# Other Animals - And lots of newbie questions



## CESpeed (Dec 13, 2012)

Hello,

I'm farm planning and I'm considering sheep (I LOOOOOVE lamb) in addition to cows and pigs.  Can sheep be pastured with either and would a donkey be an appropriate livestock guardian for sheep?

I have a ton of sheep questions:  How long do they stay pregnant?  I'm going to have a very small farm and I'm trying keep animals to a minimum, so I wonder if it is ok to have 1 ram and 1 ewe or should I get a pair of ewe and try to find to ram to breed them with?  Also, how long do sheep live and how to what age can the ybe bred?  Last question:  How long should I give a sheep between pregnancies for her best health?

Also I'm thinking it might be a good idea to get animals one breed at a time.  Between cows, sheep and pigs which order would you recommend I get them in?

Thank you!


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## SheepGirl (Dec 13, 2012)

CESpeed said:
			
		

> I have a ton of sheep questions:  How long do they stay pregnant?  I'm going to have a very small farm and I'm trying keep animals to a minimum, so I wonder if it is ok to have 1 ram and 1 ewe or should I get a pair of ewe and try to find to ram to breed them with?  Also, how long do sheep live and how to what age can the ybe bred?  Last question:  How long should I give a sheep between pregnancies for her best health?
> 
> Also I'm thinking it might be a good idea to get animals one breed at a time.  Between cows, sheep and pigs which order would you recommend I get them in?
> 
> Thank you!


1. They are pregnant for about 147 days on average (roughly 5 months).
2. It's not economical to have one ram for just one ewe. Even with my four ewes I was a little apprehensive about buying a ram for them. But sheep don't start functioning as a 'flock' until you have 3-4 animals. Any less than that and it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to herd them where you want when you want (even sheep that are friendly in your pocket will be impossible) in a timely manner. I know you said you want to keep animals to a minimum, but I would still get at least 3-4 ewes PLUS a ram (and maybe a wether [or even another ram] companion if he is penned out of sight from the ewes).
3. Sheep can be 12+ yrs old before they keel over. Some may live less. You can breed lambs their first fall/winter.
4. Sheep come into heat in the fall and winter only, so you can only breed them once a year. Unless you have an unseasonal breed (like Dorsets or hair sheep), you can breed them every 6-8 months. BUT I have worked out the economics of this and it is actually better to breed them once a year because if you breed them every 8 months (so 3 lambings in 2 yrs) you have to feed for 3 pregnancies & lactations, but you may only get 4-5 lambs out of it. Whereas if you bred them once a year you would feed for 2 pregnancies and lactations and get the same amount of lambs.
5. Start small and work your way up to the big critters as you gain confidence working with large animals. So sheep, pigs, and then cattle.


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## CESpeed (Dec 13, 2012)

Thank you for the information.  According to your breed selector Texels would be best for me.  I think they're cute and will go with that recommendation.  Does it make a difference that I'm not trying to have a for-profit farm?  My plan for my farm is strictly self-sustainability, so any consumption would be for family only not for selling.  I think 3 - 4 ewes might be a bit much considering they aren't the only animals I will have.


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## BrownSheep (Dec 13, 2012)

If I were you I would get a couple cross bred meat ewes ( Suffolk, hamp, texel) and find sme one to do the breeding for you. Three to 4 ewes really isn't all that many. But you would also be fine with two. Another option is buying a ram lam in the fall and then butchering him in january after the ewes are bred. We butcher about 3-5 lambs a year just for my family of four ( needless to say we LOVE lamb). 

Sheep can live as long as SheepGirl said but tend to be less economical (less lambs) after 6 years. We breed ours for lambs every spring so the rams go in any where from 4-8 month after lambing. We had a wonky lambing season ( january-june) this year that led to those numbers. We breed ours at about 7-9 months.

We raise a couple yaks that live with the sheep on and off. Depending on the temperament of your future cows I would say they could  live with the sheep most of the year. Ours have no qualms about headbutt ing the sheep or chasing them so they only share pasture during the summer when the lambs are big enough to run and the ewes aren't pregnant.  I would actually say that they are more agressive than most cows would be towards them. I WOULD NOT lett them live with a pig.

I would start with the sheep. If you want you could always bUy some bum ewe lambs  and raise them. We did that a few years back. They are friendliest sheep. One will still come in the house and look around the kitchen for a bottle  .


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## Shelly May (Dec 13, 2012)

you could by 2 or 3 already bred and pay alittle more this would prevent you from needing
a ram for a while, for being a beginner you know that the sheep you chose has to be sheared,
also, to answer your question about the guard animal, donkeys have a lot of problems with change
and don't like the surprise of the new lambs and will kick at them and hurt or kill them, as for the
pig, I raise one a year and keep it locked up as a piglet for about 2 weeks and let it get use to me
and teach it what the feed bowl is. Then after 2 weeks we turn it loose with the sheep and it bonds
with the sheep, and now thinks its a sheep and grazes with them and sticks close to them. now 
so you know we buy the piglet at weaning age, might not work out as well if it where very old. But the
pig Thinks its a sheep and loves belly scratches and comes when called. I agree you should start out 
with the smaller livestock first, you can grind lamb meat just like beef for your burger, Also besides
breakfast sauage you can grind some of the pig into pork burger. Laying chickens are fun and easy also.
collecting eggs is great fun and fram fresh eggs are great. Just a few things to think about on starting
your new farm. Good Luck.


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## SheepGirl (Dec 13, 2012)

CESpeed said:
			
		

> Thank you for the information.  According to your breed selector Texels would be best for me.  I think they're cute and will go with that recommendation.  *Does it make a difference that I'm not trying to have a for-profit farm?*  My plan for my farm is strictly self-sustainability, so any consumption would be for family only not for selling.  I think 3 - 4 ewes might be a bit much considering they aren't the only animals I will have.


I have a Texel ram, and he's really nice. I go in with him every day and he has yet to ram me. Whereas my 3/4 Babydoll ram was trying to kill me every time I went in with him.







He is a very aggressive breeder though and I can't wait to get him out of the field with my ewes. He always tries to rape them. As soon as my ewe lambs are bred/marked, then he's out and into a pen he goes.

BUT--I bolded part of your response for a reason. You certainly don't want to LOSE money on your sheep! If you can make money off your sheep, why not? Also if you can sell any lambs you don't want to eat, then they will pay for the feed their moms ate. Basically a return on your investment. Also 3-4 ewes will give you 5-8 lambs. One or two for you to eat, and then the others you can sell at auction or to other families to eat.

Also I agree with BrownSheep, 3-4 ewes is not that much. I have two mature ewes and two ewe lambs and the only thing I do with them is I feed the lambs (takes 15 minutes) and check on their water (5 min top). Right now they're on grass so not much time or money is going into them. I am feeding hay, but I ran out of my round bale so they're just cleaning up whatever's left in the feeder. I am supposed to get another round bale delivered here in the next couple days.


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## Alice Acres (Dec 13, 2012)

Yes, sheep are pretty easy.
We've bought bred ewes - it is an interesting way to go. One year my husband brought 4 bred ewes home....it was such fun waiting to see what we got for lambs! 
Another nice way is to buy ewe lambs and raise them and keep them until breeding age.
I'd go with  about 4 animals - 2 ewes and 2 wethers. That way you could keep 2 ewes, and the 2 wethers could go in your freezer the 1st fall. 

Our family loves lamb. Lamb chops on the grill are like candy!
We also grind a lot of ours to lamb burger. We use it in any recipe in place of ground beef. It's actually better than beef in chili, etc, and makes awesome jerky as well.
Our usual processing is all the chops as chops, both legs as leg of lamb, and then ground lamb for the rest. 

Ours share pasture with our other animals - pretty much everything except pigs we've done. Horses, pony, llamas, chickens, peafowl.....you name it!
Good luck


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## CESpeed (Dec 13, 2012)

This is awesome information!!! I am totally excited!  OK more questions:  Approximately how much should I expect to pay for ewes?  Also, (forgive the ignorance) what's a wether?  If I started with 4 ewes would they be enough to keep a ram happy?  Or should I prepare to have one or the other transported for breeding?

Last question until next time: how old are the lambs when they are taken to slaughter?  What's a good weight?

Sheepgirl:  He's too cute!


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## bonbean01 (Dec 13, 2012)

CE...no such thing as a dumb question...a wether is a castrated male.

As for when to market a lamb...depends on your location and breed of sheep.  We have hair sheep and we try to plan our lambs in January so that they are the weight and age wanted for the ethnic market at Easter.  They do sell at other times of year also, but best prices are usually then.  If we save a wether for our own freezer, we don't take them to the processor until later fall, early winter...when the pasture is about done.  With hair sheep it is different than wool sheep I'm sure...so, that's the best answer I can give you from our little farm


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## BrownSheep (Dec 14, 2012)

We butcher at about 125-150lb or 8-10 months
I would expect to pay 150-200 for ewe lambs. 200-300 for ewes.


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## Shelly May (Dec 14, 2012)

My Slaughter Guy charges a flat rate to butcher sheep,(no Matter what cuts you get). He charges $55.00 to slaughter
a sheep Weight doesn't matter, price the same. He does weigh them for you just so you know what your return is on 
the meat you will get back. So like Bonbean said you will want to butcher them when they are close to a year, but not 
there yet 10-11 months, the weight will be up then for the money you will spend on the slaughter bill, why take a 50 lb
sheep and pay the same price for a 125 lb lamb. (Example). As far as marketing them and selling them the ethnic group
have different holidays that they eat only Goat, holidays for only sheep, Some of their holidays they only eat intact males
and some only females, I could go on and on, this can be looked up on internet. Ethnic holidays and what they eat when?

I am going to add this info for your sake, you have a lot to learn and we are will to help, so no dump questions, alot of the
meds out there have a withdraw time, so don't give some meds to your stock right before you take them to slaughter for
your use or someone else to eat, It is prohibited Here to sell to slaughter places if a animal has had meds in the last 28 days.

To raise and eat meat off the farm you will want to buy good stock so alot of meds are avoided by buying good stock. Don't
rush into buying the first cheap animals you find, Doesn't always work out in the end. Losses, sickness, Meds, Just be careful OK.

Keep the questions coming and let us know what breeds you decide on, Good Luck!


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## bonbean01 (Dec 14, 2012)

Yes, that's correct...I forgot to mention that for some ethnic holidays the ram lamb must not be castrated.


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## CESpeed (Dec 14, 2012)

This is why I love this forum!!!!    Thank you all so much for the very helpful information.  I will not get any animal until I feel comfortable that I know enough not to be put the animals life at risk.  I love animals too much for that and I appreciate all of the information.  I hadn't thought about selling them to an ethnic market.  My farm is really for personal consumption not for selling on a market but considering the cost involved in raising any animal I will think about trying to offset some of the costs.

We don't get them alot but Hot Springs, AR we occaisionally get tornadoes, so I was thinking about building an underground barn.  Would a 10 x 10 pen be big enough for a ewe and lamb?


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## Shelly May (Dec 14, 2012)

Cool never seen one of those before, Yes EWE just a pun there, can get 3 or 4 in that space 
and they will be comfortable in a storm.


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## Southern by choice (Dec 14, 2012)

Shelly May said:
			
		

> I am going to add this info for your sake, you have a lot to learn and we are will to help, so no dump questions, alot of the
> meds out there have a withdraw time, so don't give some meds to your stock right before you take them to slaughter for
> your use or someone else to eat, It is prohibited Here to sell to slaughter places if a animal has had meds in the last 28 days.
> 
> ...


I honestly don't know much about the meat market but I wanted to say that Shelly May makes an excellent point that is often not mentioned. There is a withdrawal time for animals after they've been given wormers and anti-biotics. Apparently this is becoming a really big problem. Also many things are what's called "off label" some of the off label uses are ok but some people are giving things off label to their animals that are strictly prohibited for a meat animal. Any thing given off label should be done so ONLY under the advisement/supervision  of your vet.

I was recently at a fiber production workshop, lots of sheep people with dual purpose sheep. There were a bunch of Vets and PhD's there as well. One of the speakers mentioned how it has become a big problem with animals going to slaughter with all this still in their system and how "the powers that be" are so concerned that there is talk of removing all of this from over the counter...no more going to TSC. Also they may even take them from the vets. The speakers strongly reminded those that were there of the seriousness of this and said, "what will we do then?".

Cheap doesn't always mean sick, and big names don't always mean healthy, hearty. Good stock and good quarantine practices are really good.


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## Lupa Duende (Jan 9, 2013)

what kind of laws do they have down in the us for keeping dual-purpose sheep?


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## SheepGirl (Jan 9, 2013)

Not really any laws specifically for dual-purpose sheep...depending on your area there may be livestock care standards, zoning, manure control, etc. You may need a business license or permit or if you sell meat retail you may need a license or a permit.


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