If you’ve followed our farm for a while, or know me personally, you’ll know I believe that the world would be happier place with more shepherds & sheep in it!
I say this with a smile, but truthfully I feel a flock of sheep gives you a lot of return. I don’t even mention that in these five reasons, but meat, wool, sheepskins, tallow, lanolin, milk & horns/skulls. Truthfully a flock can keep you about as busy as you let it. Cows, goats, pigs, turkeys, chickens etc have their place, but as for an animal that is capable of feeding your family I just don’t think any of them can compare with sheep. Here are 5 other reasons sheep are ideal on a homestead.
Size. When you're considering livestock, size does matter. It directly effects the number of animals your homestead can support, but it also effects the ease with which you handle those animals. Sheep come in a variety of sizes from a 400 lb Suffolk to an 80 lb Shetland. This means you can chose the right breed for your physical abilities, infrastructure, & fencing.
Triple purpose sheep breeds capable of providing you milk, meat, & wool. Wool can be either roving, yarn or sheepskins. All have value & you can learn to produce them yourself. Sheep's milk contains more protein than either cow or goat's milk. Grass fed lamb meat provides one of the highest levels of omega-3s available besides cold water fish. Lamb meat is also high in zinc & iron.
Meat & Processing. The amount of meat after processing is not overwhelming. It can be put away in a conventional freezer. You can process animals as you require them rather then be left with hundreds of pounds of meat you need to freeze, or sell immediately. Processing costs are significantly less & butchering a sheep yourself is feasible. It does not require the expertise, strength or amount of time required to butcher other larger animals.
Entry price is often more accessible, as are feed costs. If you select grass fed genetics, then sheep can be raised on pasture & hay. Sheep require approx 4% of their body weight in dry matter. I feed mine 5 lbs of hay a day. The investments you make in minerals will guarantee long term success, but the price tag for starting a flock of sheep is less than many other animals that can provide food for your family.
Regenerative farming & sheep go hand in hand. Sheep are excellent for regenerative farming where the focus is on building soil health or clearing ground. Sheep pellets make for excellent natural fertilizer whether it's for the garden, or rebuilding pastures. No big patties, but nice pellets. Depending on the breed, sheep can also be good foragers which means they're excellent at clearing ground. We have used our to clear out underbrush & invasive weeds on many acres of property.
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