Sheep are just little cows, a well cared for flock does not have any more death losses than a herd of well cared for cattle. Running cattle and sheep together is a good plan both for pasture management and parasite control, also the cows will help with the biggest problem, dogs and coyotes. Sheep are timid and give up when a dog attacks, dogs kill for sport, a low slung hot wire will help but the main thing is to kill any dogs you see running the sheep or in the pasture, neighbors will say they will keep the dogs locked up but they will forget or not do it, buckshot is the answer. Depending on the growing season in your area sheep can be maintained nearly 100% on pasture, very little grain is needed even at lambing time if you have good alfalfa or clover hay. The average gestation period is almost exactly 5 months, most wool breeds do not breed well in hot weather, usually turned the rams in middle of september and started lambing from the first of March, a well fed ram at least 18 months old will service 35 to 40 ewes. There is an annual stud ram sale at Sedalia Missouri and at Staunton Virginia, the rams are the key to profitable lambs, you can cull ewes to keep the twinners and good milkers but the ram puts the growth on the lambs. Creep feeding the lambs on pasture will produce the fastest growth, it is ultra important to dock tales and castrate the lambs anywhere from 1 week to 4 weeks of age. Worm as soon as the lambs are really grazing. Shearing is a learned skill, it is hard on the back if you are not in shape, if you get good at it you can shear a ewe in less than 10 minutes, shearing around the vulva and udder is a good plan a couple of weeks before lambing but selecting and culling for ewes with clean under lines is a better plan. 75 acres of well managed pasture will easily carry 250 ewes and their lambs in most parts of the country, cross fencing and having several paddocks is easy with hot wire and then you have much less trouble with worms, always try to put the lambs on the best and cleanest pasture you have so they can get the benefit of the most nutrients with very few parasite problems. Perimeter fencing should be net wire with bottom strand of barbwire and hot wire, open front sheds are plenty for sheep if not in total blizzard country, depending on the weather lambing on pasture or in sheds works well. Some areas of the country probably have little or no wool market, when handled and stored properly wool does not spoil so it can be carried over year to year or hauled to a state with a good market, a little research can make you money. Three reccomendations, first, go on e-bay and buy a copy of ''Morrisons Feeds and Feeding'' 21st edition or later, complete work not the condensed, probably run you around 10 bucks but has sections on raising and feeding sheep and lambs with timeless information, second, join whatever sheepbreeding association is in your area or state, third, dog proof and do the fencing before you ever buy the first sheep.
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Today's Featured Article - Listening to Your Tractor - by Curtis Von Fange. Years ago there was a TV show about a talking car. Unless you are from another planet, physically or otherwise, I don’t think our internal combustion buddies will talk and tell us their problems. But, on the other hand, there is a secret language that our mechanical companions readily do speak. It is an interesting form of communication that involves all the senses of the listener. In this series we are going to investigate and learn the basic rudimentary skills of understanding this lingo.
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