Email from Charles - a new potential shepherd - and some answers

"I have been doing a lot of research into bio diverse farming methods and "flerding" techniques. I also have a real interest in setting up a sub commercial aggrobiz for myelf and my family with a lot of varied options after im done with military service.

"Without going into long winded detail about various business aspirations, I wanted to know if you had any ideas as to a good breed of sheep that gives high quality meat and wool while still producing enough milk and decent quality hide for home useage for recreational crafts that'd be good in the climate of northern Pennsylvania."

There are dozens upon dozens of breeds available in the USA. I can pretty much guarantee you that every breeder will tell you his or her breed is the best! I urge you to talk to various breeders, and ask them why they have chosen their particular breed. Take every response with a grain of salt, of course. Read everything you can about a breed before investing in it.

A few details to keep in mind:

(1) No breed is perfect in every way

(2) Most money in sheep is made by selling meat lambs.

(3) There are some niche markets for speciality breeds, wool, hides, and breeding stock; but it takes a special effort to find and develop such markets.

Just about any breed you find should do just fine in your climate.

"I am trying to see if i can come up with cost projections to grow my own feed. Also is there a preferred method of preparing pasture and grazing land? "

A great source of such information can be your county extension agent. Yes, there is most certainly methods of preparing pasture! Good pasture and hay does not just happen by itself.

"I want to start off with a small herd of maybe 10-15 sheep and slowly include cattle, on an acreage of say 100 acres of pasture. Do you think it would be possible to maintain a few cows as well as sheep and horses? "

Certainly. Starting with a smaller farm animal, such as sheep, is a good start.

Barbados Blackbelly Lambs Available

We now have a few select Blackbelly lambs on the ground. They will be weaning age in early May, and may be reserved now. Check our online saleslist at http://www.barkingrock.com/sheep4sale.htm

Update 5/6/10 - one ewe lamb left this year!
Update 11/20/10 - we are sold out for the year.  If you're interested in a lamb from our winter/spring 2011 crop, please drop us an email at farms@barkingrock.com

When is a lamb first shorn?

Please tell me when a lamb is born, are they born with some fleece already or are they naked?

After birth, how long can the sheep be shorn for their wool? How long it will take for the fleece to be fully grown before another shearing is needed?

All lambs are fully covered with wool when born; but the wool is very short - just a few milimeters long. The wool grows quickly, and most lambs *can* be shorn at around 6-8 months of age; although typically lambs are shorn for the first time at around one year of age.

While most breeds are shorn annually thereafter, a few of the faster-wool-growing breeds (with generally coarser wool) are shorn every 6 months.

Sheep & Fruit Trees

From a recent email correspondence...

I came across your site and I was very thankful to read. I am wondering, do sheep typically eat the bark of fruit trees?

Yes

I have a flock of sheep and I would like to put them in the orchard to keep the grass down, but don't want them to damage the trees.

Unless the trees are quite large and well-established, with the trunks well protected, the sheep will definitely damage and probably kill the trees.

Is there something I could feed them in order to deter them from the trees in the case that sheep do eat tree bark?

Pasture the sheep in the orchard ONLY when the grass is very lush and thick, and move the sheep at first sign of the grass being depleted and/or the sheep start experimenting on the trees. Don't pasture rams with the trees. Resign yourself to losing the bottommost branches. Wrap the trunks with hardware cloth...NOT chicken wire or page wire. (Neither of those will do much good.)

Repellants (such as "Hinder") MIGHT work temporarily; but I wouldn't bet the farm on it.

Sorry I can't give you better news here; but as I look out at what was once our orchard, I can say all this from experience.

Will sheep fight?

Q. I have 2 acres in northern California in a temperate area. I want to have a flock of about 8-10 jacob sheep, I plan to sell the majority for meat and home consumption. I also do some agri-tourism. People come to see crops, and they’d like to see the sheep (even if the sheep don’t want to be seen).

I will be new to raising sheep, and am busy with two young kids and an off-farm job. So I thought maybe I’d just buy young males or castrated rams and see if I think it’s too much of a hassle. If I start with 3 males and plan to sell/butcher 2 within a year or so, am I going to have bunch of fighting on my hands? If I have one or two females and two males will that lead to fighting?

A. It's pretty typical to keep a group of males together during non-breeding season, and it usually works out ok. Wethers (castrated males) will sometimes fight, as of course do intact males; but unless there's something serious to fight about (read: females or starvation), it should work out fine.

There's always the potential of acquiring that one SOB ram that just won't adapt, in which case he's a candidate for early retirement to the freezer. But that's not usually the case.

A female in heat kept in with (or very near) 2 adult rams will probably drive everyone crazy until she's bred.

Questions Welcome!

Please feel free to post any sheep-related questions you may have here, or under a new heading.

Novice with Questions

Q. I am a novice and recently purchased four sheep: two ewes and two rams for breeding. They look pretty scraggly and had been in a poor pasture. I have lots of pasture and they have been eating nonstop. Their bowel movements have changed from pellets to bigger stools and their rear ends look dirty. I was giving them a it of sheep grain but stopped and now I would like to wash them up a bit. What do you shampoo and groom sheep with and if diaherra develops what do you give them?

A. I think you're unfortunately finding out the hard way why it pays to buy well-bred and well-managed healthy stock from a reputable breeder! In addition to having a better start, you'd have someone with personal knowledge of the sheep and their own health concerns to turn to with your questions.

But here we are, and I'll try to help you as best I can.

Any sheep that is no longer producing pellets has a problem, and it can be potentially life-threatening. It sounds like what you have is a problem from too much good food, too quickly. Moving a hungry sheep to a lush pasture can cause a number of problems, among those you've described. Parasite infestation - especially coccidiosis - is another likely cause; again common in young sheep that have not received proper care.

Here's what I'd recommend:

Clean up the sheep, at least the rump area, with warm water and a mild livestock shampoo. (I like Orvus paste, which can be obtained at your feed mill.) Otherwise you run the risk of fly strike. (Dealing with a sheep infested with maggots is nobody's idea of a good time!)

Treat any really severe diarrhea with a product such as Pepto Bismol - approx. same dosage-per-pound as a human.

Contact your local vet (large animal vet is best, but any vet office should be able to help), and have them do a fecal check. (In plain English, take a poop sample to them. Ask them to check for parasites, INCLUDING COCCIDIA. Do NOT assume they will check for this, which is NOT a worm and will NOT be treated with any dewormer.) If the sample tests positive, ask for a recommended medication to treat the problem.

If possible, put the animals on dry hay for a few days. Introduce them to the rich pasture for only a couple hours per day, extending their grazing time a little each day.
Make absolutely certain the sheep have access to clean drinking water at all times!

After the sheep are acclimated to your pasture, you can introduce grain into their diet, if desired and necessary, starting slowly and gradually increasing the quantity.