Living Lawn Mowers... Part III

Earlier this week my wife stopped by our favorite local grass farmer for some bones (bone broth) and liver (for baby food) and called to tell me that he got more sheep and we could come over to buy a couple.  He had previously told me he'd let me know when he got them, but perhaps he forgot?  Anyway, he got them for $150 and is selling them to me for $175... okay, I guess he's a full time farmer that needs to make a living too... I haven't seen a better price around anyway.  Hopefully the genetics aren't trash!

This is what Katahdin's look like...

So I called him up and he asked when I'm coming to pick them up.  That's a great question to ask... as soon as I have fencing up!  So that day I jumped on Premeir1's website and ordered some equipment.  Here's what I got:

.357 Magnum with a 20in octagon barrel!

Oh wait, that's what I could have gotten instead!  Hopefully raising sheep will provide more benefit than scratching up a nice rifle going hunting...  Okay, this is a little better... here's what I got:

Looks good... but no, I didn't get horses!

I got two 164' section of the netting along with the above fence charger and it should come in the mail today!  Combine that with a small stock tank from the local feed store and by Saturday night I should have 3 ewe (female) lambs mowing my lawn!  (Hopefully the yotes don't feel like jumping over a 42in tall electrified fence between the world and my lawn mowers... that wouldn't end well.)

On another note, this is week four of raising 100 red rangers from Meyer Hatchery.  They sent us 104 birds and in the first week we lost 9, so we are now down to 95 birds.  We only got a refund on one, as I didn't discover the rest of them until days later when I was kicking around the wood chips and founds some mummified chicks... <sigh> oh well! 

I picked up 2100 lbs of non-gmo and soy free feed the weekend before they got here, based on the 2014 results with those birds, and sure hope it's enough!  I put them out on "pasture" on Sunday and so far it's been pretty dry... that's great for the birds, but hopefully it's not too dry this year, as I'll need to buy hay for the lawn mowers is it gets too dry! 

Living lawn mowers...

I've been told that if you keep goats contained 90% of the time, you are 100% successful...


...only problem, I don't know if I can live with those odds.  Now sheep, on the other hand, I'm told are a bit less adventurous.  Anybody have any thoughts?  Here's what I know so far...

Breed: Katahdin
Hair/Wool: Hair... the shed so you don't have to shear them, woohoo!
Purpose: Meat (I'm told they taste as good as beef, or better.... but that probably depends on what beef you are used to.
Stocking Density: Per a farmer I spoke with, 4 Ewes and their offspring for that year per acre... 
Cost: $200/Ewe, likely pregnant.

BONUS:According to Wikipedia....

• Most Katahdin ewes will have a 200% lamb crop.
• Katahdin sheep breed is also resistant to parasites.
• They eat grass!

The cost...  all numbers based on pricing from premier1supplies.com

• Electrostop portable fence netting - $155 per 164ft roll (x2) = $310
• It could be done with one... but I think moving the sheep to the next paddock would be much easier if it was already set up... or perhaps I should get shorter netting rolls?

• Intellishock PRS-I 50 fence energizer - $310
• OR
• Intellishock 10 - $120
• Deep cycle battery - $120
• 20amp solar panel - $130 

• M1A with Leupold scope (not for me, for the sheep... to protect the sheep from predators... geesh!) - $3,000 (A guy can dream, can't he?)

 We have a lot to think about right now... the plan was to get 100 chickens (broilers) to raise for meat, but at $12/bird (including $2 butcher fee/bird), it's more than we can pull off all together...  which is frustrating!  We need to hurry up and get better so we can free up some money in the budget for things like this.... 

PERSONAL FRUSTRATION: We stopped putting $ into my 401k a few months back to help with some costs and now my wife wants to start putting money in again... but with all I've read about the economy (example here and here) , I can't help but wonder if there are better places to invest my money.  After all, I don't really believe I'll ever see that money... I think the gov't is going to grab it long before I ever reach retirement age!  Sure, the company I work for matches the money 50% up to 6%... but if I never get to spend the money, what good is it?  I'd rather have some meat storage and production units in the backyard...

(The best way to store meat, until you need it, is on the hoof!)

-Clinton


(UPDATE)

Well scratch that idea... we owe over $800 on our taxes this year - guess I'd better update my W-4. Benjamin Franklin was right... I'm sure he wishes he wasn't!

 “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.”