Am I crazy? Thinking about raising sheep and lambs

[DrRod]

The biggest event in Howard County MD is the Sheep and Wool Festival. People come from distant states to attend and the traffic backs up enough to clog I-70. I don't have firm data but just from observation it seems to be dominated by hair breeds including goats and rabbits. There are lots of vendors selling yarn and cloth made from hair as well as regular wool. I suspect the popularity of the event is because there aren't a lot of them so even if you are from Ohio or new Hampshire this is the place to be. Might be worth attending such an event to talk with the people there about their experience.

 

[MacLawn]

"sheep are the only animals I have ever seen that look for ways to die."

heheeheh, no wonder the Lord said we are like sheep.

 

[DrRod]

I had a farmer friend whose neighboring farmer had a rather suspect reputation. The neighbor had wheel-less school buses used as run-in sheds for sheep, goats, and chickens. We always wondered why there was a steady string of cars going up his lane on Saturday's and Sunday's. And many of the cars were taxis [you are going to have forgive this stereotype]. Well, as it turned out, he allowed people whose religious beliefs included killing their own meat and to do so in accordance with various ceremonial requirements. When this came to light, various government agencies rushed to shut it down primarily because his operation didn't meet health department standards. In any case, this could be a niche market we haven't considered.

 

[quicksandfarmer]

I had a farmer friend whose neighboring farmer had a rather suspect reputation. The neighbor had wheel-less school buses used as run-in sheds for sheep, goats, and chickens. We always wondered why there was a steady string of cars going up his lane on Saturday's and Sunday's. And many of the cars were taxis [you are going to have forgive this stereotype]. Well, as it turned out, he allowed people whose religious beliefs included killing their own meat and to do so in accordance with various ceremonial requirements. When this came to light, various government agencies rushed to shut it down primarily because his operation didn't meet health department standards. In any case, this could be a niche market we haven't considered.

It would surprise me if those ceremonial requirements weren't more stringent than USDA.

Bruce King, the farmer whose blog I linked to upthread, dealt with the regulatory issue this way: he improved a section of the public right-of-way outside his farm gate for customers to use as a slaughter area. As far as he's concerned he sells the customer a live animal, what they do with it once it's off his property is their business. He just happens to occasionally leave a few tables, butcher knives, trash cans, and hoses with hot and cold running water outside his gate.

 

[rockinmywaypa]

When I started 30 yrs ago I sold some to a guy that wanted them for friends and family, very old order portiguese people, they butchard them in my barn and the only thing they left behind was the hide and manure that was inside them, everything else was food to them. I never forgot them and I've always thought about what our generation considers edible or not.
As far as keeping them around visit Premier website, all kinds of information and prices on equipment you would need, stomach worms can be your biggest problem but if you make areas that you can put them for 3-4 days then move them to the next square then you will stay ahead of the worm cycle that will reinfect your animals.

 

[Dadnatron]

There are two farmers in my area who raise both goats (Boer) and sheep. They raise them naturally with a very few caveats which allows them to sell them at a premium to Muslim and Jewish community at a premium. If I were you, and you are truly interested, I would contact the local Synagogue and Mosque and have a chat.

I think you might very well have a ready made market that would fit your needs very well.

Don't think wool however... think meat.

 

[Groo]

I heard one guy around here say he likes to get a few labs in the spring and let them graze all summer to sell before the snow flies.

 

[prichard]

I've heard the are what people think about goats. They will eat everything including roots. They have to be rotated for the forage to have any chance to recover. Goats are actually more selective eaters. I heard in Tallahassee they got sheep to eat Kudzu at parks because the goats turned their noses up at it.

 

[300UGUY]

I had a farmer friend whose neighboring farmer had a rather suspect reputation. The neighbor had wheel-less school buses used as run-in sheds for sheep, goats, and chickens. We always wondered why there was a steady string of cars going up his lane on Saturday's and Sunday's. And many of the cars were taxis [you are going to have forgive this stereotype]. Well, as it turned out, he allowed people whose religious beliefs included killing their own meat and to do so in accordance with various ceremonial requirements. When this came to light, various government agencies rushed to shut it down primarily because his operation didn't meet health department standards. In any case, this could be a niche market we haven't considered.

We have the largest concentration of middle eastern folks in the country. Lamb is on the menu for those folks regardless of their religion.

 

[300UGUY]

I've heard the are what people think about goats. They will eat everything including roots. They have to be rotated for the forage to have any chance to recover. Goats are actually more selective eaters. I heard in Tallahassee they got sheep to eat Kudzu at parks because the goats turned their noses up at it.

I've had goats, I found them to be very much like deer in what they ate. In other words, keep them away from young fruit trees. I can tell you, it ends badly....