[crimson]

  Small flock of lets say 30 ewes, i already know the answer but i want someone to convince me otherwise . Lets say mule and suffolks. Upland ground with some lowland.

[Jamie12]

I'd also like convincing, though I can't see me making much in the first few years with start upbcosts , buying the flock, renting, equipment etc. I also have 30 ewes, hoping to be at 50 in a years time

[Backinwellies]

120 views but no replies probably is your answer!   Flocks of 100's don't make much!

[Buttermilk]

To my mind the only way to make a profit, if any, with small flocks is to breed outstanding pedigree stock and sell on breeding stock to other people.

[hughesy]

Or take the lambs to slaughter yourself and sell the meat direct to the consumer.

[trish.farm]

or fiddle your books so it looks like you have made a profit and then your OH doesn't complain so much about the long hours you spend with your sheep!!!! 

[Marches Farmer]

Or breed a terminal sire breed, but they'll need careful management to turn out top quality stock on upland pasture.

[Bramblecot]

Niche market - direct sales using the meat, skins and wool.  Lots of work to market your product though.

And hide the extra feed bought for cash from the OH

[Sbom]

It depends what you pay for rent, what breed you have, how much you pay for the ewes, what tup you are going to use and what market you have for your lambs. Also how good you health plan is so you use just the right treatments at exactly the time you need them and how good your sheparding skills are when it comes to spotting and treating problems.
Having the right sheep on the right ground is a major factor.

[Womble]

So, lots of 'it depends' answers so far. However, is anybody willing to stick their neck out and say "Yes, I make a small profit on my flock of  X ewes, and this is how I do it"?  That would be a much more interesting read!

[Foobar]

You can mange a small flock so that your £inputs exceed your £outputs, but the amount of profit you make is probably going to be small, unless as others have said you work very hard to market your goods with value-added services like meat boxes, skins etc.
Plus, if you have a bad year and you need a vet's help then that can wipe out profit in a heartbeat.

[Victorian Farmer]

Butermilk is spot on .We do 250 ewes up till 2010 whith ordanarey ewes very small prophit .I then went the other way and  bought 2 First class rams .That made the difarance .The better the stock the better the  price .I don't no long term whot will happen wombul  pigs geese fowl sheep will be brought over seas gm fed no taist very soon the milk and eggs will be from france and that will be a nother bit gone . Long term fill the fields whith christmas trees and you will show a prophit .

[Coximus]

Its do-able but Plan carefuly and keep your costs down -
You may make more money out of fewer sheep spread thinner on the ground than more, and having to buy in food
The trick small scale is the same as the big boys - Maximise your useage of good grass. Rotate pasture, use the right mineral licks and minimise feed brought in - Grass grows free mostly, Its better to spent £25 an acre on clover seed to increase the quality of the grazing than it is to spend £25 on ewe nuts for a small flock for a week.

It will also last longer!

From 30 sheep managed well, lets say Mules put to an easy terminal sire, no reason why if you had 8-10 acres of average ground you should not make £1500 operating profit, selling butchers lambs - Ignoring the cost of starting the flock.
You could make more if you bred Pure beltex of texels etc....
Less if you feed them ewe nuts every week.

Maximise your grass quality and usage and you will save

[Red]

Ok this is our second year with a small increasing flock of hebrideans and we've managed to sell our meet to 2 local foody pubs who like to sell local produce and fingers crossed supplying a farm shop with meat in the near future. We've also managed to get a buyer for all the fleeces for a spinners and felting shop so it can be done. We should make enough to cover vets bills and feed. We are in the lucky position that we own the land and all set up costs are covered, so fingers crossed we should now make enough to cover the running costs but if your in this game to make a living forget it, cost neutral on a small scale is possible. Needles to say I have a full time paid job and my husbby does the small holding work full time now

[pgkevet]

I just have the 5 pet sheep. But what could be more bracing than my walk to pet them and give them a breakfast treat.. a gale strng eough that one gust actually knocked me backwards, rain lashing horizontally, the stream a total torrent and the mud through the last gate suddenly ankle deep.

Yes the sheep all came for a morning pet but didn't want their concentrate once it got rained on, won't use the shelter i spent money and time building and don't appreciate quite how soaked through i was on the trip back.. or that the dogs need towelling dry and I'm sat here in skimpies while the rest hangs on radiators.

Good character building stuff! A bracing way to start the day - as i tell OH. Oh, and most of thir plastic feed bowls had got blown away. They don't like metal troughs - too cold on the muzzle in winter.

OH suggests I redecorate thier shelter, a few pictures on the walls and some scatter cushions to make it more inviting. She isn't really into country stuff.......