How to run a LEAN SHEEP GRAZING operation. 

Thanks! My wife Laura came up with it.

Thank you!

You got this!

Thank you! We appreciate you watching and your comments and questions!

Absolutely!

We're in Missouri on 30 acres. Our paddocks are typically quarter acre although can vary from an eighth acre to half an acre depending on intended results and conditions.

We have coyotes all over but have not had any problems. We do not have a lgd. Just the electric fence.

I absolutely have for those reasons and for the extra hoof trampling power on the pasture. I would need to invest in some handling equipment for animals that size, which has been the deterrent. Thank you for the question!

We had a few at the beginning that had issues. We have the flock narrowed down to healthy sheep. We have not tried their milk. Probably won't lol.

First let's talk cold vs COLD. Believe it or not, the sheep are conditioned for the cold weather. Even snow. They prefer to be on pasture even in those conditions. But in severe cold and freezing rain, sheep do need some shelter. See our BLIZZARD video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0gYFeUPTV_8.htmlfeature=shared

Typically 2 sections of fence per paddock, so I would need a minimum 4 total sections to also set up the next paddock. When all are in one paddock, 18 sheep.

​@eweandmeranch4024 how long do they stay in that one paddocks? A day? 3 days?

Depends. They are moved every day or sometimes twice a day depending on Forage, mud, etc. In spring when there's an abundance I may leave them for 1.5 days. Usually not longer than that though.

Depends on goals. Stocking density changes for us with conditions and other factors. Gotta be flexible!

On very high heat days they need shade for sure and lots of water. If you end up with something like freezing rain, they will need a way to get out of it. For us, we utilize the treeline during the hottest days of summer. And can utilize the trees during stormy weather. We also have a medium size shed that we can put them by to get out of freezing rain for the day. Otherwise it's just a pretty typical rotation all year long with little changes for size and paddock shape depending on the conditions and situation.

@@eweandmeranch4024 thank you! I will aim for this vs keeping them inside im starting to read can lead to parasite problems.

Missed one of your questions, end of March was our starting date for Lambing this year. Spring flush starts around first of April so perfect timing and weather warms up a little.

Gallagher sheep net

From what I've learned, best defense against predators is 2 layers. First is very very 🔥 electric sheep net style fence. Barb wire, high tensil, these won't keep anything out. And may not be great at keeping sheep and especially goats in for long. The tight squares of sheep netting is what's needed. Along with a very hot charger and taking the time to ensure tight fence every time you check them. 2nd is a good, trained guardian dog. We don't have one by the way but eventually may get one. We have not suffered any losses with our electric sheep net. But that would be my next step. 🔥arm is Absolutely necessary.