First lambs of the season have arrived!
One katahdin ram lamb and one east friesian ewe lamb. The grazing pattern with the katahdins is shaping up to put them in the perfect position for when the majority of the ewes have their lambs. The strength of the newborns always amazes me.
#permaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #rotationalgrazing #pasturemanagement #localfood #sheep #lamb
First milking of the season of East Friesian Dairy Sheep
We were caught off guard by this ewe having her lamb so we didn't have our milking setup dialed in yet. This is our first season in which we already have all the equipment necessary to milk the dairy sheep along with a little experience from last year. We wanted to start milking immediately to encourage maximum milk production so we grabbed a container and started milking.
#permaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #regenag #regenerativeagriculture #localfood #sheep #lamb #sheepmilk #dairysheep #eastfriesian #rawmilk
Raw sheep milk in my coffee with a bit of homemade maple syrup.
#pemaculture #permies #homesteading #grownostr #sheep #rawmilk #dairy #eastfriesian #dairysheep #lamb #selfsovereignty
If I get feeder lambs to raise for meat, how long do I need to raise them? Is it possible to buy lambs in the Spring and slaughter them late Fall to Early Winter so I don't have to feed them through our long harsh winters?
I was thinking I might be able to convince my husband to try lambs if we could have a 6 month or so tryout period that would be a near guaranteed success. If we liked them a lot or food shortages became a thing, we could change to raising them full time because we would have the setup and have some experience.
#sheep #lamb
My recommendation is to start with a couple feeder ram lambs. You'll need a way to get them shade, water, and salt/mineral from paddock to paddock. You could use a couple electric net fences and some sort of Energizer to make small paddocks in the larger fenced in areas. We start offering feeders in mid/late july once the lambs are weaned. Then they would be grown out until they get to your desired size or you run out of pasture. You will learn enough from working with the feeders to answer your more specific questions about pasture management. There is too much nuance to make any real recommendations. There are some many trade offs and different ways to go about it.
I have been considering getting sheep/lambs. We have a between 4.5 & 5 acres fenced, but with house, barn, and garden, probably a little more than 3 acres (maybe almost 4 acres) that could be used for sheep. Most of that space is irrigated, so it grows grass pretty good during the growing season, even though that growing season is short. If I am trying to rotational graze, how would I be best to divide up the space? It seems like it would be hard to divide up the space smaller than 1/2 or 1/4 acre. If we assume 3 acres that is 6-12 pastures to move the sheep around in. Is it better to move them every day even though they will be back in only 6-12 days or would it be better to keep them in an area for 3-7 days, so they don't get back on the same pasture for longer to try to break any pest cycles? How small of a pasture makes sense? I would probably only have 3-6 sheep initially and I don't see ever going over a dozen.
#sheep #lamb #rotationalgrazing #regenerativeagriculture
