How to Start Sheep Farming From Scratch: A Detailed Guide for Beginners

Sheep farming is profitable and plays a vital role in the livelihood of small and marginal farmers and a large percentage of landless laborers. A large number of industries use wool and sheepskin as raw materials. Sheep manure is also an important source of soil fertility. Additionally, wool, meat, and manure production provide three different sources of income each year.

Sheep farming is raising and breeding sheep on a commercial farm for profit. It includes feeding, protecting, managing, etc. At the same time, it also provides information on local conditions, breeds, production methods, and markets. You must read this information, as it will help you earn more profit.

How to start Sheep farming from scratch

What is sheep farming called?

Sheep farming is also called sheep husbandry, raising and breeding domestic sheep. It is the main branch of animal husbandry.
Sheep are generally raised for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk (sheep’s milk), and fiber (wool).
Profitability can be difficult, but profitability is possible with productive sheep and close control over costs.
Sheep farming generates income from selling meat, wool, and milk. High-quality meat is produced from lambs and sheep under one year of age. Most sheep are sheared once a year to produce wool.

Are sheep a good investment?

As with any business, it’s important to evaluate your investment beforehand. There are ways to reduce risk and increase profitability. Contact your state Department of Agriculture. You will find information about the sheep farming business there. Consider pet sheep if you’re starting a small business or want to get your feet wet before diving in head first.

Are sheep beginner-friendly?

Yes, sheep farming is beginner friendly. Because in the beginning, most farmers have some problems. For example, they don’t have enough capital to start a business. And this business can be started with only two or four sheep with less money. However, since raising sheep is so easy and hassle-free, farmers can easily see the advantages of sheep farming in the beginning rather than other livestock farms. Chances of loss in their business are relatively less.

What are the benefits of sheep farming?

Sheep are the excellent grazing livestock, scavengers, efficient in converting feed into meat, serve dual purposes, produce less waste, are easy to raise and handle, and require less space.
Sheep make very efficient use of various grazing lands, including rocky mountain areas and alpine pastures that other domestic animals cannot use.
They convert relatively inaccessible low-quality forage into high-quality meat, wool, and fiber.
Environment and poor management practices are well adopted.
The price of meat is increasing day by day.
Sheep are suitable for wool and meat. Average 1-2 babies per lamb per delivery.
Wool, meat, and manure production provide three different sources of income for the herdsman.
The structure of their lips helps them clean the grain wasted during harvesting and thus convert the waste food into profitable products.

In case you missed it: 16 Key Rules for Effective Sheep Farm Management: From Planning to Reduce Production Cost

Why should you do sheep farming?

Sheep are mostly known for their wool, milk, skin, and manure production. Its meat is delicious, healthy, full of nutrients, and popular worldwide.
You can earn a good income from sheep farming and help reduce poverty in arid, desert, semi-arid and mountainous areas. Along with reasons you should farm sheep, there are some benefits of farming Indian sheep apart from milk, mutton, etc.
You don’t want to spend much money on sheep farming to start a business. You can raise sheep in a small amount of space on farms, and they don’t need expensive housing.
The sheep farming business requires less labor, and along with that, sheep farming can earn a good margin of profit. This is because sheep can survive on low-quality grass. It produces wool, meat, and milk, which are used for various purposes.
It can be a good income source from sheep farming and employment through proper management. Those unemployed can also earn a good income and get loans for sheep farming.
The sheep farming business is a very excellent profitable idea. However, before starting goat and sheep farming, you should make a proper goat and sheep farming business plan and work accordingly.

How many sheep do I start with?

Generally, 1 acre of land can support two sheep, but this varies considerably based on rainfall and soil quality.

What is an intensive system for sheep?

An intensive sheep production system involves confining flocks with only limited grazing, aiming to achieve heavier lambs at slaughter, shorter lambing intervals, and higher weaning percentage than those found in flocks maintained under extensive grazing conditions.

Is sheep farming a profitable business?

The sheep farming business is a very excellent profitable idea. However, before starting sheep farming, you should make a proper goat and sheep farming business plan and work accordingly. Sheep are easy keepers, and you don’t need a large pasture full of fertile grass to keep animals successfully. Instead, they do well in a small pasture full of brush and grass, and putting your sheep on this type of land will improve the land.

If you already have your own space, that’s a good thing. Otherwise, you’ll need to identify and choose a location to set up the farm. The area required depends on the farm size and the population of livestock you want to keep on your farm. Also, check the availability of adequate vegetables and transport facilities.

How do you manage a sheep farm?

Please provide a good place for each animal based on its size, breed, and other recommendations. Manage facilities with hygiene and disease prevention in mind. Clean the pen at least annually. Provide dry paths for sheep to and from pasture. Below are the reasons why you can earn profit from sheep farming;

First, you can start a business with a small investment and space. Starting a sheep business does not require huge capital.
The sheep farm business requires less labor for day-to-day maintenance and upkeep. You can run the fish farm with less labor investment.
Sheep give birth to young. Thus, you can build a large size herd in a short time. Sheep need less space to live.
You don’t need to build expensive houses for sheep.
Sheep eat different variety of plants. So you don’t want to provide high-quality feed all the time. So, you can raise sheep in various temperate climates, including arid regions.
You have a high market demand for meat, wool, and milk products. So, sheep farming is a commercially profitable business for entrepreneurs who want to start a livestock business.

In case you missed it: Zero Grazing Sheep Farming: How to Start, Business Plan for Beginners

How much land do you need to raise sheep?

You can reasonably expect to have 6-10 sheep on an acre of hay, and as many as 30 acres of pasture land require 100 sheep.
If you want to maintain more than an acre, you will need to consider buying additional land as you will likely need to rotate to feed your herd.
Make sure your sheep always have access to adequate shelter, plenty of fresh drinking water, and feed in clean feeding troughs. Plan to have enough feed and roughage to carry the herd through winter.

What is the best shelter for sheep?

Sheep must be provided with shelter, even if it is just a tree line or a wind block. Shelters can include barns or three-sided sheds. Shelters should have adequate ventilation to prevent moisture build-up and respiratory problems for sheep.
Building the right housing requirement is one of the most important aspects of setting up a sheep farm.
You can give a simple shade for the sheep in a house. However, it would help if you created shade in an elevated area to prevent water stagnation. Also, you can grow fodder trees around the shade and use the area as pasture.
There should be adequate ventilation throughout the sheep farmhouse. For sheep farming, an East-West orientation with generous provision for air movement to dry the floor is suitable for a comfortable home. The thatched roof is the most ideal due to its low cost and durability.

What is the sheep house called?

A sheep house is called a sheep pen, sheepcote, or sheepfold. It has a wall of local earth, a mud floor, and a strong fence. Inside the enclosure, sheep are kept.

Which sheep is best for farming?

Best Sheep breeds

Barbados Black Belly
East Friesian
Merino
Polypay
Suffolk

Best sheep breeds for meat

Suffolk
Dorper
Hampshire
Southdown
Texel
Dorset
Montadale
Shropshire
Deccani

Famous sheep breeds for wool production

East Friesian Sheep
Lacaune Shee
Awassi Sheep

What do you need to start sheep farming?

Make sure your sheep always have access to adequate shelter, enough fresh drinking water, and feed in clean feeding troughs. Plan to have enough feed and roughage to carry the herd through winter. When pastures or stubbles are deficient in energy and protein, sheep must be supplemented with grain, hay, or silage. An excellent supplementary feeding program will ensure that sheep consume as much dry paddock feed as possible and provide sufficient supplementary feed for maintenance or growth.

Understand basic sheep care – Sheep can live up to 15 years and require essential care: food, water, shelter, and hygiene. Make sure your flock has fresh grass, hay, and clean water daily. This cultivation is very promising as it requires very little maintenance. However, whether you are raising sheep for meat or wool, extra care may be required.

Sheep breed quickly and can be kept in vacant crop fields along roadsides and orchards during the day. Farm management software can provide up-to-date information about the sheep farming business. Proper sheep care is essential to ensure their health. Please ensure the water supply is clean and you have enough shade for them in hot weather.

What do you use to water a sheep?

Sheep generally prefer to drink still water as opposed to running water. It is recommended that streams be fenced off and livestock not allowed to drink from natural water sources. Water is your cheapest and most valuable source of food. Keep it free of snow in winter and shaded in summer. Minerals must be fed to loose sheep to avoid costly deficiency problems. Use only minerals that have low copper levels, specifically for sheep.

How can I get a NABARD subsidy for sheep farming?

To get NABARD approval, submit the application form and the business plan. Before approval of loan and subsidy, a technical officer will visit the farm and ask questions. The loan amount is approved, and the money is transferred to the borrower’s account. Various commercial banks collaborate with NABARD to provide these loans. Farmers should apply for this at a cooperative branch, commercial bank, regional rural bank, or small finance bank in their area. You must submit a business plan to be eligible for the NABARD subsidy.

In case you missed it: How this Farmer Made 5 Lakh Profit from Sheep Farming – A Success Story

The plan should include all relevant information regarding the sheep farming enterprise. They can get help from the bank manager or technical officer preparing the report required to get the bank loan. Borrowers can use the services of NABCONS, which have extensive experience preparing project reports for high-value projects. To get NABARD approval, submit the application form and the business plan. Before approval of loan and subsidy, a technical officer will visit the farm and ask questions. The loan amount is approved, and the money is transferred to the borrower’s account.

How much does it cost to purchase and maintain sheep?

To buy a sheep, you should expect to spend between $150 and $300 on your animal – depending on the breed and age of the sheep you’re looking for. You should expect to spend $3,000 a year on three sheep. It includes $1,800 in hay, $750 in grain (if needed), $180 in shearing, and an estimated $200 per vet visit plus vaccinations. Of course, actual costs change depending on location and climate conditions, the health of sheep, and whether or not you are breeding your sheep.

Is sheep farming a profitable business?

The sheep farming business is a very wonderful profitable idea. However, before starting sheep farming, you should make a proper business plan and work accordingly.

What is extensive sheep farming?

These are systems in which animals spend all, or a substantial part, of each day outdoors and obtain their nutrients from pasture. In many ways, the extensive sheep production systems we find in the mountains, moors, and rangelands worldwide can be considered natural farming systems. As a result, animals are less under our control than farmed animals and have more freedom to express themselves and control their behavior.

Perhaps the greatest threats to sheep in the wider environment come from variable climate and the availability of adequate or inadequate nutrition. However, extensive grazing also plays an important role in maintaining the ecology and landscape of these semi-natural pastoral ecosystems. In extensive situations, sheep are often grazers, foraging primarily from pastures with various plant species.

How much does feed cost a sheep per month?

In some situations, your vet may recommend that you also feed your sheep grain. You can expect to buy a 50-pound bag of sheep pellets for about $16. If sheep eat about 2 pounds of grain daily, you should expect to pay $64 a month on grain, or about four bags.

How often do you feed sheep?

Sheep should be fed daily during the first and second periods and intermittently. By the 5th or 6th period, feed should be put out once every 3-4 days. Sheep make the best use of high-quality roughage stored as hay or low moisture, grass legumes, or occasionally chopped green forage. No matter how much is available, poor-quality fodder is only suitable for maintenance.

The sheep are about to graze. They prefer to eat small, soft pastures close to the field surface. Pasture describes various plant species: grasses, clover, alfalfa, chicory, legumes, shrubs, etc. Alfalfa is a strong foundation for good pasture but is directly related to pasture biodiversity and feed quality.

Are sheep a good investment?

Profitability can be difficult, but profitability is possible with productive sheep and close control over costs. High-quality meat is produced from lambs and sheep under one year of age. Most sheep are sheared once a year to produce wool.

How do I start a sheep farm?

You can raise the economics of the sheep business on a small or large scale. Being profitable can be difficult, but if you work with productive flocks and control costs closely, no one can stop your profits. Here you will learn about how to start sheep farming step by step.

In case you missed it: Common Mistakes in Sheep Farming: For the First Time Sheep Owners

Step 1 – Create a proper sheep farming business plan – Firstly, you should make a proper sheep and goat farming business plan according to your budget. And your goat and sheep farming business plan should include financial analysis, marketing strategy, and revenue income.

Step 2 – Choose a suitable place for sheep farming – You should choose a suitable place to start very important sheep farming. Good freshwater sources, sufficient green feed, proper medicine, and transportation should be available for sheep. You should take proper care and provide the required facilities to start a sheep farming business.

Step 3 – Breed Quality – One of the most important things for a sheep farming business is breed quality, which can give you more productivity. You can find many breeds of sheep worldwide, but not all breeds are perfect for every farming area. Therefore, you will need to develop breeds according to the agro-climatic condition of your location.

Step 4 – Healthy feeding with good care – You should give them proper food for their best growth, just like we feed ourselves. Food is essential for everyone, be it animals or humans. To keep sheep healthy and disease free, you should always try to feed them a high-quality, nutritious diet. It would help if you fed them according to their age or gender.

Step 5 – Marketing the modern sheep farming business – You should determine the marketing plans before starting a sheep farming business. It would help if you covered local markets and areas for better and more effective marketing. If you have proper facilities and knowledge of sheep farming, the international market would be a better option for sheep farming or sheep product marketing.

Small scale households or individuals can earn excellent income through the sheep farming business, and you can make a sheep farming profit yourself with some ideas. You can start lessons on sheep farming for beginners. You can make sheep farming videos to help others who want to open a sheep farming company. You can earn money by outsourcing this work to others willing to do the work, like creating sheep farming designs and sheep farming project reports.

How do I keep sheep animals healthy?

If you decide to keep sheep healthy, you must observe your flock, learn their normal behavior and respond immediately when something goes wrong. As a predator, sheep can be good at hiding problems. Abnormal behavior that seems normal can be potentially fatal. Spending time with your sheep daily is a good way to manage the flock’s health.

Basic sheep care includes deworming and vaccination, although some shepherds decide not to vaccinate. Talk to a veterinarian to set up a health care plan for your herd. You’ll want to trim hooves to prevent hoof rot, which is more likely for sheep in wet areas, and shear sheep annually to prevent skin sores and other problems. Experienced shearers are rare, so find and schedule one well in advance. Some shearers also trim hooves.

Provide them with fresh, clean water. Sheep need access to fresh, clean water. Sheep use a few gallons of water each day, and when it is warm, it needs to be cleaned (free of algae, etc.). If you don’t want to carry buckets daily, you can use an automatic waterer. Such management practices include high-quality haylage, corn silage, and grain. However, you manage your sheep, providing quality forage and freshwater is key to any operation.

Sheep need protection from predators and inclement weather, and shelter keeps you more comfortable while caring for them. A sheep requires 12 to 16 square feet of living space, although this is slightly less acceptable if sheep spend most of their time on pasture. Calculate extra space in your barn or shelter to store tools, food, and bedding.

What problems are faced during the rearing of sheep?

Shortage of grazing grasslands.
Epidemic diseases in sheep.
Lack of green fodder.
Non-availability of ‘adequate infrastructure.
Lack of wool marketing facility.

How do you start a sheep project?

Start with a minimum number of sheep and expand the flock as you gain experience.
Create the perfect sheep business plan according to your budget.
Visit nearby sheep farms to find out the problems in raising sheep.
Start sheep training basics at any sheep breeding and training.

Are sheep more profitable than cows?

In general, sheep are significantly more profitable per acre than cattle. However, it depends on sheep and cattle prices in your area, if your area is suitable or too tough for sheep and if you are willing to devote more management time to sheep than to cattle.

How do farmers make money on sheep?

The important way to make money from sheep is to raise your sheep and then sell the lambs.
You can take them to the market where other farmers and slaughterhouses will buy them, or if you have the connections, cut out the middle man and sell them privately.
You need a good flock size to make money this way.

In case you missed it: Sheep Farming in the USA: How to Start, A Beginner’s Guide

Care and management tips

You will need to provide good maintenance and management to your farm to maximize profit.
You will need to purchase quality sheep breeds and provide good housing. Maintain the cleanliness of your farm. Also, get your sheep properly vaccinated. If you see a sick animal, isolate the animal immediately and provide appropriate treatment.
To get maximum profit in sheep farming, tap the local market of the product. It mainly helps in keeping the transportation cost to a minimum. Always follow other marketing methods to maximize sheep farming business profits.

Conclusion

Sheep farming is very profitable and provides profitable income options to the rural people due to the efficiency of wool, meat, milk, skin, and manure. Sheep rearing business is growing profitable business all over the world. There are many breeds of sheep found depending on the topographical region. Here we will talk about the popular breeds of sheep and tips to start sheep farming.

9 COMMENTS

Charles August 16, 2022 At 5:03 pm

It plays a part an informed role with an eye in community development and nation building.

Mohlolo Nete August 18, 2022 At 6:56 pm

hi im very much excited about this article please send me so i go through it later

MS SKHOSANA August 19, 2022 At 1:46 pm

The information in this article is indeed valuable and has inspired me a lot as I am about to start with animal farming. Will you kindly also forward me an article on how to start cattle and pig farming.

Sanjay satapathy August 21, 2022 At 11:55 am

Please help me to find good breeds to make a sheep farm

John shomolekae August 22, 2022 At 3:14 pm

I am interested in farming on sheep and would like to have more advice

M.p.Ramoshaba August 24, 2022 At 2:35 am

The information is very good and guiding,very much interested in animal farming

SBGroup November 3, 2022 At 9:28 am

Thank You For the detailed and valuable information

Muzaffar March 12, 2023 At 8:41 pm

Thank you best breeds

Abubakar umar July 19, 2023 At 3:19 pm

Very much encouraging iam Nigerian

How to Start Sheep Farming From Scratch: A Detailed Guide for Beginners

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