a willingness to follow my instincts. I didn’t question; I just did what I thought I needed to.
I’m certainly not suggesting that you shouldn’t research or ask friends for advice when you’re in a difficult situation, but I soon realized that overthinking was the enemy. And it frequently made my gut feelings a bit cloudy. Was that God telling me to grab that lamb or was that just a random thought in my head? Is my gut telling me she’s sick or am I just paranoid?
I’ve made plenty of bad calls, missed obvious signs, and felt major guilt whenever my mistake resulted in a dead animal. In turn, my best advice to you is not to overcomplicate things, and, instead, trust yourself to make the best decision possible. Then accept the outcome.
Sheep grazing outside of our shed. We have metal on one side to act as a wind break. It is divided into two sides: Side 1 for sheep and Side 2 for feed, hay, and our supplies.
3.
His: Feed break your flock.
THIS! Establishing relationships with our sheep has been crucial. It is the sole reason we are able to catch ewes to doctor a sore hoof or catch new lambs to tag. While it sounds a bit like bribery (and perhaps it is), feed is the best way we’ve been able to create friendly sheep.
Our sheep spend the majority of their time on pasture, which makes them extremely excited anytime they see a bucket of sweet feed. Since wide open pastures can make it difficult to catch a single sheep, we try to feed them frequently enough that they (1) are responsive to a bucket of feed, (2) feel comfortable getting close to us, and (3) automatically travel to a designated location to be fed, which helps when it’s time for working.
Her: Make it a family affair.
I think most of our experiences in life are made better by those surrounding us. Part of the joy of having sheep has been experiencing, building, and learning with my husband. Now I am lucky enough to be anticipating the days when my own little man will be petting and wrestling little lambs.
Take your kids to feed with you. Invite your friends to help on working days. Have a date night in the field. Take a bottle lamb to school (okay, I may’ve done this a few too many times… but it was the most fun). Be willing to ask for and accept help.
Having someone or multiple someones to share the experience with will uplift you in times of despair and elevate you further in times of celebration. I 1000% couldn’t imagine a life I would prefer more for my family, and I 1000% wouldn’t want to do this farm life without them.
4.
His: Provide free-choice salt & mineral.
This will be the step you want to overlook, because it doesn’t sound like a “necessity”. DON’T! Think of salt and mineral like vitamins for sheep. They support hoof health, build immune systems, and benefit overall health.
The biggest warning I got when getting sheep was to keep copper away from them! We have discovered by the many times they have stolen dog food from a distracted Alpha, however, that they can withstand small amounts of copper. In fact, they actually need some copper. But, in order the meet that middle ground, make sure that you get mineral specifically made for sheep. It’s a bit harder to find than block mineral that cattle use, but we frequently find it at Tractor Supply.
Quick Tip: If you see your sheep pawing at the ground or they start having trouble with worms, it is likely that your flock is in need of mineral.
Her: Be overprepared.
This may sound a little contradictory to the “start small” tip, but let me explain.
When you Google medical or lambing supplies for sheep, you will see lists of things I have never even used. So I am certainly not suggesting that you purchase everything the internet says you may need for sheep. However, I do believe it’s helpful to have the basics on hand for those times you’re put into a tough spot. Here’s my go-to list of supplies that we always have in our medical bag:
Blu Kote
Wonder Dust
Hydrogen Peroxide
Needles & Syringes
La300 (!!)
Wormer
Hoof Knife & Shears for Hoof Trimming
Nipples (for bottle lambs)
Our makeshift mini-building that, depending on the time of year, is used as a mineral feeder, creep feeder, and “hot lot'“ for a heat lamp.
5.
His: Vaccinate!
We vaccinate twice a year with CD&T. We typically do so when the ewes are nearing delivery so that the medicine will pass to their lambs.
We do not, however, give wormer to our entire flock. This can actually cause the parasite to build up an immunity to the wormer, which was a huge problem in the sheep industry a few years back. Instead, we simply spot worm when necessary.
Her: Get sheep because you love them. Not for a profit.
Simple as that.
I would argue that in general, farming is something that you pursue out of respect for the animals and respect for the land. They both have an ability to provide for us if we properly tend to them. That being said, find a corner of agriculture that you love so much that you’re willing to pour into. Even when you aren’t seeing big bucks in return. The satisfaction has been return enough for me.
Tug here is a ram lamb from Charlie, our first bottle lamb.
