Sole living from sheep ,Flock size

Just been pondering,

Anyone on here who's sole income is from sheep?

what are youre flock size?
going that the national average houshold income is around £30,000,
Are you up around that level of income ?

locally ,i know of only one family that solely live of the income from sheep.
 

andybk

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mendips Somerset
Yep , around 150 pure charollais ewes (selling rams off farm ) 25 zwartbles , plus followers ,most lambs kept 12months at least , farming 120ac some rented , some free (cant be farmed properly but kept tidy ) we own the farm and buildings , run on landlords cover / catch crops over winter and neighbours ex dairy grass till feb , Not a big income but enough to invest a bit every year in old kit lol . All machinery and maintenance done in house (built my own house ) , been doing the same since 1980s ,

Edit : we did used to run 100 poll dorset x charollais for early lambing in nov , and 400 shb ewes for march lambing all put back to charollais or suff , but was difficult with MV accreditation and management of best grass for ram production.
 
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Frank-the-Wool

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
East Sussex
Keeping sheep is all about NOT spending any money on them and selling the lambs at the best time.
The best time to sell lambs is again when you haven't spent any money on them. So either draw finished asap or sell the lot as stores in the early sales.

Always make sure you keep only productive sheep on your own land.
If you get free grazing away then put on dry sheep, treat with Clik and forget about them!!
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
You’re talking over 1500 ewes, all close together and hitting the markets right with the ability too finish lambs cheaply over the winter if stores are a poor trade. Trouble is once you get enough ewes too make a living from you need too pay staff too help you farm them as it’s too much for 1 person. So you have too keep more stock too cover the cost of the staff. It’s a never ending circle.
2 of us here
900-1000 ewes
Finish everything plus 2.5 - 3.5k stores depending on trade
80-130 cattle
Contract dipper comes nowadays
Contract shearer comes for 2 hits then I finish them off
We mow and Ted grass but rowing up and baling is contractors job.
And I go mowing for the council 4 days a week through the summer. Leaving our kid too keep things ticking over, fieldwork etc.
It makes a sort of decent living, last year made a damn good living. But those prices don’t come along very often!!
 
You’re talking over 1500 ewes, all close together and hitting the markets right with the ability too finish lambs cheaply over the winter if stores are a poor trade. Trouble is once you get enough ewes too make a living from you need too pay staff too help you farm them as it’s too much for 1 person. So you have too keep more stock too cover the cost of the staff. It’s a never ending circle.
2 of us here
900-1000 ewes
Finish everything plus 2.5 - 3.5k stores depending on trade
80-130 cattle
Contract dipper comes nowadays
Contract shearer comes for 2 hits then I finish them off
We mow and Ted grass but rowing up and baling is contractors job.
And I go mowing for the council 4 days a week through the summer. Leaving our kid too keep things ticking over, fieldwork etc.
It makes a sort of decent living, last year made a damn good living. But those prices don’t come along very often!!
Do you think you would put ewe numbers up or down? Less folk about willing to lamb ewes but you obviously have the expertise for buying stores and have built up the keep for them over the winter.
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Do you think you would put ewe numbers up or down? Less folk about willing to lamb ewes but you obviously have the expertise for buying stores and have built up the keep for them over the winter.
If I could get more summer grazing I’d run more ewes definitely. We’re young, plenty of energy. And I do like lambing sheep. Summer grazing is our only real sticking point. I’m not paying £150+/acre for grazing land. Better as we are then just expand slowly as the opportunity arises. No point being billy big balls and working our arses off just too pay the rent.
 

Anymulewilldo

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Cheshire
Do you have time for a family? I know several who are committed to working from 6am to 9pm 365 days a year What isn’t eventually taken by the tax man will be mostly enjoyed by the spouses of distant relatives.
From what I heard the other day he’s got plenty of time for his “25 year old Mrs” 😉 lad would be better too get more sheep and stop all that tomfoolery! 😏

but I know what you mean. I’ve got one very good friend. Works 7 days a week, 6-8 every single day. Anyone who doesn’t is a total waster and bone idle. Unfortunately I can see him being a very lonely person in 30 years time. It’s not as though he’s down too his last £ as it is! I don’t know, I don’t get as much time as I’d like with the family but we are all happy. That’s the main thing.
 

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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