flock size...

exercise is the antidote

I am not in sheep but I am just wondering what size of a flock would one need to make a living from sheep.. presuming good grass management and well run on good dry land..?

paddysdream

exercise is the antidote wrote: »

I am not in sheep but I am just wondering what size of a flock would one need to make a living from sheep.. presuming good grass management and well run on good dry land..?

Lots of time today to annoy people as got an unexpected baby sitting job this morning!!!Stuck at home till 5 unless a granny appears to save me from the curse of a sick child.

Anyways to answer your question;whats a living?

To be viable and justify spending anymore than a few hours a week at them then 500 plus would be needed.At this number or even twice this you will still be busy only a few times a year ie 5 to 6 weeks at lambing plus a few odd days during the year dosing,shearing,drafting,weaning,scanning etc.

All the other work ie fencing,cleaning out sheds etc you will be doing regardless of whether you have a few or a lot.

exercise is the antidote

paddysdream wrote: »

Lots of time today to annoy people as got an unexpected baby sitting job this morning!!!Stuck at home till 5 unless a granny appears to save me from the curse of a sick child.

Anyways to answer your question;whats a living?

To be viable and justify spending anymore than a few hours a week at them then 500 plus would be needed.At this number or even twice this you will still be busy only a few times a year ie 5 to 6 weeks at lambing plus a few odd days during the year dosing,shearing,drafting,weaning,scanning etc.

All the other work ie fencing,cleaning out sheds etc you will be doing regardless of whether you have a few or a lot.

Not in work today so me too ha..
Well they say 40-45 milking cows is needed to pay for a labour unit on dairy, I wonder what's they equivalent in sheep?

Nekarsulm

well at 6 ewes to the livestock unit, that would come in around the 300 mark.

exercise is the antidote

sorry you mean 6 ewes a Hectare ?

Cran

I would think a well managed flock of 700 ewes weaning 1.6+ per ewe would be needed as a minimum to make a living off Sheep only

Nekarsulm

exercise is the antidote wrote: »

sorry you mean 6 ewes a Hectare ?

No, if you can make a living on 45 cows ( unlikely, nowadays) then as a livestock unit is reckoned to be equal to one cow, and a sheep is considered to be .15 of a livestock unit then multiply by 6 or 6.5.

paddysdream

Nekarsulm wrote: »

No, if you can make a living on 45 cows ( unlikely, nowadays) then as a livestock unit is reckoned to be equal to one cow, and a sheep is considered to be .15 of a livestock unit then multiply by 6 or 6.5.

I wish.Be nice to make the same living from 270 ewes as you would from 45 black and white money machines!

Nekarsulm

but totally different levels of investment and buildings, inputs and expenses involved with the sheep. depends what your starting point is. If you had 100 acres and a few traditional hay sheds with a lean to, and 40 thousand euro to work with, and no loans, which could you realistically proceed with?

paddysdream

Nekarsulm wrote: »

but totally different levels of investment and buildings, inputs and expenses involved with the sheep. depends what your starting point is. If you had 100 acres and a few traditional hay sheds with a lean to, and 40 thousand euro to work with, and no loans, which could you realistically proceed with?

Prob. proceed to the pub with the 40k and let the farm bugger off for a while!

Afraid never had those sort of money problems,only the other type

Nekarsulm

I meant no loans possible, not that they were all repaid!

Wooly Admirer

Top dairy farms hitting €1000 net profit per Hectare. The top third of sheep farmers in the Teagasc profit monitor - just above €20 euros per ewe. Lets stock the sheep farm heavily - 14 ewes per Ha. This hits €280 per Ha.

2013 good year for milk - alot depends on farm infrastructure in place etc - but there's a big gap.....

Green farmer

Wooly Admirer wrote: »

Top dairy farms hitting €1000 net profit per Hectare. The top third of sheep farmers in the Teagasc profit monitor - just above €20 euros per ewe. Lets stock the sheep farm heavily - 14 ewes per Ha. This hits €280 per Ha.

2013 good year for milk - alot depends on farm infrastructure in place etc - but there's a big gap.....

You'd want some really good land to keep 14 ewes going to the hectare

Nekarsulm

Was it Henry Brewis who wrote "stock them about 7 to the acre, and they will die back to a level that they are happy with" !

Western Pomise

Green farmer wrote: »

You'd want some really good land to keep 14 ewes going to the hectare[/quote
Either that or a fertiliser spreader set on 'ad Lib.':)

tomwaterford

Green farmer wrote: »

You'd want some really good land to keep 14 ewes going to the hectare

+1 that is 5.6 ewes to the acre with 8.4 lambs (1.5 lambs per ewe)

14 mouths to feed per acre...if I did that hear they'd eat meself when id go out to them during the day...
though maybe on a v.well run lowland farm of good quality land with all bought in feeding it would be possible...questionable how profitable it would be

hedgecutting eddie

What's the largest flock in ireland think there's a guy who writes on farmers weekly with 10000 ewes

tomwaterford

hedgecutting eddie wrote: »

What's the largest flock in ireland think there's a guy who writes on farmers weekly with 10000 ewes

know of three brothers who have 1000+ each

was lad on journal before who bought 6000 store lambs a year and finished them...think he had his own small truck and everything

a suprising margin to be had in that game IMO