How To Raise
Sheep
How To Raise Sheep
- 5 Things to Consider and What You Need to Know When Raising
Sheep
Before anyone can start
raising sheep, they first have to know for what purpose
they would like to raise sheep. Would it be for wool?
Meat? Milk? Most farmers settle on only one as specific
breeds are often specialized in their uses. While there
are breeds that are good for dual or cross purposes,
they often don't produce the best wool, meat, or milk of
their kind. A beginning sheep farmer learning how to
raise sheep must also be prepared for the many hardships
he will go through. As a farmer grows in experience,
raising sheep will get easier and more manageable.
5 Things to consider when learning how to raise sheep:
Land - how much land is available to you? As a general
rule an acre is good for about 3-5 sheep or ewes.
Shelter - a barn that can house your flock to protect
them from the cold in winter or extreme heat in dry
season is needed. Farmers are advised to set aside an
average of 15 square feet per ewe.
Market - how do you plan to sell your product? Do you
have readily available buyers or do you plan to make use
of cooperatives? It is important that you know your
market and study how you can earn and increase your
market's potential.
Machinery, equipment, labor - these are things you need
to maintain and raise your flock. For starters, you need
fencing, cleaning, tagging and shearing equipment.
You'll need barn hands if your flock is larger than what
you can manage. You also need guard or sheep dogs if you
will be letting your flock graze on open land.
Capital - you cannot start raising sheep if you do not
have the necessary capital to buy the equipment, and the
sheep necessary to start a flock.
You also need to learn flock management styles if you
want to learn how to raise sheep. There are 4 styles of
flock management. Range band, farm flocks, specialized
flocks, hobby flocks. Range band flocks are for those
with a large number of sheep (usually 1,000-1,500 ewes)
kept in pasture in either open or fenced land with a
large acreage. Because of the large number of sheep,
range band flocks subsist purely on pasture alone, as it
is economically not feasible to spend for extra feed or
hay to the sheep. Farm flocks are smaller bands of sheep
kept on a smaller area than range band flocks. It is
more manageable and feeding can be supplemented by hay
and other grains. Hobby flocks are started by hobbyist
or by farmers wanting to preserve breeds which are
slowly dying out. Hobby flocks can also be started to
provide for specialty products such as wool for hand
spinners. Those starting out in learning how to raise
sheep often start with a hobby flock before expanding to
farm flock size.
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Other Articles:
Raising Sheep for Meat - 4 Important Tips To Start on
the Right Track When You Raise Sheep For Meat
Sheep Farming - Choose The Type of Sheep Breeds That
Will Be Most Suitable For You
Sheep For Sale - 5 Tips For Marketing and Selling Sheep
Sheep Handling - 10 Quick Tips To Proper Sheep
Management
Facts About Sheep Behavior to Help You Raise Sheep
Easily
Sheep Production - What To Look Out For During Sheep
Reproduction
How To Start A Sheep Raising Business - 7 Easy Tips To
Get You Started Correctly
Raising Sheep For Wool - All You Need To Know
Sheep Handling Equipments - How It Can Help The Sheep
Owner to Manage The Flock Effectively
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