There are so many factors that go into figuring this question out, but thanks for your effort to answer it, and breaking it down as simple as possible.
I have 1/2 acre pasture in SW Idaho. I have 3 ewes and 1 ram that I rotate around in a 16x16 pen and I move daily. I also went through the trouble of installing a pump and sprinklers and throughout the summer I feed zero hay. At the rate I’m moving them each section gets about 60+ days rest. Once my lambs come I’ll likely have to supplement with hay every day, but the trade off will be worth it. To anyone wanting to do the same with very little land, sprinklers and electric netting are your best friends.
Great info. I’m in Utah! In the process of trying to purchase a 5 acre property in northern Utah. Really want to raise sheep/goats along with laying and meat chickens.
I need to increase the amount of pasture land. Next summer that will be the big priority. I just don't have enough area to rotate through at the moment.
@HighMountainHomestead thankfully its the start of winter here so I have them bale grazing throughout their paddock but I went to a seminar and learned that even through winter they should still be rotated. That's going to be a bigger challenge where I live because of all the snow and it is VERY remote. Trying to figure out how to get water to some of those spots without having it freeze has really stumped me lol
Hi PJ! I really like your tips, education, etc! I would love sheep to avoid mowing so much here in Costa Rica. I don’t want offspring. Can I keep two ewes happy without a ram? (In the past I thought I could keep two turkey hens without a tom-they called for days for sexy time!!).
fun and informative thoughts! curious what differences you are seeing with the kadahtin and dorpers? we just got our ewes scanned and all but 2 are bred. 2 ewes had late lambs so will get bred in the next month i bet. interested to see what comes out as last time dad was a giant katahdin and this time its a beefy dorper.
I can only speak to these Katahdins, but they are WAY more skittish than my Dorpers. Dorpers we're also really motivated by food, but only one out of these five Katahdins are really motivated by food. I can tell that they are gonna be smaller. There sire was a terrible stud, I thought he was a ewe when I paid the deposit and then when I came to pick the sheep up, I learned that he was the stud. He was scrawny. Also, these sheep are so quiet. The Dorpers are always making noises, but these rams haven't made peep in months!
I just don't understand what happens in the winter. Of course in NC you don't have much to worry about. I'm in NE PA. Are you putting them in a barn? Dropping hay daily on frozen tundra?
The Passenger Pidgen used to overwinter and nest in Appalachia, but would head out to the heartland for spring they probably went to chase the flys on those buffalo pies. Once that system got that disrupted it's probably what helped seal their fate.
Maybe in the US, you should call your local planning and commission office and ask: How many animals can you have per acre? It seems to vary per county.
What was the area of your farm that you mentioned in the video and said was 1 acre? I am asking this question to understand the information in the video correctly. Because in my country, in Türkiye, 1 acre (1 decare) is considered as 1,000 square meters. However, in some countries, 1 acre is considered as 4047 square meters.
Hello. I Live in Central Oklahoma I have 7.5 acres pasture breaking up into 1/8acre paddocks calculated at 56 days, have 2 rams and 10 ewes. Have never grazed this pasture. what am I looking for , to find out if 1 day rotation is enough or too much time?
The smaller the paddock and quicker the rotation is always better (a move every 20 minutes would be incredibly beneficial) but it also has to be practical.. 12 sheep on 7.5 acres rotated daily is fine management.. you'll probably find that your pasture can handle more, if you have good grass and enough rainfall.
So in your original backyard sheep video... Did you have an acre of pasture for your whole property with your house on it, etc. Or did the sheep have a entire acre of pasture to themselves
I want to try using some sheep to increase soil fertility and increase the biomass on a smaller rice field in Thailand. It would be much less than 1 acre. More like 1600m2 Would it be a bad choice to go with 2 small feeder rams / wethers from a animal welfare standpoint? Or would there need to be more of them to be happy? I would of course supplement with hay and locally acquired forage as needed. Probably a lot on the beginning.
![6 Reasons to Add Sheep to Your Homestead [especially for first-timers]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/mQYc7v39WzY/mqdefault.jpg)
There are so many factors that go into figuring this question out, but thanks for your effort to answer it, and breaking it down as simple as possible.
Thanks for the kind comment!
I have 1/2 acre pasture in SW Idaho. I have 3 ewes and 1 ram that I rotate around in a 16x16 pen and I move daily. I also went through the trouble of installing a pump and sprinklers and throughout the summer I feed zero hay. At the rate I’m moving them each section gets about 60+ days rest.
Once my lambs come I’ll likely have to supplement with hay every day, but the trade off will be worth it.
To anyone wanting to do the same with very little land, sprinklers and electric netting are your best friends.
Thanks for this.
That's awesome, you're doing it!
What breed do you have
Great info. I’m in Utah! In the process of trying to purchase a 5 acre property in northern Utah. Really want to raise sheep/goats along with laying and meat chickens.
Sounds fun! I hope it works out for you! That's a good combo for Northern Utah.
Really good. Thank you 🙏🏻
I need to increase the amount of pasture land. Next summer that will be the big priority. I just don't have enough area to rotate through at the moment.
I've been in that position before. In some ways, its easier. Feeding hay is expensive, but easier than rotating on a small scale like I'm doing.
@HighMountainHomestead thankfully its the start of winter here so I have them bale grazing throughout their paddock but I went to a seminar and learned that even through winter they should still be rotated. That's going to be a bigger challenge where I live because of all the snow and it is VERY remote. Trying to figure out how to get water to some of those spots without having it freeze has really stumped me lol
There will be many people who need this information from you
Thanks! It's certainly info I was looking for years ago.
Hi PJ! I really like your tips, education, etc! I would love sheep to avoid mowing so much here in Costa Rica. I don’t want offspring. Can I keep two ewes happy without a ram? (In the past I thought I could keep two turkey hens without a tom-they called for days for sexy time!!).
fun and informative thoughts! curious what differences you are seeing with the kadahtin and dorpers?
we just got our ewes scanned and all but 2 are bred. 2 ewes had late lambs so will get bred in the next month i bet. interested to see what comes out as last time dad was a giant katahdin and this time its a beefy dorper.
I can only speak to these Katahdins, but they are WAY more skittish than my Dorpers. Dorpers we're also really motivated by food, but only one out of these five Katahdins are really motivated by food. I can tell that they are gonna be smaller. There sire was a terrible stud, I thought he was a ewe when I paid the deposit and then when I came to pick the sheep up, I learned that he was the stud. He was scrawny.
Also, these sheep are so quiet. The Dorpers are always making noises, but these rams haven't made peep in months!
I just don't understand what happens in the winter. Of course in NC you don't have much to worry about. I'm in NE PA. Are you putting them in a barn? Dropping hay daily on frozen tundra?
Dropping hay on the snow works well for me!
But if there's some grass poking up, they'll eat it.
The Passenger Pidgen used to overwinter and nest in Appalachia, but would head out to the heartland for spring they probably went to chase the flys on those buffalo pies. Once that system got that disrupted it's probably what helped seal their fate.
Do you have information about tree hay and forage?? Trees shrubs bushes??
Hmm... Nothing super specific. My sheep will eat pretty much anything they can reach.
Maybe in the US, you should call your local planning and commission office and ask: How many animals can you have per acre? It seems to vary per county.
What part of North Carolina are you in? I'm in the process of looking for land myself, to do a version of homesteading.
Orange County, near Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. Best of luck! It's a very friendly area to homesteaders.
What was the area of your farm that you mentioned in the video and said was 1 acre? I am asking this question to understand the information in the video correctly. Because in my country, in Türkiye, 1 acre (1 decare) is considered as 1,000 square meters. However, in some countries, 1 acre is considered as 4047 square meters.
Hello. I Live in Central Oklahoma I have 7.5 acres pasture breaking up into 1/8acre paddocks calculated at 56 days, have 2 rams and 10 ewes. Have never grazed this pasture. what am I looking for , to find out if 1 day rotation is enough or too much time?
Well 1 day rotation will never be TOO much time. The best way is to test and find out for yourself.
The smaller the paddock and quicker the rotation is always better (a move every 20 minutes would be incredibly beneficial) but it also has to be practical.. 12 sheep on 7.5 acres rotated daily is fine management.. you'll probably find that your pasture can handle more, if you have good grass and enough rainfall.
NC, what part? We live WNC, Polk Co.
So in your original backyard sheep video... Did you have an acre of pasture for your whole property with your house on it, etc. Or did the sheep have a entire acre of pasture to themselves
I was technically on 1.25 acres then. So I would guess my sheep had just under an acre to themselves back then.
@@homesteadingwithPJ thanks for the info. Much appreciated
How often do you need to rotate, once per week?
PJ thank you so much! I live in North Carolina and I’m trying to convince my girlfriend that we need to get a couple ewes
Awesome! Let me know how it goes and best of luck to you guys!
1 hectare = 2.471 acres
I want to try using some sheep to increase soil fertility and increase the biomass on a smaller rice field in Thailand.
It would be much less than 1 acre. More like 1600m2
Would it be a bad choice to go with 2 small feeder rams / wethers from a animal welfare standpoint?
Or would there need to be more of them to be happy?
I would of course supplement with hay and locally acquired forage as needed. Probably a lot on the beginning.
please translyat in hindi