For farmers and backyard homesteaders, this best-selling resource is the most comprehensive guide to success with flocks of any size. Whether you're raising sheep for meat, wool, or milk, you'll find detailed instructions covering everything from health, breeding, and facilities to shearing, showing, and marketing.

Preface 1: Starting with Sheep    Some Background on Sheep - Sheep Farming Today - Behavior - Breeds - Buying Sheep - Home at Last 2: Breeding and Breeds    Breeding and Genetics - Genetic Diversity and Sheep Breeds - Individual Breeds 3: Pasture, Fences, and Facilities    Pasture - Fencing - Facilities 4: Herding Dogs    Traits of Herding Dogs - Breeds - Selecting a Dog - Training - Dog Trials 5: Protecting against Predators    Managing for Predators - Guardian Animals 6: Feeds and Feeding    Digestion - Nutrients - Feeding Practices - Types of Feed 7: General Health Considerations    Healthy Strategies - Recognizing Sick Sheep - Alternative Health Practices - Natural Defenses - Causes of Illness in Sheep - Parasites - Other Disorders of Sheep - Drugs for Sheep 8: Problems of Rams, Ewes, and Lambs    Problems with Rams - Disorders in Ewes - Lamb Problems 9: Flock Management    Successful Breeding - The Ram - Ewes 10: Lambing    Preparation for Lambing - The Lambing Process - After Lambing - Problems with Newborn Lambs - Orphan Lambs - Care of Baby Lambs 11: Products and Marketing    Merchandising to Reach Your Market - Wool - Meat and Milk - Pelts - The Live-Animal Business - Odds and Ends - Recipes 12: Showing Sheep    Kinds of Shows - Show Classes - Training Sheep - Fitting - Show Ring Strategies 13: Records and Animal Identification    National Sheep Improvement Program - Computer Software and Spreadsheets - Sample Record Charts Appendixes    Lambing Calendar    Feed Requirements    Composition of Common Feedstuffs    Resources    Glossary    Metric Conversion Charts Index