HOW TO LOSE YOUR MONEY SHEEP FARMING // For Beginners | Dorper Sheep | Micro Ranching for Profit
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- čas přidán 15. 06. 2024
- This is the 3rd episode in my “Why I Chose Sheep over Cows for my Farm Business” series! This video talks about some of the profit killers in sheep farming.
FREE FARM WORKSHEETS: bit.ly/FarmWorksheets
This video outlines some serious profit killers in sheep farming operations: the ones we encountered and 3 diseases you want to watch out for when buying sheep for your sheep farm. While sheep offer many advantages to today’s micro ranchers, the risks involved in sheep farming also need to be considered.
My farm is a Dorper Sheep breeding stock operation. I am located in upper East Texas (the native tall grass prairie region) where we receive above average sunlight and rainfall. This rainfall and sunlight ratio really plays into the carrying capacity of my 23 acre farm.
Thank you for watching!
-the Shepherdess
Profit Killers in Sheep Farming: 0:00
Regenerative Agriculture doesn’t stop all losses: 1:34
Sheep feed inputs are low : 2:37
Our main source of loss on our sheep farm: 3:26
Mineral Deficiencies in sheep: 5:24
3 Diseases to watch for in Sheep Farming: 5:34
Details on my sheep losses in 2021: 7:07
IN THIS VIDEO:
Dorper Sheep Farming Sheep vs Cows Profit
Dorper sheep profitability
Small acreage Cattle farming
Micro Ranching for Profit
Farm Business Plan
beginner farming tips
Cattle Farming
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About this Channel: This channel chronicles my journey as a sheep farmer from the very beginning. My primary occupation is in business management. In 2020, I discovered the principles of regenerative agriculture and embarked on a journey with the end goal of building a profitable small farm on 23 acres by 2027. Thank you for joining the journey!
#sheep #farming #cows #business
‼Minor discrepancy in the mortality rate info. The 8 sheep I lost were 13.5% of total flock count. The 20% figure covers both losses and culls in 2021. I hope this info helps you!
-the Shepherdess
Reseach multivaxp plus
@@henricoheunis8705 Thanks, Henrico! None of the deaths were related to the diseases this vaccine treats. So far my flock is clean of any chronic disease (praise the Lord). But I will consider vaccinating my breeding ewes in order to safeguard against the diseases mentioned.
-the Shepherdess
You need a few donkeys and your flock will be safe!
Hi what state are you located in?
@@michaelflores9796 Texas!
As a cattle owner.. the saying goes "if you're going to have livestock, you're going to have deadstock" - My dad.
You put about as much information in your videos in 10 minutes as others do in an hour. I like what you do.
I love seeing young people get into ranch &/or farming. And not bcz they grew up with it. Keep up the culling & eventually you'll have fantastic genetics. I'd highly recommend you follow what Greg Judy does with his sheep. No deworming & almost no birthing issues.
Thank you, Jennifer!
You are a fast learner. I have the "good fortune" of growing in an arid area. I've also got over 15 years of sheep experience, but I had some losses early in my learning curve. 1) selenium deficiency results in lambs with white muscle disease. No problems since I keep a salt source with selenium out for free choice. 2) ram selection. 3) fresh pasture rotation and quality feed (I raise my own hay)
This advice stems from my black Angus ranch that I grew up on. A calf ease bull has desirable traits for ease on mothers. Most significant is the preponderance for "slightly" premature birth. We can apply this to sheep as well with record keeping and body type analysis. My best performing rams were not outrageous with masculine traits or bulk. Think Brad Pitt vs Hulk Hogan.
You might think that I would be destined to have mostly average lambs? There's some truth that an average lamb is better than a dead lamb? However, I have topped the auction on more than one occasion. And my daughter has had a few awards winners competing in FFA. And my losses since my initial learning curve
Such great info here! Thank you!!
you are such a wonderful asset to the youtube farming community
I'm really enjoying this, I've experienced such bad losses after selling my homestead to move to a better area, partly to blame was the negligence of my inexperienced shepherd. It's always deeply encouraging to see people with passion for this,it makes me dream again.
Thank you!
I don’t have sheep but I have cattle and goats and they share many of the same challenges. I gathered my cattle and goats from several sources. Some of the cattle I got came from the Salebarn. My goats all came from private sales. I have had cows and goats with Johne’s disease. It does affect a small percentage per year. It seems to show itself when a particular animal gets stressed for whatever reason. Once I started researching a little bit, It is my belief that many, if not most, cattle ranches and cattle dairies have it in their herd. It is also zoonotic and can jump species. I also have had CL in my goat herd. I didn’t know what it was when it first appeared. When I found out what it was I somewhat panicked. It went through my herd in about a year and it visibly affected probably 20-25% of the animals. I lost one doe out of about 75. Most of them healed up on their own and I haven’t seen any signs of it since. That was probably 5 years ago. I’m saying these things to let you and others know that although not desirable, you can still have a healthy, profitable herd even with some health issues. It is my opinion that two of the best things that we can do as animal managers is to never force our ruminants to graze short pastures. Rotate pastures and give the grass time to recover. Number two and equally important is to build your herd from your own genetics. Once we have our starter herd we have a ram factory and a ewe factory. Select your replacements from the animals that thrive on your soil and your management. Also do not breed for maximum growth, it will cause problems. These things if implemented will eliminate many of our health and calving/kidding/lambing problems.
Great insight! Thank you so much.
I also heard a lot of good about donkeys running with sheep. They are highly protective and astoundingly efficient. Also they might further diversify and thus contribute to managing parasites. Also they are lower in maintenance and possibly acquisition than highly trained dogs.
Donkeys can be good but they have also been known to kill sheep. I have a grumpy old donkey that bullies anything that he sees as competition. He has chased and kicked at pregnant ewes and lambs. He once picked up a full grown ram by the back of his neck. Needless to say, we keep him separated from the sheep now.
@@vk33771 Of course, you obviously know about Jacks that're wonderful & tenacious guardians of their flock as a donkey owner, so perhaps you'll make a video about those pros & cons.
Livestock protection breed with good genetics needs very little training
Also don't forget to clip their hooves , sheep are mountain animals ,mountain rocks keep their hooves worn down , might could build a small ridge or hill around that they can climb or run over to keep their hooves filed down ..I have had that idea before.
Be sure to utilize farmers almonac for breeding times and such
My Swedish flower hens and Plymouth rock hens both like insects and grass more than grain. One of my Plymouth rock hens ate a live garden snake, but the irony is she doesn't like the taste of grain. Plymouth rocks also love to eat earthworms. Sometimes they would wait for me to get home from work because they knew that I would help them find insects and earthworms.
I saw a small lizard and wondered if my chickens would eat it. Guess they would. The little bugger froze solid and hid from them tho.
imo summer time eggs always have stronger better flavor because of insects, I love the orange colored yolks for fried eggs, but prefer the lighter yellow yolks from a grain diet in hard boiled eggs, chickens usually only eat a blade of grass if a bug is crawling on it.
Grace - what a wonderful job you're doing with your farming journey. You are so inspiring and honest - a great young Christian woman. I just ran into your videos yesterday and have watched several so far. You share such valuable info for a person such as myself who is just starting out. I bought a 20 acre ranch/farm with a beautiful horse barn and 10 acres of fenced pasture. I imagine I will end up primarily with some combo of sheep and cattle, and possibly a couple horses to spend money on :).
This is totally new for my wife and I, and our daughter also lives with us, so I have a lot to learn from you and others. I'm so thankful that you are sharing your blessed experiences! I pray God's richest blessings on you and your farm.
Praise the Lord, and THANK YOU for this encouragement. Please keep me updated on how you develop your 20 acres :).
-the Shepherdess
You know when I was reading the Bible, what really blew my mind is that Jacob never lost a sheep. As a homesteader who has experienced loss from predators and other issues, this just stuck so hard with me. I think though it is a reminder that Jesus will never lose a sheep. What a comfort but still Jacob blows my mind and it speaks to how serious he took shepherding.
AMEN. So much of the Scripture comes alive when you are working closely with this animal.
Umm??? I mean he may not have lost a sheep but he lost his favorite son...so is he really winning at this point!?😬🤣
@@entrepreneurialadventures760 What?!
What do you mean Jesus will never lose a sheep? 🧐 Lucifer and one third of the angelic host are lost. All of humanity are God’s children and billions and billions of these people will be and are lost. This is not a reflection on God. God gave us all free will and has done everything He can to save us. Most however have rejected God’s offer of salvation and chosen another way. ☹️
Where in the Bible does it say we are to breed and treat his creations like Profit?
God did not put us and his beautiful animals on the planet so we can have dominion over them.
I cannot believe how much murders thank God for the help.
God is not helping you, he is baffled how his faithful servants have changed the Bible to suit them 20% loss all about the money :(
Heaven forbid you be said over the loss of the animals lives. . But I guess you're raising them as product to slaughter you don't see them as God creations, you treat them as dollar bills :(
Great video. We did a video on the tensile vs. woven fencing and I am a huge advocate of woven wire for your perimeter fencing.
you forgot EAGLES, i lost a couple of feeder lambs to them and another bunch to stray dogs and coyotes, and almost everything you described, your sticking with it and succedeing where i have failed,, thank you for the tips and info
Guard dogs are pretty handy. Mine yell at birds. Even small ones.
Excellent video, very informative. Also, your subscriptions are exploding. You are doing such a good job with the quality of information and your graphics are awesome. Keep up the good work.
I love that it doesn't burn, our money is designed so well.
Yep, the 5 strand barb wire fence to start was a serious fail. I spent a lot of time making a fence long before getting the sheep. Pasture parasites, and buying sheep already with parasites was my primary problem.
ma'am You're great . Your videos are very informative
Regen agriculture. It has taken 100+ yrs to have us ask ?s about what is really happening. Hence with 20 yrs of delay - I am the forefront I my generation - at 61. Thank you!
Nice job with your sheep herd. Have you considered having free range chickens just following your herd? They can help in parasite management and possible egg sale profits. Growing grains to feed animals is just a part of life, buy organic.
And if chickens really aren’t your thing maybe something like a few dozen Guinea hens would still be a nice insect and parasite disrupter, and they lay rich eggs.
Yes! Here is a video that talks about our chickens: czcams.com/video/mPbF_oFSZ_0/video.html
Yes, just let chickens and/or guineas go free among the cattle/sheep and don't get nervous when you lose some.
I guess they call it sheep fence for a reason. I think wonder if using all the holes in an electrified timeless fence
Question re: parasites/worms ... I had heard of farmers/farmsteads using Shaklee's Basic H as a natural dewormer on their cattle and then googled it in regards to sheep. It seems like it has done well for both sheep and goats alike. They did say that with good grass and rain they have a tendency to not drink as much from the provided water source and the taste can be a deterrent so maybe a mini dose daily for a week vs an actual drench? I also so some rather positive comments in regards to pumpkin seeds, garlic, fennel, wormwood and cinnamon among other spices that have a solid affect. I would love to hear what you think about these as a way to help with an all natural avenue to parasite issues.
Thank you for being here and openly sharing your journey with us, and living your testimony. May all of your efforts be blessed in abundance. 🙏🏻 🙌🏻 🙏🏻
I tried the Shaklee last summer as a drench and monitored the egg count during the process. Unfortunately, it did not decrease the parasite load for me. Another struggle with Shaklee in water for sheep is that sheep drink so little water compared to cattle, so they aren’t able to get enough to make a difference when it’s added to the trough (tried that and they stopped drinking altogether… the sheep are incredibly finicky about tainted water!)
Anyway, the cayenne and herbal dewormers are things I have heard of and have considered running a test study on! I’ll try and update her if I find anything along those lines that is effective :).
Thank you as always, Keith!
-the Shepherdess
I'm lucky, having gone in to farming with a mountain of $ and a mid 6 figure off farm career, so I had the luxury of it not being about the money. I wanted, NEEDED to be in the life business, not the business of death. But I wasn't willing to blow everything I'd worked for up to that point either.
Here is the deal, sheep are way harder in regards to they are not as hardy as cattle. But correcting your flock happens a lot quicker than getting a herd of cattle straightened out. You're in fast forward as far as weeding out poor genetics, and identifying bad genetics. Loss is a thing with sheep. We're still at 10%, and I still pull traits out that I don't want, even if it's just getting rid of wire jumpers.
I won't intervene with any traits of weakness/ disease, I get rid of them, and I rotational graze with guardian dogs. Sheep are "free" because they can roll along behind the cattle herd and eat what the cattle won't eat. I think they are an amazing source of protein and nutrition in general, and definitely worth it. They are convenient and have huge potential. Plus, THEY TASTE AMAZING.
Thank you I was starting to think sheep weren’t worth it for a beginner.
I think you hit it on the head with all of these points! Thank you for the comment!
Dear I love your energy am planning to setup a goat farm now seeing this your video have boosted my spirit.
Thank you!!
Love your videos. I'm learning so much!!
Thank you so much, Amanda!
Thanks again Grace for the wonderful and informative content! Well Done!
Thank you, sir!
You are truly welcome Grace! It is Dan btw! I sent an email!
Very good content!!! Thanks for sharing!♥️✨🙌🏻
Great content!
hi, i only discovered your channel a couple of days ago and I want to say how good your videos are. I'm thinking about trying to save up money and one day do some homesteading, and buying some dorper to keep me in lamb. It is far off far now. I really appreciate the detail you go into and how much thought you are sharing with us. Also the editing, etc is great too
I’m greatly encouraged by this comment, Kris! Thank you for supporting my channel.
-the Shepherdess
@@theShepherdess any compliment about your channel is well deserved. I think it might be about 2 or 3 years before I will be able to buy land myself and I have been watching a lot of different channels for all aspects of homesteading and your channel is one of the best I have seen so far.
Leicester Longwools were my choice. The problem with a rare breed sheep is that the genetic pool is very small and the cost of breeding for the expansion and popularity of the breed is a cost center that has to be made up with excellent management of a meat flock. Breeding takes an inordinate amount of extra time and difficulty because we are saving a species. But the wool output is double the dorper, the meat/weight ratio is consistently 50/50 and carcass size take 9 months to achieve because of slow maturity but the 9 month old lamb size is consistently close to 200lbs and the breeding sheep going to auction bring quadruple the prices of a standard unregistered sheep. The tight fencing is the ANSWER to predator losses! We spent more on fencing than sheep last year but we have thousands of coyotes that come down from the hills every night and look for open gates and weak fencing. One thing that I am adamant about is giving all sheep free access to the outside. They simply are not an animal designed to live indoors. Our sheep will spend nights out in the worst snowing storms when there is clean fresh straw and feed inside under cover and shelter from weather and wind!
Aren’t Dorpers hair sheep?
Thanks for the advice on the diseases and on not buying from a sale barn.
Just started watching this girl good idea would be selling chicken eggs and duck eggs there’s some good breeds of duck that you can sell the eggs cause I like every day lots of eggs I believe certain duck breeds eggs are worth quite a lot of money you should look into it
We are in the same boat with our kiko/spanish cross goats, the rainfall here in Oklahoma is a freaking breeding grounds.
Yup. It’s a struggle when the spring rains hit. Have to keep close tabs.
Thank you for this video and others. We have 10 acres in Michigan that are completely fenced in. We are looking at raising sheep to sell. We had 55 sheep on the property last year from a local farmer using our pasture. This year we would like to have some ROI on our property and hope sheep are the answer.
I love your information such good content
Awesome video, thanks! Some very valuable information. Sad stuff, but real.
Those diseases are more rampant than generally acknowledged in the livestock world too. Most don't test for them, they just cull poor performing animals who either die there or get sent on down the line. It's a serious issue. Most producers won't even talk about them. Grazing stock is far from being all sunshine and roses, it can be a pretty rough life. I fear that reality gets lost in all the fluff much of the time.
They're culling dead animals? WTF is going on here !!!!
"they just cull poor performing animals who either die"
@@elguapolegendariocasanova5615 Animals can be culled from the herd/flock but are too poor to send to the sale barn and die at the farm in isolation or aren't culled but die on the farm. Most people won't spend money to determine cause of death.
A good place to go , is watch a CZcams series called Lambing live ..it has a lot of good information .
Usually shearing in springtime , then about 6 months later go back and shave the wool just below their tail and anus , that will prevent a lot of problems .
Worms are a problem especially if you are trying to keep them in low lands .
Rotate pasture frequently ..avoid letting them graze too close to the ground ..also offer them diatrama eous earth powder to their feed at least once a month should help prevent worms .
Also use garlic and or garlic powder in feed .
Keep charcoal and mallox on hand to help with gastric problems .
Sheep can get into copper toxicity .
So make sure the don't get that .
Good sheep dog is a good idea.
Be sure to keep the area under their tails clipped back .
Also want to keep the rams separate from the ewes until mating season .
Most farmers build a metal coral and keep 2 together dehorned , one sire and one weather ..need at least 2 ..this will keep them from getting lonely and getting into trouble ..
And from fighting as the weather will not aggress a fight .
Hope this is helpful .
What's your recommendation for how to teach dogs not to attack sheep? We don't want to put the dogs down but we don't want any sheep harmed by them either. Obviously a good fence will keep them out but I don't want to rely only on that.
I’ve been researching animals for my farm for an embarrassing length of time. But I’ve seen a lot of interesting approaches to animal husbandry.
You might consider doing some segments on minerals and mineral supplements. Two large restorative ops use very different approaches and yours is a third. I think beginners especially need to know all the possible offerings so they can fit their budget and management style. Why buy the richest kelp in the world and use that with the richest sea salt in the world. And what are those. What about free choice and is it a fit sometimes? If you want to discuss more of my comment let me know. I can connect you to one of the CEOs that produce sea salt I use and maybe an interview.
If you keep the rams separate from the ewes ,you will get a better outcome at lambing time ..also use farmers almanac as to good times to loose the rams for breeding the ewes .
I learned from a friend that when a ewe stuggles to give birth or give birth to a stillborn lamb she gets a mark (small cut in the ear at a specific location) and as soon as it happens the second time she gets slaughtered. By using this practice he got his stillborn and difficult births down from 20% to about 5%.
You are awesome, thank you for sharing, it seems as if you understand our predicament, the invaluable information that you share will spare many animal lives.
Thank you for helping those of us who embrace a natural lifestyle, you know about the Steep learning curve?!
The Lord bless you as you trust Him and give glory to Him. This Dorper breed is beautiful.
Love the breed of sheep you choose
Thank you for the great information it is very helpful! You are my mentor 🇺🇸🙏🏻✝️
Thanks a lot❤️
Ooo you got to coyotes and my .450 bushmaster got excited haha
New subscriber, I really appreciate your direct, honest approach. I feel like the Holy Spirit sent me to your channel. I’m also new to farming. I’ve been on my nano-micro (~1.5 acres) for 17 months, the first several months (still ongoing) were primarily focused on finishing my rent-to-own shed conversion to my tiny house. I bought a few chickens for eggs and compost making, and move them in a self-made chicken tractor. I bought two American Guinea Hog/KuneKune mix females and a purebred AGH male. Though I wanted two sheep to start, I couldn’t yet afford them. I like Katahdins over St Croix due to size and parasite resistance of both breeds. How do these compare with Dorpers? Hoping this year to get started with sheep. That’s what led me to your channel.
Now I also have 5 doe rabbits and a buck that are about breeding age. Though it’s a much smaller market, they have multiple litters per year, averaging 8-12+ per litter. They’re also good for garden fertilizing. So we’ll see how they pan out. One guy I met already ordered 10.
I have access to another 5-8 acres adjoining my property but the pasture is pure weeds now, having laid fallow for who knows how long. It’ll take some time to cut the weeds back and overseed, plus run sheep in it a year or two to get it into shape.
I’m 67 and live by myself with my two livestock guardian Anatolian-Pyrenees mix, 13 month old pups. They know the sounds of coyotes and are effective in repelling them.
Like you, I want to learn how to raise sheep. I feel sheep, pigs and chickens are good tools for my situation as I don’t have enough land for cows anyway. Thanks for your solid advice.
Thank you for being here and encouraging my work! Keep me updated on yours and please subscribe to my newsletter so we stay in touch :).
i dont know about animals but in case of humans we use garlic, neem leaves,camphor water to eliminate worms in our stomach. i have seen big block of rock salt and alum in cow sheds i have visited.
God bless you and your flok.🕊️
Hi, love your work...any chance your pastures are or have been fertilised with Super phosphate? I’ve read of possible links to internal organs having growths in that situation...? God bless from Australia.
Hello new subscriber, we are now getting into sheep for Market. We just want a small hard to do. Thank you for sharing. Till next time God Bless.
You are awesome
Border collie to herd, great Pyrenees (seems like the dog you have) to close guard actually living with the sheep and Kangal the long range tank, more than one of each depending.
I looked at Kangals, but they’re very expensive! Well worth it if you can afford them.
Baaad news. Really though sorry about your loss. Thanks for you insights.
Greetings from the LooseNatural farm in Andalusia Spain
Have you considered donkeys for predator protection?
Hi, you may aready know of this, I used a drench for worms on my sheep that was very effective.
100grams garlic
1 litre warm water
1 teaspoon sulphur
1 teaspoon table salt
Blend together, then put in a container and cover with a cloth, leave overnight, then strain, I used to use a coarse strainer then through a fine strainer the dose is 20mililitres per animal orally. If you have 100 animals make 2.5 litres.
Has some affect on lice as well.
Never tried it on cattle, recipe was from Pat Coleby.
Good recipe. What is the rainfall like where you are at?
@@theShepherdess hi rainfall very variable, supposes to be 750mm (30 inch) but 30 years I've been here about 550mm . But have ised on lease block
@@theShepherdess sorry hit send button, lease blocks in 40inch zone very effective just clean dremch gums well.
What do you do with the carcass?
Thanks so much for documenting your journey. Discovered you yesterday and have been devouring your videos. We just purchased 15.6 acres in August and are working on infrastructure and repairs on the existing buildings. We're probably 1.5 years out from being able to be on site full time. We're planning on Salatin style rotational grazing, but are considering Gulf Coast Sheep since they are a heritage breed, also called Louisiana native, and the parasite resistance and humidity/heat tolerance. Do you know anything about them and how they compare to Dorper sheep?
Make the move as soon as possible!
Pete check Greg Judy's rotational practices on sheep.
Donkeys…
First nice channel… Easy to understand and it’s to the point…
In this video you mentioned herd protection… You may find a useful friend in that regard with a donkey or two… They also have the side bonus of carrying or pulling larger weights around the farm if trained for it… The herd protection they will do for the free grass though…
(Tips me hat…) Till next time…
Thanks Westly!
Try painted desert sheep. Low maintenance. Great taste.
could I suggest you look at Gregg Judy (Green Pasture Farms) and his grass operation. You have Dorper he uses a combination of breeds but no worming because they have been raised parasite resistant. His wife Jan is in charge of guard dogs and the list is long for all of their livestock. Enjoy your site, well thought out.
Greg Judy has predominantly St Croix.
Great
Have you tried black walnut tincture for parasites?
You should sell some of those beautiful flowers that are in the pasture with the sheep.
Hi there, how do you dispose your deadstock ?
Question, apple cider vinegar in drinking water for chickens helps deworming.. pumpkins and squash also for deworming.. DTE can be added to their intake water or feed.. can't something be added to your sheep regime to help on continuous basis?? I want to add sheep to my homestead soon.. would like to hear your thoughts
As always, very helpful info The Shepherdess.
From my experience with dorpers, difficult lambing maybe due to management issues esp feeding of pregnant ewes, breeding management may also affect - select appropriate rams esp for first time lambing ewes. In rare cases, when some rams breed,they always result in still births. Diseases like ovine brucellosis may causes still births and difficult lambing.
Just discovered your channel and have watched a couple of videos I'm really enjoying your content and transparency. Just a bit of advice would be to turn down your exposure some, whites are very over-exposed and a lot of detail is lost.
How do yall handle barber pole worms where you are? I'm in Central Texas and this pass spring got hit hard with them from the 2 months of rain we had.
Yes, this spring was monsoon season in east Texas as well. I dewormed the sheep that needed it with Prohibit. Cydectin is also considered an effective conventional drench.
Here is a video that will direct you to accurate dosages for the dewormer: czcams.com/video/gY-5e4KqUeU/video.html
Thanks!
-the Shepherdess
Great Videos! However, I think you should state "ACTUAL" profit rather than "POTENTIAL" profit. Profit is a lot easier to achieve on a spreadsheet vs actually getting $ in your pocket. Secondly, maybe helpful for all viewers to understand that ranching for profit is a lot different (easier?) when you don't factor in land costs or have a family farm providing land at very helpful lease rates.
Don't get me wrong you are doing a remarkable job with the sheep, but I don't want viewers to lose sight of one of the main profit variables - land costs.
Good video suggestion there. Profit will vary per individual based on infrastructure costs, but I plan to move into a series that covers those costs next!
Thank you so much for watching!
-the Shepherdess
Have you heard of Greg Judy? He has eliminated the need for dewormers through his culling of any animals that are susceptible and through rotational grazing.
Yes, Greg Judy’s flock is a work of decades. I’m working towards the same with my dorpers, but am at the beginning phase.
Takes time, but the progress is underway :).
OPP is just as prevalent in an outside flock as confinement. Sheep are flocking animals and the disease is predominantly spread nose to nose. Pasture based flocks are just as susceptible.
What do you think about sheep tractors 🚜
One book that really helped us was the veterinary book for sheepfarmers by David c. Henderson it covers it all i think its a British book ... maybe helpfull
Great book suggestion! I just purchased it for myself :).
Hi Shepherdess, Where can someone buy Dorper RAM SEMEN pls?. I'm in Australia. But the farm is located in Uganda.
Have you talked about adding a veterinarian to your management practices?
Yes, I have a vet that I work closely with and highly recommend this for any flock owner.
Thanks so much!
-the Shepherdess
@@theShepherdess can you do a vlog about working with a vet and the cost of having one on retainer
My sheep keep dying off. We are new to sheep and bought our flock in the summer. We have dewormed, rotationally grazed. Cant seem to figure out why! But most recently we had a sheep whose eye got cloudy suddenly and then died a few weeks later. Now we have another sheep with a cloudy eye.
Good day
I’m not a sheep farmer;) I have gone to the Dark Side:)
Goats
I just stumbled on your CZcams channel and got intrigued by the numbers.
For myself I’m building my herd to at one point start selling breeding stock.
Yes parasites and the dogs are my worst nightmare.
Yes I have guardian dogs; let’s say one right now. Lady’s sister passed away this fall. But two new puppies were born this week so I should have them in late February or early March. Then the fun begins.
By the way what part of the world are you at . Me northern Minnesota
Back to the salt mine
Thank you for subscribing! We are in Texas. :)
@@theShepherdess cool I have family down there. But they are city folks
What’s that black dot on sheep body??
Newbie here, I am just learning all this stuff. So how do you avoid these diseases? You make it sound like you can't tell if your stock has it until after they are dead.
Purchasing stock that has been tested is one option. Another is to simply avoid dirty operations. 👍🏻
How do alpaca compare to sheep?
St Croix Crossed Parasite resistant, Green Pasture Farms orders start in Jan 22 for August 22
Thanks John! Gregg Judy has a great flock, but the St. Croix breed doesn’t fit my business plan. Carcass weight on the St. Croix is about 50% smaller than the Dorper. In fact, a St. Croix ewe averages 120lbs and a Dorper ewe 180lbs. In order to get a St Croix Wether up to a good harvest weight the animal often has to be grown out past 1 year, which puts it into the category of mutton instead of lamb.
Hope this gives you some insight on my choice! Parasite management is becoming better and better with each season and I’m incredibly excited about the direction my flock is taking. If you watch some of my other videos you’ll know that just a little over a year ago the flock was nearing extinction, and now it’s really thriving by the grace of God. Here is a 3 minute video I created that summarizes the year: czcams.com/video/DfIvJWab3gk/video.html
Thanks so much!
-the Shepherdess
I heard enu make excellent guard dog
What about an animal salt block? Would that do well for the minerals?
Many do not recommend salt blocks for sheep because it is hard on their teeth!
You get less unatural death (prey you know what I mean) But I think in the future as actual good breeding stock for pasture animals increases a lot of the problems might start going away for newer farmers. It will be more of a user error issue then a breeding issue.
Ween yourself on the worming as soon as you can. Worm when you get into trouble. But you want that dung beetle population to find a home on your pasture and follow your herd. Worming even the dung beetle friendly stuff is something you want to ween and breed away. The only way you can ween and breed the problem out is paying attention to your rotation. Not eating sheep/goat so low into the ground. Most folks overgraze they don't leave enough to mulch. Which means you got worm issues in sheep and goats. The less capable to deal with overgrazing.
some of that lambing problems can be bred out.
Ducks, Geese, might be something you wan to look into really closely. The biggest thing is they do a great job knocking down pasture for mulching. Chickens are a cleaner but ducks and geese are builders. IF you can get a solid christmas goose list it's helpful for direct sale. Also, you can connect with a grub hub market for christmas goose sale cooked.
How much is a full blooded dorper when you sale it. 🤔 I had rather buy from a rancher and give a little more than take a chance at sale barn.
Has Anyone ever thought about getting a donkey or two for predator Managment
Check out Ellis Sheep Co on Instagram. He has donkeys and dogs and might be able to give you a good comparison.
From what I recal lhearing baby lambs don't do so good in the cold when born as goats..
Why not use as dog food or protein chickens?
If it's too late to process as meat/bones etc for the dogs or chickens, the carcass can be put in a container with a fly trap on top and maggot holes on the bottom, and suspended over a chicken yard or pond where fish are grown for food. There's no need to total waste a dead sheep or roadkill.
You could avoid most of these by having a barn to lock your animals in for lambing and nights
If you really want a good protector and better then any dog is Llama get 2-3 (1 male 2 female ) and Coyote or wolf will be not able to fight Llama.Llama is very ferm in her protection duty.You need an average of 2000Lbs ,good hay for everyone of them.But they are 24 hrs working.
What about donkey to guard the sheep?
try to stay away from vaccines, rotation will help you out a lot. I do love your energy and enthusiasm.
what do you do with dead animals ?just curious.
Compost
I just started out and 1 of the 4 ewes on our farm has CL no signs or symptoms. I drew blood on all them and the 3 were negative and the one had a high titer. What is you suggestion. Do I cull that one. And what should I do with the other 3 that are negative
I’d get rid of the ewe with CL. Not only is it highly contagious, but it is passed to the offspring through the mother’s milk. It is bad for any flock. 🐑🐑
@@theShepherdess what about the other ewes in the same pen testing negative. Should I keep blood testing them?
@@theShepherdess can I butcher the cl positive or send it to sales barn
i lost like 10 sheep over the last year like half
Greg Judy !