Grace, as you well know I have a lot of electric fence and do a lot of livestock moving as well. After about 3 years I have decided that as long as they are inside the perimeter fence then they aren't out! Great video, keep them coming.
thank you for renforceing what i have learned about live stock of any type! 1) a tight fence that is strong enough to keep both the largest and the smallest animal you have on your property/pasture,, 2) control parasites, you took and spent your hard earned money on the now its part of your job to take care of your investment,, the rest every one should know,, thank you for this video
I’m enjoying your videos.. just wanted to clarify your fence type.. With the sheep’s head poking thru the fence, that is not cattle panel.. that is called Mosaic wire mesh.. The mosaic knot give the fence flexibility when animals lean against or stick their heads thru.. Later on I saw welded wire fence over wooden fencing.. Welded wire doesn’t have as much give when animals lean against or put pressure on fence.. Cattle panel is thicker and more expensive fencing and is similar to hog panel.. It is very sturdy also against animal pressure.. I had 300 lb pigs using it to scratch their backs without an issue!
Thanks very much! Yes, it’s a bit of a hodge podge in various areas. I think I made a mistake of saying panels, but For the most part we used the welded wire fencing that comes on the rolls. 👍🏻 Thanks so much for your support! -the Shepherdess
Great video! Love your realistic and yet very positive attitude towards getting started with sheep, or any livestock for that matter. Wonder what were some reasons you chose that breed (dorper if I'm correct?) compared to others? Also I thought ending your video with a verse was amazing, and tied in perfect with your topic. This world sure could use some more Jesus and back to the basic farming!😁
Thanks for making my Monday with your comment! We chose Dorpers because They are bred for warm dry regions (we are in TX). They are excellent at converting low quality forage into high quality meat. They have a compact body style (not too much leg) which, again, is what you want for growing any animal on grass. They are a hair sheep and don’t require any manual shearing. They are also excellent at reproducing, usually dropping twins. This breed is really superior in my opinion! Hope this helps! -the Shepherdess🐑🌱
@@theShepherdess Ah yes okay that does make sense, very useful information. It seems that hair sheep are becoming very popular for regenerative agriculture, and I personally really like the look of the dorper, yours look very healthy. And yes not having a long legged animal is definitely a plus for raising on grass, that's why I've tended to look towards small breeds of cattle such as the Belted Galloway, British White, Ruby Red Devons, and others. I dont know a whole lot about sheep though, so it really helps getting tips like this from successful people like yourself out there doing it daily. Keep up the good work and God bless!
Excellent video... thanks so much for your honest, candid approach, and no fluff... That sheep is adorable.... Make sure you get a guard dog that is meant for sheep; not cattle.. The natural temperment of the dog is important; not all dog breeds are the same...... I hope you write a book....It will be a best seller, and a great text book.... and I'll be first in line..... Now, I know that sheep are prone to bloat; I would think a person would have to be careful with what type of pest control sheep could handle.... garlic might not be the best for sheep, as it could cause bloat... Natural remedies are very powerful God-given medicines that have to be respected and researched before using on animals....
Hey. Been watching your videos like crazy since I've discovered you channel. Planning/ the dream is to start my own sheep ranch one day, so I'm trying to learn more on that matter. And you help a lot. Great job. Thank you! My question would be, since I've seen you struggle so much with parasites, wouldn't it be a better option to change your flock to a more parasite resistant animal, like St Croix breed? I am just curious, after my research it looks like the St croix breed is the best one out there.
Great question! While St. Croix are reportedly more parasite resistant, Dorper offers me a more profitable business model. I plan to make a video about it into the future, so stay tuned for the in-depth answer. -the Shepherdess