Is it ok to turn our sheep out to a pasture where there are lots of the foxtails?
- Thread starter soarwitheagles
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- #22
soarwitheagles
True BYH Addict
Purplequeen,
Then I suppose I need to count my blessings. I think I picked up my two Dorpers lambs for $65 each. I saw a flock of 10 go for $55 each. My rancher friend and I were gonna pick up 16 lambs up in Redding for $120 each, but I procrastinated too long and the gentleman sold them before we could get up there. I think prices may also vary according to location! I couldn't afford to pay $250 for any sheep, unless it poops gold nuggets!
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- #23
soarwitheagles
True BYH Addict
$250 and up is about normal in our neck of the woods for Katahdins. Dorper are a bit more but they aren't as common around us. We looked at some Katahdins over the weekend not far from us but I'm trying not to put the cart before the sheep again.
Wow! I never realized the Dorper's are that expensive in your neck of the woods. I would only be able to afford to pay $250 per head if the sheep poops golden nuggets, eats all our weeds in one day, never requires any shots or vitamins, and can baby sit our children for free as she sings lullaby's at bedtime !
Baymule
Herd Master
The same lady also has a 2 year old ram for $550, but she said he could be quite a handful. I like the 5 month old for $250 much better! We got real lucky on the purchase of our ewes, they were half Dorper, half Katahdin and bred to a Katahdin ram for $220 each. So 3 of the lambs are ewes and I'll keep them, they are 1/4 Dorper and 3/4 Katahdin. I might cough up the dough some day for registered Dorpers, but for right now, being a total sheep newbie, crossbreds are just fine.
And Bossroo is right, registered breeding stock can have several zeros in the price!
And Bossroo is right, registered breeding stock can have several zeros in the price!
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- #25
soarwitheagles
True BYH Addict
Bossroo,
I had no clue what the added zero you mentioned was until Baymule clarified. Wow, that is crazy!
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- #26
soarwitheagles
True BYH Addict
Special Update:
We have been letting our entire flock loose into all sorts of grazing/browsing opportunities for the first time ever. Here is what I have noticed so far:
1. Now they cry and call my name repeatedly to be let out of their pen. They never did that before. Oh my!
2. They run and leap and twirl and I have never seen that before either!
3. They are incredibly selective eating creatures [they appear to like the furbs (miner's leaf lettuce) more than anything else at the moment].
4. If I do not feed them anything in the pen [hay, grains, cut greens], then they appear to develop an incredible appetite and will graze/browse for hours.
5. They do eat foxtails, but it is low on their totem pole of desirable treats.
Finally, I am digging post holes and setting posts like crazy now. These are needed for all the gates. Tomorrow will begin the easier process of pounding in the t-posts and attaching the woven wire.
Hope to have it all done in a few days. Then, if time permits, will walk the back 10 acres, fixing and patching the old fencing and hopefully turn some flocks loose there too.
I do have a question: if a neighbor and friend is spending $25 per day feeding cheap bales of grass and then $50 per day feeding his flocks alfalfa hay bales, what would be a reasonable amount to charge him to let his flocks of 30-50 graze our back 10 acres?
Please give me some kind of idea on this. I have never done this before.
Thank you,
Soar
We have been letting our entire flock loose into all sorts of grazing/browsing opportunities for the first time ever. Here is what I have noticed so far:
1. Now they cry and call my name repeatedly to be let out of their pen. They never did that before. Oh my!
2. They run and leap and twirl and I have never seen that before either!
3. They are incredibly selective eating creatures [they appear to like the furbs (miner's leaf lettuce) more than anything else at the moment].
4. If I do not feed them anything in the pen [hay, grains, cut greens], then they appear to develop an incredible appetite and will graze/browse for hours.
5. They do eat foxtails, but it is low on their totem pole of desirable treats.
Finally, I am digging post holes and setting posts like crazy now. These are needed for all the gates. Tomorrow will begin the easier process of pounding in the t-posts and attaching the woven wire.
Hope to have it all done in a few days. Then, if time permits, will walk the back 10 acres, fixing and patching the old fencing and hopefully turn some flocks loose there too.
I do have a question: if a neighbor and friend is spending $25 per day feeding cheap bales of grass and then $50 per day feeding his flocks alfalfa hay bales, what would be a reasonable amount to charge him to let his flocks of 30-50 graze our back 10 acres?
Please give me some kind of idea on this. I have never done this before.
Thank you,
Soar
If he's spending $75 a day now, how many head is he feeding? Since he's a neighbor and friend, why not ask him what he'd be thinking for a daily rate and adjust from there? For me, a lot would depend on how many head he'd be running back there...
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- #28
soarwitheagles
True BYH Addict
Well, actually, he is spending $25 on some days [when he feeds the cheap grass hay], and $50 a day when he feeds the alfalfa hay.
Is there much of a nutritional difference? I have pastures mixes now with 50% annual rye, 15% brom, 20% clover, 5% chickory, 5% trefoil, and some turnips.
In the back we have 10 or more acres of grass and furbs. What's a good price?
Still don't know how many head... So just based on what you've said I'd be thinking $125-150 per week.
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- #30
soarwitheagles
True BYH Addict
I think he has a total of 100-200. He is a very kind person and also a dear friend. But I have spent well over $6000 already on equipment feed, seed, fencing, etc.
I would like to give him a super good deal, but at least attempt to recoup some of my costs...
