[Meganrogers134]

After helping my dad with his flock of sheep me and my boyfriend have decided we'd like to have our own. We do not own any land and both have jobs so are not able to do it on a commercial scale like my dad. We like the idea of having a small possibly pedigree or rare breed flock but at the same time we need to have something that makes  a small profit. Does anyone have any ideas of what sort of system we should look at doing?

[Sbom]

If you both work full time you first need to be sure you have someone to check them in the winter when it's dark when you come home from work...
Not sure making money out of rare breed sheep is even possible

[Marches Farmer]

It can take a long while to get a good reputation for your sheep and you'll not get the best from them if you haven't sufficient time to pay meticulous attention to detail.  Could you rent some grass keep and take on stores through the summer, selling them for lamb in the Autumn?

[waterbuffalofarmer]

Agree with the first 2 comments above. If working full time jobs can you get time off at all around lambing time? To do feet and dose and shearing? etc, etc; it does also depend on what breed you get, whether it be hill/hardy or lowland. There are some sheep out there which need more attention than others and some hardier than most; I would advise looking on the NSA website and talking to local sheep farmers and see what they think. There isn't really a lot of money in keeping sheep, but if you built up a flock for rearing and selling your homegrown meat to the public, then you could make some money. Working a full time job and managing sheep though isn't really a very good combo and I do speak from experience. I really hate to sound pessimistic about it all, I found it difficult working a part time job and looking after the sheep with help from family, in the end I had to give it up and work full time with the flock and herd. I hope this helps and sorry if I sound a bit pessimistic/critical   

[Beeducked]

I have to agree with WBF.


My OH and I work full time and it is really really hard looking after the smallholding and working, even with my OH woking from home 2 days a week. If I'm honest the sheep are probably the thing that costs the most and returns the least! I suspect that buying in stores and then selling them on after fattening would be more economical that rare breeds (what we have! ). It avoids the stress and losses of lambing and it's hard to fit lambing into a couple of weeks annual leave (trust me I'm trying and even with a small flock there were a few early and looks like there will be a few late). I wouldn't consider lambing while working 9-5, this fortnight has been harder work that being at work! We have friends and family available to help out round these difficult times and it is still exhausting.
I know it is hypocritical saying don't do it when it is what I am doing, what I'm saying is it's really hard to do, the way we do it (small flock rare breed) actually makes a loss. Just make sure you work out exactly what you want it to achieve for you.

[devonlad]

Like the others I'm afraid, we have a good year if we break even and its all consuming, with not much room or time to do anything else. Thankfully for us its a lifestyle we love, but its not an earner. Good luck with whatever you decide

[brookdale]

I am relatively new to sheep keeping myself and only have a 15 but would defiantly say there is no money in keeping a small flock. All medicines / vaccines come in sizes for larger flocks, so you end up using a fraction of what you buy with a lot going to waste. I try and share medicines with another guy that also only has a small number but not always possible.
Would agree almost impossible with a full time job, tried that and it was just exhausting. Don't give up on the idea but think very carefully, out of all the animals we keep on the smallholding, ducks, chickens, rabbits, pigs, the sheep are my far the most time consuming and expensive.
Do love em  though.
?

[Womble]

Oh dear, we're all on a right downer at the moment, aren't we?    (must be lambing induced lack of sleep!).


The main reason I struggle to make my wee flock break even is economies of scale (having to buy big bottles of meds and then waste half, having to buy feed by the sack rather than by the tonne, etc). I think your Dad could be key to making this work though Megan, and that could give you a leg up compared with the rest of us.


I take it you'll be renting land from your Dad or another neighbour to begin with?  In which case, most of the expensive things like trailers and hurdles are going to be available to you when you need them for free or cheap, right?  Also, could you do a deal with your Dad to share medicines etc with him, at cost?  If you were my daughter, I'd want to encourage you to do that, and would gladly give you a start in return for some help (e.g. you help me to gather my sheep for shearing, and then we'll do yours at the end).


As for a breed, that question almost never works out on forums like this - we all end up recommending what we keep ourselves!  Instead, why don't you have a chat with your Dad, and with other local rare breed people, and see what takes your fancy from the RBST watchlist.

Perhaps you could even cross your sheep with the ones your Dad keeps?

Anyway, there are loads of ways to make this work. Do think about the practicalities, but also think laterally, think about adding value, and think about what you need to do to make this fun. Also pick the sheep you and your boyfriend love - it has to feel worthwhile when you're heading out to feed them in a howling gale in the dark!

All the best! 

[Fleecewife]

After helping my dad with his flock of sheep me and my boyfriend have decided we'd like to have our own. We do not own any land and both have jobs so are not able to do it on a commercial scale like my dad. We like the idea of having a small possibly pedigree or rare breed flock but at the same time we need to have something that makes  a small profit. Does anyone have any ideas of what sort of system we should look at doing?

What a lot of negative comments [member=158856]Meganrogers134[/member] .  I agree with some of them, but I suspect you haven't explained the whole situation in your post.  Would you be keeping your sheep on your Dad's farm?  If so, presumably he could do daily checks for you, share meds and dose guns etc, so a lot of the comments made would not apply.

If you are serious in your plans, then have a look at rare breeds, especially the Primitives.  If you research into markets a little, or sell online, you can return a small profit on selling carcases to upmarket restaurants and online buyers looking for something special.  Have a look at the prices some people charge.........   You would have to be determined to make it work.
Primitives are also far less work than some downland types, although of course they still need foot trimming, worming if required, protection against flystrike, someone around at lambing and so on.  In addition buying your starter flock is less expensive than for larger sheep.
With horned sheep you can add value by making jewellery or buttons.  Another way to add value is to find out how to produce top quality fleece for craft workers - you don't get much, but more than you would from the BWMB.  You can also get skins tanned and sell them on for somewhere in the region of £50 each.

Don't lose heart - you just need to be realistic about your situation and think it all through carefully.


Cross posted with Womble, who says pretty much the same.......ah well, I should learn to type more quickly.

[Meganrogers134]

Hi, although we work we would have time to care for them as we have plenty of time off. I would be considering renting land off my dad. He has trailers, hurdles etc so that wouldn't be a cost. He has also said we could share the cost of medicines etc. Now to set upon the challenge of finding a breed. Thank you all for the advice.

[waterbuffalofarmer]

thats brilliant [member=158856]Meganrogers134[/member]  I would suggest looking on the NSA website for sheep breeds. There are so many out there which have so much to offer. All the best with whatever you both decide