Sheep

Figuring out how many sheep per acre your homestead can support can be quite a puzzle . There are lots of variables to account for: the breed of your sheep, their dietary requirements, the nutritional content of the pasturage, seasonal changes and a whole lot more. It’s enough to make anyone go a little bit … Read more

It turns out that most domestic animals don’t get to live out a truly full life. Between being slaughtered for meat or put down to purify bloodlines, it seems that most animals only live for a handful of years at most. But how about sheep? Nominally, most sheep just get to stand around eating grass … Read more

Most of us already know that among domestic animals, the babies and adolescents have special names. Pigs have piglets. Cows have calves and sheep, of course, have lambs. Hardly special knowledge but the trick is determining when these babies are officially considered adults. We’ve already discussed the differences between lambs and sheep, but when does … Read more

When considering larger species of livestock that can grow horns, it’s easy for things to get confusing. Some breeds seem to have horns while others do not, and likewise males and females may or may not grow horns. Sometimes, horned animals have their horns removed by humans when they would otherwise grow naturally. Let’s look … Read more

Sheep have been farmed for centuries, primarily for their wool. Wool is a natural high-performance fiber used to make clothing, blankets, carpets and a lot more. And though most sheep have wool suitable for these uses, relatively few sheep have truly excellent wool or other qualities that make them standouts for the purpose. If you’re … Read more

If you own livestock, you already know that one of the biggest threats any of your animals can face is a close encounter with a venomous snake. Although most animals instinctively retreat from snakes, so much of the time they won’t know it is there until it is too late. A bite from any venomous … Read more

If we’re being honest, most people think that sheep are pretty doggone dumb. After all, the term sheep is a euphemism for any stupid or lazy follower of the masses, someone or something that is easy to lead around. Ouch! Imagine how the sheep must feel. I can see where we took the term and … Read more

For some of us, we don’t have to worry about our animals going for a dip anytime soon. If there aren’t any water features nearby or we keep them properly contained and well away from them, there is no danger. But for others, there is a pond, river, or both on our property that our … Read more

If you’re new to livestock, keeping up with all of the lingo attended with the different species of animals can almost feel like you’re being forced to learn another language. Bulls and steers, heifers and cows, sows, pigs, boars, barrows, farrows, litters, and more. It’s enough to make your head spin! Of course, sheep have … Read more

Not all sheep breeds are cute, woolly and cuddly. Some have horns just like their wild ancestors, and domestic sheep can use them for all of the same purposes! As a shepherd, you’ll want to be aware of which breeds will always have horns, and which might possibly grow horns- even in a polled breed. … Read more

Have you ever wondered what sheep are really good for? Sure, everyone knows they are “the” source of wool, but is that all we keep sheep for? Seems like an awful lot of work and money spent to just make wool! There has to be more to these animals than meets the eye… So, what … Read more

Most livestock animals are raised for multiple purposes. Sheep are no different. Raising sheep means that we get wool, of course, but we also get meat. One of the most popular products we take from sheep is meat from lambs. Lamb and pork happen to be two meats that are sometimes compared in terms of … Read more

If you don’t know a lot about livestock in general, you might be wondering if there are any differences between sheep and lambs. There are, and quite a few in fact! Most people do know that lambs are baby sheep, but lambs actually have several physical differences that can distinguish them from their parents and … Read more

There’s hardly any animal that is more perfect and more precious than a baby lamb. And lambs are surprisingly delicate in accordance with their reputation… Young lambs have a lot stacked against them even when they are raised in captivity, and if anything goes wrong when nursing, or with their diet in general, it can … Read more

There is hardly anything in life more precious than a perfect, newborn baby lamb. And because of that, there’s nothing more heartbreaking than seeing that ewe reject her newborn! It is appalling, but it does happen sometimes and that’s just nature. Dealing with the issue is one thing that most shepherds will eventually get experience … Read more

Sheep shearing is an important part of caring for a flock of sheep. It’s also a skill that can be relatively difficult to learn. It requires a great deal of practice and know-how. If you want to learn how to become better at shearing sheep, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog post, … Read more