Got sheep? Easiest animal to winter on our farm. No hay, no grain = high profit.

[@viscache1]

We are shifting gears from goats and sheep to the endangered Leicester Longwool sheep. A 340lb ram and 240lb ewe can eat 20lbs of forage per day. We have super lush grass/alfalfa grazing over 10 acres. The first two years we kept them in one pasture but they chewed it down. I found your videos and fenced in five separate 1.5-2.5 acre pastures and keep them moving weekly. We plant oats, corn and peas along all the fence borders and the sheep harvest inside all year and we harvest outside the fence then we plow stalks under and regrow it every year. It provides plenty of protein during pregnancy and the new lambs figure out fast where the succulent high quality tender plants are to get them started. I’ve gone from 2 tons of food per year to 200lbs of seed at 1/10 the cost! Your videos changed the way we ranch! Thanks for the great advice!

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Best of grazing to you!

[@flyingpigpreserve8562]

Great Flock of Sheep and alert Guard Dogs. Happy Sheep also no crying or wandering around looking for food. You do Great Land Management with your animals. God Bless and Peace Be With You ☮️🙏❣️

[@nobleenchantpbkc8082]

Thank you ..what a splendid video on sheep.I definitely want to get a herd w/ dogs..When i do I'll be sure to contact you//I like that mix you have on the dogs..That half Maremma makes them want to guard the herd from the inside.

[@ryanoconnor6837]

Another great vid, Greg. Looking forward to springtime so we can see some content about lambing on pasture!

[@coreystefan2518]

i dont mean to be off topic but does anyone know of a method to log back into an Instagram account..? I stupidly lost the login password. I love any tricks you can offer me

[@alijahtate9775]

@Corey Stefan Instablaster ;)

[@coreystefan2518]

@Alijah Tate I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and I'm in the hacking process atm. Takes quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.

[@coreystefan2518]

@Alijah Tate it did the trick and I finally got access to my account again. Im so happy! Thanks so much, you really help me out !

[@alijahtate9775]

@Corey Stefan No problem :)

[@4KidsandaFarm]

great advice Greg! Love your videos. This is helpful!

[@jonstevensmaplegrovefarms3754]

deliver hay to a sheep lady. pretty amazing what them dogs can do. I will have to do an interview with her, pretty impressive how well sheep can fit in with cattle.

[@chelemichele1524]

Happy sheep Have a good evening ☃️☃️☃️

[@damonmayfield5087]

Thanks for the sheep video

[@Digger927]

They are looking good Greg, so are mine! Mine are so fat, a friend of mine the other day was looking at them and said, "Oh they're starting to show (pregnancy)!" I laughed and said no I think they are just fat. Being bred in December I doubt they're showing from that yet. I have been giving mine a small square bale when we had really cold, snowy and icy weather. They eat a chunk of it and bed on the rest and the dogs bed on it with them. I've bought 40 bales this winter and have half of it left for the 16 sheep so I've spent $200 for a little peace of mind for me. That's less than the value of one ewe, I can live with those numbers and if I have to spend another $100 to get to spring I'll still be pleased. We still have ridiculous amounts of ungrazed stock pile but with snow on the ground (we had about 4" this last round and ice on everything) every morning when I check on them they follow me wanting moved to fresh graze and everything is the same so the hay seemed like a fair band aid. I love having the sheep and the dogs...wow I just love those dogs to pieces. Man my dogs have gotten so big they look like timber wolves. They're so awesome.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Brent that is great news that our sheep and dogs are working out good for you. I know what you mean about the dogs. We sold a big male dog last week, he looked like a big bear, heavy as one to!

[@Digger927]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Ha, yeah I have not weighed Salt and Pepper but they are gloriously huge. I have a 115 pound Weimaraner and they make her look like a medium sized dog. (not that I've let her go anywhere near them, lol)

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

@@Digger927 send my a couple pictures of them if you have some. Love to see what they look like now that they are grown up!

[@Digger927]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Will do tomorrow. I also have vids of them on my YT channel.

[@davemi00]

Grass/Weeds to plate No Chems, what a concept.

[@yoopermann7942]

GREG, i had more problems with pure bred dogs, of couarse they were hounds, i think that works with all dogs, great video on your sheep and dogs!

[@WoodchuckNorris.8o]

I have just found your videos recently so I apologize, I'm sure you have answered this before, but I have not bought your books yet. Do you know of anyone running sheep or cattle like this in the winter in a place where snow cover unbroken December through April, sometimes up to 4 feet deep? I live in central Maine. Thank you for putting your information out there. It looks like God has blessed your farming very much.

[@NotoriousPepe]

I had the same problem with Pyrenees, they roam and roam away from the farm. They may come back eventually but in the mean time they’re all over the roads and on neighbors land.

[@mc0wenM]

Hi Greg, I really enjoy the videos. Where are you selling your sheep? Do you sell them live, or are you self marketing meat? What is your live weight or hanging weight price?

[@josephinebehrman2457]

Country view Acres suggested your site, I find your site very interesting

[@franek_izerski]

Hello Mr. Judy, greetings from Central Europe. Do you have any experience with dairy sheep? Any difference to your grazing routine?

[@joshblick]

I'm going to add a side note as to you mentioning the Great Pyrenees getting hit by cars. We have those dogs all over the place around her (southern Indiana) and they are constantly walking out in the roads, getting out of fences and ending up a county over, or chasing cars. I'm sure they are lacking in training but they just seem like they're not that bright. And to top it off there's a couple about a mile behind our house at a cattle ranch that bark ALL NIGHT LONG. I have a large Pitbull mix and an American Bulldog and I've taught them to be great LGD's. Our sheep, chickens, and guineas love the dogs. They stay with the animals, they don't wander away, they're big enough to take a few coyotes if needed, and they only bark when they actually have a reason to. I get to sleep.

[@rickayers3150]

Greg, does it hurt to leave sheep on the same land for more than 3 weeks in the winter? I mean the worm cycle goes dormit right? I know you should have stock pile grass but what if you can't, and have to feed hay?

[@wudangmtn]

I would like to bring sheep onto my homestead, but I was wondering how much feed I would have to buy for them in the winter. I am delighted to see that they can thrive on such sparse vegetation. I live in N.C., and though it does get cold here, we don’t get much snow over the winter. I think they will do fine here. Thank you for the information.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Sheep are the lowest maintenance animal on our farm. They are amazing creatures.

[@wudangmtn]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher That’s wonderful. Thanks for the tip!

[@roberthayes2027]

I've got alot to learn about guard dogs & how they might adapt to the australian cattle dog which runs the sheep now. I'm afraid she'd be interupting the pups training as they have such different styles, etc. I'm afraid it wouldn't work out so well. But the perimeter fence around the solar farm would keep them secure from wandering off the job. 8 ft chainlink w 2 rows of barbed wire on top is typical.

[@paulwuzynski2617]

Your winters are not very severe I see, we have snow cover from November through at least April some nights gets below -30C I always was wondering if they would survive outdoor all year long we have really no choice but to feed them hay and keep them in open barn as a shelter from elements as the snow gets too deep for them to move around - we are in Northern Ontario

[@servihomestead4324]

Looks really nice. Must be satisfying to have the sheep eat in a place that already fed cows! One of our young sheep is about to have her first baby. We've only had our goats, sheep, and calf for about 9 months, so we're learning a lot. What do y'all do with the sheep, Mr. Greg?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

We direct market all of the sheep.we raise. Stay out of sale barns, set your own price that you need to make a living on your farm.

[@servihomestead4324]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher Ah, makes sense. Do a bit more work myself to market them but make more money. Thanks for the quick reply!

[@durwoodfoote9607]

Greg, as usual, another great video. One suggestion, however, newbees like me don't know dog breeds! Please show the breed names for dogs, sheep, cattle, etc., It's hard to hear names sometimes and showing the names would be appreciated. Thanks. O Foot.... Sawyer, Oklahoma!!!

[@robpaton7]

Hi Greg, any chance you can do a video on lambing when the time comes please? (Our rams have gone in today, so got lambing on my mind! Just gone back to mob grazing after a few lazy years set stocking and it is really improving the land and the sheep! Last time I lambed in rotation it worked well, any ewes that had lambed or were about to lamb stayed behind when the rest moved to the next paddock on a good residual grass. We ran three to four paddocks, one behind the other, until all lambed and they were back together again. Would love to see how you work it! Thanks

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

I have several videos on my channel on our lambing practices.

[@AgainstTheGrainDiet]

How many strands of electric would you use to make sure a dog doesn't get out?

[@davidhickenbottom6574]

Zero the dogs are bonded on to the sheep

[@rileyq2704]

Hey Greg great video, when do you need to give the sheep water? Do you ever give them water? Thanks

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

They get water in all seasons except winter. They don't drink water in the winter even if it is offered to them. This is only true when they are grazing stockpiled forage. If you give them dry hay, they need water.

[@tawnyascharber9402]

Great video.....questions about stock capacity. If I can run 5 ewes per cow roughly does that include their lambs? If not, how do I figure stocking density during lambing season up to processing age? Thank you

[@melissastaggs7480]

Do you ever have flooding from your creeks? Just curious how your fence does if it floods? We have a big area that we want to fence in but it has periodic flooding.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

We use extricate poly tape temporary fencing down in the creek area. When the livestock are moved off that area the poly tape is rolled up.

[@beniveyv7849]

Was wondering what your thoughts are on goats and mainly about fencing to keep them in

[@Laurie_Tinsley]

I have both hair sheep and goats. I can tell you that it is sooooo much easier caring for the sheep. The sheep are less expensive to feed. They are great at grazing, even in the winter time. I give them a little cracked corn everyday just as a treat. Sheep have less health issues too. Goats are extremely vulnerable to barberpole worms, which are deadly and can kill a goat in just a few days. I have never had one of my sheep get ill. They are super friendly, especially if you raise them from babies. I bought a bottle lamb ( ram ) from an auction and he is the sweetest ram I have ever seen. He knows his name and would never ram me or get aggressive with me. My female sheep are also gentle and friendly, in fact they are the first ones to come running and get loved on. It is hard to fence in a goat, they will pass through a electric fence ( you need a lot more strands of electric fencing to keep goats in ). Sheep are easy to fence, they dont test the electric fencing and dont try to jump fencing or push down the fencing. Hair sheep dont have to be sheared either. If you are raising sheep/goats for auction, sheep bring more money ( at least where I am , Indiana ).

[@wendyscott8425]

@@Laurie_Tinsley What are hair sheep? I thought they would be the kind raised for their wool. No?

[@Laurie_Tinsley]

@@wendyscott8425 Hair sheep arent raised for wool. They actually have hair closer to a goats hair. There is a little bit of wool, but nothing like a typical sheep has. I have one Katahdin and two dorper sheep. They dont require sheering. Hair sheep are mostly raised for meat. I dont raise mine to eat though. In my experience with hair sheep, they are more friendly than a typical wool sheep. They are also more resistant to parasites and disease.

[@wendyscott8425]

Laura Thanks for the explanation. I’m still just learning the language of farming since I got interested in holistic management in September. I’ll never be a farmer, but I do now support them by buying grass-fed meats and dairy. What I can’t understand is why we have such a hard time finding lamb grown in California that way. Does it all have to come from New Zealand??

[@mattiasdahlstrom2024]

@@Laurie_Tinsley Wool sheep was a mutation 8000 (?) years ago, the wild sheep have hair like the hair sheep...

[@Masseffectah]

Greg, do you keep your pet dogs away from the guard dogs? Fighting? Guard dog follows the pet dog home?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

We do keep our house dogs away from the guardian dogs.

[@Masseffectah]

Thanks!

[@justinskeans3342]

Can you have chickens out with the dogs?

[@tomcondon6169]

Your cattle are 900 instead of 1,500 pounds, about 60% size. I have heard about much smaller cattle, saw some pictures the other day. Funny, no one posts their weight. But they are obviously smaller. I am responding to, "1 cow per 4 sheep," I know my questions sound dumb sometimes.

[@zadokmotorfreight2423]

An animal unit is 1,000 pounds. The stocking rate is based on that number. So on average, 5-7 ewes equals 1 one thousand pound cow. You just add or subtract from there depending on the actual average size of your flock/herd.

[@tomcondon6169]

@@zadokmotorfreight2423 Thank you, I am interested in having cattle, possibly just enough for my family's consumption at first.

[@tomcondon6169]

@@zadokmotorfreight2423 one thing, repeatedly Greg says his cattle are 700 to 900 pounds, and he is talking individual cattle, not stocking rate.

[@zadokmotorfreight2423]

@@tomcondon6169 the animal unit is based on 1,000 lbs, so if you have a cow that weighs approximately 1,000 pounds, that would be equal to one unit. If you have a ewe that weighs 150 pounds, it would take six or seven ewes to equal one unit. Greg is just saying that you can support a larger number of sheep on a certain land base than cows. So if you have 10 acres and you can support 5 cows that weigh around 1,000 pounds, you can support roughly 30-35 sheep that weigh 150 pounds. It just gives you an idea of what you can support on a given piece of land. Hope this helps.

[@BosnWayne]

About how long does an average ewe live on your farm?

[@4philipp]

If you only have a small property. Can you keep predators out with just electric (net) fencing?

[@CathyGoes]

Depends on the predator but some will learn to just jump over it. Yotes can clear our 6 ft walls here. 42 inch electric netting is nothing. They have to learn to test it though. Some people have reported as long as they keep it charged the yotes get a sharp zap at a sniff and keep going to easier prey. This all 2nd hand info. Haven't tried it myself.

[@melissastaggs7480]

Do you have a recommended breeder for the type of dog you just named?

[@3GNOME]

If I have a dog, but it's not a guard dog, how can I establish a bond with new dogs to sheep? Or would it be possible to have my dog establish a bond? Seems not-- my dog is bonded to me and the house and whatnot. Any advice?

[@paradoxchild01]

When first starting out with just buying fencing, atvs, and a few animals, how do you bring in money in your first two years? If we have cows and sheep, and chickens how do you make any money till the second year cattle sale?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

First of all do not buy an atv when you first start out. Use that money to buy more animals. Later when your cows are generating income, they can buy the atv. We used custom grazing to generate income which then was used to get us out if debt. Then we used custom grazing to buy our own cow herd.

[@paradoxchild01]

Greg Judy Regenerative Rancher my husband can not understand how more than one animal can graze on a pasture even when the pasture has had a day or two time to recover. What percent of body weight do sheep eat a day? Also if starting on bare old crop land, you’ve mentioned getting clover seed, what other seed should you add? How many old bales of hay per acre?

[@cartersmits2944]

Did I hear this right, you dont supplement any water with your sheep, is that true?

[@conradhomestead4518]

No hay ever , Greg ? All winter , every year?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Our sheep do not eat hay, they work thru the snow to get their dinner.

[@jennystroh4343]

How do you water the dogs during the winter. (I heard you say that they were locked out of the creek.)

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Dogs go to ponds and creeks to drink

[@chartchalermtepa807]

love sheep

[@gwp1ohio]

are you able to get the to cross small creeks to rotate to new pasture?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Yes no problem

[@firecaptaintom6670]

How do you feed the dogs?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Self feeders, that are sheep proof.

[@ChrisPBacon-yz6nk]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher what does it cost to feed 11 dogs for a year?

[@suzbrewer1766]

Wouldn't the drag on the dog interfere if she needed to take on a predictor?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

There are 8 more guardian dogs in the sheep flock. Any predator that dares come within sight is in trouble.

[@brodi0351]

What breed of sheep is this

[@downbntout]

Predatory bird ideas pls?

[@timh9407]

Do you ever have trouble with hunters or suburbanites cutting your fences?

[@littleindian3050]

Greg Judy do you think your dogs run off when they are sexual mature and they're looking to breed. Would neutering prevent that?

[@Brahmdagh]

try a breeding pair, and two younger neutered males.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Getting them fixed certainly takes their minds off of reproducing.

[@noahriding5780]

Some books on sheep point out and grade the sheep on herding ability to cluster together. But they don't tell you if this is good? I guess its for predator protection? But some sheep don't cluster much. Like people say icelandics and a few other types don't cluster as much for their forage ability to spread out on less fertile land. So maybe they are more vulnerable to predators if they stay separated by quite a bit? In this video you mentioned also that the coyotes would come in and kill em and clean em out in about 2 weeks. It would be interesting to hear also do you have to worry about legal stuff killing coyotes? TO be clear I'm not defending the coyotes but our society is so messed up with people being wrong headed it would be helpful to actually have a guide reference on how you can go after coyotes without putting yourself into liability, and the hows and what nots.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Keep two well trained guardian dogs with your flock and leave the coyotes alone. If you start killing coyotes, you will have a wreck on your hands. Coyotes mate for life and when you kill one, 8 more come in and try to establish their area. Now you have real predator pressure!!!

[@noahriding5780]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher I'm curious to ask. Can you interchange a herd dog from sheep either to or from cattle (or goats)? Or do they not adapt or share the same working bag of tricks from 1 type to the next?

[@seepingspringsfarm6017]

Your sheep videos are very interesting. Would be good on smaller farms. do you keep the ram with ewes s all year?

[@Brahmdagh]

in winter

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

Rams are turned in with the ewes December 1st. This gives us spring lambing on green pasture when its warm.

[@ammarif618]

Please When you move the camera from left to far right or vis versa, move it slowly. ☘️☘️🌿🌿🌾🐏🐑🐐🐏🐑🐐

[@BroChacho88]

How many ewes can one ram service?

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

1 ram to 40-50 ewes

[@damienkendrick9566]

Thats amazing, better than slaughtering sheep

[@petrosros]

Greg you got it way wrong on sheep, native European wild mountain sheep are very strong animals and a ram would like as not take on a wolf that was threatening the females, why do you think the Ancients Greeks called the male Aires god of war.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

We had 7 rams eaten in one night by predators in their ram pasture. I thought rams were fine as well by themselves. Don't do it, give them a guardian dog or they will end up in the belly of coyotes.

[@petrosros]

@@gregjudyregenerativerancher I'm sure you are right Greg, in Greece they use the same breed of dog you have, except they call them something different that isn't really printable here. But when you get those mountain sheep in the abattoir it's a whole different ball game than the low land sheep.

[@ladypilliwick8179]

Trouble with sheep is there no such thing as dying of old age.

[@gregjudyregenerativerancher]

When starting out your flock, take the crutch out from under them and see which ones perform. Sell the ones that don't do well without being babied. Your well on your way to a profitable flock!

[@ohugh5103]

غغغ

[@treenopie]

What and how do you feed the dogs?