The Shepherdess

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

the shepherdess

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May Farm Update

Hello Friends!

It’s time for a monthly Harmony Farms update! I have a lot of questions about breeding/live stock availability. I will have 10-12 head available for sale this August, Lord-willing. I have about 4 rams, 6 wethers, and possibly 2 ewes. I will be sending out more info as we approach the date, so please stay tuned!

Scroll to the bottom for a full list of the ONLINE EVENTS I am hosting this month! (Including a LIVE ONLINE EVENT WITH JOEL SALATIN!!!)

The good:

The grass is back! I am back to moving the flock once a day. I put a pause on this intensive grazing during lambing. Juggling both was edging me toward burnout. Now that lambing is over, I am moving daily. It feels so good to see the flock on a perpetual diet of fresh greens!

The challenging:

I put the HERD in Shepherdess this month. I waited too long to upgrade my charger system and the girls began to jump the line. I finally took a day off to update my fence charger, increasing the power on the line from .22 joules to 2 joules. I also improved my grounding system and all is well (and contained) on pasture! Sheep are smart, keep the lines hot.

Online events:

May 20th at 7 PM CST: Joel Salatin LIVE Q+A​

May 27th, 7 PM CST: Small Farmer Virtual Meetup​

May 28th 7pm CST: Farm on the Web Workshop (FARM-MERCH EDITION)​

Thank you for reading my May farm update! Be sure to checkout my most recent videos.

-the Shepherdess at Harmony Farms

“Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves…” Psalm 100:3

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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

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WHAT MY Dorper SHEEP EAT IN THE WINTER

As promised, here is a complete list of what my Dorper sheep eat in the winter. This is what I feed my sheep in the winter when I remove them from pasture and confine them to a winterized barn. I rarely have to confine my sheep. However, winter storm URI blew through and buried our pasture in 9″ of snow. For this reason, I pulled my Dorper sheep off pasture and fed them in a warm, shedded area for about a week.

Here is what I fed my 26 Dorper sheep every day while they were in their winter housing. This is a ration for my BREEDERS, not my eaters. Our beef and lamb for market is grass fed entirely. The pellets and grain I feed my breeder ewes disqualify them from a grass fed to finish program. This is fine because their purpose is to breed, not to be eaten.

WHAT DO MY 25 SHEEP EAT IN A DAY?

(Images below. All items purchased from my local Atwoods store.)

2 square bales of hay.

20-25 lbs of 13% All-Stock pellets.

1 Mineral Block (Free choice. Will last much more than a day)

1 Ranch Pro 18% Protein Block (Free choice. Will last much more than a day)

What do Dorper Sheep Eat in Winter
What do Dorper Sheep Eat in Winter
What do Dorper Sheep Eat in Winter

I hope this helps you!

-the Shepherdess

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

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Strength in weakness + What it takes to be a Shepherdess.

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9

When I started farming I had NEVER managed livestock and would NEVER have been labeled an “outdoorsy person”. In fact, my real job was digital marketing in the retail industry.

But God is able.

“Don’t be a farmer.”

“You could make more money in one week than you’ll ever make from that flock.”

“Those sheep aren’t worth it.”

These are things I heard when I became interested in Regenerative Agriculture this year.

And, from an external perspective, they were all right… I felt crazy too. But at the end of the day becoming the Shepherdess of this flock was not a choice I made, but a calling I received. And one day at a time I am stepping into what I believe that Lord wants for me.

Dorper Sheep Farming in Texas USA


What does it take to be a shepherdess? T-I-M-E. Time. If there is anything I’ve learned from this journey is that sheep need your time. The more you give them, the better they respond to your management.

It hasn’t changed since the beginning of time: sheep need a shepherd(ess). When you leave sheep to themselves they deteriorate. When you take the time to shepherd them, they thrive. Under the care of a shepherd(ess) sheep change. They begin to trust, they begin to follow, they begin to understand the way you work and move in response to your behavior.

And if you draw it back to Christ, the Great Shepherd, it is the same. He is always there: telling us to draw near to Him, seeking us when we stray, never leaving or forsaking us. He gives us not only His time, but He gave us His life on the cross.

So I look at these sheep with dirty knees: totally reliant, kind of dumb… and I see myself.

Then I switch to the perspective I have as their shepherdess: When they are thriving, I am happy; when they stray (aka: bust out of the electric fence), I am grieved. With this shift in perspective I get a glimpse at the love of Christ.

It is a love that relies not on my capabilities, but rather, Who He is and what I am to Him.

-the Shepherdess🐑🌱

“For you were as sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.” 1 Peter 2:25

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Why I Rotational Graze My Sheep in Winter

I wanted to quit rotational grazing my sheep this month.


There is no green grass, we have already made one pass through each paddock since the first frost, and the sheep are becoming more difficult to contain. While we are feeding hay, I assume their constant escape of the electric fencing is an instinctual drive to find more and better food.

Thanks to some encouragement from sister, and farm-partner in crime, I am continuing this rotational-grazing-sheep-thing over winter.

I realize that not everyone lives in a mild winter-climate like Texas, so barn and bedding are essential for many farms… but with average temps at just 40-50 degrees in my parts, I don’t feel like I have any excuse to pull the flock off pasture.

Here is why I am rotational grazing my sheep over winter:

I am rotational grazing my sheep for even manure distribution.


The flock puts off about 150lbs of manure per day. Having this spread across 30 acres instead of in a barn is worth the moves. Plus, I have NO machinery to scoop and redistribute deep bedding, were I to house the flock in a well-maintained barn. By continuing to rotational graze, the sheep are ammending for my lack of machinery and spreading their own manure across the pasture.

I am rotational grazing my sheep for Parasite Management.


The parasites that can plague sheep are dormant, but not absent, during winter. Paddocks still need rest time during winter for UV sanitation and parasite die off. By rotational grazing my sheep over winter, my pasture paddocks continue to receive 30-45 days of rest between grazing.


I am rotational grazing my sheep to avoid soil compaction.


When I wanted to pause rotational grazing over winter, I considered designating a 7-acre pasture to be my “winter pasture”. However, as I watched what happened when I left the flock in one spot during days and days of rain, I realized I’d end up with a mud pit by the end of winter. I know for a lot of climates there is no other option than to leave your animals in what is called a “sacrifice pasture”. For me, however, my winters are mild and I do have the ability to maintain my rotational grazing program.


I am rotational grazing my sheep over winter to maintain personal work habits.


Confession: I feel like consistency is difficult for me to cultivate and maintain. By maintaining my rotational grazing program throughout winter I am staying in the groove and constantly working with the flock. When spring comes and the weekly rotational grazing program shifts back to a daily rotational grazing program, I will have a better chance of adjusting back to that work load.


Do you rotational graze your animals? If so, are you able to maintain your rotational grazing system over winter? Tell me in the comments!

-the Shepherdess

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” Galatians 6:9