Twin Willows Farm - Preparing
For Sheep
Spinners
who live rural and have a bit of land are tempted to start
their own spinner’s flock. The idea of a flock of sheep from
which to spin ‘start to finish’ garments is appealing to
many. Having sheep you know and have named and care for make
the resulting garments even more special. And there is still
a pioneer spirit in many of us which drew us into spinning in the first
place.
As with keeping any type of animals, however, there are
responsibilities and costs involved. Some would-be shepherds
get very discouraged by the unexpected realities of keeping
sheep. In Part 1, let’s look at the practical side of
shepherding a small flock of sheep.
The first consideration, of course, is land. Sheep need space
to live and graze. This can vary widely depending on where
you live. Many rural areas have zoning regulations that you
need to check out before beginning your flock. Some places
allow for livestock only if you have 10 or more acres, some allow only
a certain number of animals per acre, some have special fencing
requirements, etc. This must be researched thoroughly before
any investment is put into the project!
To learn how many sheep you can support per acre, you need to do some
serious research. How many sheep your land will sustain is
dependent
on factors such as climate, soil type, soil condition, rainfall,
etc.
The best first step is to have your potential pasture land soil
tested. Find out what needs to be added to the soil
for good growth of pasture. Any local feed mill should be
able to send a sample in for you to be tested. Be sure and
follow the recommendations. Adding lime, nitrogen, or other
needed additives is an expense, but it can save you time, money and
energy in the long haul. There is nothing like good pasture
for keeping sheep!
The next logical step is to talk with local shepherds and find out how
many sheep per acre they are able to stock on their pastures.
While your land may not be exactly like theirs, even within a mile of
each other, it will give you a general idea. In my area of
northeastern Michigan, for example, I can comfortably stock 10 ewes on
3 ½ acres (using rotational
grazing practices) with their offspring without
feeding any hay or supplements from mid April to early
November. When the snow flies, we
start feeding hay.
Once you know that you can legally keep sheep, you have an idea of how
many you can keep and you have your pasture land prepared, the next
step is to put up fence. This is the expensive step and one
that cannot be treated lightly. Fencing has two
purposes. One is to keep the sheep in and the other is to
keep predators out. Predators in your
area may be coyotes, neighbor dogs, bears, cougars or even the two
legged variety. Most sheep will come to respect your fence
<i>(although there are jumpers and escape artists out
there in the sheep world, these are best handled by shipping them to
the auction or butcher)</i> but each new predator will
test it again and again. So you need a reliable fence.
<a href="http://www.premier1supplies.com/">Premier
Supplies</a> has excellent suggestions and materials for
constructing sheep and predator fencing. Request one of their
catalogs and study the different options available in fencing to decide
what will work for you on your land.
Sheep need some sort of shelter. What type depends on climate
and the shepherd’s preference. In the hot climates, shade to
find relief from the heat is important. This can be a stand
of trees, a hoop shelter or anything that gives shade. In the
cold climates, winter shelter is important. It can be as
simple as a 3 sided shack up to a fancy barn.
Many shepherds in the cold weather areas prefer a barn for their own
comfort
at chore time! And if you will need to feed hay in the winter
months,
storage space is needed.
The importance of these steps cannot be stressed enough. Poor
ground that will not grow pasture, 10 sheep on an acre of muddy slop,
frequent fence breaks and sheep lost to predators are all causes for
beginning shepherds to throw in the towel and give up.
Research and investment ahead of purchasing the sheep can make a huge
difference!
All
articles are copyright protected and may not be copied for any use
without the author's written permission.
Contact Pegg
Thomas at twinwillowsfarm@gmail.com.
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Twin
Willows Farm
