First time shepherdess on the Big Island

[Hawaiianhighlandsfarm]

Hey everyone. My husband and I are starting a homestead/fiber farm on the Big Island of Hawaii. We are raising Clun Forest sheep and meat/egg chickens with a possible expansion into English Angora rabbits. We are doing this on a dime and a prayer because my husband has recently started having some pretty worrisome health issues and is no longer able to keep employment and we have a son with CP that I am caregiver for and therefore cannot work outside the home. We are putting our all into making this work.

As a side note, we just had a ram die on us pretty suddenly with no symptoms and another that is really sickly but no temp. Our ewe seems to be just fine. We just found out that where we live, they need to be wormed monthly, which I'm guessing is the problem because we got them in July and we're told to worm them every three months, so I thought we were good until the 19 of October. But I went ahead and got dewormer yesterday and gave it to them. Hoping it's not too late for my Ram.

 

[DutchBunny03]

HI!! There are tons of chicken, sheep, and rabbit people here to answer any of your question. I don't know much about chickens or sheep, but can help you with the rabbit end of things. Here is a link to some Angora rabbit info: http://nationalangorarabbitbreeders.com . If you want meat as well as wool, you may want to look at giant or satin angoras. English angoras are pretty small, only about 5 1/2 pound max, so a bigger breed may be more useful. Feel free to ask me any rabbit questions!!

 

[Hawaiianhighlandsfarm]

Oh wow, I didn't even know there was giant Angoras! Definitely looking into that. Hawaii has STRICT quarantine laws, so bringing animals in from the mainland can get expensive quick. The only fiber bunny supplier here on the island only does English's. But it may be worth the fee if I can find higher producers. Thanks DutchBunny03

 

[DutchBunny03]

There may be other suppliers in your area that you just aren't aware of. If you have a fair or a rabbit show, you should check out one of those. Breeders usually sell some of their rabbits at shows, so maybe you could find a couple Angoras. And even if there are none for sale at the show, you could meet someone who raises giant Angoras, and they may have some for sale.

 

[Green Acres Farm]

You need to get fecals done to see how your dewormer is working for your sheep. What do you use? Dosage? Monthly deworming is too frequent, it can lead to parasite resistance in your dewormer. You should try not to worm on a schedule, only when needed. Different dewormers target different worms.

Welcome to BYH!

@Southern by choice

 

[DutchBunny03]

There is another website for chickens called Backyard Chickens. It is a lot like BYH, but tons more chicken people. Check it out!!

 

[Southern by choice]

Understanding parasites is key to owning sheep / goats.

I have several articles that will help you understand perhaps a little better.

When lambing coccidia will, or can be an issue. That is a whole other subject though. It is a "parasite" of sorts but dewormers cannot treat it.
They are in order.

http://www.backyardherds.com/resources/understanding-famacha-fecal-analysis.56/

http://www.backyardherds.com/resources/the-mcmasters-method-fecal-analysis.55/

http://www.backyardherds.com/resources/mcmasters-method-fecal-analysis-part2.57/

As far as profitability. I would have a business plan laid out before too much investment. NOT trying to be a downer but you really want to look at what your fiber is going to yield and compare that to the expense of feed, care, vet services, etc. Unless you have a VERY large flock you will not profit from a small flock.
Chickens are one of the costliest to grow and unless you are charging $6.50 lb you will not prosper (and that is mainland prices).

 

[NH homesteader]

$6.50/lb? Wow I wish! We got out of the meat bird business and only raise them for ourselves now because there are only so many people who understand (or care) that it costs so much more to raise birds on pasture than big ag's way, and we just couldn't compete price wise.

Edited for poor typing skills!

 

[micah wotring]

Welcome to BYH! I'm also new to sheep but am planning on getting some soon. Sorry you're having trouble with your flock. I wish I could be more help. There's tons of great sheep people on here who know a ton! Hope you figure it out.

 

[norseofcourse]

Welcome from Ohio! The others are right, deworming on a schedule (whether they need it or not) will lead to parasites resistant to the dewormers. Fecal counts, to check parasite loads, will help tell you if your animals need dewormed - and also will tell you if the wormer you just used was effective. Southern by Choice has lots of good info. Also see this website: http://www.wormx.info/ . Many of their articles and 'timely topics' are archived, it's a lot of good information.

I'm sorry you lost a ram already. How is the other one sickly? Do you have a good livestock vet and have they seen him? Do you have a mentor - maybe the person who sold you the sheep? If you're on a budget, then learning all you can, and doing stuff yourself (like fecal parasite counts) will help a lot. Read, learn, ask questions (lots of good folks here), but it also takes just plain hands-on experience and time, too.

How many sheep do you have? Success with a fiber flock, especially a small one, is not easy. Do you have a market for the wool? Can you shear them yourself or will you have to pay someone? Will you be breeding and selling lambs for meat, pets or breeding? One big vet bill can wipe out your profit for a year - but so can the loss of a sheep or two. I wish you luck!