Rotational Grazing Sheep on a Small Scale
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- Опубліковано 14 чер 2024
- WATCH ELECTRIC FENCING FOR SHEEP TUTORIAL: bit.ly/sheepfence
Here is how and why we run rotational grazing for our Dorper Sheep at Harmony Farms. We hope this helps you as you operate your own sheep farm in the USA! We move our sheep every 48 hours to give them fresh pasture to graze, and to improve soil health. We frequently move the sheep on our farm to maintain a healthy animal and healthy land. At Harmony Farms we farm purebred Dorper sheep to market as grass-finished lamb, as well as to sell as breeding stock to other farms and homesteads. Please visit HarmonyFarms.Blog for more info!
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"Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." Psalm 100:3
I love your point about sheep needing a shepherd and being grateful for modern things like electric fencing. :)
Electric fencing is the best. 😅😅 it lets this shepherdess keep her day job AND her sheep.😂
@@theShepherdess Where do they sleep at night? What about during harsh weather conditions? Do you move them, if so, how?
Thanks!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. I am an aspiring shepherd, and you be my role model girl!
Yup.... Another good video. Thanks!
We are just south of DFW. We are wanting to get sheep for our 5 acres! So glad I found your channel. We were looking at St. Croix for our first group.
Hey Jessica, I actually just bought 5 acres myself and am wanting sheep. I’m a about 2 hours east of DFW, so our terrains might be a little different (I have a ton of trees I’ll need to clear), but how many sheep are y’all planning on getting for that amount of acreage? I’ve seen a ton of different numbers.
@@blakehamblett1807 we would like to add 2 to 3 more. We currently have 2 ewes. I was told we could do 5. Our pasture isn’t great right now, so working in building that up first before adding anymore.
@@blakehamblett1807 we would like to add 2 to 3 more. We currently have 2 ewes. I was told we could do 5. Our pasture isn’t great right now, so working in building that up first before adding anymore.
@@jessicabennett852 gotcha! Thanks for the info. We literally closed within the past month, so we have a lot of work ahead!
Great teaching video. Good info!
Thanks so much! Appreciate you watching!
You are an excellent teacher. Thank you for the Scripture at the end of each video. God bless.
Karen, your words have blessed me. Thank you!!
-the Shepherdess 🐑🌱
Great information! I just bought my first hair sheep earlier this week and am training them to the electric fence now, with the plan to begin rotational grazing with them by the end of the week. We are in the middle of our rainy season now, so the grass is abundant!
I like the poly tape you are using. I bought poly wire, since was the most economical and lightest way to get it to Liberia. Fortunately, other than my security dogs, we have no predator pressure and netting is not necessary. What's the main reason you selected poly tape over the other options?
She explains this in an older video. I highly recommend watching that video! It is the best explanation.
Love the channel! I'm looking into getting into small scale farming myself. Any recommendations for reading material or channels for someone who wants to get into this lifestyle? I don't have the heart to pick up after a catastrophic loss. Feel i need to do it right the first time. Your too cute btw! Keep up the good work!
I'm so sorry for your loss. We just lost someone too and the three things that have helped me most are:
1. Deeper purpose/joy in Christ and heaven. I realized a lot of my happiness was based on things in this life. This life will be gone very soon so I shouldn't have valued it more than the life to come, which is eternal for true believers saved from sin in Christ. I asked Christ to be my reason to get out of bed in the morning and keep going. I remembered old people I've met who've lost everyone they loved, but still trusted in Christ and he gave them hope.
2. Asking others for help. Not being ashamed to ask because when others help for a little while, I can regain my strength so I don't need to ask for help later.
3. Remembering my ancestors and how hard they worked. They lost infants all the time, lost family and friends to many not-then-preventable diseases, or to droughts and famine, and had to develop a serious iron will to keep working hard as soon as possible after their losses. With the help of #1, this third point helps me move from #2 towards doing the work myself again.
I'm sorry for you loss and I prayed that God would be merciful to you and help you as he did me.
I could like to buy a couple I stay by husville tx
Do you have another video on your paddock set up with the electric? Not electrifying all the perimeter is interesting and I'm curious about how you make it work.
Thanks for commenting! I have one more video with complete details that I’ll link to. All of the poly tape is electrified, and whatever perimeter that is not electrified is actually 6” hog panel. The hog panel prevents escapes. 👍🏻
-the Shepherdess🐑🌱
Hey hope you are good.
Can you do a video on how you do flushing on sheep if you do
I am thinking about going with Royal White sheep
That’s a great sheep!
❤❤❤❤
I have 3 acres of field almostsquare. I would like three sheep but not sure how to rotate them based on how you do yours. Any thoughts? And thank you.
I would break the 3 acres into 60 different paddocks sized at around 2000 SF EACH (roughly 40’x50’ paddocks). Depends on your climate and forage quality, but if your land base is similar to mine you should have plenty of space for 3 sheep (or even 5!). -the Shepherdess 🐑🌱
Also be sure to move them to a new paddock every 48 hours. Thanks for commenting!
do you still get along with out a guardian dog?
Hi, interesting video!
Is it possible to use the same technique with 6 sheep over a little under 2 acres? Or do you think it's too many animals for that surface? I also like seeing them roam free but I'm worried about overgrazing. Thanks!
Depends on your climate and forage quality, but I think it’s very possible. I would dedicate myself to the following in order to keep from overgrazing:
•Breakup the 2 acres into 40 paddocks (dimensions around 40x50’ each)
•Move to a new paddock every day instead of every 2 days.
•Plan on feeding hay from the first frost until the spring grass comes back.
Besides this, just watch-watch-watch! Your land will tell you pretty quick if you are over doing it, at which point: prioritize your land and downsize the flock. Your land is your greatest asset. 🌱
-the Shepherdess
@@theShepherdess Thanks for the reply I appreciate it! Very useful. I know it's all about individual situation and climate. I'm actually in the southwest of France. Very mild winters (almost no frost all winter), lots of rain, good quality grass. I'm still giving plenty of hay. But I'll try rotation and to go down to 4 sheep as originally planned. Thank you again.
@@tonyblast4592 you are welcome! I am excited to know you are watching from France :). Hope to stay in touch through future videos! -🐑🌱
Just curious do the sheep sleep at night or do they graze still with shorter sleep times in between? And do they sleep close to each other for protection?
From what I observe they bed down at night! Yes, they sleep very close. I think it is both for protection and because, as flock animals, they thrive on that close companionship.
Would you graze a cow and sheep together? Or rotate them? I'm thinking of getting sheep and a dairy cow/cows
Hi Madison! Tomorrow's video talks about how I graze sheep and cows together! Thank you for commenting :).
I just found your channel, and PRAISE THE LORD! Thanks so much for such a well- done, well- informed video... I'm planning on a very small herd of sheep and goats, for wool and dairy only.... are the conditions the same; or is there a difference in grazing meat and dairy sheep? I'm looking forward to seeing what other good videos you've got... God Bless you .
I am sorry I missed your comment until now, Mari! Thank you so much for being here. The grazing protocol would be all the same in my opinion... the breeds will convert forage into the finished product they are known for, so if you buy a dairy sheep, good forage = good milk!
Thank you so much!
-the Shepherdess
Makes since they don’t eat around poop cause you move them off and to fresh grass that’s probably why Shepard’s were nomads wayyyyyyy back when
How feasible would it be to start a ram Coop with 10-15 other Dorper herdsmen/women? Every year the Ram is rotated to a different flock so one does not have to worry about line breeding and inbreeding issues. I see the biggest hurdle is finding 10-15 others who rotate and not use medications so the sheep stay parasite free. I am not sure about other health issues a sheep might have.
Then rotate the oldest ewe out (as long as she is not the lead ewe) this way you always have young stock. Best question, what is the life expectancy of a ewe? Then rotate out based on age, never want your herd/flock to age at the same time.
I’m sorry I missed this question, Don. In my opinion, and based on feedback I’ve had from other breeders, sharing a ram carries more risk than reward.
Rams are relatively inexpensive unless you are buying from a high profile breeder. (You can get a non-registered dorper ram for $300-500)
Sharing a ram with 10 other operations opens your flock to disease and parasite problems, which could easily cost you everything.
Thanks for commenting!
-the Shepherdess
I know less than zero about sheep, so possibly a dumb question. As you say the parasite eggs hatch 3-10 days. Aren't the parasites on the sheep? So the eggs travel with them to the next paddock.
The sheep droppings contain the parasite eggs. Once the sheep drops that manure it’s like a parasitic time bomb. The parasites hatch out of the manure anywhere from 3-10 days and crawl up the grass (to be eaten by the sheep). By moving the sheep to fresh pasture you prevent them from eating the parasites.
Ultimately, there are still parasites inside the sheep that they carry to the new pasture, but the goal of the game is to move the sheep faster than those parasites hatch AND do not return to the previous pasture until the parasites have died (appx 70 days).
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask any questions you have.
-the Shepherdess 🐑🌱
@@theShepherdess ahhhh ok makes perfect sense now. I had lice like parasites in my head, not in the manure. thank you for the very quick reply
@@theShepherdess What if I were to follow my (not yet purchased) sheep with chickens?
@@jwilliams9468 yep! That is what we do and it works great. 👍🏻
-the Shepherdess
What does mean "small scale"? Homestead has got in total 7 acres?
How many reels do you need if you're doing 3 strands
I would recommend 6 reels!
@@theShepherdess ok thanks that's what I thought but wanted to make sure you didn't have a trick up your sleeve
Have you considered having chickens with the sheep? I know a lot of the farms here in TN would put chickens with sheep, goats, and cattle for parasite control.
Yes we do run a flock of chickens in a mobile coop. 👍🏻
@@theShepherdess awesome, I’ve just found your videos, enjoying learning about the Dorpers and your experiences with them.
Nothing small about being part of the most important farmers on the planet. Animals need to be done at a scale that their proper treatment can be guaranteed. In our case, never more than actual family can handle up to the point of slaughter. I just don't trust hiring that help in, too many horror stories of abuse and neglect.
matt 24:20 expect jesus to come this winter... god bless...