Offers practical advice on selecting, feeding, caring for, disadvantages of raising them.

Whether you're getting your first sheep or would like to learn more about caring for and showing the sheep you have, Your Sheep has the information you need to be successful. Paula Simmons and Darrell Salsbury cover everything you need to know, from choosing and buying the right sheep to feeding, heath care, shearing, showing, breeding, and lambing.

"The Sheep Book offers a template for both the beginner and the old hand. Mixing theoretical, technical and practical, Parker offers a buffet of tips for any sheep producer." --Joel Salatin, author of You Can Farm

Presents tips on choosing breeds, feeding, housing, breeding, lambing, and health care for raising sheep.

Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep is the best-selling, most trusted reference for farmers and backyard homesteaders with any size flock. The 5th edition is now updated to include 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.

Whether you're about to acquire your first sheep or are interested in diversifying your operation with rare breeds, Storey's Guide to Raising Sheep covers everything small-scale sheep farmers need to know to keep their animals healthy and productive. Drawing from years of hands-on experience, Paula Simmons and Carol Ekarius provide expert advice on breed selection, lambing, feeding, housing, pasture maintenance, and medical care. You'll also find tips on profitably marketing your meat and fiber products, as well as information on obtaining organic certifications.

The Basics of Raising Sheep - Don’t Be Dumb About Raising Sheep…Because They Aren’t Table of Contents Introduction Chapter 1: Being Prepared… it’s More than Just a Motto Chapter 2: Fencing Chapter 3: The Three Essentials—Food, Water and Shelter Chapter 4: I Pick Ewe Chapter 5: Hello, my Name is Shepherd Conclusion Author Bio Introduction Most people consider sheep to be cute, wooly…and dumb. These same people would be wrong. The truth of the matter is sheep are cute and wooly, but as for being dumb…while it is true that some breeds of sheep are less resilient than others and don’t do very well in the mothering department, the word ‘trusting’ is a much more appropriate adjective to describe these wonderful (yes, wonderful!) animals. There are a few other adjectives which aptly describe sheep: manageable, functional and profitable. Whether you have a couple of acres or a couple of hundred acres—sheep have much to offer in the way of an agricultural venture as long as you do it right. That’s where this book comes in. “I cannot tell you how many times I’ve turned people away wanting to buy sheep; telling them to come see me when they are actually ready to buy.” –Darla Noble That’s what this book is all about; getting you ready to raise sheep. Based upon the assumption that you’ve decided that’s what you want to do, we will tell you: *How to prepare yourself and your property to raise sheep *What you need to raise sheep *How to select sheep for your farm *The primary functions of a shepherd (that’s you!)