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East central Iowa |
I've had sheep for 26 years and always thought I made some money. But when you start paying for all the hay equip. and fence or building repairs and improvements I'm not sure I ever get paid much for my labor.
If you had $100,000 laying around to start out with and not owe the bank anything that would get you down the road along ways. Heck my property tax, building insurance and health ins. cost me $15,000/year. So even at $100/ewe gross profit that doesn't leave much for anything else.
I'm at a crossroads, 85 to 120 ewes takes a lot of time and need to make some capital improvements. So do I go up to 200 plus to pay for the upgrades or I need to cut back to 30 head and it be just a hobby. Just taking too much time I don't have. I just can't do the 12 to 16 hr. days most of the year with a full time business to run and work at, with crop farming and sheep. Sheep are the lowest return per hour of time invested. It's not the actual feeding or lambing time, or day to day animal care it's the fences, making hay, hauling manure and equip. maintenance that eats up the time.
If they have some money to throw at the sheep great. But I would agree start small and grow/ learn see how it goes. A year of abortion disease or foot rot, or poisinous weeds in pasture will test your will power.
Dave | |
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Sheep
