Small Ruminant Sales and Events
Our real world grazing sheep will be available by preorder and deposit only on a first come basis. Deposit is non-refundable. If someone ahead of you on the list cancels their preorder, then the next person on list will be notified of earlier availability and have the first opportunity to lock in their order.
If you would like to get on our list or have questions, call David at 660-620-9052 or email maplewoodredangus@gmail.com
Ewe Lambs - $350 each ($50 non refundable deposit required making price at pickup $300)
Available for pickup:
August - September 2024: 250 - Sold Out
August - September 2025: 350 - 320 Available
Adult Ewes - $400 each ($50 non refundable deposit required making price at pickup $350) All ewes are 2 to 6 years old. Sheep who like likely throw twins and know all the ins and outs of rotational grazing.
August - September 2024: 300 - Sold Out
August - September 2025: 150 - 140 Available
Breeding Rams -
8 Months Old (can easily handle up to 25 ewes)- $350 each ($50 non refundable deposit required making price at pickup $300)
September 2024: 80 - 12 Available
2-3 Year Old (can easily handle up to 50 ewes)- $450 each ($50 non refundable deposit required making price at pickup $400)
2024 : 15 - Update 3 Available
Ewe Lambs and Select Ram Lambs Philosophy
No Deworming, No Hoof Trimming, No Shearing
All stock are broke to electric fence. The sheep are also accustomed to livestock guardian dogs and often are managed in the same pasture with the cattle in a “flerd". .This is your opportunity to start a highly profitable small ruminant enterprise without all the issues and work that typically goes with such an enterprise. When you start with Real World Grazing Ruminants (RWGR) you eliminate time consuming and back breaking work like deworming, hoof trimming, and shearing.
Our small ruminant philosophy is simple: low-input, no deworming, no foot trimming, easy keeping, pasture improving stock that benefit and enhance our cattle and land enterprises. For those who don’t know-hair sheep require no shearing, they shed naturally! The sheep also love brush, black locust trees, multi-flora rose bushes and poison ivy. Rotated with the cattle to optimize utilization of all of the natural resources available on our land, small ruminants allow us to utilize multi-species grazing to promote better pasture management and natural fertilization.
Real World Working Sheep
Common Questions
What Breed Are The Sheep In The Sale?
Our hair sheep are primarily a cross between Katahdin and Florida Cracker. The resulting cross is a "Painted Desert". They are thick, easy fleshing, and great mothers. On top of these traits, our primary selection pressure has been for extreme parasite resistance (we never worm) and good feet.
How Old Are The Sheep and Goats
That Are For Sale?
The sheep and goats will have been born the spring of the year they are for sale. They will be sold that fall and ready to breed by December 1 to give birth May of the following year.
Have they ever been de-wormed or had their hooves trimmed?
No. We do not worm or trim the hooves of any of our sheep and goats. Over many years we have carefully selected animals that have good feet and are parasite resistant.
When will the sheep be ready to breed?
They will be ready to breed by December 1 to give birth May of the following year. We breed all of our young lambs and doelings to birth on their first birthday. While some producers prefer to wait a year we feel this is an unnecessary waste in production.
What will I need to feed the young sheep to get them ready for breeding?
Brush and Grass. We don't supplement our young stock in any way. We leave our young females with the herd year round. Because we breed in December and sheep and goats are short day breeders we have fantastic conception rates on all our stock (including first time does and ewes) without any supplementation.
What Breed Are The Goats (No Goats In The Sale This Year)?
Our goats are primarily Kiko/Spanish/Texmaster cross. We have not selected for any one breed. Instead we have focussed selection pressure on parasite resistance, good feet, mothering ability, and thickness. We are quite pleased with the results.
Do I have to be at the sale to make a purchase?
No, we offer a variety of stay at home options. If you are a new customer a deposit is required to purchase animals if you are not in attendance at the sale. If you are a returning customer, no deposit is necessary. Just give us a call to discuss stay at home options.
How Many Sheep or Goats Can I Run?
Well it depends. If you intend to add them to an existing cattle enterprise we recommend a stocking rate of 1 sheep or goat per cow. If you are using sheep or goats as a main enterprise on a farm we recommend starting at 1-2 per acre depending on the quality of the land. Both of these rates assume you will be rotationally grazing the sheep and goats.
What type of fencing will I need?
We recommend using electric fencing either as a stand off from existing fences or 3-4 wires standalone as a new interior fence. To learn more about fencing for sheep and goats click here
What type of protection will they need?
We have found well trained dogs and donkeys to be effective for predator protection. We recommend using at least 2 dogs plus a donkey if possible. We offer livestock guardian dog puppies as available, from our own guardian dogs, that have been raised with the flock.