HOW SHEEP EARN 400% MORE THAN COWS // Comparing Cattle Profitability | Micro Ranching for Profit

[@theShepherdess]

🐑🥩CLICK HERE for my FREE GUIDE to raising beef and lamb: bit.ly/bflmbGUIDE

[@danw6014]

A rancher told me once, you gotta have enough cattle to be respectable and enough sheep to make a living.

[@theShepherdess]

This is good!! 😄😄

[@roosterqmoney]

One of the coolest sayings ive heard

[@Dave-Shearer]

I heard "Cows for ego, Sheep for profit"

[@ziggyc4474]

Very wise man

[@WhiteDorperRussia]

Good words! The right ones!👍

[@polarfriedgaming5711]

I’m 14 I own 6 cows that I saved up and bought myself and I am switching to sheep and this video helped much!

[@Gymratzero]

Dude what’s your count now

[@shickakaper8028]

Why don't you sale ice cream??? It's called vertical growth. Cuts out the middle man. Ps sheep make for God awful advertising. "Ain't nobody sailing sheep-cream🤢"

[@jhelm1712]

The Dorper breed is a fantastic breed to keep on a small scale farm , We farm with the same here in South Africa .. Currently farming with 100+ and its been a journey . I truly love the breed .

[@superjeffstanton]

Has the crime there decreased friend?

[@ajdu5390]

I know nothing about farming, cattle, or sheep, but I found your video very interesting! Good luck, and thanks to ALL, our amazing farmers and ranchers!

[@Ant1matr]

I'm in IT, but I find your videos great. I've joked many times I want to quit IT and become a farmer. While your industry is very volatile, the idea of working my own land is my carrot on a stick. Cheers.

[@downbntout]

Or better yet, leasing that land, far more financially smart

[@buzzbustillos3016]

Keep up your teaching. This is helpful, as a veteran this is something I want to do with my girls.

[@LacieOwens]

I’m so thankful for what you’re doing… regenerative Ag AND sharing what you know to help others do the same. I know Abba is proud of you sis!

[@utmbunderground]

Actually, it's really nice to find someone on this platform who is data driven. I have searched all over KZbin, as I intend to restock my grandfather's ranch in SE Texas since his passing but with Goats instead of Cattle this time, and it's great to finally find someone who has the numbers from research data to drive their forward approach. Many thanks for your time and effort to upload these videos; it looks like I know what I will be binge watching tonight.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you!

[@TrentCantrell]

Goats are great but do your homework. If you try to raise them like cattle you might have heavy losses like The Shepherdess and myself until you figure them out.

[@masonmcknight5866]

Your channel is one of the only grazing channels that actually talks about margins and money. Love your stuff

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you so much!

[@Popeye151]

This comment points out exactly why I enjoy your posts, and exactly why I subscribed.

[@darcoln3208]

Figured Texas was too hot for sheep, great to see you getting it done. Forwarded your video to my brother who lives in Austin.

[@aldonious0229]

Awesome video. I’m a dFW resident and I am super impressed on how educational your video was in a short, well programmed timeframe.

[@taylormoore3400]

Idk how i went from value investing on KZbin to sheep hearding. However after watching this theres huge parallel between the two.

[@hesavedawretchlikeme6902]

My brother in law in Oklahoma had raised sheep back in the 1980s 1990s. He had Great Pyranese dogs to watch over them. Still had problems with the coyotes in the open pasture. Donkeys are good to have as protection to the flock too. Later he went back to cattle. I've always wondered though why we do not raise more sheep in the US. It's hard to find mutton/lamb in the markets.

[@Hakkeholt]

In West-Europe we now have wolves killing sheeps by the dozens. Donkey's are possible, but these also kill some lambs..

[@taylorsessions4143]

I personally have gotten sick every time I consume mutton. I believe that I am not the only one who has a weak stomach. This could be the reason we produce less overall in the US.

[@jandeveloper]

And do you know that lamp is more healthy meat than beef?

[@roebinin]

Your sheep videos just make them engage on the farm. Is it possible to ignore such opportunities? Thank you for your enthusiasm, it inspires!))

[@rickayers3150]

Outstanding summary, I always teach that you need to know where you are at to know where you are going. Great job., your on the right track, now think value adding.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you, Rick!!

[@PineyGroveHomestead]

You break it down well!! We are figuring out how we are going to proceed with our small farm and this was helpful information. Thanks.

[@tomawboss7513]

Outstanding! The preface, Putting it in context, the layout. This is well done and a valuable tool for any start up or rancher considering sheep.

[@karllo9116]

First time watching one of your videos, and really appreciate the timestamps. So often farm KZbinrs ramble forever and you never know when they'll drop the info you clicked for. You jump straight into the topic and give timestamps? Instant subscribe.

[@theShepherdess]

This feedback helps so much! Thank you for taking the time to comment. -the Shepherdess

[@SEANGUS-xe9ib]

I had to sell my cattle herd due to a heart attack and i miss them every day.It took 10 years of hard work to have a respectable herd to be proud of and selling offspring to other future cattle farmers to upgrade there herd.Your videos are great to watch all future livestock farmers need to watch and learn! it's not always about the return of money but all things in between that make it so rewarding.Great video keep up the good work......

[@theShepherdess]

AMEN. This comment is spot on. Thank you for sharing and I hope my videos (and those of others here on youtube) help you relive the pleasure your animals gave you. Thank you! -the Shepherdess

[@waykeeperfarmandnerdery]

Wow, what a useful breakdown and explanation of the time and potential returns you can expect when choosing what animals to raise. We have a small homestead scale flock of dairy sheep, where we can sell the sheep for those wanting to also milk or breed - or as meat. I agree that selling direct is way better overall. We haven't gotten into cows, but this gave me so much to consider if we ever venture in that direction - thank you!!

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you so much for commenting! I’m grateful it was helpful. 🐑

[@kinggentiaustria5333]

You are doing an amazing job!!! I will you success, and prosperity!!!! 👍👍👍

[@hotartesian4163]

Subscribed before I finished watching this video. The comments alone are rich with experience and great questions. I have good acres of grass, browse, and shade trees to graze horses and cattle other people bring to use it, and harvest good hay, also. But as I already graze laying hens and heritage breeds of meat chickens, I have been thinking of adding sheep or goats, or both for myself. The predators are many so electric fencing is a big help, as are good dogs on patrol. Watching your video is definitely inspiring and will surely get me into trouble in the future with my cattle-ranching neighbors who lease grass from me! Looking forward to viewing more. Thanks.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you very much!

[@GratefulOverlander]

Beautiful, smart, and hard working. This young woman is amazing

[@BoomhauerWorldwide]

Great video! Couple points, with cattle I'd certainly expect far better weaning weights than 550. The extensive time line you brought to light on grass fed beef is the reason "grass fed" beef is largely cost prohibitive if folks hold their operation to a profit threshold, this is something many new comers do not realize when planning to market this way. For me producing seed-stock (bulls and replacements), and selling steer weanlings around 750-900 lbs has proven very profitable but the genetics are key. It would be interesting to pencil out sheep on larger acreage around 150-200 acre range for comparison

[@kylehuberofs8052]

Do you calculate how many lbs per acre your producing? Or just per head? I can produce more lbs per acre with smaller cattle but no one wants a smaller cut of beef. I've talked to a couple guys that only sell ground beef because they can produce more lbs per acre with Dexter's but can't sell smaller cuts

[@BoomhauerWorldwide]

@@kylehuberofs8052 My lbs. weaned per acre would be in the 475 range on average. 1.5-2 acres per CC pair, this is dependent on quality of forage so varies year to year. This is just one criteria where the Angus breed shines, in feed efficiency, daily gains with moderate frame size. They're easy to maintain body condition. And they sell. The Angus caveat according to many, docility, has more to do with handling than genetics. In the case of your Dexters, if it were me I would consider what you might get for them at weaning, or even yearlings if you're fall calving. Minimizing expense, increases profit.

[@Trythis837]

The sheep numbers were extremely conservative as well. I would definitely expect more than two 65lb lambs per ewe per year. Under an accelerated lambing system 3 lambs per year at 80-100lb averages should be possible.. pretty well doubles her estimates. The big thing with sheep vs cattle is when you lose a sheep or a lamb it’s not a big deal, hold one ewe lamb back and you’re back in business in 8 months. Lose a cow or a calf and you’re out the profit on 4 other cows for a couple years.

[@benjaminbauer4883]

@@Trythis837 also got to consider that a least for use we only loss 1-2 calves a year and maybe that many cows running 400 head. But with sheep yes the loss per sheep is less but your going to lose more sheep than cattle.

[@dwighthires3163]

I love seeing what you are doing. You are excellent at teaching. Keep it up girl.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you, Dwight!!

[@9252LIFE]

Thanks for the business plan worksheet. Have a great day

[@papaguilar8794]

Thank You Maam for your comprehensive content.

[@andyzumwalt3632]

Glad you will be covering losses, sheep can be a greater risk in alot of circumstances. Some of my pasture areas much predictor risk than others

[@ciaranharrington4141]

Get a few guard dogs

[@benjaminbauer4883]

@@ciaranharrington4141 you priced a merima dog these days 3k Australian dollars per pup and you still have to train the thing. Plus it's still an animal

[@danielreyes34dr]

I love Your style and thanks for the info.

[@arashbrar3571]

You are doing a great job . Farming is passion and way of life. God bless you , keep working hard and succeed in your farming👍🏻👍🏻

[@wkp4139]

what a great video and great presentation

[@Rick_Sanchez_C137_]

Interesting. I’m curious why you didn’t consider (or if you did consider it why it wasn’t in the video) pastured hogs. Saladin and others have shown where the profit for that much property can be double your nine month income with twelve months (two six month grow outs). Great explanation, I guess now I have to go watch that other video.

[@marioknowsitsgod1506]

This was amazingly straight forward and concise. I’m subbing and I’m going to seriously consider pursuing this.

[@mrsaye4783]

Hello I am from the Gambia west Africa. I like your work and you are confirming my research, on the comparison of the potential, the productivity and the profitability of life stock and poultry.

[@lr937]

Thank u for taking t time to make and post this videos… very useful for a beginner wanna be farmer like me😬

[@getivan]

Neat video, ma'am... I live in Fort Worth, myself. Trying to figure-out what to put on some land a couple hours west. For all the research I did on cattle, this is literally the first I'm seeing that sheep are so much more profitable. I think they take too much local maintenance for what I'm looking for, but still really neat to learn about... thanks! :) (glad to see you are God fearing, also, btw... way to put that out-there)

[@johndaily7286]

You are an amazing person. Thank you for sharing this valuable information. Thanks from Chicago

[@8sanibel]

Fantastic, great video structure and content. Starts with summary and time stamps, addition resources, and solid economics.

[@jeremycherny2041]

We had sheep for years. They seemed very labour intensive.haha. I guess the prices are a lot better now then when we sold them off in 2009. At that time we were getting around 1.30 to 1.50 a pound. The other problem was predators. I switched to cows after that. Maybe a guy makes less but they just do their thing. We keep a good eye on them at calving time but other wise time spent I would say for us is less then half. We don't finish very many animals. Just for our own use and close friends. The rest go to auction. From the day they hit the ground to sale day is about 8 months. Granted prices are down right now but we averaged $1201 dollars a steer last year and $1145 a heifer. I hope the sheep work out in your favor.

[@theShepherdess]

Agreed! Much more labor intensive. Sheep need a shepherd every day, cows need a Cowboy twice a year. 😅 -the Shepherdess

[@Bojangles6]

She doesnt mention that sheep prices are at all time highs and cattle prices are normal. There are alot of little details that sometimes get left out of videos like these.

[@kylehuberofs8052]

Your doing good at those prices. I just sold some Angus heifers on the smaller side (950lbs) and only averaged $450 a head.

[@jeremycherny2041]

@@kylehuberofs8052 that's awfully low? Same animal in Canada would of got you in the 1200 dollar range right now. A year ago you would of gotten 14 to 1500 dollars on that weight.

[@marcusfoust5050]

@@kylehuberofs8052 that’s absolute robbery. You should be getting more like, what? 1.50 a pound?

[@MikeyDonios]

Looking into raising some sheep. Glad I found your channel. Keep dropping the knowledge!

[@johna3734]

We are in the dfw area as well. We plan to buy some land, but in the meantime, we are looking for raw milk. Last time, we drove out to cleburne and paid $8 a gallon for 10 gallons. It has to be raw A2 milk or possibly sheep milk. I’ll come pick it up. If 10 gallons is too small of a purchase, I can ask all my friends who drink raw milk if they want to do a group purchase. I tried contacting Mill King creamery near Waco about a group buy and they stopped responding once they found out I’m not a retailer.

[@LilacDaisy2]

I took notes, as the WAIT for my cattle to grow and breed, etc, before I can make a dollar, is getting a little depressing. However, you only used "weaning" as a timeline for the sheep. The cattle's timeline was to full-grown. I'm guessing it's just two extra months for the lambs to reach harvest weight? Even still, this makes me want to invest in the different fencing for sheep. Just have to work out how many sheep can thrive on our 15 acres, along with 4 cows, their calves and their yearlings. Thank you so much for sharing your info ... and for the end words on screen.

[@theShepherdess]

Yes, harvest for a lamb is only 8-12 weeks after weaning. I used the weaning date for sheep because that’s the time at which I’ll have cash in hand from the sale of breeding stock. My business model for beef involves having to wait until the steer is processed before I can make a sale. I hope this helps! Thank you so much for watching my videos. -the Shepherdess

[@markpennella]

Keep up the AMAZING work!!

[@DigitalDuelist]

This is an interesting topic. Thank you for posting!

[@danielslagle6440]

You are great at what you do, an all-around talented and smart young lady. Sheep are money. Had both cattle and sheep and I'll never do cattle again except to raise for my freezer. For income, sheep or even goats.

[@goatgate3815]

Having raised both herds of cattle (cow/calf and backgrounding) and flocks of sheep again as a lambing operation or strictly a meat operations over four decades I’ve learn a thing are two. Just up front a healthy calf at 400# is nearly indestructible for years of breeding or is slaughtered. Sheep are either dead, dying or feeding up coyotes and bobcats. Wool sheep are a waste of time. Sheep regularly do stupid. Cattle in a routine, healthy environment can be trusted. The vet work load for cattle is minimal. For sheep you need an on site fecal testing station and parasite supplies, serious fencing, hoof trimmers with flip a table, birthing pens plus supplies and guard dogs (not cheap to buy and raise), and a predator rifle. Cattle can free range. Sheep are best penned up nightly. Just saying you’re comparing apples and oranges. Would estimate the intensity of management required at ten to one and stockman skills at twenty to one. Both animals serve up delicious healthy protein. You’re efforts are appreciated and admirable. Adlai - 1Chro 27:29

[@berniedouglas1023]

I am glad that I have better sheep than what you raised. I have ewes that are born, raised, and bred on pasture. They come in once a year for a CD&T Booster shot.

[@riograndedosulball248]

Sheep are like jet planes, that can perform better but require everything you have in maintenance. I love sheep, my oldest memory is >2 years old me giving milk to a little lamb. But they require everything set right for them to work. My fields are very swampy and foresty, that means they ALWAYS were sneezing and had sore feet from the humidity. They require a dy pasture with lower grass to feed on, you have to protect them, trim their wool, cure their wounds before they become infected, make predator proofed fences, and shoot every single stray dog you see before they smell your sheep. Cows are more hardy, may give you some headache here and there, jump over a fence eventually, but they are much easier to take care of

[@julianshepherd2038]

@@riograndedosulball248 Scotland is wet and covered in sheep.

[@MrMawnster]

best penned up nightly? They have night vision like cattle way better than ours. Have you seen a sheep run...or rams go at things? That agility and acceleration lol lol Lost 3 calves this past spring and not one damn sheep to predators. They go right into the willows and brambles and make pack chasing a misery. Just ask my dog. Never trimmed damn feet, they work for their food and scrabble and are out how they should be wearing them down. You sound like you run a pen fed soft ass operation for cattle and sheep...working for them.... you make THEM work for you

[@jeremywendell5501]

Completely agree people don't realize sheep are a paint-by-numbers animal

[@webstuff56]

Always a pleasure to watch you. Great info!

[@thomasmartin8825]

I like the information you gave. I'm looking into ranching and getting away from truck driving

[@theShepherdess]

Hope my videos help!

[@BenedictFoley]

I'm in Australia and produce on a largish scale both beef cattle and sheep for mainly wool production and meat. I'm more cattle than sheep, but the sheep always make more money, its just that the sheep are more labor intensive to run. More of a life style choice for me, I could employ more labor and make more money by running more sheep but its easier to lean more towards the beef side of things and keep it smaller and simpler.

[@jckirby7994]

Best post ever... Great informational u tube blog... I subscribed

[@jimmaworkurgessa8247]

100% organic and 100% grass feed has high value now days every where.

[@thehayteamtv6830]

Liked the insight, always said sheep were the faster way to make money

[@LtColDaddy71]

Sheep are so much easier on your land. As an organic grain producer, that is important to me. You’re broad brush here, but you certainly aren’t wrong. It’s just a matter of finding the market. Everybody loves beef. If a vegan falls off the wagon,it’s going to be for a big burger or steak, not a lamb chop! For me it’s all about how to put the most healthy cost effective product in to the consumers mouth. I’ll sell them as much lamb as they are willing to buy.

[@milkandcookyz]

I see someone with a Joel Salatin book, and I subscribe

[@theShepherdess]

😂😂😂 Love it. -the Shepherdess

[@theMightyWhytey]

High quality video. Straight to the point. Thank you.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you!

[@lielhadri6733]

U can run chickens 3 days behind the sheeps to break the parasite cycle.

[@booboobangbang6685]

I love what you’re doing- the Farm, the channel, the business education, the tasteful evangelism, all of it! I’d love to hear how you’d approach starting a flock of sheep on a much smaller scale. If you only had 5 acres, what would you do? Thanks!

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you very much for this comment! I actually have a video coming on that. I grazed a group of 5 animals on 2.5 acres last summer and filmed the process. Hope to have it to you soon. -the Shepherdess

[@inthegarden6556]

@the Shepherdess looking forward to this video

[@TACbaha]

BooBoo check out the high mountain homestead channel on yt. He has a small sheep flock on his homestead.

[@adammaina5612]

You are a great blessing. Your business acumen is admirable and quite inspiring. I am sold out on sheep. The market for sheep here in Kenya is burgeoning. I am also applying your thought processes to finetune business plan for Ostriches. You may consider this retite later as well. Reproduction potential is much higher that traditional farm animals and nearly everything about it is highly valued.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you, Adam! Your comments bless me.

[@benabopp459]

Thank you so much for this! Your videos are pure gold. Thank you for everything you do!

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you!!

[@anthonydooley3616]

Even though the cattle may return less profit per pound per year, I think it's great for your soil to have some beeves on pasture with your lambs. Just as diversity in crop species is better for your soil and provide different nutrients and pest control for your flock, a diverse animal population is also great for your soil. You aren't a sheep farmer, you are a grass/clover farmer. I'm sure you are familiar with Gabe Brown who is super smart on the subject. Congratulations on your book! May the Lord continue to bless you, the good sheppard.

[@Off-Grid]

My girls did Boar Goats for 4H and I was shocked. Whole new world and sheep and a completely nother world. The girls made three times their money on the goats....crazy!

[@guillermomaguire5394]

Awesome. I know zippo about ranching...okay, less than zippo. But I do know business, and this video is an excellent primer of business analysis for people who are trying to learn such things. Put another way, this video is worth more than a semester of top tier university business class.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you very much!!

[@declanking-williams356]

Super informative and educational video. I have a small herd of dorper sheep. Thank you again and you most definitely have a new subscriber and follower.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you very much!

[@nexthyype7637]

Amazing video very honest and anyone can apply this to their own farm

[@arthurmbedzi263]

I’m glad I stayed till the end, John 11:25 is one of my favourite scriptures ❤

[@tomcurran1538]

I have 24 acres near "Mayberry," NC. From listening to Greg Judy, hairless sheep are the way to go. Good info. A good donkey/mule will keep the coyotes away.

[@wisconsinfarmer4742]

we are pondering a small start with dairy sheep. I never thought of the freshening ewe market, but that could be the icing. potentially 40 acres of diversified pasture here.

[@chasecopeland5530]

Great video. I have always stressed to people with small acreages to look at sheep over cattle or at least cows. In Central MO, Greg Judy raises parasite resistant hair sheep with no grain or hay on stockpile using rotational grazing. Sheep have a lot of potential for a small homestead.

[@OurFruitfulFamily]

Yes! This is exactly why we are following Greg Judy's method for raising our St. Croix Sheep on our Homestead!

[@tomcurran1538]

Greg Judy...he da man!

[@mikecoxx8999]

Wow, incredibly intelligent and well put together video. Your going to be successful at what ever you do.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you, Mike! I was really encouraged by this comment today.

[@allenbragg7920]

Like to hear a discussion on what the animals do for the property. How do they affect the soil?

[@MistressOP]

goat and sheep bacon is underrated. extremely profitable cut.

[@anthonydooley3616]

Great video! I am a numbers nerd, so this was very relatable to me.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you, Anthony!!

[@jamesndelilahpinckney914]

Ok. Thumbs up already. Love the intro with the bullet points :) and time stamps.

[@theShepherdess]

Thanks James!

[@rhuffstedtler]

Minor quibble - when you’re saying ROI, you actually mean payback period. ROI should be expressed as a percentage of the return over the input. To be really precise about the finance, you should compute a net present value. Without doing the math, I’d guess that the shorter turnaround on the sheep helps the NPV.

[@theShepherdess]

Thanks very much!

[@hebasedd]

Who cares to be honest? She did an astounding job presenting the results for others. Everyone knows what she meant, the nerve...

[@rhuffstedtler]

Hi @@hebasedd. I've clearly offended you in some way, although I'm not sure how. One of the things I really appreciate about Grace is that she takes business as seriously as she takes agriculture. ROI, payback period, and NPV can lead to different capital allocation decisions. Which tool is best to use differs a bit depending on context (although NPV is usually the best choice if one isn't sure). I'm not sure that "everyone" knows what she meant (I haven't talked to everyone), but I do know that I've seen people struggle with the difference in finance classes, so I thought the clarification might be helpful for some.

[@HeadakusMaximus]

So your hourly pay rate comes out to what? $0.25/hr? So one day this rancher wins the lottery and a reporter comes out to interview him. She asks "So what are you going to do now that you are a multimillionaire?" He replies "I guess I'll keep ranching until it is all gone."

[@spartaeus]

Sheep are a heck of a lot more work and expense, and have many possible health problems. And also require the expense of guard dogs and their maintenance. Cattle require almost zero labor, and rarely have any health problems in my experience. All the cattle I've raised needed zero wormer, ever! And had zero health problems. And the cost of fencing is extremely low for cattle. And they require no guard dogs.

[@breesechick]

Merry Christmas!

[@beholy12]

Thank you for sharing!!

[@David-wc7lx]

Sounds like you are an excellent sheep farmer. Equally, it appears that you may not have a great grasp of how to maximize profits on a beef ranch. I did note that you qualified your study by acknowledging the use of sale barns. Sale barns exist to make money from the lazy and unimaginative. Selling inspected, finished beef direct to the consumer, were I limited to 23ac, I would net $80,050 based on an average hanging weight of 700lb. Selling by cuts, increase that number by 30%. I acknowledge that mutton brings excellent money. However, in reality, the demand is relatively very low. Truthfully, there's a need for both. I would encourage anyone looking to get into the livestock business to go in the direction they love the most. I would encourage them to move forward without any preconceived notions of profitability. Instead, I would recommend that they use their imagination to explore how to make the most out of their products. Farming and ranching is work from the time we get up until the time we go to bed. However, if we love what we do, we never really work. Best wishes for you and yours...always.

[@theShepherdess]

$80k net on 23 acres of beef sounds tempting. Could you break that down for me with some numbers and market venues? I’d love to create a follow up video of the info is solid. I look forward to hearing back! -the Shepherdess

[@jsutton9142]

I would like to see a break down of that too. How many head do you think you're raising, farm to table, on 23 acres?

[@David-wc7lx]

First, I would lease 200ac of pasture for $2,000 per year to run my Gelbvieh influenced cattle. They must be Gelbvieh influenced to get feed efficiency need for the growth I am getting. I have two 18 head calf crops per year. I ween at 6 months. My bulls ween at 600lbs + and my heifers ween at 500lb +. I loose a month of growth on the bulls due to the stress of weening in combination with banding. The heifers aren't nearly as bothered. At weening I move them to a 21ac pasture here at the house. I buy a commodity bulk mix that is 40% Crack corn, 40% dried distillers grain, 10% peanut hulls, and 10% soy. I pay.$14.90/hundred weight. I feed 5lb per head twice a day. That's just shy of one tonn per head in 6 months. I also provide 14lbs of forage per head per day on average. This is at times supplemented with hay. At the end of the six months our animals are 1200 to 1300lbs on the hoof. We then take them to process. There is a $75 kill fee and $0.90/pound hanging weight fee. A 1200lb animal will hang 700lb. This will yield 510lb of vacuum sealed, frozen beef. We sell our beef two ways. We sell whole, half and quarter beef at $4.90/pound of hanging weight. We also sell cuts. This is far more profitable than selling bulk however, it takes a great deal longer. Our worst grade has been "choice" and our best has been "prime plus". We started out selling only bulk through Craigslist and word of mouth. It took a couple years to develop our brand recognition. When we decided to try to sell cuts, we went to Barn to Door. A web based market place. We do this every 6 months. It is hard work and definitely not for the lazy. Still, we love what we do. We take great pride in the care we provide our animals. So, here are some numbers. Per head: grain $298.00 Hay $64.00 Processing $700avg Sell in bulk $3,430 Sell in cuts $3,968 Worst case: net $2,368 per head.

[@David-wc7lx]

Full disclosure. I have 200ac. That is why I said I would lease 200ac. Nevertheless, my weening pasture is 21ac. All of the costs and profits are real. I did leave out the vet bills, minerals and the occasional trough or hay ring. That is the difference between the number on the first comment and the second. It's really hard to convince people of this. Even one of my best friends takes his calves to the sell barn. He thinks he has had a good day if he gets $1.20/lb on the hoof. I understand that time is limited for many and it's just easier. I own another business as well as the ranch. I just love cows.

[@jsutton9142]

😆 So your business plan to make 80k on 23 acres is to have 200 acres? You said in your original comment "if I were limited to 23 acres". 80k on two hundred acres figured out to less than 10k on 23 acres which is pretty much what the video figures. You did a whole lot of typing and said nothing.

[@stevenjames7667]

Trouble is I don't have the land for that here in Chandler Arizona. Not to mention no irrigation but city water. And that costs me believe me. Maney blessings to you dear.

[@tacitus6384]

What about milking the cows regularly for money? If you had a small herd of about 9 girls, who'll milk for about 300 days a year, you can use a portable milker (bought for about $1,500), store it in cold silo's. Milk is currently selling for about 56cents a liter, and a small herd of 9 cows will produce about 70,500 liters over a 10 month period, so that's $39,513 by napkin math. There's obviously costs involved, like storage, transport etc, but is that feasible?

[@ks_hunter7327]

The breed of the sheep is very critical, some breed are more parasite resistant and others. Also a guardian dog is a must, not only to protect against predators on the ground but from the air as well. Ravens, Black headed vultures and larger avian predators go after activity birthing ewes and new born lambs.

[@lilianazalokar7886]

you are fantastic, thank you for your videos. I learn a lot from you. Have a good day. KInd regards Torben Gram from Denmark

[@theShepherdess]

So nice of you, thank you!

[@NWTejas]

Good no nonsense analysis.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you!

[@joepeeer4830]

Ty

[@MaryMary-du5xv]

My dear Grace welcome back sweetheart we missed you 💕👼🙏🏻😘🇺🇸✝️

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you Mary!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@marninacollins6449]

Thank you so much for your advice! I really enjoy following your journey 💗 I pray God continues to bless your endeavors 🙏 you truly help others and I thank you so much for that.

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you so much for your prayers, Marnina! They mean so much.

[@robertcalamusso4218]

Awesome. I’ve seen lots of sheepoutfits in TX. Suggestion. Lose the visor get a cool cap.

[@_witchdoctor]

Great channel, learning alot!

[@8SIR8]

Your business acumen >….this is awesome

[@asyed1995]

You are strong person

[@jamesbeverly4731]

Nicely put together from Goat Farm road

[@theShepherdess]

Thank you!

[@daveknaub]

You’re goin places. Good job. Very informative video.

[@ChaoticOrder73]

Love everything about this.

[@JessieJussMessy]

You're an inspiration

[@annekern2649]

This is so clearly expressed! Thank you very much!

[@armchairwarrior963]

City guy here, isn't chicken the best bang for the buck? I have no idea why rancher cows vids are flooding my feed lol. interesting to watch. also hoof doctor vids for some reason.

[@999benhonda]

I bought $7k worth of lawn mowing gear...working part time, half the year, I can make 20-25 thousands. Farming is crazy hard.

[@theShepherdess]

it is!

[@corychristofferson3177]

Feed conversion is 5 to 1 for sheep vs 9 to 1 for cattle so that's a big plus . The hair sheep she raises are easier to take care of vs wooled breeds. But if you have never raised sheep be ready for lots of unexpected problems to occur. I have lambed out as many as 1100 head when I was young and crazy but now run about 140 young ewes at age 67. My advise to anyone starting with sheep is to start with some 100 lb ewe lambs and keep your flock young. The smartest and best mothers on earth are the romanov and can easily raise 3 lambs average but are to small to be commercially viable. Currently breeding an romanov east freisan ramboliet cross which is looking quite promising

[@theShepherdess]

This input is golden! Thank you for taking the time to comment.

[@Trythis837]

How many lambs per ewe are you averaging? Average weight at marketing?