Raise a flock of sheep in your backyard. Even with a limited amount of space, you can enjoy homegrown fleece and fresh milk, as well as the endearing company of these family-friendly animals. Sue Weaver provides all the instructions you need for selecting a breed; housing and feeding; harvesting fleece; and milking. With simple recipes for making cheese and yogurt, and tips on processing fleece for wool, you'll enjoy the varied and numerous rewards of keeping sheep. An informative guide for anyone looking to keep from two to twelve sheep for fleece, dairy, or companionship.
Sue Weaver has written hundreds of magazine articles and many books about livestock, horses, and chickens, including The Backyard Cow, The Backyard Goat, The Backyard Sheep, Storey and The Donkey Companion. Weaver and her husband share their ridgetop farmette in the southern Ozarks with an array of animal friends.
Useful and lovable, sheep make wonderful backyard pets. Their fleece is fundamental to all sorts of fiber arts; their ultra-rich, high-fat milk produces delicious cheese; and if you raise herding dogs, sheep are a must! Sue Weaver's complete guide to raising two or twelve sheep covers everything from their place in history to their place in your backyard.
The essential beginner's guide to:
- Choosing a breed. Select the sheep that best suit your climate, facilities, and purpose.
- Housing and feeding. You want your sheep to be comfortable, well nourished and safe.
- Caring for sheep. Identify and treat illnesses and afflictions, breed your ewes, and see them safely through lambing season.
- Producing beautiful fleece. Handspinner-quality fleeces don't just happen; discover how to get the best from your sheep.
- Milking. Basic techniques and tips on handling your fresh milk will turn you into a pro in no time.
- Making cheese. Sheep-milk cheese and yogurt are two of the finest reasons to keep sheep.
Preface
Part 1: Learning About Sheep
1. Sheep Throughout History
Sheepish Origins - Sheep in Great Britain - Sheep in the Americas - The Rise of the Merino - Sheep in the Rest of the World
2. Introducing the Sheep
The Five Senses - Open Your Mouth and Say Baah - Social Behavior - Play Behavior - Feeding Behavior - Flocking, Moving, and Catching Behavior - Cast Sheep - Behavioral Tidbits
3. Choosing a Breed
What Are You Looking For? - Breed Classifications - Horns 101
4. Buying Your Sheep
Where to Start Looking - Finding a Responsible Seller - Evaluating Sheep - Identifying Sheep
Part 2: Keeping a Few Sheep
5. Housing Sheep
Providing Housing - Constructing Pens - Building Fences - Everyday Equipment
6. Feeding Sheep
Your Sheep's Digestive System - Feeding Hay - Feeding Concentrates - Feeding Minerals - If You Switch Feeds, Do It Gradually
7. Doctoring Sheep
Finding a Sheep-Savvy Veterinarian - Keeping Sheep Healthy and Well - Being Your Own Vet (Sometimes) - Sheep Illnesses and Afflictions - Coccidiosis - Internal Parasites - External Parasites
Part 3: Making More Sheep
8. Breeding Sheep
Owning Your Own Ram - Using Someone Else's Ram - Handling Rams - The Sheep-y Birds and Bees - Handling Ewes Post-Breeding - Feeding Pregnant Ewes - Late-Gestation Tips - What to Do Before Lambing Starts - Is It Time?
9. Lambing Season
First-Stage Labor - Second-Stage Labor - When Things Go Wrong - Here Be Lambs!
10. Caring for Lambs
Dealing with Rejected Lambs - Lamb Poop 101 - Tails It Is - Feeding Dam-Raised Lambs - Raising Bottled Lambs
Part 4: Enjoying Your Sheep
11. Producing Quality Fleece
First Things First - More Ploys for Growing Better Fleeces - Sheepshearing 101 - Washing (Scouring) Fleece - Storing Fleece
12. Got Milk?
Choosing Your Dairy Ewe - Milking Basics - Handling Milk - Sharing the Bounty - Selling Milk
13. Training Sheep
Taming Sheep - Training Basics - Teaching Your Sheep about Targeting - Teaching Your Sheep to Lead - Picking Up Feet
