There are two schools of thought for providing housing for sheep: provide plenty of shelter, or provide next to none. Selecting the perfect option for housing your sheep on your farm depends on the size of your flock, what you’re raising sheep for, where you live, and what time of year you’re lambing. In today’s […]
Sheep Housing Options (barns, sheds & more) Read More »
Our helpful guide to sheep fencing costs offers a short but thorough overview of some of the most popular types of fencing for sheep used by shepherds today. On this page you will find a short description of each type of fence, a rough estimate of the cost of materials to build each type of
Sheep Fencing Guide (sheep fence options & cost) Read More »
So far you’ve done well with your sheep. They’ve settled in nicely, you’ve had no health problems and you are feeling good about your investment. But now it is almost time for you to go through your first lambing season and you’re not too sure you are ready for this. Don’t worry, though, as long
Lambing Tips, Supplies & Best Practices Read More »
In this article I’ll discuss the basics of sheep reproduction, including information and tips for successfully breeding sheep. Learn about the physiology of this species and sheep mating habits and management best practices.
Breeding Sheep (a guide to sheep mating & reproduction) Read More »
One of the most common questions asked by both new and experienced shepherds is “How Many Sheep Per Acre of Pasture is Ideal?”. While there are good numbers to base your sheep stocking rate decisions on (and we’ll include those in this article), the short answer is that the sheep space requirements in your flock
How Many Sheep Per Acre of Pasture is Ideal? Read More »
Electric sheep shears are an important piece of equipment for your farm, and properly maintaining the shears you own will ensure they run safely, and perform well for a long time. Most people who complain that their shears don’t cut well, or run too hot don’t have defective sheep shears or sheep shearing blades, they simply
How to Maintain Sheep Shears Read More »
Tagging sheep ears is an important flock management practice which is inexpensive, and can make accurate record keeping much easier. In addition to the numeric value of your ear tags, a well-planned sheep tagging system can make it easy to look into a large pen or paddock full of lambs or adult sheep, and quickly
Ear Tagging Sheep (a guide) Read More »
Docking sheep tails, or sheep tailing, is a flock management practice of shortening the tail of sheep to improve the health of sheep and lambs. By preventing fecal matter from accumulating on the tail and rear of your sheep, you can help to avoid serious health issues like fly strike (wool maggots). In fact, research
A Guide to Docking Sheep Tails Safely Read More »
We hope you’ll find this free, easy-to-use sheep gestation calculator to be a useful tool when estimating the lambing date for the ewes in your flock. Simply enter the date when your ram bred your ewe and click the “Calculate!” button. The expected lambing date is based on 147 day sheep gestation period and the
Sheep Gestation Calculator & Table Read More »
One of the least enjoyable, but very necessary duties of the shepherd is trimming sheep hooves. If you’re just getting started or have somehow (miraculously) been able to pass this off to a friend (or angel of mercy) in the past, chances are that your good luck won’t last forever and the time will come
How to Trim Sheep Hooves (step by step) Read More »