Grazing Tips: Beginner's Sheep-to-Acre Ratios

How much space do sheep need? In this video we’ll go into the variables that affect the answer to this juicy question, as well as a short-and-sweet generic answer. As always, I hope this information helps!
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ABOUT THE HIGH MOUNTAIN HOMESTEAD
Hi! I’m PJ, and my family loves the homesteading life! It’s something my wife and I have always wanted to do, but we grew up with ZERO HOMESTEADING EXPERIENCE!!!!!We grew up in beautiful southern California, 15 minutes away from the beach. As amazing as that was, we both dreamed of a life closer to land and animals. After getting married and moving to Utah, our family slowly grew. We had become a family of four living in a townhome with a small backyard filled with potted plants.
In 2019 we dipped our feet into homesteading on 1 ¼ acre lot in Utah. In 18 months we were ready to do this for real. So in 2021 we packed everything up (including our sheep) and moved to North Carolina to 12 acres and we love every inch of our homestead!
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#sheep #homesteading #farming

[@FulbrightFarmstead]

There are so many factors that go into figuring this question out, but thanks for your effort to answer it, and breaking it down as simple as possible.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks for the kind comment!

[@thehalfacrepasture]

I have 1/2 acre pasture in SW Idaho. I have 3 ewes and 1 ram that I rotate around in a 16x16 pen and I move daily. I also went through the trouble of installing a pump and sprinklers and throughout the summer I feed zero hay. At the rate I’m moving them each section gets about 60+ days rest. Once my lambs come I’ll likely have to supplement with hay every day, but the trade off will be worth it. To anyone wanting to do the same with very little land, sprinklers and electric netting are your best friends.

[@Heart.of.the.Hills_]

Thanks for this.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

That's awesome, you're doing it!

[@ShepherdsCreek]

I need to increase the amount of pasture land. Next summer that will be the big priority. I just don't have enough area to rotate through at the moment.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I've been in that position before. In some ways, its easier. Feeding hay is expensive, but easier than rotating on a small scale like I'm doing.

[@ShepherdsCreek]

@HighMountainHomestead thankfully its the start of winter here so I have them bale grazing throughout their paddock but I went to a seminar and learned that even through winter they should still be rotated. That's going to be a bigger challenge where I live because of all the snow and it is VERY remote. Trying to figure out how to get water to some of those spots without having it freeze has really stumped me lol

[@ruffneckranch]

Great info. I’m in Utah! In the process of trying to purchase a 5 acre property in northern Utah. Really want to raise sheep/goats along with laying and meat chickens.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Sounds fun! I hope it works out for you! That's a good combo for Northern Utah.

[@mousefarm]

There will be many people who need this information from you

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Thanks! It's certainly info I was looking for years ago.

[@pejfectlife]

I want to try using some sheep to increase soil fertility and increase the biomass on a smaller rice field in Thailand. It would be much less than 1 acre. More like 1600m2 Would it be a bad choice to go with 2 small feeder rams / wethers from a animal welfare standpoint? Or would there need to be more of them to be happy? I would of course supplement with hay and locally acquired forage as needed. Probably a lot on the beginning.

[@PaulJWong-yk8uw]

fun and informative thoughts! curious what differences you are seeing with the kadahtin and dorpers? we just got our ewes scanned and all but 2 are bred. 2 ewes had late lambs so will get bred in the next month i bet. interested to see what comes out as last time dad was a giant katahdin and this time its a beefy dorper.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I can only speak to these Katahdins, but they are WAY more skittish than my Dorpers. Dorpers we're also really motivated by food, but only one out of these five Katahdins are really motivated by food. I can tell that they are gonna be smaller. There sire was a terrible stud, I thought he was a ewe when I paid the deposit and then when I came to pick the sheep up, I learned that he was the stud. He was scrawny. Also, these sheep are so quiet. The Dorpers are always making noises, but these rams haven't made peep in months!

[@stephaniewarner4864]

I just don't understand what happens in the winter. Of course in NC you don't have much to worry about. I'm in NE PA. Are you putting them in a barn? Dropping hay daily on frozen tundra?

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Dropping hay on the snow works well for me! But if there's some grass poking up, they'll eat it.

[@Imononeization]

What part of North Carolina are you in? I'm in the process of looking for land myself, to do a version of homesteading.

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Orange County, near Chapel Hill and Hillsborough. Best of luck! It's a very friendly area to homesteaders.

[@stephenbuckner3579]

Hello. I Live in Central Oklahoma I have 7.5 acres pasture breaking up into 1/8acre paddocks calculated at 56 days, have 2 rams and 10 ewes. Have never grazed this pasture. what am I looking for , to find out if 1 day rotation is enough or too much time?

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Well 1 day rotation will never be TOO much time. The best way is to test and find out for yourself.

[@jeffwann5736]

The smaller the paddock and quicker the rotation is always better (a move every 20 minutes would be incredibly beneficial) but it also has to be practical.. 12 sheep on 7.5 acres rotated daily is fine management.. you'll probably find that your pasture can handle more, if you have good grass and enough rainfall.

[@TheDiligentSoul]

Do you have information about tree hay and forage?? Trees shrubs bushes??

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Hmm... Nothing super specific. My sheep will eat pretty much anything they can reach.

[@Heart.of.the.Hills_]

So in your original backyard sheep video... Did you have an acre of pasture for your whole property with your house on it, etc. Or did the sheep have a entire acre of pasture to themselves

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

I was technically on 1.25 acres then. So I would guess my sheep had just under an acre to themselves back then.

[@Heart.of.the.Hills_]

@@homesteadingwithPJ thanks for the info. Much appreciated

[@ryanthelion22]

PJ thank you so much! I live in North Carolina and I’m trying to convince my girlfriend that we need to get a couple ewes

[@homesteadingwithPJ]

Awesome! Let me know how it goes and best of luck to you guys!

[@sergeidominiquepantejo9773]

1 hectare = 2.471 acres

[@mannubobal9420]

please translyat in hindi