Taking care of sheep?

[Flagwaver]

This is for Hooftrimmer and anyone else who knows much about sheep. One of these days if I ever get land I would love having sheep. But I have little knowledge of what is involved at this time. I am a real novice so if any questions I ask seem silly, please bear with me. The only animals I've ever had are house pets.

1. How many sheep would you need if you wanted to have enough wool to knit 4 sweaters a year?
2. How much land would those sheep need?
3. My sister may sell me a steep hill. I guess sheep can handle that. But how do I create a watering hole for them?
4. What do you plant for Sheep to eat - hay?

I'll keep it at four questions for now. Thanks!

 

[summerthyme]

Flagwaver- this is really answering your other question about "can you homestead this hill"...

Please, if there is ANY other option, look for something else! Homesteading is fascinating, wonderful- and hard work. Doing it on less than optional land makes it harder yet.

A steep hill is so far beyond "less than optional" I can't begin to describe it. Just for starters, you'rel going to run into difficulty doing anything from tilling the soil, to mowing the grass, to building fences.

You do with what you have- that's life. But you don't HAVE this yet, and if you're going to spend your hard earned money, spend it on something that is more likely to let you support your family in hard times.

Sheep require good fences, and building a tight fence on level ground is challenging. Building one on less than level ground gets into the "interesting" category.

Also, sheep are notoriously stupid! And they WILL get "cast"- lay down on a slope with their legs uphill and DIE because they can't get up.

On the specific questions, I haven't raised sheep. I've doctored the neighbors sheep enough to be able to doctor them, deliver their lambs and know that I prefer animals with brains!

But... from what I gather, you can expect around 8# of wool from a mature ewe. You won't need many sheep to knit a few sweaters! The "how much land" is trickier, because land isn't land.... You might need 3 acres of steep land that doesn't grow much. Or you might find that 4 sheep can't keep up with 1/2 an acre of fairly level, fertile land.

Sheep eat mostly forage. Varieties will depend on where you are. I believe they can be prone to bloat on very lush pastures, like heavy alfalfa or clover. And you don't want pregnant ewes to get fat... they tend to die at lambing from things like toxemia and ketosis. They also are really good at stripping the bark from trees and eating your flowers, if you don't keep them away from them!

The local Amish use sheep as lawn mowers and weed whackers. They buy a weaned lamb and tether them, moving the tether frequently as they graze the weeds and grass down where they were. They do a neat job of grazing- much neater than cows- and their manure is in neat little pellets, not sloppy "cow pies". So, it would be possible to keep them without fences, at least at first. This wouldn't be practical if you have predator problems, though, or you often don't have someone at home to keep an eye on things.

Predators are almost always the biggest problem sheep farmers face.

I'm sure there must be a "sheep raising the modern way" book out there. Gardenway books, maybe, or Storeys?

I'd start there.

Summerthyme

 

[Ought Six]

I like critters that can take care of themselves. Llamas, alpaca and vicuna give good meat (so I hear), great wool, and will kick the crap out of coyotes and wild dogs. Since they just graze, if you have enough fenced pastureland, they should require a lot less care than other livestock.

Llamas will also act as guardians for other grazing animals, like goats and sheep. One good llama will save your whole herd of goats from a dog.

In rough country, llamas are used as pack animals. They are incredibly sure-footed, and they are natural sentinels for dangerous predators like cougars, bears and packs of wild dogs, alerting you to the presence of danger. Since they graze on a wide variety of alpine plants and grasses, you do not need to carry feed for them, and they are a walking emergency protein supply.

Goats are probably the most efficient livestock. They are small and provide good meat, milk and hides. They are far smarter than sheep or cattle. Some types of goats provide very good wool (cashmere is the wool from a particular breed of goat). By adding llamas to the mix, you get protection for the goats and superior wool. What the llamas do not eat when grazing, the goats will. Goats can be used as a garbage disposal for veggie food scraps and peelings. The two species make a nice complimentary pair.

 

[nannygoat]

I second the goats - better chance of having feed on a steep hill for goats than for sheep - I do not know how a llama would do with a steep hill and also what feed there will be for her and yes get a female llama not a male - some neutered males are ok but females much better - many goats will produce chasmere when there is cold weather - at least they do here but the swiss dairy breeds and some lines of boers and pygmies many times we have found - have not found it on our Nubians but often on the Alpines and pygmies when we had a cold winter her in the low desert

also second the vote on better land - nothing but trouble on steep hills - many many problems

 

[Ought Six]

ng:

"I do not know how a llama would do with a steep hill...."

Llamas are native to the Andes Mountains of South America, among the most rugged and vertical terrain on the planet. They do not have a problem with steep hills.

 

[HoofTrimmer]

Flagwaver, I have never knitted a sweater or used my wool for anything yet. So I cannot answer that one.

I would stay away from a steep hill too. You would be up against a lot of logistical problems with that.

Sheep are able to go without water for longer periods than most other livestock. I would just put in an automatic waterer. I have several on my place. They hold about three gallons or so. All animals appreciate fresh clean stuff over muddy, usually... Unless you count my bovines.

As to the comments on brains: I have had some smart sheep. They are not the norm, but they do happen.

The one thing that I've found true in keeping livestock is that you keep what gives you joy. I like my sheep. Just like I like my diary cows. Try to attend some fairs or livestock shows to see what fits you best. Plus you will meet folks who are doing what you want to.

The plus side is that sheep, at least around here are not an expensive animal to purchase. If you just want to experiment buy a market lamb that will sell for around a buck to a buck and a half a pound. So under a hundred bucks you could see what you're in for.

Do not buy one until you have a safe pen. Mostly you need to protect your sheep from preditors.

I cannot advise you on plantings, since I do not know where you're located. I overseed with rye and clover in the fall and have bermuda plus weeds in the summer.

HoofTrimmer

 

[WalknTrot]

The steep hill acreage will be next to impossible to fence and sheep or goats need good fences. I've kept sheep and goats in the past, but will not do so again until I retire, am home a lot more (work 10 hr. days now) and have a good stock dog. Predators, (here - bears, timber wolves and coyotes), but more likely the neighbor's dogs, are a constant problem with sheep. It's no fun to come home and have to put down your flock 'cause they have been crippled and sliced to ribbons by Fifi next door.

 

[cleobc]

I agree about dogs--tight fences are very important. We also have mountain lions and bears here. I never lost any sheep when we were in the mountains where there were lions because I put the sheep in a barn every night with a light on.

I love sheep. I don't like animals that spit.

 

[Birdlady]

Barbados sheep/not wool-shearing

We have a friend who is keeping <b>Barbados Sheep</b>, primarily for meat......they do not need shearing.........very low maintenance...this is in central Tx.

I think they LOOK like some kind of goats......

photo attached (if successful?)