How many sheep can one keep on 45acres.

[Oneman37]

I have 45 acres, not sure how many sheep I could keep maybe 100. Land is all green fields, no hill, with maybe 10acres of marginal land.

Question. Would I be able to keep more Hill cross ewes such as Hilltex or Dorsets ( who are good foragers) , than say Suffolks or some other lowland breed or larger hungry ewes ?

 

[Al R]

It obviously depends where it is and the system in place etc etc etc but anywhere from 50-200 ewes.

 

[Oneman37]

North Donegal, by the coast.

I'm thinking hill cross ewes such as Hilltex or belclare cross Mayo ewes, would be easier kept, hence I could keep more of them ?

 

[Wooly]

You will probably manage 3 to 4 per acre in the summer and 1 per acre in the winter.

I hope the fences are up together, otherwise you won't keep many on there !!

 

[irish dom]

Are you housing or sending away for winter? Will have a huge bearing on stocking rate. When do you plan to lamb etc. Wee hill cross ewes will be easier kept than big terminal crosses.
I run 380 ewes and 100 breeding ewe lambs on 115 acres in Roscommon. Some land is marginal. Ewes sent away in December until 1st March to beef farm up the country. Lamb from 25th March outside. Cut minimal silage just as grassland management tool and need to get rid of lambs fat or as store by mid September to have ground to tip on. I am sailing close to the wind on stocking rate and have to creep the hoggets and weaker ewes lambs to get them gone.
Would say don't go mad at the start. Only you can gauge what the land will hold

 

[Oneman37]

Good advice. I’ll lamb in April/May and keep lambs until they r Hoggs the following spring. Have 40 ewes and 40 ewe lambs this year. Suppose see how it goes. I’ve some Belclare, rest hilltex. Belclare are prob easy kept too.

 

[toquark]

We keep 45 commercial breeding ewes on 20ac of grass, nothing marginal. Lamb outside in late March/early April, cut hay off 5ac which is shut off from lambing time until I cut it in July time, weather dependent. We're at a comfortable capacity now and the ground seems to cope well enough. The neighbour's weaned calves usually come across for a month or so during summer if the grass starts to get away. We're actually increasing numbers but only because we've secured access to dairy ground nearby for winter grazing. The plan being that this winter ground will allow us to run at summer grazing capacity all year round.

Start small and build up, better to be looking at grass than looking for it.

 

[Ysgythan]

135

 

[dogandstick]

135

Wonderful little tractor

 

[Nithsdale]

Depends on the breed of sheep.


If you were proposing keeping Shetlands... I'd say you will keep 0 on your 45 acres

 

[Thick Farmer]

Ideally, none.

 

[Cmoran]

Friend of mine keeps 105 lowland ewes on 23 acres buys in all replacement. lambs from 10april sells lambs as stores in September/October only spreads fertiliser in spring time but gets grass of cattle farmer from November-middle of January it works great for him. He uses my rams to tip his ewes as I do be finished by 1st nov so suits us both.

 

[Green farmer]

I have 45 acres, not sure how many sheep I could keep maybe 100. Land is all green fields, no hill, with maybe 10acres of marginal land.

Had 100 medium sized sheep on similiar sized land, well probably maybe 15 acres of it marginal. They were performing will, so kept adding to it. Got up to 180, before realising I was making less money out of them, so reducing back to 100. Less inputs and costs, but the quality of the land will dictate what's profitable.

 

[Nithsdale]

I run 80ish ewes on 23acres. 9acre is good ground but old PP. The rest is very poor ground (wet, rushy, steep)... It carries ewes and lambs ok in the summer (if we don't get a drought!). But struggles in winter needing a 6-8 week rest from end of the year to late February, before lambing...

Without seeing your ground I'd guess 150 ewes, if the weather behaves, should be a good starting place