# THINKING ABOUT GETTING SHEEP



## annie3001 (Jun 17, 2010)

hello.
i have been thinking about getting sheep. just 2 to start.
questions:

what kind of housing do they need? will a shed work?
do they need a heat source in the winter months of ct.?
what would be the minimal acre for a sheep?

thanks in advance!


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## chicken fruit (Jun 17, 2010)

One sheep tends to only need about 1/3 an acre of pasture, provided its good pasture. A pair of sheep would probably survive well on half an acre or so. This is for their feed need- sheep can live happily in the space of a normal sized suburban yard, provided they have hay and the area is kept clean. 

Whatever amount of space you give them, split it into two or three sections. You dont want them on the same grass all the time. Let them eat down one area and then move them to another. That way UV rays can penetrate to kill yuckies, poo doesnt pile up, and you'll have less issues with parasites. 

Sheep wear wool coats, silly, so long as they have a summers worth of growth of wool they will keep warm. so long as they are DRY and well fed, that is. 

A shed is perfectly fine for their housing. They just need access to it, not locked into it. I keep our three goats in a 5x10 shed and they are quite very happy. We kept our sheep in during winter lambing months in a small 20x10 loading shed- we had about 20 head. 

CLEAN is the issue. Keep their area CLEAN.

http://www.shaltzfarm.com/shprim.html

http://extension.unh.edu/resources/files/Resource000471_Rep493.pdf

http://www.cormosheep.org/Cormo/How_to_Raise_x.html


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## Mea (Jun 17, 2010)

annie3001 said:
			
		

> hello.
> i have been thinking about getting sheep. just 2 to start.
> questions:
> 
> ...





  Depending on where You live... a run in shed would be sufficient.  We're in upstate NY... and our ewes will go outside in just about any weather.  In winter, we've had to break trails for them after a bad storm.   With all that wool they seem to come thru the cold better than we do.

  Providing You give them hay and some grain...they can manage on small acreage.  As CF said rotating grazing areas is a really good idea !!


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## annie3001 (Jun 18, 2010)

thank you all for the replies!! all the information has been very helpful in confirming our decision to get 2 sheep.
my other question tho is, should we get an older sheep or a baby as to be more familiar with the sheep as they grow?
thank you all! I am currently a byc chicken member with 10 chickens and 1 rooster. we also our proud owners of 2 shetlie dogs. 
i look forward to be part of this website too!


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## Mea (Jun 18, 2010)

annie3001 said:
			
		

> thank you all for the replies!! all the information has been very helpful in confirming our decision to get 2 sheep.
> my other question tho is, should we get an older sheep or a baby as to be more familiar with the sheep as they grow?
> thank you all! I am currently a byc chicken member with 10 chickens and 1 rooster. we also our proud owners of 2 shetlie dogs.
> i look forward to be part of this website too!


The best suggestion i can offer... would be ...What is available in Your area ??  Do You "like" what is available ??     Sheep can be as individual as people... and if You start out with "personality conflicts"  it will make having them much less enjoyable.

  We purchased one ewe...Excellent mother !!  her lambs grew big and beautiful !   Major problem... she would almost break her neck barreling Out of the barn whenever we came in.  Had her two years and she Never stopped doing that !  We ended up keeping her daughter who tho a bit flighty... does not "blindly" panic.

  We have another ewe that is "my lambie"  she comes right up for scritchees and pats.  Is not one bit scared of the dog...(which has its own drawbacks    )


All this just to say...when You go to get Your sheep...try and get ones You really Like.


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## annie3001 (Jun 20, 2010)

Mea said:
			
		

> annie3001 said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


THANK YOU.
is there any breed for sheep i should consider first? also should i call around to farms in the neighborhood to see if they have any they'd like to part with? or sell?
i see sheep for sale on craigslist, is that a good market to try out? i investigated chickens before getting any, to know all i can know, and sometimes yet i perhaps am still learning the little things. but i like to read about animals first, and be sure this is a good decision for me and my family. 
i love tending my chickens and really wanted to start up with another farm animal, and sheep seemed like the way to go. I am a avid knitter, so i will be using the wool provided from them.
thanks again,


andrea-


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## Mea (Jun 20, 2010)

annie3001 said:
			
		

> THANK YOU.
> is there any breed for sheep i should consider first? also should i call around to farms in the neighborhood to see if they have any they'd like to part with? or sell?
> i see sheep for sale on craigslist, is that a good market to try out? i investigated chickens before getting any, to know all i can know, and sometimes yet i perhaps am still learning the little things. but i like to read about animals first, and be sure this is a good decision for me and my family.
> i love tending my chickens and really wanted to start up with another farm animal, and sheep seemed like the way to go. I am a avid knitter, so i will be using the wool provided from them.
> ...


Personal opinion only here....  Craig's List 'can' be a good place to Look and see what might be available in Your area.   If something catches my interest... i might go and check it out.   But... i Always reserve the Right Not to Purchase.   Actually that applies anywhere, when purchasing Anythiing.      If something does not seem quite right to You... do not feel obligated to but it.

   Google can be our Best friend when finding out just about anything.  I've Googled different breeds and found breeders.  And... quite often one site has links to others.   There is a lot of information out on the web.

  Your local feed store might have a bulletin board with stock available.    Or the workers there might know someone.     

  Just a couple suggestions.   Good Luck.


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## Eliza (Jun 20, 2010)

think about fencing.  seriously.  We purchased two Babydoll Southdown sheep because they are minature, and because they don't challenge fencing.  They are fun and very friendly.  We converted a large machine packing crate box 4'x7' to make a run in shelter for them.  We extended the sides, put in a barrier to cover some of the front and set a roof of plywood covered with roofing material to keep them clean, warm dry and shaded.  The we removed the side that would be the floor and set the "hut" on a cinderblock foundation set on stone dust.  We then put in two heavy rubber stall mats so that they would be off the ground.  The bulding faces south, so they are out of the wind and weather.  Their yard is fenced in and they can come in and out as they please. As it gets cold in the winter we purchased a 16 gallon tub with a built in heater, it's big enough for them that I only have to fill it once a week.  The whole set up makes working with them a snap.  I stopped using bedding in the any season but winter as it made cleaning a gargantuan task!  Don't use hay or straw as bedding unless you want to have the largest mess you ever cleaned up on your hands...


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## SandyC (Jun 22, 2010)

I just got my first sheep this past weekend, three Sheltands.  I picked them because I am a spinner, from all I read are very hardy (I am in northern NY...brutal winters) and can live on just pasture and good hay.  I am very new at all this, but have been reading and deciding about what kind of sheep I've wanted for a long time.  The other kind I really considered were Icelandics, which I may get too at some point.  They can be used for dairy purposes too.

Good luck!  I am excited, but still have lots to do and learning!


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## SandyC (Jun 22, 2010)

Eliza...what do you use for bedding?


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## goodhors (Jun 23, 2010)

You might contact the local Vet, ask questions about requirements for sheep in your State.  The laws are written to keep herds/flocks safe, protect commercial production.

In Michigan where I live, ALL sheep sold or shown, are required to have Scapies tags to show point of origin at birth.  Lots of backyard breeders are running under the laws, not tagging, which might get YOU the buyer, in trouble later when you want to eat a lamb or sell it on.

A friend of ours purchased sheep a number of years ago, to start a flock.  Sheep were EXPENSIVE, from out of state, did everything right and were later found to HAVE SCAPIES!!  The sheep were taken by the State Dept of Ag and destroyed.  I think the owners got meat price back or nothing, not sure.  It was a HUGE surprise to all involved and scared the willies out of Michigan Sheep Breeders!!  Scapies WAYY too close to their flocks and money invested, so laws were enacted and are being enforced at public venues.

Just know that as a buyer, you ARE entitled to a Scapies ID tag in all your sheep ears for your protection, before you take sheep off the seller's premises.  I would get any sheep tagged before picking them up, so you don't encounter difficulties later.  Sellers lie, never produce the tags later.  If they won't tag the sheep on their place, shop elsewhere, not worth future trouble.  You will need to get tags for any lambs you produce later, to show they come from your farm.  Tags were free with registering the farm as a producer, might cost now from Dept of Ag here because we are so broke.


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## patandchickens (Jun 23, 2010)

Just to make sure it's clear, though, having a scrapies ID ear tag has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with knowing the sheep doesn't have scrapies. It perfectly well could have scrapies. The free ear tag is just to identify where the sheep has come from in case it should develop scrapies in the future.

Pat


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## goodhors (Jun 23, 2010)

patandchickens said:
			
		

> Just to make sure it's clear, though, having a scrapies ID ear tag has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with knowing the sheep doesn't have scrapies. It perfectly well could have scrapies. The free ear tag is just to identify where the sheep has come from in case it should develop scrapies in the future.
> 
> Pat


That is true.  Having them tagged just reduces possible issues when sheep or lambs get out in public.  Again, tags are required in selling, showing, butchering at a public processing plant.  Some folks follow the law, some don't.  Around here they get pretty serious if they find untagged animals off the farm.


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## Lalaith (Jun 24, 2010)

Also important to know, at least in my area (southern Ontario) you are required to have the new radio tags by next year.


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## aggieterpkatie (Jun 24, 2010)

Scrapie tags are required in ALL sheep when they leave the breeder's premises.  All Scrapie tags are good for is tracking where the sheep was bred in case the sheep does have scrapies.


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## patandchickens (Jun 24, 2010)

Lalaith said:
			
		

> Also important to know, at least in my area (southern Ontario) you are required to have the new radio tags by next year.


Oh really? I did not know that -- do you know if this is retroactive to existing sheep, or just that sheep born after this year will have to get the RFID tags?

Pat


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## Lalaith (Jun 24, 2010)

That's a good question, Pat.  I think any sheep leaving your farm has to have the radio tag and any new sheep born on the farm has to have it.  This was supposed to start January 2012 but I have learned it's being pushed up a bit.  Here is the official story:  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/trac/shemouide.shtml 

It is mandatory for cattle beginning this July.


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## meme (Jul 2, 2010)

I have been thinking about getting sheep to. good luck



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