Sheep Farming: How To Be More Profitable With Sheep - Keep It Simple!
Today at Ewetopia Farms, we decided to pass on our philosophy of how to become more profitable and sustainable with sheep. And that is to keep it simple! It may not be what people want to hear but it has worked for us over the years. We discuss a multitude of topics from feeding sheep, breeding sheep, ultrasounding sheep, purchasing equipment, weaning sheep, terminal sires, being handy, growing your own feed, and having good sheep. And having good quality sheep is the key to it all. If you want to be a sheep farmer, your number one investment should be your sheep. They are what will determine your income, lifestyle and profitability in farming. Everything else stems from them and should be about looking after them as simply, efficiently, and cost effectively as possible in order to gain the most from your investment. These are all derived from our personal experiences and are meant to offer alternatives or solutions for someone wanting to get into sheep from scratch. All farmers have individual goals and goals that may not reflect our goals. So it is not meant as gospel or the only way to do things. It is simply passing on of our opinions as to how we have done things on our sheep farm and what has worked for us. With that in mind, I hope you enjoy this video.
Sheep and sheep farming is our passion and we hope that the love we have for what we do is obvious to you the viewers. Our operation is a large scale, purebred seed stock sheep farm combining the best of pasture and confinement to manage the flock for maximum comfort, minimal stress, and producing a consistent, very high quality product.
I hope you enjoy this video. If you would like to follow along with us and experience life on a real live sheep farm on a daily basis, please subscribe do that you don't miss a single episode! It doesn't cost anything to do so and you can cancel at any time. I think some people think that subscribing costs or locks you into something. All it does is notify you when I post a new video. I felt it may be helpful to clarify that because from talking with people in person, I don't think a lot of people realize that about pushing the subscribe button. Thank you for taking the time to watch! We love to hear from you so be sure to leave a comment as well.
Thank you!
Contact Information:
Website: Https://www.ewetopia.ca/
Lynn McKay and Arnie Droogh
3606 6th Concession Road
Kingston, Ontario
Canada
K0H 1Y0
ewetopiafarms@gmail.com
Follow us on:
Instagram: / ewetopiafarms
Facebook: / ewetopiafarms
KZhead: / @ewetopiafarms
oh boy, You 2 should be so proud. I see your hard work daily, your educaiton and ability to share your education with all of us. I see the pride in ownership in your farm, right down to the water fountains. I just know how much work goes into this farm. My father was a grain farmer in Montana, so I learned about work ethic, pride of ownership, ability to live within your means and plan for the upcoming possible drought or whatever. farming always has surprises around the corner. You both deal so well together with all of this. Yet you maintain respect for each other, and share some humor along the way. Farmers used to be considered "dumb farmers" because they didn't become college educated etc. My gosh they don't know farmers. Farmers are so much more than just farmers, they are mechanics, project managers, accountants, chemists, agronomists, salesmen, and yes first of all family men and women usually. thank you for putting yourself out there for all of our entertainments.
Wow, Karla, thank you so much for such an eloquent endorsement! Farming definitely is tough, and I agree that even today, farmers are labeled as not being too bright. But as you said, we are a hard-working and innovative lot!😁 I appreciate your support.🙂 Thank you 🥰
My grandfather, a sheep farmer, always used to say (and of course, this was decades ago): "You never see a rich sheep farmer. But you rarely see one go bankrupt, either."
Interesting! I'll have to think on that one further!🙂
I guess I would add to that and say you may see a well off farmer if they work as hard as Arnie and Lynne do and succeed. At the end of their working lives they sell the farm and live in comfort.
Thank You, soooooo Much,I've learnt a lot!!!!!
Good morning Arnie and Lynn. So interesting to hear how you guys function so well keeping your farm profitable. The biggest thing I have noticed on your videos is that you want to stay profitable but you also take great care of your flock. Keeping them healthy and happy. Your sheep are so beautiful. And I always hear the care in your voice for the animals in your care. That is so heartwarming. The little guy in the feeder was so funny. He was resting and eating. The little dickens. The lamb with the fluffy ears was so lovely and of course Seymour is perfectly handsome. Thanks for all you do. Big hugs. ❤️❤️
Good morning Patricia! You have to at least break even if you want to have animals otherwise both you and them will suffer. Being profitable at it means that you also have healthier, happier sheep as well. Because a well run farm takes sheep care as a number one priority - you don't have a sheep business without the sheep after all! Having nice sheep that you can interact with on a daily basis is the ultimate reward to becoming a good farmer!
I believe your way of weaning is so much healthier for both lambs and moms.
Thanks. I just don't see what the rush is to remove the lambs.
@Ewetopia Farms as you stated in your video, ewes don't cycle when lactating. In accelerated lambing they have to wean earlier in order to breed the ewes. I agree, I think lambs do better with the extra month with their mom.
Wow, I have seen many videos but this is very special, I am thinking about getting into sheep farming so I am glad I came across your video, just what I had in mind, your care for the sheep, your “keep it simple” approach and humility are all worth noting, thank you for the tutorials, thank you!
Thank you! Welcome to Ewetopia Farms!🙂
Thank you for a very informative video! Love seeing the babies playing ♥️♥️♥️
You're welcome!🙂
Awesome video Lynn!!! Many many good points to anyone thinking of starting a new farming venture!!! Keeping things simple translates to profitability and that seems to be a hard lesson learned sometimes in farming today!! I see some farms with all the latest equipment these days and all I see is big $$$ payments!!! I think our society today pushes for everyone to have the biggest and best immediately!!! Thanks for sharing your experience with us and stay safe!!!
Yes, I feel everyone wants everything right away. What they are missing by that is the sense of accomplishment when you work your way up to something. Nothing more satisfying then starting from scratch and building an empire! :)
I love how you do things. I have sheep and don’t have a huge barn, doing it your way works for me, and I just love your help
I just watched this video while doing a business plan to expand our flock and I must say that your operation is one that I have seen o KZhead that I can relate to. Your sheep and setup is are close to what we are doing. I really like your system and appreciate your advice. We do a lot more out side but I can see the benefits of having the barns. Really enjoying your videos.
Thank you! Everyone has a slightly different way of doing things based on your setup and goals but I think there are always bits and snippets you can learn from all the various types of operations. I am glad we have produced something relatable for you!
Love the lamb acrobatics! Soo cool that the dogs and the barn cats get along and that the sheep and cats seem to love each other. Great video, soo informational.
We are very lucky that all our animals seem to love each other!
I just found you. We also had to buy our farm, and we still have 2 full time jobs. You have given me new hope that as a new farmer that has had to buy and build everything from scratch it can be done. Thank you!
Hi Kristina. Thank you for joining our channel! Nothing is ever impossible just as nothing is ever easy. I wish you the best of luck. It can be a tough but rewarding journey
I totally agree with your weaning practices. When I raised Livestock that's the way I did it ! Never, could understand why people think they "have" to wean at a certain age. When, given time the mother will wean them herself resulting in less stress on both mother and offspring. Making a healthier, both mentally and physically, animal ... Great job you two ! Using Common sense & love ❤
Thanks!🙂
I love the the way you rolled the bale for the sheep. and lovely clean bale of hay.
Thanks. It works well for us 🙂
I've raised sheep almost my whole life and have come to almost all the same conclusions you have. Great video, thanks for sharing.
Good to know we're not alone in our methods/ideas! Lol! Thanks for watching
Hey guys. First of all. You two are the coolest and one the most smartest and happy farmers I’ve come across. Maybe one day if you’ve got time or something , maybe you could just make a video kinda detailing the terminal and maternal sheep stuff. Would love that and find that so much helpful too. Love from Toronto
Thank you! We have done a video on terminal and maternal sheep if you want to sift through or binge watch all our videos lol!😆 But we will make sure to do another one!
Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge!don’t let the naysayers beat you down ! You are farming the way of our grandparents , god bless and keep up the great work!
I appreciate that! Happy New Year's!
Kiss has the most merits. Application are most bountiful. Your on point for your honesty and practice .Thanks for the warm video.
Thanks!🙂
Oh Arnie - such a reluctant video star. Lol. Luv u guys!
Yes, reluctant ... that's what it is! LOL!
Great info, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for watching!🙂
Brilliant videos keep the comming..Patrick in Ireland 🇮🇪
Thanks Patrick!
I love the compare-and-contrast between your farm and Sandi Brock’s capital-intensive farm. Your sheep do seem healthier and happier but she can run her operation single-handedly if she needs to.
Thanks. We're just two old people here with minimal equipment, no hired help and no family help lol! If we had to, we could also run it on our own but hopefully it won't ever get to that because that's no fun!😁
Another extraordinary video. Very informative. I found your final point, about buying those "bargain sheep" as one of the most interesting points. I think that I got lucky with my first herd, but in that case I didn't pay a bargain price. The person selling the sheep only had a small flock for training his border collies, but otherwise sheep weren't high on his priority list, but he loved the look of the registered animals. He was going to have surgery and be unable to care for the sheep so decided to sell and then buy more once he was recovered. There are lots of things I'd do different from the beginning if I had it to do over, but I think I still would have purchased the sheep from him. (Just not ALL of them!). Thank you again for sharing. I think if that redo button was available, a lot of what I've gleaned from you would be part of my decisions I might make. But I'm still quite happy with what I have, including the things I learned by experiencing them. For example, the mistakes I made with Ram #1 have, so far, not been mistakes with Ram #2. Luckily for me I'm not trying to make a living with the sheep. I'm trying to get them to pay their own way, but mostly it's just a very expensive hobby.
But it is always nice if your hobby pays for itself! 😉 No one wants to lose money. And learning from failures or mistakes is priceless! However, if you can get a few tips along the way, it can save a lot of problems long term. 🙂Some people getting out of sheep have fantastic animals. I was more referring to those who were struggling with them or no longer enjoying having them. Those sheep often bear the brunt of an unhappy farmer and show corresponding health issues.
Good, common sense info. I am not a sheep farmer, I raise goats here in Kentucky. When we set out to relocate to this state I knew we were going to go with either sheep or goats, depending on the land we ended up with. We have little pasture, lots of brush and hills. The land said "goats". But the basic philosophy still applies, the least amount of input equals a more profitable output.
Yes, I truly think it applies to any type of livestock farming. Thanks for watching!
You guys are doing great. Everyone has to figure out what works for them. The lambs/sheep look really nice. You must be doing things right!!!😊
Thanks Chris!
Good way of explaining how you run your farm good job.
Thank you!
Such a great farmer and inspiring video
Thanks ☺️
Good morning beautiful family happy Tuesday. Thank you for beautiful video from Fiji lsland god bless
Good morning!
@@EwetopiaFarms most welcome. Good afternoon from Fiji lsland
Thanks for very informative video. We are in the planning stages of our sheep farm, the stock will arrive next summer. Evaluating needs vs wants is critical! There are some items that would be nice but not used consistently, so we'll rent one when needed. I noticed at the 21:54 mark a ram lamb (a 2 was showing on his back) that appears to have a small knot on tail tip. It may just be a small piece of tail that hasn't dropped off. You might check it. You didn't come across as preaching. Everything "well said "! Thanks for sharing
Thanks and good luck with your new farm start! We are still awaiting the laundh of your youtube channel! I will look for that lamb and see what's up!
@Ewetopia Farms thanks, I have a contact who is going to help me navigate starting the channel. I'm sure I could figure it out but always nice to have some help starting so I don't "reinvent the wheel " so to speak
Poor stinky! She has to be one of my favorite.
I have to admit that she is pretty endearing!😍
Inspirations for me...thanks for the Video...good jobs
Thank you Nasroel!
Awesome flock…thanks for sharing
So nice of you
Lynn, I don't understand the haters. It makes no sense to criticize you for having big sheep because you take care of them, which of course you would want to ask more for them. I understand that they go by the pound in Canada. I watch you and Sandi Brooks, and that's how her sheep are bought; by the pound, so it makes no sense for the haters to write. I guess that's their hobby. Makes you wish they'd get another one.
Yes, market lambs are bought by the pound. We also sell breeding stock which is sold according to their quality.
Hello Arnie and Lynn. I grew up in Africa with lots of sheep, and other animals in farm. Came to US and doing well for myself. There is this void in my life and it is in evitable that I do have to be connected with earth, I live in Bay area, and land is ridiculously expensive, everything is expensive :) but, I am ready mentally physically and financially I just want to start small and fill that farm void in me. I visited some farms and looking for the farmland. In the mean time, I just enjoy you guys video from afar. Thanks
Yes, farmland is getting more and more expensive everywhere because it is in short supply these days. I do wish you the best in finding a place though. Thank you for living vicariously through our farm in the meantime!
Super vlog Lynne and Arnie whether a person is an experienced shepherd, consider sheep farming or just a You Tube junkie. On all levels plenty to think about. The point about being Jack of all trades, growing your own feed etc is critical. What percentage of your lambs go to market for meat as opposed to being retained for replacement stock or onsold as breeding stock?
Knock on wood, but all our females go as breeding stock or pets. About 30-50 rams go on to other homes. So probably 2/3s of rams are market lambs
Thank you so much! Definitely not preachy! I know nothing about sheep. I know a thing or two about chickens. I’m interested in setting myself up with sheep.
Thanks. Sheep are a lot of work but a lot of fun too. Good luck in your endeavors 🙂
congrations on yer sheep farm success. from patrick higgins.
Thanks Patrick!
I love Buddy! Tell him we have rats he can hunt here! I appreciate your simple approach to taking care of sheep. I’m having problems with my chicken’s health and I’m considering making some changes to their food sources. Wish I could let them out to “pasture” like your lucky ruminants but the hawk would have them in a day. Thanks for your inspiring animal stewardship. Can you explain terminal breed? I think I understand but not exactly. Thanks.
Buddy is such a character! I'm glad he decided to make our farm his home. I will try discuss terminal in the next video for those who are unsure as to what that is!
Thanks!
@Ewetopia Farms Have you considered a terrier dog? They are excellent ratters, excellent pets too (as long as they have a job😁)
@@michaelwalsh648 Ah, you haven't seen Katie's other side lol!😆 OMG she is constantly catching rats! You would swear she was half terrier!
Those auto waterers are nice we love are Richie waterers
Yes, we like the metal bottomed ones a lot!🙂
Take all of your sheeps to Sydney Opera and allow them sing together. This would sound fantastically beautiful.
🤣🤣🤣
@@EwetopiaFarms oh it's my mistake I guessed you were from Australia but later on I discovered you and your beautiful farm and sheep belong to Canada. Anyway I am regularly watching each and every video you are sharing on you tube and learning ao many useful lessons from there which are going to be a great help to my sheep farming in India.
@@achembusinessidea5306 well, if you ever do make it to Canada, you will be welcome!🙂
Hi, I am from Bangladesh. Could you please explain how you prepare TMR(food). How do you clean living space and cleaning process?
We do not feed TMR but we do have many videos of us feeding hay and our grain mixture to the sheep as well as cleaning out the barns. I would suggest you look at the videos on my channel under the heading feeding sheep. But most of my videos will answer all of your questions in detail. Thanks
Thank you for the the lessons! I am planning to start getting in to sheep farming. Realistically, after expenses, how much can a sheep farmer expect to make in profit for example with 100 sheep eventually? any ballpark range will help. Thanks
This is a totally impossible question to answer. It depends on too many variables such as you level of debt, if you grow your own feed or have to buy it, do you own your own equipment, how many people are you supporting, etc. If you own everything with no debt and don't rely on others to do custom work for you and you have good quality sheep, then you can make a living off sheep like any other job.
Thank u for ur beautiful Video how much the width and length and height of this Barn?
140 feet long X 50 wide
هذا الفيديوا ذا قيمه عليه ويساوي كثير من الفلوس انت متواضعه شكرا على المعلومات القويه
Thank you 🙂
Arnie has great fab skills. He could whip up a small grain cart to pull behind an atv when he's tired of lugging buckets.
Lol! That would require purchasing an ATV! He has enough toys!🤣🤣🤣 Although I'm sure he would disagree!
@@EwetopiaFarms Haha. Isn't he worth it, though?
@@mithall4198 hmmm...I'm thinking 🤔 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 of course he is! 😍
What are the numbers for your breeding stock? How many ewes and how many rams?
We have about 400 sheep total with about 20 plus being rams
Thank you so much for all the info we are thinking of raising small amount maybe 10 to start out with. I have raised chickens,ducks and horses and breed Rottis I've been asked if interested in raising small amount of sheep,and I need to know all the ins and outs before I commit,your sheep are lovely,the babies are adorable It must be hard to part with them when its time to send them off.Do you have an email address?ty for sharing.
Yes, it is always hard parting with your sheep. Our consolation is that most of them are going to good breeding homes. Our contact information is in the description under every video and on our channel page
wow congrats to you both on such a successful farm!!! So, with so many lambs running around, do they suckle from any ewe or they really do know their biological mom?
They absolutely know their moms!😁
Yes, I agree with h all your farming advice. I watch other sheep videos, and they cram all sheep permanently inside, move, switch barriers, put up gates, take down gates, multiple parasites, chemicals and then whine about all the work and don’t have time to love the sheep. Using algorithms and such are appropriate, it sheep can’t add!😂
i am in the process of bringing home two medium wool "meat" sheep but they will just be outside family members. i am trying to learn all i can. from what i understand, they will just be ok eating mainly hay, but how much hay does one sheep eat per day? thanks!
It depends on your sheep. Keep an eye on their condition and experiment with how quickly they finish the food. They should eat it all in a day. If they have lots left, back off; if it is all gone, feed more.
@@EwetopiaFarms thank you!
Breeding a maternal breed of ram to a maternal ewe allows you to retain and sell replacement ewes. It would seem like your straight Dorset market lambs would have very acceptable carcass quality. Buyers don't pay enough of a premium for heavily muscled carcasses. Maternal traits are where most of the money is made.
I would politely disagree. All our customers are concerned with meat qualities as that is what the market demands. It is not how many sheep fit on the trailer but how much weight is on the trailer. 🙂
Since they’re a larger sheep how many Suffolk sheep can you usually have per acre of pasture?
I think they say 8-10 but can't remember exactly
@@EwetopiaFarms ok thank you🙏
How much did you spend on your hoop barn?
Ours have been up quite awhile now but with everything done, it cost around $75,000 Cdn. I think they cost more nowadays. Check Britespan directly for current pricing
Hi ma'am i would love to work farming in few years i want to have my own farm for now I'm a truck driver but i want to work farming so that i can learn how to take care for sheep
I’m confused how do you guys make profit with the sheep if you raise them on feedlots with minimal pasture? If you have to buy the feed I’d assume you’d have to sell the meat for a very high price. Or do you grow the hay yourself?
We pasture in the summer. We grow all our own feed. Our lambs are fast growers so get to market quickly. We have high quality sheep so get good prices and we sell mainly registered sheep as breeding stock so they are not just commercial meat sheep. However, lots of people are raising commercial sheep 100% in confinement and make profit in the meat market. Indoor sheep tend to grow faster and are not affected by parasites, inclement weather conditions and slow growth rates typically associated with pasture systems so can usually have money in their pockets quicker.
@@EwetopiaFarms oh ok very interesting, what kind of sheep would be best for confinement farming, perhaps dorper sheep?
What breeds you guys have, and where are you located?
We have Dorset, Suffolk and commercial ewes in Canada
what is a good lamb % to have for 50 ewes
That depends on so many things. Out of season breeding, first-timers, poor condition will usually have a lower percentage. Certain breeds are more prolific than others too, so it depends on your breed. Our Suffolks are about 180% and our Dorsets are 170% in season.
What is a terminal Ram?
kzhead.info/sun/iMqsZZGDfoKkjZ8/bejne.htmlsi=dG0DE6cyiD7PVx-h
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Sorry, but the subtitles aren't helping, at 24:14 what exactly is it that fell off the sheep that caused bleeding? Id sounded like you said 'skirts' but the subtitles printed out something totally different. I saw blood around the sheeps head, 🐑. Not very helpful. I thought maybe it was one of his tags?
It was his scurs, which are kind of like little loose horns. They can easily get knocked off by banging his head on something, and when they come off, they will bleed. They are fine once the bleeding stops, though🙂
can i learn more from you guys on maths
Whith ❤ frm Indonesia👍👍👍👍👍
Thank you in Indonesia 🥰
helo evreyone . Great . look so cute . Wishing you always have good health
Thanks. You too!
I like the beautiful roof of your facility, how do I do that in Africa
Google manufacturers of these barns. The company we used was Britespan
What sheep breed do you have ?
Suffolk, Dorset and crosses
@@EwetopiaFarms nice…
What breed of dogs? Type of collie?
Border collies
Are your sheep fully zero grazing?
@@davidkipsangkaronei3090 no, we do indoors and outdoors with our sheep
Sir, please give me the sheep farming system
We have no guidelines to send. We show how we do it on our daily vlogs so that will give you some ideas
You grazing or not
We do both. When we have pasture, we graze when we don't we feed indoors
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Is there something about “cat wee” and lamb losses/abortions. Just when I see the cat rubbing and walking around the sheep made me wanna say. Maybe someone here knows if this is just here say.
There can be
Domba jenis apakah itu.?? Dan berasal dari mana domba itu??
We have Suffolk and Dorset sheep in Canada
Bisakah anda kirim ke Indonesia untuk di kembang biakkan.saya punya kandang domba
No, we can't export there
How many ewes per ram?
We usually do around 30 ewes/ram because we have lots of rams
@@EwetopiaFarms I wondered because I have only a small herd of a dozen goats so I wasn't sure how many they could cover and get good success rates. Thanks for your answer!
@@shadyacrehomestead4737 no problem!🙂
Please send to me your sheep guidelines,
I used to think that deer were ruminants, until I saw it eat an injured blackbird
Really? It must have been hungry!
@@EwetopiaFarms yes, someone decided to record it and put it up on KZhead for all to see too
🇨🇦👍👍👍💯🇺🇸
Anyone that would be willing to help me and my wife and kinda mentor us in our journey would be greatly appreciated and you can get in contact with me which ever way Is best for you! We are located in Alabama
Sheep aren’t letting the cat pull the wool. When asked of the cat, how is the rat catching business? The sheep responded bahhhhd
😂😂😂
🫶🫶🫶🫶👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
It was wonderful. I would love not to work outside the farm
The title is “keep it simple” and the first thing you see is sheep in a barn. Sheep don’t need a barn
They do need shelter in many countries. Especially in cold climates like Canada. These are domestic animals not wild animals
I really enjoy y’all’s content and I’m a new sheep farmer just getting started and wanted talk with yall to get advice and have a mentor could you contact me so we can discuss my goals and I could get y’all’s advice and get help setting up a game plan for my farm? If so what’s the best way for me to get in contact with yall?