Embrace hinterland farm life: keeping sheep for beginners
Meet Chocolate, the beloved black dorper sheep, who stole our hearts with her gentle nature.
Hinterland Homesteading with Racheal Pascoe
A fabulous addition to any small farmlet is a few sheep. These dear creatures bring so many benefits and much joy. Here at home we have enjoyed having a small herd of sheep for many years. Sheep are a herd animal, so they need a few friends to be truly happy. Just like us really!
Food, Shelter and Worming
Sheep require a safe place to graze with grass, access to clean water and a dry place to shelter in the heat and when it rains. They are terrific lawn mowers and generally do not require much attention. If you are buying young animals, you will have the opportunity to bond with them. My favourite sheep of all time was called Chocolate. (see pic) She was a darling black dorper and a real smoocher. Dorpers shed their fleece each year which is handy. We still have a shearer visit, but I have also invested in a pair of electric shears. I am going to have a lesson and see if I can shear them myself! Will keep you posted. You will be able to tell which are my sheep, they will be the ones with bandaids all over them!
It is important to worm/drench your sheep and the crew at the Nambour Produce Agency will have everything you need to take care of them. Keep some hay on hand and feed them often, depending on the amount of grass in the paddock of course. Feeding the sheep keeps them social, ensures they are getting enough to eat and also keeps them coming to the fence, so they are easier to catch them when you need to.
Breeding Sheep
If you set up with a ram and a few ewes, you will no doubt soon have lambs. The gestation time for sheep is 5 months. Sheep often give birth to twins and it is pretty special to sit and watch it all unfold. Mother Nature is amazing. We have been late to school on occasion to just sit and watch a ewe give birth. One year I even helped our vet perform a c-section on my favourite sheep in the paddock! But that is a story for another time.
Manure for the garden
Animal manure is terrific for the veggie patch, so it is a win if you grow your own food. Sheep poop in particular is really great for boosting the soil to improve plant health and strength. At shearing time you can keep the fleece and spin it or give it to a group who are using wool. I have taken fleece into school for show and share many times for the children to feel the fleece and lanolin.
Sheep for the table
Growing sheep for meat is also very rewarding. I like to know the animals have lived a good life in the sunshine, with good food but they have a purpose – to feed my family. When a lamb is about 6-8 months old you can contact a mobile butcher to come to your property. They will kill the animal, it will need to hang for a few days and then they will cut the fresh meat up into what cuts best suit your needs. Eg roasts, cutlets, chops etc. Now I know that not everyone enjoys meat but if you are a meat-a-saurus the first time you panfry your own meat and water doesn’t come out of it, essentially stewing it – you will be pretty chuffed!
Council information available
The Sunshine Coast Council has a page of information regarding keeping sheep and you can also visit the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries website who offer lots of tips on keeping healthy sheep. When buying sheep or any farm animal it is important to complete a Movement Record form, also register for a PIC number which is your Property Identification Code in the National Livestock Identification System. This way the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries know the whereabouts of livestock in case there is a break out of a disease etc.