Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep

“Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep” is the bestselling, most trusted reference for farmers and backyard homesteaders with any size flock. The fifth edition is now updated with full-color illustrations and photographs throughout, including a gallery of the best breed choices for both meat and fiber. With their small size and gentle dispositions, sheep are one of the easier livestock species to raise and offer varied marketing opportunities, including meat, wool, and milk. Detailed instructions and graphics lead readers through every essential procedure, including shearing, building a lambing shed, breeding and lambing, butchering, and marketing.

The updated fifth edition of the classic bestselling guide to raising sheep now features full-color photography and completely updated information for a new generation of small-scale farmers and homesteaders.

For farmers and backyard homesteaders, this bestselling resource is the most comprehensive guide to success with flocks of any size. Whether you're raising sheep for meat, wool, or milk, you'll find detailed instructions covering everything from health, breeding, and facilities to shearing, showing, and marketing. Preface

1: Starting with Sheep
Some Background on Sheep - Sheep Farming Today - Behavior - Breeds - Buying Sheep - Home at Last

2: Breeding and Breeds
Breeding and Genetics - Genetic Diversity and Sheep Breeds - Individual Breeds

3: Pasture, Fences, and Facilities
Pasture - Fencing - Facilities

4: Herding Dogs
Traits of Herding Dogs - Breeds - Selecting a Dog - Training - Dog Trials

5: Protecting against Predators
Managing for Predators - Guardian Animals

6: Feeds and Feeding
Digestion - Nutrients - Feeding Practices - Types of Feed

7: General Health Considerations
Healthy Strategies - Recognizing Sick Sheep - Alternative Health Practices - Natural Defenses - Causes of Illness in Sheep - Parasites - Other Disorders of Sheep - Drugs for Sheep

8: Problems of Rams, Ewes, and Lambs
Problems with Rams - Disorders in Ewes - Lamb Problems

9: Flock Management
Successful Breeding - The Ram - Ewes

10: Lambing
Preparation for Lambing - The Lambing Process - After Lambing - Problems with Newborn Lambs - Orphan Lambs - Care of Baby Lambs

11: Products and Marketing
Merchandising to Reach Your Market - Wool - Meat and Milk - Pelts - The Live-Animal Business - Odds and Ends - Recipes

12: Showing Sheep
Kinds of Shows - Show Classes - Training Sheep - Fitting - Show Ring Strategies

13: Records and Animal Identification
National Sheep Improvement Program - Computer Software and Spreadsheets - Sample Record Charts

Appendixes
Lambing Calendar
Feed Requirements
Composition of Common Feedstuffs
Resources
Glossary
Metric Conversion Charts
Index