The Shepherdess

Resources for Beginner Sheep Farmers, Dorper Sheep for Sale in Texas!

dorper sheep farming

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Details on 2024 Dorper Lambs for Sale

Hi friends,

On May 28th I am announcing the winner of the Dorper Dream Flock Giveaway(8 days left to submit your grant application if you have not yet!).

May 30th Lamb Sale Details:

On May 30th I will be selling a handful of ewes lambs and rams lambs from my flock. They will be for sale through this link at 8 am CST (bookmark that link for quick access on sale May 30th). Here are some details about the sheep I am offering:

  • The Dorpers I am offering for sale are purebred. Their sire (father) is registered, their dams (moms) are commercial purebred ewes.
  • These are some of the most solid grass-based Dorper genetics you will find. These Dorpers will thrive on a well-managed pasture based system. At my farm, grain is reserved for emergency situations and is not a baseline feed for my flock. Quality pasture is our baseline!!
  • Pickup dates will be scheduled for June-July in Northeast Texas (more information will be provided directly to the buyers after purchase).
  • Rams and ewes are half brothers/sisters this year, so I do not advise breeding them together.

-the Shepherdess

“He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” Psalm 23:2

Small Farm Revival Tee is IN STOCK in sizes S-3XL!

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PAID TO GRAZE | Wildfire Prevention using Sheep and Goats (Southern California)

Today I am taking you with me as I visit with Dylan Boeken, who raises meat sheep in Southern California.

Dylan raises sheep and goats for a full time income in California, without owning any land. Dylan is the lead shepherd at the Shepherdess Land and Livestock contract grazing operation in the Ojai Valley of Southern California. Shepherdess Land and Livestock is owned by Brittany Cole Bush.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 45 MINUTE EPISODE!

I filmed this episode during our layover in Los Angeles on our way to Australia. This is episode 4 of 4 from my trip to Australia! The info in this video will help those who are farming with limited land resources raising meat sheep.

Raising sheep for wildfire prevention in Southern California (OJAI VALLEY):

  • WHERE: Today I am touring Shepherdess Land and Livestock, a contract grazing operation that manages thousands of sheep and goats in OJAI VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.  Ojai Valley is located in Southern California, just 1.5 HOUR DRIVE NORTH OF LOS ANGELES.
  • RAINFALL IS BETWEEN 15 AND 21 INCHES IN THE VALLEY ON AN AVERAGE YEAR.

On this tour, Dylan drives us across the valley to 3 locations where their flocks are currently grazing.  We discuss:

  • How Shepherdess Land and Livestock uses small ruminants and targeted grazing to mitigate wildfires in southern California.
  • How Cole and Dylan are actually PAID for every acre they contract GRAZE, IN one of the most expensive areas of the country to buy land.
  • How Dylan built a thriving direct to consumer forage-fed lamb business in Ojai Valley just 3 years after launching into agriculture himself.

FACTS:

When rainfall is plentiful, ranging from 30” and upward, pasture recovery is rapid; a paddock at my farm in Northeast Texas may become ready to graze in as little as 28 days after a previous grazing cycle. As I toured Dylan’s operation he cited that the growth stockpile on this paddock took 7 months to accumulate. While Dylan and the Shepherdess Land and Livestock Team are at no want for land to utilize, should someone be looking to buy a ranch and launch a forage-only operation, either the installation of irrigation or keeping stocking rates at 1 sheep per 2 acres would be what is required.

Closing thoughts: One of the biggest takeaways from my visit with Dylan was that, despite skyrocketing land prices and increasingly difficult conditions for those in conventional agriculture, the landscape is teeming with unique opportunities for shepherds who are ready to think differently, manage differently, and put in the work.  Were we to have one partnership in every county, like that of Shepherdess Land and Livestock & Boek House Custom Butchery, food shortages, erosion, and desertified urban landscapes would no longer be a significant threat to our nation. Families would have access to nutrient dense foods at a reasonable cost, rather than defaulting to chemically preserved composites from the grocery store.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm24:1

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MARKETING LAMBS FOR $225-$480 EACH | Dorper Sheep Farming in the USA

DOWNLOAD MY (free) PDF: 3 TIPS to LAUNCH A PROFITABLE EMAIL LIST!

Marketing Lambs for $225-$480 each:

A question I often receive is: “Where do you sell your sheep for the premium pricing you talk about?”

 So today I am going to (1) tell you exactly where and how I sell my sheep for between $400-500 per head, regardless of what the sale barn prices are, (2) how long it has taken me to build this sales stream, and (3) The TOTALLY UNIQUE and different from me way my Instagram friend Darlene used to sell her first grass fed lambs for a whopping $510 each, profiting $400 per head!

About Harmony Farms:


For those new here, I run a small-scale sheep operation on 30 acres in Northeast Texas.

I started three years ago with no experience in agriculture, but I did have a pretty extensive background in marketing and using the internet to build various types of income streams.

From the beginning there was one concept I was dead-set on: I was not going to rely on sale barns (or really any middle man or 3rd party sales platform) for profitability. I was going to market my product, my sheep, direct to consumer.

I knew I needed to do this in order to garner a consistent level of profitability from my farm.

BECAUSE, If you are familiar with sale barns and conventional cattle cycles, you will know that you have maybe 2-3 really good years where you are making bank at the sale barns, 2-3 years where you are covering costs and doing ok, and 2-3 years where you are bleeding to death because the prices at the sale barn won’t even pay for inputs necessary to overwinter your breeding stock. The length of these cycles varies based on various factors, but generally that’s what you can expect when using sale barns.

So from the start I knew I could not build a business that was at the mercy of this crazy cycle.

3 years after starting out, by God’s grace, my efforts in this direct to consumer sales stream has paid off way better than I ever expected. Not only do I have a low-maintenance sales platform that I can sell my sheep through at a premium, I have a relationship with a customer base that has allowed me to diversify my income and quit my regular job in 3 years instead of 7.

Now a quick sidenote about quitting my regular job: I haven’t really quit. I have just moved it to the back burner and turned the heat down to a slow simmer. And I can do this because ALL of the income streams I am working (and have ever worked in my 18 years of earning an income) are 100% home based. Diversity is important and no smart business person will ever completely ditch a viable income stream when they have the option to simply dial it down for a season. This is what I’ve done.

————————————

Where do I sell my sheep for $400-$500 per head?:

So let’s get to the first point: Where do I sell my sheep for $400-500 per head?

Where do I sell my sheep for between $400-500 each? I sell them through my email newsletter. I began building my email newsletter list 3 years ago and for 3 consecutive years I have marketed all of my sheep through that newsletter list.

I use that newsletter list to point to my website where all of my sheep are listed once per year at a set price. People can use their credit card to check out on that website and pay for their sheep, just as they are accustomed to doing multiple times per week for other products. I pre-announce the date and time that my sheep will become available and they are offered on a first-come-first-served basis.

In my first year, I only had enough newsletter subscribers to sell 1/2 of my sheep through my website, so I advertised and sold the other half through Craigslist. It took about a month total to sell all of my sheep in my first year.

In my second year, I had built my newsletter list enough to where I sold out of all of my sheep within 15 minutes of opening the sale, and in my 3rd year I sold out of all my sheep within 4 minutes of opening the sale.

Each year I was also offering significantly more sheep than the previous year, which was encouraging to see the demand keep up with flock growth.

Whether people are buying for meat or for breeding stock, I direct them all to the same newsletter “waitlist’ throughout the year. The price for meat and breeding stock works out to be about the same: $400-500 per head.

Second point: How long has it taken me to build out my newsletter?

The short answer is about 3 years in total. On a daily basis I’d say I’m spending between 1-2 hours per day actively building up my newsletter, using the strategies I outline in that free PDF guide that is linked below.

This time quote of only 1-2 hours is a result of having streamlined a lot of processes to gain subscribers: kicking out the strategies that don’t work and zeroing in on the ones that do.

To keep those subscribers warm from one year to the next (because as it stands I have only one lamb crop and only one time per year that I sell my lambs), I send out a monthly farm update full of behind the scenes photos of the flock and the work I am doing at the farm.

The reason this is important is because if you just send out one email per year saying “hey! The sheep are ready to buy!” People are going to be like “who is this stranger in my inbox??” Because they probably will not remember the fact that 8 months prior they joined your email list to buy lamb.

But if once per month you stay in touch with truly beautiful photos, stories, and sometimes struggles from the farm, you have kept the minds and hearts of your subscribers warm throughout the year.

For me, it also provides an easy way to value-add. If the buyer can see beautiful photos of how my sheep are raised and loved, it becomes an easy, non-salesy way to elevate the value of my sheep above other people’s sheep.

EVEN BETTER: In those monthly farm updates, I regularly offer my subscriber something else to buy, items that cost $50 or less. And that diversification is what has allowed me to quit my regular job and focus on my farm business 4 years ahead of my business plan.

If you guys have any further questions they re probably answered on that FREE Newsletter strategy PDF down below, so grab that before you leave!

Finally, I am just going to read how my friend Dianne at Good Shepherd Homestead sold her first grass fed lambs for $510 each, profiting $400! (@goodshepherdhomestead1 on instagram if you want to follow her)

“I wanted to share my success in
raising my first lamb harvest. We
raised grass fed lamb, butchered 4
and sold 2 lambs in profits already.
Each lamb will bring in $510 with a
profit of $400. It could be more but
I’m selling at a price l’d pay. I hosted
a “Lamb Feast” and invited 35
people. They ate lamb for free and
brought side dishes. At the end
several purchased lamb meat and
now they are sharing with their
friends where to get lamb. I accepted
payment via cash and cash app.
God is so good.

The event went so well. we are
considering hosting it once a
quarter due to many request.
@thegoodshepherdhomestead1”

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August 2023 Farm Update

Hello Friends,

August ushered in a slower pace on pasture and allowed me to launch and ship the Basics of Raising Sheep on Pasture. The heat was extreme and we had little or no rain, but (remembering last year’s drought) I reserved some pasture in prep for another dry spell. Here is a look at August!

​
​I also want to issue a quick apology! Over the past couple of weeks those who ordered sheep supplies have experienced delays in shipping. I typically ship my sheep supplies within 1-2 business days, but with the Book Pre-order, a few of those orders were lost in the influx. My shipping helpers and I have caught up and plan to be back on track with supplies shipments this week.

The Sheep are doing amazingly well in the dry heat. The Dorper is built for drought conditions, so they are having no trouble sailing through the dry spell!

We have had little rain and triple digits for 6 weeks straight. The good rains this spring allowed me to put some pasture in reserve for the dry spell!

My book: The Basics of Raising Sheep on Pasture has launched and is shipping now!!! I am so grateful for your response to this book.

My incredible family jumped in to help fill your orders!

I really hope this book helps to soften your learning curve and hasten you to a pleasurable, profitable experience with sheep!

I have a NEW SHIRT AVAILABLE! Probably one of my favorites yet :).

I am so grateful for your continued support! I look forward to seeing you again next month :).

-the Shepherdess

“Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3

Are you looking for pasture raised sheep to buy? Check out my pasture based breeder directory!

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Cost of Building a 10 Acre Sheep Farm From Scratch.

PDF RESOURCE LIST

Today I am going to walk you through what I would use to make 10 acres of raw land suitable for raising and grazing sheep. I am going to outline what you need to install and give you a ballpark figure of how much this infrastructure will costs. I will explain the various options for water and electricity, even outlining some options for land that has neither water nor electrical access yet.

Fencing:

Fenceline Clearing: $500-3000

In my area of Northeast Texas, a forestry clearing machinery kit can be rented for $3,000 per week. For light brush, a brush hog costs about $500 per week to rent.

Perimeter Fencing Material: $3824

I would install the same fence that is on my farm right now. This fence is a woven wire field fence and costs $478 per 330 linear foot. The cost covers a 6×6″ woven wire field fencing that comes on 330ft rolls. You will need to factor in the cost of corner braces if you do not have the lumber from clearing the fenceline to do so.

Corner Braces: 5 each 8’x6″ treated post ($30 each). $150 per corner post x 4 $600.

Gate: $313

2 Gate hinge kits at $18 each

1 Utility Tube Gate for $217. Two 8’x6″ treated post for either side of the gate = $60

Fencing Total: $4,637-7137

Water:

If you already have a spigot access point, you can simply take water to your paddocks using a 500′ length of UV resistant Poly-tubing. That’s what I do. The 500′ length of pipe cost me $200 and I have water in all of my paddocks.

#1 Pond: In my region, it costs $1200-3600 to dig a small pond. That said, I would not dig a pond, but haul water instead. Sheep drink very little water. On the hottest days I observe they only drink 1 gallon per head per day.

65 Gallon Tank: $280

Sheep drink about 1 gallon of water per day, so if you are considering a flock of 20 sheep on 10 acres, a 65 gallon water tank will service your flock for 3 days.

Water total: $200-$3000

Housing/shelter:

There are a lot of options when it comes to sheep shelter! Feel free to leave yours down below.

I am currently working with a company to purchase a 10×20′ structure that will be a miniature replica of the 2-sided structure that I currently have.

With the modifications this structure will cost around $2,200.

A 2-sided shelter is all I have ever needed here in Texas. The closed side is facing the north, which is where the cold wind blows in from. As long as there is plenty of dry bedding, the sheep are just fine in this shed!

Shelter Cost: $2,200

Rotational Grazing Infrastructure:

Charger System:

Assuming no electrical access, I would utilize a 5 joule solar system for 10 acres. $800

Total: $800

Rotational Grazing Supplies:

Here are the supplies I would keep on hand for rotational grazing:

6 reels. $90

6 rolls of polytape. $240

40 Step in Posts. $87.60

2 sets of tri-jumper cables. $20

2 Reel stands with brackets: $250

Total: $687

Buffering for Incidentals:

I would put a $1,500 buffer into my budget for this project for incidentals. This will cover the cost of the unexpected. If you don’t spend it, you can put it toward the cost of breeding stock… but it is that it is better to come up with extra than to fall short.

How many sheep on 10 acres?

In a good rainfall area (40″+) with land that has 70% grass cover or more, 2-3 sheep per acre is possible.

That said, I would start with 1 sheep per acre. Buy 8-10 of the highest quality ewes you can find and pair them to the best ram you can afford. Starting small is my anthem. It will keep you from burnout: both financial and emotional.

What’s more is that sheep reproduce really fast. Within 8 months your flock size will double. You can save back your best ewes every year to increase your flock size from 10 to 20, and so on.

Please share this article with a friend if it helped!

-the Shepherdess

“For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish…” Luke 14:28

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Farm Update (December and January ’23)

Hello Friends,

It’s time for a farm update… and this one covers December and January! I had someone write, concerned that I did not send December Farm Update. I want to assure you that all is well. I was working non-stop in December to finalize the hardcore educational resources I have been working on all year! Enjoy a behind the scenes look at December and January on the farm (and yes, we had some tiny surprises!).

​We had about 5 surprise lambs! I keep my ram on property year round. Last July he broke out of confinement while I was out of town. Thankfully the weather in December and January was great. These little lambs were able to put some meat on their bones before rough February weather hit!

For those asking about the next availability of livestock: keep your eyes on April! My complete ’23 lamb-crop should be accounted for by then and I will open reservations at ShepherdessDorpers.com.

I have been feeding hay (for the most part) since November. The drought really eliminated most of my winter grazing. However, in December, good rains and warm weather caused the 3 acres of Rye Grass and Clover I planted to sprout! It wasn’t a huge crop, but certainly a nice boost!

A Spring ’22 ewe lamb growing out nicely!

I receive a lot of questions about the various supplies I use in my flock. I took some time to make a video on my “15 essentials”. I hope it helps you!

​

Until next time,

-The Shepherdess

Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28

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Answering your questions about the Shepherdess Masterclass!

ENROLL HERE!

Here are some of the questions coming through about Monday’s Launch of the Shepherdess Masterclasss: a video led course for beginners on raising, grazing, and marketing sheep! I am excited to see you then!

How and where do I enroll?

Enrollment opens on Monday at 8 am CST at  Shepherdess.com . At that time you will see a HUGE “ENROLL NOW” banner at Shepherdess.com… it will be hard to miss :).

Are there early sign up bonuses?

YES. First 20 students to enroll will receive 2 hard copy books on animal handling and husbandry. Temple Grandin’s Guide to Working with Farm Animals and Storey’s Guide to Raising Miniature Animals.

My schedule is busy, are these one-time only live classes?

No, these are on-demand classes. You can learn in line with your own schedule and replay each class if you need to. There are 3 student-only livestreams that I will be hosting at set times, but the classes are accessible 24/7.

Why limited enrollment?

I want to ensure a high quality experience. This enrollment window will close after 7 days. I plan to launch another enrollment cycle once the first round of students are taken care of!

I already have sheep, how will this help?

This course has a lot of marketing and business building info in it that will help you transition into a for-profit flock. Also, a lot of struggles emerge when your flock begins lambing. This Masterclass covers how to care for ewes at lambing and how to avoid common causes of death in lambs from birth to 8 months.

What does the Shepherdess Masterclass teach?

Alot. Here is the run down!

•LAMB FOR LIFE: How to avoid common causes of death on sheep farms. (With hands-on tutorials on how to give shots, medicine, etc)

•GRAZING SHEEP 101: How to setup a grazing system that only takes 1 HOUR PER DAY to maintain. (With Hands on tutorials on how to install charger systems, ground rod systems, what fencing to use, etc)

•MARKETING SHEEP+: How I market sheep (and more) for a full time income without leaving the farm.

6 Farm on the Web Marketing classes:

•How to setup a Newsletter for your farm.

•How to setup a Website for your farm.

•How to sell products on your website.

•How to advertise on social media without paying for ads (3 classes for Youtube, Instagram, and Facebook.)

In summary you receive:

9 One-Hour Masterclass Video Sessions

3 EBOOKS (80 pages each)

14 hands on TUTORIAL VIDS (average of 5 minutes each)

2 Supplies Lists (with links to best-price sources)

5 Worksheets

1 Shepherdess Photo Filter for professional quality iPhone shots.

Enrollment BONUS:

First 20 Students to enroll receive 2 hardcopy books.

All students will receive 3 student-only LIVESTREAM Q+A’s with the Shepherdess.

… a $985 value.

What are you charging for the Masterclass?

I am offering this info at a special price of $425 next week.

Will you offer a payment plan?

Yes! The payment plan is 4 monthly installments of $110.

What if I have already bought some of these classes from you in the past?

You can purchase the ones you don’t own  a la carte on this page .

I’d like to share about your courses on my social media, do you have offer affiliate commissions?

Yes!  CLICK HERE  for info.

-the Shepherdess

“Know ye that the LORD he is God: It is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3

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2022 RECAP | SHEEP FARMING IN THE USA

1 HOUR SHEEP FARMING WEBINAR: https://bit.ly/Sheepx3Webinar

2021 LAMBING VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qhe6…

By popular request, I am giving a full recap of Lambing in 2022. Most of my lambs were born in March and April, but I had a few surprises born here in November and December.

I am going to talk about how I prepare for lambing, the complications that popped up this season and how I addressed them, and then at the very end I am going to give you a complete look at my cast of characters for 2022 (this may or may not include a lamb with a strong resemblance to Barney Fife).

The Supplies I use for my flock at Lambing. (Click on the photo for purchase)

I am hosting a free webinar in January on the basics of raising, grazing, and marketing sheep. Spots are limited so reserve yours using the link below. If you are watching this after the live workshop, you will be able to watch the replay through that same link :).

I did a lot of prep in the two weeks leading up to my official lambing season. First was to make sure I had all of my supplies on hand. I am going to share with you the various supplies that I used throughout lambing. Some of these products are not easy to find on local level. In light of this problem, I spent some time getting distribution rights for these supplies and have bundled them all into what I am calling The Shepherdess Essentials Bundle which is available at Shepherdess.com. Having these supplies on hand is going to save a lot of money in vet bills and maybe even a few lives so no matter what phase of the game you are in, make sure to order this bundle of products on hand.

Second was to prep the lambing shed with fresh bedding, and run a pre-lambing inspection on all my ewes. Here I am primarily checking for parasites and deworming any ewe with a notable parasite load. A ewe’s immune system dips at lambing and during lactation so parasite loads left unchecked can become a major issues.

Issue #1 that cropped up this year was a need for assisted delivery. I assisted about 8 ewes and 6 of 8 were a result of malpresentation. A lamb presenting correctly will have two hooves pointing forward and the nose resting right on top. The problem that kept recurring was that my lambs were coming out with only one foreleg forward. This added a lot of bulk to the shoulders.

Now this is a pretty common malpresentation. Sometimes a ewe can birth a lamb that presents this way just fine, however there were two factors that did not make that the case for these 6 ewes. First, many of the ewes were first time moms and the lambs were very large singles, not the moderately sized twins that you want. For this reasons the ewe would pass the head and the foreleg but those big shoulders would get caught. Despite pushing for an hour or more, the lamb would not pass.

In assisting these ewes, I would give them some time to attempt to deliver the lamb on their own. Once it had been about 45 minutes with no progression I’d go in to assist. When I could, I would push the head back in to the birth canal and draw both of the legs forward. Most times however, the lamb was too far delivered to push it back. In such cases, I would take the leg that was coming forward and pull it out as far as I could (this frees up some space for those broad shoulders), then I would pull the lamb by the neck and leg in a sort of c-curve toward the udder.

If the ewe was still contracting, I’d pull with contractions, otherwise I just went for it.

For 2 of these malpresentated deliveries, the ewe went into labor overnight. When I did my check in the early morning I found the first ewe in some significant distress. I was able to deliver her lamb, but the ewe was really non-responsive as a result of exhaustion. I gave her a shot of Vitamin B, which is a great means of replenishing energy after a stressful situation. (Vitamin B and the needles and syringes to administer it is going to be in the Shepherdess Essentials Bundle I have linked below) She came to and followed the flock out to pasture, before realizing her maternal duty.

The second ewe had also been laboring overnight. The lamb was badly hung and had been for several hours. “Hung” means that the head had been hanging outside of the birth canal for a pretty long time. This typically results in the lamb being strangled. I caught the ewe and helped her pass this limp lamb with an extremely swollen head. I was so disappointed because to this point I had not lost any lambs. I pulled the lamb assuming it was dead. I put it up by the moms head so that she could at least see it and I just turned and said ” Thank you, Lord I am so sad this one died, but—” Then, all of the sudden the lamb let out a huge sneeze.

It turns out I issued a premature death sentence… and I have never heard a more beautiful sound than that sneeze.

She had a huge welcoming committee.

Again, I followed this birth up with a Vitamin B shot for the ewe as she was also pretty well paralyzed with exhaustion. Within just a few minutes she was up on her feet and nursing her lamb. It took a full 24 hours for the swelling in the lamb’s head to go down, but thankfully it didn’t keep her from nursing.

Beginner sheep farming course

When it came to the mastitis I had 2 cases of mastitis I treated differently. Mastitis is an infection of the mammary glands that can inhibit the function of the udder and compromise the new lamb. The first case of mastitis I caught before the ewe gave birth. The udder was feverish and lumpy, it had a reddish-purple tint, and was almost sweaty to the touch. I made the decision to give the ewe a 3 day antibiotic regimen before delivery.

I want to make a note here about my opinion on the use of antibiotics, shots, modern medicine on the farm. When I start to talk about shots I sometimes get comments from very well-intended individuals who will say things like “healthy flocks don’t need shots” or “don’t baby your sheep”.

I welcome any opinions, but I’ll also feel free to be bold with mine: I hold to the principle that the judicious application of modern medicine within flocks is good animal husbandry.

This antibiotic regimen was finished about 9 days before the ewe gave birth. Once she raised and weaned the most beautiful set of twins. This ewe did die shortly after weaning. She was old and the mastitis was likely just a symptom of aging out. But she raised an amazing set of lambs before she left the farm.

The second case of mastitis was much more severe. I did not catch this case until the lambs were born. Her udder was rock hard on one side. For this ewe, I did an inter-mammary infusion. (which again, will be in the Shepherdess Essentials Bundle available a Shepherdess.com)

This process was really unpleasant, because I had to flip the ewe on her back and put this tool up her—- and squeeze the solution directly into her udder and then massage her udder for 60 seconds. She hated it, I hated it, we all hated it. But this allowed her to regain enough function to feed her offspring. Now this ewe was culled, but I did provide her with what she needed to get past this issue.

I also want to talk about my portable lambing jug. This little unit was a life saver! During lambing I continued my rotational grazing program. At certain points the rotation put me out of range of my main shed. The portable jug gave me a confined area to treat any issues that popped up. If I needed to treat a mom (such as in the case of mastitis) I would simply put her lambs in there and she’d follow me in for treatment. It was a little bit heavy, but I could pull it a short distance with my body weight, or an atv if the distance was longer.

Excellent maternal instinct is a Dorper breed characteristic, and the ewes in my flock are really living up to that. Once a lamb is born healthy, the ewes will do the rest.

One thing I did make sure to do this year was have supplemental colostrum ready as well as a lamb feeding tube with me at all times. (you guessed it, the feeding tube and colostrum replacer is in the Shepherdess Essentials Bundle!)

Colostrum or not really is life or death for a young lamb. If I have a ewe that is producing a surplus of colostrum, I will milk her and freeze that colostrum for a future need. Otherwise I use a good quality powdered colostrum replacer.

While a feeding tube can be intimidating, it is my go-to over a bottle. I can fill the lambs belly in 3 or 4 minutes. Once I am done the lamb hops straight back to it’s mom and resumes nursing with no problems. If you are supplementing because a ewe does not have enough milk, something to keep in mind is that the more the lamb suckles, the more milk the ewe will produce. We have found that bottle feeding can cause what is known as nipple confusion. The bottle’s will alter the sucking reflex of the lamb in such a way that it will have difficulty latching back on to the mom. The feeding tube allows the ewe and the lamb to maintain that nursing bond. I will use a bottle once I have deemed that the lamb is going to be a bottle baby for life.

The final issue I had was with a lamb that was born wobbly, weak, knock kneed, and had a curved spine. These symptons are commonly linked to selenium deficiency. I went ahead and administered .25ml of BOSE under the skin. BOSE is a selenium-vitamin E shot. The following week, I gave the lamb one more .25ml shot. BOSE is available by prescription only through your vet, so I have not included it in my Essentials Bundle, but have referenced it on the pamphlet inside of the bundle. This will give you the exact product to request from your vet.

Now for the cast of characters. As much as I try to play professional shepherdess, I always end up naming a few lambs. This year was a B theme. We ended up with… get ready for it: Bruce, the giant ram lamb. Betsy, with the black spot. Bandit with the masked markings, and Barney Fife. I’ll let you decide if there is any resemblance ;).

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A Tour of My Lakeland SG200 Sheep Handling System

Here is a complete tour of my Lakeland Farm and Ranch SG200 Sheep and Goat handling system and advice on when you should buy a handling system for your own sheep farm. Also included is how I trained my sheep to the handling system.

Lakeland Sheep Handling Systems: https://bit.ly/LakelandSheepSystem

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sheep and goat handling system lakeland the shepherdess

LAKELAND SHEEP HANDLING SYSTEM 1:05

SYSTEM TOUR 7:14

MAKING A CHICKEN COOP OUT OF A WOODEN CRATE 9:02

HOW I TRAINED MY SHEEP TO THE HANDLING SYSTEM 10:18

WHEN TO BUY HANDLING SYSTEM FOR YOUR SHEEP FARM.

In this Video I talk about:

Lakeland Delux Spin Trim Chute

Lakeland Crowd Tub and Alley System for Sheep

Lakeland 3-way sort gate

Lakeland Easy Panels

Working Dorper Sheep without a handling system

Handling system for sheep and goats

Lakeland Farm and Ranch Direct Tilt table for sheep

Flip Turn Table for sheep

Micro Ranching for Profit

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About this Channel: This channel chronicles my journey as a sheep farmer from the very beginning. My primary occupation is in business management. In 2020, I discovered the principles of regenerative agriculture and embarked on a journey with the end goal of building a profitable small farm on 23 acres by 2027. Thank you for joining the journey! Thank you MaxkoMusic.com for the music!

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ARE SHEEP PROFITABLE? Why I Chose Sheep Over Cows for My Farm Business

Are sheep profitable? Are sheep more profitable than cows? Why did you choose sheep over cows? If I start a sheep farm, how long will it take to become profitable?

I receive these kinds of questions regularly. Unfortunately, the answers will be different for everyone and you have to find the answers for yourself, based on your own research. In farming there are so many variables: geographic location, natural resource, human resource, and most importantly, what your local market will support (aka, who is going to buy your farm goods). And even after all of this research, there is a fair amount of risk involved.

In my context, Lord-allowing, sheep present a projected gross revenue that is approximately 400% greater than beef.

I am going to walk you through the evaluation process that lead me to choose sheep instead of cows for my farm business. I am going to share some of the pros and cons of sheep vs. cows. I am going to highlight the profit-killers that sheep farmers wrestle against. Finally, I am going to walk you through a real-time example of how sheep offer a 400% greater revenue potential on my small acreage farm than cows do.

Sheep vs. Cows:

Sheep:Cows:
❌Need daily monitoring.✅Can be left alone for weeks on end.
❌Easily killed by predators (defenseless).✅Can largely defend themselves.
❌Frequently die of parasites.✅Rarely die of parasites.
❌Require more expensive fencing.✅Require less expensive fencing.
❌Lambing must be monitored closely to avoid significant mortality.✅Calving typically requires minimal monitoring (heifers being the exception).
❌Need regular hoof care (unless terrain is rocky).✅Do not need regular hoof care.
Sheep:Cows:
✅Wean their body weight equivalent in offspring every year.❌Wean 1/2 their body weight equivalent in offspring every year.
✅Begin reproduction as early as 9 mos.❌Begin reproduction at 14 months.
✅Raise twins and triplets.❌Raise singles (twins generally do not thrive).
✅My Dorper sheep cost $10 per head to overwinter.❌My beef steer cost $150-250 per head to overwinter (cost hinges on availability of stockpile forage).
✅Easy to grass-finish on low-moderate pasture quality.❌Require high quality pasture for a high quality grass finish.
✅ $3/lb 2021 USDA Market Average.❌$1.8/lb 2021 USDA Market Average.
✅Market prices not as easily manipulated.❌Market prices easily manipulated by systemic and political factors.
✅Thrive in drought (*at least my Dorpers do).❌Must be destocked in drought.

In short, sheep require significantly more time and human resource than cows. You have to be a shepherd in order to be successful with sheep. If you are willing and able to undertake the role of shepherd, sheep reproduce twice as fast as cows and bring almost twice as much at U.S. cattle auctions than cows. Sheep thrive on pastures that would starve a cow and are a drought-resistant cattle option.

How do I determine profitability? I make sure all costs are counted and revenues exceed costs. But here is where I have to be honest: I am not counting the cost of my time at this point. I am giving my sheep business my time for free… and I have farm hands who donate 4-8 hours per week to help me with heavy lifting. If I were to put a price tag the amount of time I am giving this farm, I would probably not be profitable for 72 years. Just being honest here. But I’m in good company… this seems to be the story of every good rancher’s life.

Two major profit-killers for sheep farmers are PREDATORS and DISEASE.

Predators can wipe out an entire small flock in one night. Disease (internal parasites, vitamin deficiencies, hoof infections, etc.) is part of a fallen world and will always be present on some scale or another. Regenerative Agriculture will never completely eradicate death and disease. The health and protection of my sheep are actually things that I include in my regular prayers. They are profit-killers that only the Lord can protect me from.

Why did I choose sheep over cows for my farm business?

The Lord opened doors to several different market streams:

About one week before I bought the flock I had a local grass-fed meat market contact me. They had seen my work with the flock on Instagram and called to discuss a recurring order for 40 lambs per year. This was the ultimate push for me: a serious meat buyer.

I had also begun to research the Dorper breed and found it was (and is) growing in popularity. I realized that this flock of 25 purebred Dorper sheep was a diamond in the rough. It held far more potential than lamb chops; live animals were (and are) in high demand. Thus, a second market emerged: breeding stock.

To top it all off, I had begun making videos about my farm work. I initially began this as a video journal for myself, but people started watching and enjoying my videos as well. This presented a third marketing and income opportunity: sheep-based education and entertainment.

In my area, there is significant competition for grass-fed beef:

Selling grass-fed beef was my initial plan for profit. I did some market research (google and farmer’s markets) and found there were already some well-established grass-fed beef producers in my area. I also live in a rural area where everyone grows their own beef. I knew it would not be impossible to carve out my own space in the market, but I realized it would take a lot more time to do so. What’s more is that pasture raised lamb was retailing at about 30% above grass fed beef. After this market research, sheep appeared a faster track to profitability.

Sheep presented higher revenue potential for my small acreage:

The best way for me to explain this is to build out my real-time example with the 23 acres of pasture I have. I estimate that with my intensive rotational grazing my 23 acres can support 10 animal units, or 10,000 lb worth of animal (**please know that I am approaching this number incrementally to monitor how my land responds to the animal load). I am going to build this out based on current USDA market prices for conditioned beef steer of 550lb and feeder lambs of 65lb.

Sheep:Cows:
10,000lb = 80 Dorper Ewes10,000 lb = 9 Cows
80 ewes = 10,400 lbs worth of saleable offspring in every year.9 cows = 4,950 lb worth of saleable offspring in every year.
Current USDA Market price is $3/lbCurrent USDA Market Price is $1.80/lb
10,400 x $3 = $31,2004,950 x $1.80 = $8,910
✅Estimated Gross Revenue Potential: $31,200⭕Estimated Gross Revenue Potential: $8,910

My gross revenue potential is higher than what is listed above for a few reasons: I am running purebred and registered full-blood breeding stock, I am marketing my flock through value-adding consumer education (videos), I am running grass-based breed selection (cutting input costs and improving the value of my breeding stock), and I am selling any meat products direct to consumer.

USDA Market Price Evaluation:

I advocate for private sales, but pricing for private sales are often dictated by USDA market (auction) values. As I reviewed USDA market prices for beef and sheep, I realized that sheep were bringing almost double the price of beef cattle.

My lifestyle allows me to be a shepherdess:

I work from home, and have been doing so for 10+ years. I love being right here, at home on my farm. I have the ability to give my sheep the time they need. While I never would have imagined myself to be in this position, I love the farm work and farm life. I now understand why the aged farmers say “you have to love this life”. Some of the challenges you encounter will make you feel like you are cracking in half. No amount of money can make the stress worth it… but if you love something, you are willing to give it more than you’ll ever get back. And that is exactly the place I have come to as a farmer and shepherdess.

Sheep Offer Me a 200% Faster Return on Investment:

I will walk you through both a beef-to-market timeline and a sheep-to-market timeline. In order to generate sizeable revenue with a small beef herd, I believe that direct to consumer meat sales is the only way to go. That is what this evalutaion will reflect.

Journey to cash-flow with beef

(with a herd and not a stocker-steer operation)

  • 9 months gestation.
  • 22-24 months to harvest on a steer.

ROI (return on investment) for Beef = 33 months.

Journey to cash-flow with sheep

  • 5 months gestation.
  • 4 months to weaning and sale of breeding stock or 6 months to harvest of lamb.

ROI (return on investment) for Sheep = 9-11 months.

Two key elements that make sheep a better fit for my context are: I have time to be a shepherdess, and I am working on small acreage.

The bottom line of my journey is that I am farming sheep because the Lord has lead me to farm sheep. The Bible says that whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. That why I am giving this effort all I’ve got... it’s not about money (TBH: I could make more money waiting tables right now). While I am doing my best to be wise and make decisions that may lend to profitability, I realize that the Lord is in control of profitability.

Farming is a humbling thing because it makes you realize how little you know. Despite these plans and evaluations, at the end of the day I am praying the Lord blesses my efforts. And that is my primary hope for profitability.

So that’s it! This is an explanation of why I chose sheep over cows for my small farm business. I hope I presented my evaluation in such a way that will help you to make the right decision for your farm.

-the Shepherdess

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My Documentary for the National Grazing Lands Conference

National Grazing Lands Coalition invited me to speak at their National Conference this year. While I am unable to attend the national conference in-person, National Grazing Lands allowed me to submit this video documentary on my small scale cattle ranching (to be aired at the conference)! This is a pretty complete summary of the past 18 months of my life as a beginner farmer. It outlines my micro ranching for profit startup, my transition from beef to Dorper sheep as the main focus in my farm business, and the ways I am marketing my farm products (Dorper sheep).

Video Timestamps:

2:54 Micro Ranching for Profit

14:20 Why did I switch from beef to Dorper sheep?

16:24 American Agriculture in Crisis.

20:04 How I am selling my farm products.

27:39 This is harder than I though it would be.

Thank you so much to all who have been with me on this journey from the very beginning. I am so grateful for your support of my Dorper sheep farm.

-the Shepherdess

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September Farm Update

the Shepherdess at Harmony Farms

Hello friends!

What an exciting thing to be nearing the end of summer! Autumn ushers in a slower pace as we round off a busy spring and summer here at Harmony Farms. I’d really love to see you at my Small Farmer LIVESTREAM this month. It is a free event and I hope you will join me and farmers across the world as we talk about what’s happening on our farms!

Dorper Sheep Breeding in Texas

The Good:

I was so thrilled with the results of the first Shepherdess Livestock Sale. It was such a pleasure to meet with buyers and send these lambs to their new homes. I am so grateful to each buyer who invested in my operation by purchasing my stock. Many are asking when my next Dorper lambs will be available for sale. March/April 2022 is the tentative date for pre-orders on my next lamb crop.

Dorper Sheep in Texas

I slowed the rotation from once a day moves to once a week moves. The intense heat brings significant relief from one of my primary enemies in pasture: the barber pole worm. Hot and dry weather decreases the parasite load on pasture and allows me to slow my rotation without compromising animal health.

Dorper Sheep in Texas
Winnie is our (pet) mini-horse. His face tells you how much he enjoys grazing with the sheep ;).

The Challenging:

Heat kicked in hard this August (heat index of 104+ for several weeks). I had to be extra vigilant to stay on top of hydration and electrolytes for the flock. A really helpful tool for that was Apple Cider Vinegar. I added about 1/2 cup per 40 gallons of water during a severe heat wave. The addition of ACV really increased the flock’s water consumption, which helped relieve much of the stress that the heat induced.

Thanks for reading this farm update! I really appreciate you being a part of what I am doing at Harmony Farms.

-the Shepherdess

“But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

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Shepherdess Dorper Ram Lamb Preview

Tue, Aug 10 at 7:45 AM

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https://harmonyfarmsdorpers.com/2021-dorper-lambs-for-sale/ ​

The Shepherdess Dorpers Ram and Whether sale goes live TOMORROW at 8AM CST!! All purchases will take place at ShepherdessDorpers.com and pickup will be arranged after the sale.

I was asked to describe the traits that put these rams at the top of my flock, so here they are!

Each Ram lamb has a tag # and you will have the opportunity to buy the specific rams described below! First come, first served. No reserves.

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2111: From the moment of birth this ram lamb has displayed an ideal build and stellar rate of growth. He was the largest lamb at weaning and has the nickname “mammoth” on pasture. His mom is probably the strongest ewe in my flock, maintaining excellent condition clear up to weaning.

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2110: This ram lamb falls in close behind mammoth: he has displayed excellent rate of growth from the beginning. This ram is almost an exact replica of my commercial flock sire: strong build and excellent markings. His mom is extremely productive, lambing at just one year old and maintaining incredible body condition clear up to weaning.

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1824-RL: In addition to excellent rate of growth, this ram lamb is the offspring of my most parasite resistant ewe. This ewe has produced offspring that consistently makes it through inspection with outstanding scores on the FAMACHA scale. This parasite resistance is an incredible trait to carry into your flock.

2109: This Ram lamb is the offspring of one of my most resilient ewes. She is highly productive, dropping twins unassisted at nearly every lambing. She has been with the flock since 2018 and is a total veteran on pasture! This ram’s mom has more color on her body than my other ewes. This is purely cosmetic and does not effect the productivity of the animal, but I wanted to list this in case a pure white body is high on your priority list.

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1904-RL: This ram lamb is out of one of my favorite ewes: She is highly productive and my best shedder, dropping 100% of her coat before any of my other ewes. She lambed twins effortlessly on her first lambing. She has perfect markings with a pure white body and jet black head. I call her my “show sheep” and you will see her in most of my youtube thumbnails and profile pictures.

Looking forward to tomorrow!

-the Shepherdess

The Shepherdess at Harmony Farms

​”So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.” 1 Corinthians 3:6

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🎉DETAILS ARE HERE!!!

Save the date for August 11th and 8AM CST!! I will be selling 10 head of Dorper Sheep from my Flock. Details are explained in the video above and more can be found HERE AT ShepherdessDorpers.com! If you have any questions, please email me at shepherdess(at)harmonyfarms.blog .

**Please note, the buy button will be viewable on August 11th at 8 AM CST. First come first served, no reserves. Thank you all very much!

-the Shepherdess

“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. ” Psalm 100:3

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July Farm Update

The Shepherdess Dorper Sheep in Texas

Hello Farmers!!

It has been a BIG month here at Harmony Farms. We weaned 2021’s Dorper Sheep lamb crop in preparation for the August 11th Shepherdess Dorper Lamb sale and completed a flock expansion project! The video above gives you all the details. Thank you for joining me on this journey. Scroll to the bottom for the LIVE ONLINE EVENTS I am hosting this month!

The Good:

I have just completed a 3000 mile trek to bring some of the best Dorper Sheep Genetics back to Harmony Farms. I am now running two lines of genetics here on the farm: a registered flock and a commercial flock. I am so grateful to the Lord for open doors.

Dorper Sheep for Sale in Texas

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This month we weaned 2021’s Dorper lamb crop! I am so excited about how these little not-so-little lambs are looking. What you see is 100% grass and mom’s milk only. We did not grain supplement any of our Spring 2021 lambs!

Harmony Farms Dorper Sheep For Sale in Texas

The Challenging:

The workload is heavy right now. Acclimating the new livestock, giving the entire flock their annual pedicure (aka, trimming 140 hooves), and maintaining the daily rotational grazing program… it’s been non-stop! I’m enjoying the gift of strong, black coffee and the help of an incredible support group.

Online Events:

​Small Farmer Virtual Meetup with INTEGRAZERS​

​Farm on the Web Workshop: Using Instagram for your Farm Business​

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Thank you for reading and supporting my work here!

-the Shepherdess“Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.” Psalm 100:3

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Growing Pains

I was feeling it tonight. I thought it was burnout.

So I sat down and put pen to paper: I wrote down everything that has happened over the past 6 weeks.

Pulling the flock off pasture for a historic winter storm, working sheep solo for the first time, pulling lambs: one a success and one leaving me with nothing but sore muscles and an ear-tag with no owner. Building our first permanent infrastructure. Initiating spring’s intensive grazing program. W-A-I-T-I-N-G on edge for the remainder of the flock to lamb. Working to remain consistent in the business building side of my farm… and more.

Looking at that paper full of experiences I realized…

It’s not burnout, it’s growing pains.

The experiences of the past 6 weeks have been unmatched opportunities for growth.

As I correct my perspective, I shift to thankfulness. Thankful the Lord has brought me through each new and difficult experience.

I know more now than I did 6 weeks ago… and while it doesn’t eliminate the exhaustion, it does lift my spirits.

I’m sore, but I’m growing… and that growth is worth the exhaustion.

-the Shepherdess 🐑🌱

“My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”2 Cor. 12:8

Dorper Sheep Farming and Breeding Stock in Texas

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Committed.

“It’s not crazy, it’s being a shepherdess.”

7 words that set me free as I was rigging up electric fencing at 11pm the other night.

At the end of the day sheep are sheep. Not pigs, not cows, not chickens, not ducks. Sheep are sheep and they need a shepherd(ess).

When I made the decision to buy this flock I had already been managing it for several months.

When I became a shepherdess I did so with the understanding that these sheep will require more of me than any other animal I probably could have chosen.

If I were to retain any other expectation, I would quit.

As I remind myself of that commitment , frustration fades into a sense of duty. I am sure that time and experience will smooth out some of the bumps, but, by the grace of God, I am committed.

-the Shepherdess🐑🌱

Dorper Sheep Breeding Stock in Texas