I recently posted these on our Instagram, but wanted to re-post here as well. There are many different ways to start your flock!
Each configuration has pros & cons. The best method is to consider your environment, experience, & flock goals. In the end, our goal is to see more people enjoy sheep as a rewarding & sustainable homestead animal. Your goals may include wool, meat, dairy or all three. How we reach those looks different for everyone.
These are some different configurations to consider. After sharing this post, we did get some great feedback & discussion. I’d like to add two more options.
A fiber flock can be incredibly rewarding. They can provide wool, serve as lawn mowers, & can be as friendly as dogs if you take the time to love on them (this will include treats!) I suggest either ewes or wethers. Sometimes you can purchase older ewes that are past breeding & will enjoy an easier life (they may need domesticating depending on the flock you get them from) or wethers. Wethers can usually be purchased at a lower cost as lambs & will often become extremely friendly quickly. Because they are wethers & not rams, you can safely spoil them. Both of these choices will not be breeding so their wool should be quite nice.
You can use a ram lamb for breeding in the fall then process him in the winter if you don’t wish to keep a ram. There is a small chance that the meat will be tainted by ‘ram musk’ but the younger he is the less chance of that. Also the longer you wait after breeding season the more likely you are to avoid it. This option is best for unregistered meat flocks as this would not be economical when using more expensive, registered rams. It also is not feasible for breeds where rams are not located geographically close.
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