DISADVANTAGES OF SHEEP PRODUCTION AND FARMING

Don’t get me wrong, I love sheep and I think keeping these lovely creatures is wonderful. I often recommend them as a gateway large livestock animal if you’re new to farming as they are fairly straight forward to look after. However, there are some disadvantages of sheep production.

DEATH

If you’ve been in or around farming for long, you’ll probably heard the phrase ‘sheep are born wanting to die’. I don’t agree with this sentiment at all but it’s true that if you don’t know sheep, they can seem to get themselves into all manner of fatal predicaments.

Sheep are prey animals and that means they don’t show signs of illness until they’re about ready to drop dead. It’s your responsibility as a shepherd, therefore, to recognise potential problems. If you don’t know these then I agree; sheep just drop dead.

The death of a sheep can be a disadvantage of sheep production but good husbandry and care, and an eye to detail such as ‘can my sheep drown in that? or will my ewe tangle herself in that?, can limit losses.

FENCING

Sheep are flock animals and in my opinion, aren’t great escape artists. In many cases you can keep them safe behind three wires of 9-strand polywire such as the ones I’ve talked about here. That’s not to say they won’t break out given the chance especially if the grass is greener (which it always is) or there’s a randy ram wanting to go and see the ewes.

So one disadvantage of sheep production can be the amount of fencing you need, especially if you want to rotate with electric fencing and then have boundary stock fencing as an added precaution. Sheep also like to tangled in netting. Be extremely careful when using electric netting and never use it with horned sheep unless it’s off. I’ve had my fair share of sheep get their horns trapped but I don’t leave netting on; that can end up in a dead animal.

Sheep like to get caught in fencing and brambles

FOOT PROBLEMS

For the most-part if you’re careful about where you buy your stock from, rotate your flock regularly and treat at the first signs of a problem, foot issues shouldn’t be an issue. The two main feet diseases I come across are scald and foot rot; both of which are relatively easy to treat as long as you spot the issue.

It does mean you need to keep a careful eye on your flock and catch up any individual that begins to limp. Ignore it at your peril because both scald and foot rot can spread fast, infecting the flock, the pasture and requiring a larger more expensive footdip treatment. A good pair of sheep foot trimmers are your friend in this instance.

PREDATION

Predation of sheep does account for losses, but the majority of adult sheep are unlikely to be taken by predators. Lambs, on the other hand, are game for foxes, wolves, hawks and even badgers. Wild and out of control pet dogs can also cause horrific injuries and sadly, unlike most natural predators, often end up racing through a flock causing multiple injuries which is not only heartbreaking but expensive due to vet bills and the loss of livestock.

Care when lambing and ensuring strong, healthy stock will reduce losses, as will lambing inside and only turning sheep out when they’ve grown a little. Adding adequate fencing and notifying dog walkers of sheep through signage, can help prevent other losses.

Lambing can have its problems

LAMBING

When it comes to sheep, humans have domesticated them for so long, and bred them into so many various types, that lambing is not as simple as it might once have been. Goats, for example, which haven’t been as domesticated don’t often need a lot of help. Sheep on the other hand, particularly modern commercial breeds, often require intervention due to large lambs or breech positions.

This disadvantage of sheep production means you need to be heavily involved during lambing time to prevent loss of life which can heavily impact the financial side of the business.

LAMB PRICES

One serious disadvantage of raising sheep is the lack of control over lamb prices. Like all markets, prices fluctuate; some seasons have high demand and so the price of lamb rockets. But you cannot rely on this value as the following year, or even a few months later, the price might not be even close.

For large enterprises, though these fluctuations may have impact on the bottom line, it can be integrated into the business plan. However, smaller farms can find it harder to make ends meet. In this scenario, I highly advise trying to skip the market completely and sell directly to customers. This not only strengthens the bond between producer and consumer, but offers the chance to really monopolise on a sheep production business.

I love keeping sheep and I honestly believe the advantages of having them on your farm far outweigh the disadvantages. Like all livestock, care needs to be taken on their welfare and management to reduce losses and ensure the best husbandry is provided. But I highly recommend having these fluffy faces on your homestead, farm or smallholding.