The Benefits of Raising Sheep as a Livestock Option

Why should you raise sheep in your farm? There are a lot of reasons that explain why raising and keeping sheep is beneficial. As a livestock farmer, you also have to know your reasons for doing so, as this will help you determine the right breed to choose and the feeding systems you will use for your animals. 

Some people raise sheep for its environmental benefits. Sheep are ideal farm animals to raise for vegetation control because of their small size as well as preference for mixed diet and upland grazing. Sheep grazing is a great way to maintain your agricultural landscape and to keep your land an open space.
One of the most apparent benefits of raising sheep is its economic value. You can generate income simply by raising sheep on ranches or farms. It can be your main source of income or a complementary income generator for your other farming businesses.

Aside from profits, you can also enjoy tax benefits from sheep raising. You can raise sheep so that your land holdings will be taxed at lower agricultural rates. Raising sheep can also be used as a means to reduce the tax you are going to pay. If you have sheep on your farm, you can deduct capital purchases and your farm expenses from your taxable income.

Raising sheep can also be a pleasurable activity for everyone, particularly the younger ones. Some people enjoy being able to produce sheep meat and fiber on their own, and a few of them even raise sheep to support their family.   
There are parents who encourage their young children to take care of sheep and expose them to other aspects of plant and animal farming. Because sheep are small and gentle creatures, they can be easily taken care of by children.

The elderly may also find sheep raising an enjoyable and worthwhile activity. Sheep are easier to deal with compared to bigger farm animals, not to mention that raising them does not require huge capital outlay. These farm animals are relatively inexpensive in terms of equipment and breeding stock costs.  Retired people may consider raising sheep to generate more income for their retirement fund. 
A lot of people raise sheep because they need access to a flock of sheep for training and working herding dogs. The ideal animals for this purpose are hair sheep because they can endure heat and physically challenging workouts. Wethers are also used for training herding dogs since they can be worked all year round.

Of course, sheep can also be raised for companionship. If you are looking for sheep as companions, go for ewes or wethers. Horned and non-neutered male sheep are not ideal for keeping as pets. The best pets are bottle babies since they easily get along with anyone who feeds them. Another great livestock choice is the hair sheep that does not need shearing.

If you plan to keep sheep as pets, make sure you raise them in flocks or pairs and never keep them with horned animals such as goats.
