Keeping Sheep on Small Acreage
You might think you need a lot of space to keep sheep but what if I told you that with just one acre you could keep up to 10 sheep? If you’re raising lambs for meat and therefore not keeping them all year, you need even less space. Keeping sheep on small acreage is entirely possible as long as you’re aware of the possible problems and pitfalls.
GRAZING
I would highly recommend that rather than fence your acre and throw your sheep in, you take the time to carve the space into smaller paddocks. This is very easily achieved with electric fencing, allowing you to move areas around as and when required. In fact, I would go as far as saying you should never put hard fencing across your property because once it’s there, it’s difficult and expensive to remove.
Depending on the number of sheep you’re keeping on small acreage, play around with paddock sizes. For example, I run four ewes quite happily with a single piece of 50m long electric fencing laid out in a rectangle - that’s only 100m square or 0.03acres! They are moved every three to four days meaning there is a huge amount of space to rotate grazing through over the course of a year before you’re back to the same spot.
You can experiment with the size of paddock you need for the number of sheep you keep. One word of warning; some sheep are better escape artists than others! My rare breed heritage Norfolk Horns are adept at getting out. However, breeds like Bleu de Maines and Suffolks that I’ve kept before have been a lot more docile and respectful of electric fencing. In addition, with horned breeds, I highly recommend avoiding electric netting and opting for polywire instead as a stuck sheep can die very quickly. If you’re considering electric fencing, I’ve put together some recommendations in my sheep supplies page.
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HOUSING
Contrary to belief, sheep do not need big, expensive shelters. As long as they have a place to shelter from the sun in summer and avoid wind, rain and snow in winter, they’re fine. If you’re using a rotational grazing method, a light moveable shelter is ideal. For this I use an old trampoline frame with a tarpaulin fastened over the top.
Remember that if sheep have a large space to roam, they will find shelter themselves whether this is behind a tree or under a hedgerow. If we, as shepherds, are reducing the ability to pick a spot for themselves, we must supply them with an option.
Depending on your winters, your sheep may need to come off the grass due to mud and snow. In this circumstance, it’s ideal to have either a field shelter they can be hurdled off into or a separate barn. For example, though my ewes remain on pasture all year around, my rams are kept in smaller pens with static shelters.
LIGHTWEIGHT, SIMPLE FIELD SHELTER
FEEDING
Stocking densities will always affect feeding quantities when you’re keeping sheep on small acreage. This is also true of seasonal fluctuations; a dry spring will affect grass growth whilst perfect conditions will provide a lot of food all year long.
So long as you have plenty of grass, sheep do not need much supplementation throughout the year. I offer a handful of ewe nuts on a regular basis but this is to keep them bucket trained rather than for maintaining condition. In winter, heavy snow will require some additional hay and if you choose to move your sheep off the pasture into a smaller winter pen, remember with no access to grass, they will require hay and some hard feed. Do not over do it with nuts - it can be hard to get weight off fat sheep! A mineral lick can also be supplied, particularly if soil samples identify mineral deficiencies.
The best way of giving correct quantities is to use condition scoring - handle the sheep and actually feel how fat or thin they are. They need a lot less food than you might think.
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HEALTH
The overriding difficulty in keeping sheep on small acreage is maintaining high quality health. The less space, the higher the incidence of potential problems - large worm burdens or increased foot issues due to muddier pasture, for example. However, all of these issues can be easily rectified by swift treatment, correct stocking densities and knowing common diseases so they can be identified early.
Rotational grazing can help deplete worm numbers by not having sheep graze the same spot over and over, thereby reducing the number of worm eggs they eat. Likewise, keeping sheep in the same spot for too long can lead to foot problems like scald or rot, especially if they ground becomes sodden and muddy.
Ensure whatever your size space you have an isolation area that you can bring a sick sheep too. With less space to spread out, contagious illnesses can spread quickly in a small area so removing the ill individual is key.
FOOT TRIMMERS FOR TOP NOTCH HOOVES
Sheep are one of the easiest creatures to keep in a relatively small area, regardless of whether you’re raising lambs for one season or keeping them as pets for many years to come. With the right rotational practices to ground as fresh as possible and a care to remember that winters will require more effort due to the reduced space, your shepherding dreams can come true sooner than you think!
They are wonderful animals and a great addition whether you have a 50 acre homestead or a half acre backyard.