[Remy]

What's a good amount of sheep (adults) to have per acre over winter?  I know it does depend on what kind of land you have and that you can keep far more during the growing season but I want to keep some of this year's babies to increase my flock.  I have about 23 adult sheep on about 14-15 acres of good lush grazing and mostly well drained (will support sheep anyway).

8 of those are my ewes that produce lambs for market, and I'd definitely like to add to those as they have produced some cracking lambs with my Ryeland tup. I've got a little flock of 6 Gotlands and 1Gotland ram, and could keep some of the ewe lambs born this year as they would be unrelated to him.  I also have a Zwartbles ram who could be put to any of my ewes, he's quite a big boy and again his offspring would be mainly crosses for market.

The fields are divided so the sheep wouldn't all be on the same areas, they would be in their respective ram/ewes group with somewhere else to put any ewe lambs I'm keeping from this year.

This year worked very well along with my horses and I only had to feed a few bales of hay extra.

ETA I've worked out the current rate is about 1.6 sheep per acre!

[SteveHants]

If you dont want to feed them, I work on just over three/ac summer, just over 1/ac winter. Im on lowland grazing. Winter mostly hay meadows.

[woollyval]

Max 4 big sheep to the acre....preferably less as less = less wormer etc Extensive sheep are often much healthier than intensive! I will have 13 acres of grazing at my disposal this year and will be taking max of 30 Ouessants over winter 2 ouessants = i ordinary sheep