Q&A for How to Get Started in Raising Sheep

Outside, with lots and lots of grass. Sheep love to graze. In the winter time, get some good quality dust-free hay. And don't forget a shelter. Your sheep always needs a dry clean bed to rest on too.

It is suggested to stick to 5 ewes per acre, so 15 ewes would be suitable for 3 acres.

In all honesty, just the green kind. The only other kind of paperwork you would need is registration papers if you are going to have a registered flock, but the breeder you are buying from will provide those papers.

People raise sheep in all kinds of weather. Raising sheep isn't like raising crops. They can take snow and cold as well as heat like cattle can, as long as they have shelter, feed, and water accessible. Normally they are raised in temperate climates, such as that of most of the U.S. and Europe.

It depends on the breed, what you do with the lambs, etc. My grandparents and I have made as little as $2,000 and as much as $50,000.

They reproduce once a year depending on the ewe. Generally, they can have twins or triplets but a single lamb is not unusual either.

If you have other sheep, you will need to get him accustomed to being with them instead of you. You have made him too attached to people, and he needs to be taught how to be a sheep, not a human. The only way you're going to do that is to put him with some sheep, preferably other lambs he can associate with and play with. He will complain and cry when you're not around, because he sees you as his mama. But if he is going to learn to be a sheep, you will need to separate yourself more and more from him.

You have to check with you neighbors and see if you're allowed to own sheep in that area.

Impossible to say. It could cost the price of the sheep or could be close to, if not exceeding, thousands.

The bank will probably ask for your farm as a collateral. Have a good business plan, that will help reduce the amount of the collateral and the interest rate.

Yes. There is a disease in sheep called "sore mouth". If you go to a regular doctor, they may tell you that you have nothing, but if you think it might have come from your animal's sore mouth, tell them to test for "Orf".

Yes, but they still need a pasture to run occasionally. Try to fence in a small field to let them run during the day.

Yes, they should be fine together. They may fight at first if they come from different farms, but they should be fine after a few days.

It's not necessary to do so, but it depends on how someone cares for them. And also, don't give large quantities of grain and/or hay to prevent bloating.

That's enough for a few sheep, though you will really need to manage your pastures and have feed available in times when there is not enough pasture for your sheep. Note that, in confinement, space for sheep in a dirt lot is 20 to 25 square feet for all classes of sheep.

Good alfalfa hay is great for keeping your sheep nice and healthy. Make sure your grass is kept fresh and not covered in chemicals.

No sheep are often oblivious to "scary" things, they don't even pay much attention to their surroundings. They may get scared, but not to death.

Sheep can go anywhere from $50 - $2000, depending on what you are buying and from where.

You can feed them mostly grass in the summer if your pastureland is well-maintained, but in the winter, you will have to feed them some dust-free hay and probably some pellets of some sort (if it snows).

For a lamb, give it enough room for it and other baby lambs to play, run, eat and drink.

Almost any climate is good. Like cattle, they can handle snow and heat as long as they have shelter to keep warm and in the shade when it's hot.

No, you should always keep them outside. They are not meant for indoor living like dogs and cats.

Yes, just slowly introduce them at first and they should be fine together. It might take days or week or months to get them fully accustomed to each other but it will work eventually.

Only as needed.

You need one for five sheep so for one, about a fifth of an acre. Depending on the age, you may want to get another sheep so that it doesn't see you as its mother/father.

Rubber stall mats over the cement are needed. Then use straw for bedding. Keep the straw clean and dry. Used straw can be part of a compost pile.