Another option is going straight to breeders. We personally avoid sale barns and auctions, which may be cheaper than other sources, but their selections are often pulled from breeders rejects.
Sometimes that may not be the case, or it may work out anyway, especially if you find a trustworthy source and know how to inspect your sheep before a purchase, but you may just be buying an expensive problem for the future.
Shopping at any form of auction house will also make it impossible to properly inspect the herd the sheep up for sale have come from, which hides important signs of things you may want to avoid. Once you do get to a breeders facility, take a look around. Does it look to be in disrepair, or is well maintained? If the facility looks good, there is a very real chance the sheep will be better taken care of.
Most important of these is checking for individual ear tags and certificates supporting healthy sheep. The breeder should readily supply good lambing records for any ewes, which look accurate and not altered for the purpose of sales. By this we mean we want to see a ewe that very regularly births two lambs, or potentially 3, but feels realistic.
If they do, you have a very good chance that these sheep are going to work well for your purposes. Outside of the sheep being able to fulfill the goals you have for your sheep business, we like to buy sheep which have the same feed types and, as possible, similar living situations to what we can offer. This lowers the stress involved in switching feed types and gives better peace of mind that these sheep will thrive once you take them home.
Be cautious, but stay polite as well! Having a new sheep die young, or even spread a disease to your flock, is not going to turn you a profit! First I will say that if you are fairly new to raising sheep it is worth the cost to bring a vet with you to inspect any sheep you may buy, or at least someone with a lot of experience raising sheep. Beyond that, start with looking at the herd the sheep is coming from.
Are there sheep who have a cough? Watery or unclear eyes? Are some of them limping? Do they seem alert to your presence, or do they seem a bit more absent instead this being the bad sign?
If you see any of these signs, or anything even more worrying, you should find somewhere else to shop. They should have a soft and warm udder, though they may be a bit thinner on the whole if they are or have recently been nursing lambs. But that aside, they should not look overly thin or fat, either of which can be a bad health sign. Their front teeth should match up evenly with their upper gums.
Their hooves and coat should look visibly healthy, with nothing that makes you raise an eyebrow. If you are looking at purchasing a lamb s , try to choose the older of any of a ewes lambs, which have a better bet of having nursed well. Some of their prophylactics should be given before you even take them home.
One last thought on lambs before we move on is that if you are looking to purchase lambs for the sake of raising those into lambing ewes, if you are not experienced you may want to wait a couple of years before you try to lamb them. Caring for a pregnant ewe can offer enough difficulties for first time sheep hands as it is, unless you have help from someone with experience. Making sure gates are secure and latched and that your feed is well contained from predators, rodents, and your new flock is well worth having on your check list as well.
A simple fence may not be enough for some predators, so a basic electrified fence or a sheep dog can be a very cost effective way to protect your investment.
However, choosing your ram will give you better sway over passing on qualities that you want to breed into your lambs, such as being more muscular or having better bone development, outstanding wool production, etc.
Not only will those lambs tend to have built-in resistance to any diseases on your property, but it is the cheapest way to expand your flock. Select your replacements from among the earlier born twin lambs who lambed and nursed on their own. Do you have good fencing which will stop roaming dogs and coyotes? Electric fence is an excellent predator deterrent and there are a number of plans available.
A sheep guard dog can also be added security. You should divide your pastures so that the animals can be rotated every three or four weeks to help control internal parasites. Ewes should be wormed about three or four times annually and lambs at least every other rotation. Administering worming medication as prescribed is indispensable in good sheep management.
Alternate the brand of worming medication to avoid a parasitic resistance build-up. Most farm buildings can be converted quite easily to house sheep and there are a number of plans available. Before you bring your animals home, check your facility carefully for situations that could cause an illness or injury. Is the feed secured? Are there loops of twine or protruding sharp objects such as nails that could cause an injury? Are there places where a ewe might get her head stuck? Are all gates securely latched?
Sheep, particularly lambs, are naturally curious and should be checked frequently during the first few days after you bring them home. Try to continue feeding a similar ration. Any feed changes should be made very gradually over at least a two-week period. If needed, now is a good time to worm your animals and trim their hooves. Before they set foot on your place, trim the hooves carefully and, as a precaution, apply a footrot disinfectant.
Sheep footrot is a common health problem and can be very frustrating to eliminate, particularly during wet weather.
If the sheep have not been on grass, fence off a small area and allow them to graze for an hour or so after the morning dew has dried off. Gradually increase both the grazing time and area for a week or two.
During this time, make sure the ewes fill up daily on dry hay before they are turned into the pasture. One of the best ways to cut costs is to use any pasture you have to its fullest extent. Depending upon the amount of grass you have and the severity of your winters, you will need to have adequate hay and grain available when the bad weather comes.
In the Midwest, about 15 bales of hay will feed one ewe and her lambs from around December 1 st until April 15 th. Incidentally, one of the most pleasant sounds to the shepherd is listening to your flock munch contentedly on hay as the cold winter winds swirl outside the barn.
Expect to pay more if you buy during the winter. If you have more than enough pasture, you can reduce your feed costs considerably by having some of it baled. An older, experienced brood ewe may cost more than other sheep, but this is excellent proof that the animal will give you a return on investment. If you go with ewe lambs or even yearlings, you will need to have experience as a shepherd. Have you ever wondered why ewe lambs cost less?
You cannot know for sure whether a younger ewe will successfully breed. And even if they do, you do not know if they will have problems with delivering or mothering their lambs. Purchasing older ewes can be a great way to save money when buying a starter flock. Sometimes farmers sell off ewes that the shepherd wants to sell in order to maintain a lower overall age of ewes.
A slightly older ewe that is still having lambs and doing well with that, as well as being in good health, is a good investment. You should be aware that if you decide to get slightly older ewes, you will end up having to cull the sheep sooner than if you had gone with younger animals. However, you will also have the chance to keep the ewe lambs from sheep that are better-than-average ewes. Be aware that slightly older animals can be prone to illness or disease , and other problems requiring veterinary care, however.
Keep this in mind as you calculate all the expenses and make your decisions. In my opinion, weekly livestock auctions should be avoided for buying sheep breeding stock. Very often, the animals sold there are non-productive or market animals. If you try to save too much money at this point of your operation, you are likely to pay more down the road. There is no charge or subscription fee - all we need is your email address.
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