In our first year, we laid the groundwork…

Additions:

• 13 highly productive layer hens with one resident rooster

• 100 cornish cross meat chickens

• A starter flock of 6 Katahdin hair sheep

• 2 giant angora rabbits

• 2 livestock guardian dogs to keep the farm safe.

• Raised one bottle-calf that was gifted to us on Christmas by a neighbor. With that experience, we decided cattle are not for us, and that sheep and chickens are where our livestock interests are.

Infrastructure:

• Fenced in 10 acres in the main pasture area

• Converted our detached garage into a sheep barn,

• Purchased shelters: chicken tractors, brooders, sheep shelters, dog houses, and a small Amish chicken coop to get us started.

• Added an old 50s Allis Chalmers Tractor as our first big farm equipment addition to the farm.

Output:

• Resulting in a dozen eggs a day

• Freezers full of broiler chickens processed on the farm

• 7 lambs were born from our first 4 ewes.

In our second year, we continued our growth…

Sheep:

• Grew from 4 to 10 ewes.

• Brought in a fully registered ram (Kronos).

• Tripled our breeding operation, bringing us 19 lambs for our 2023 lambing season.

Poultry:

• Brought in many more chickens, totaling 50 chickens, with a small flock of Bantams (small chickens) included - to expand our egg production.

• In the summer of 2022, we did another round of meat chickens, but with a little less birds (80).

Infrastructure:

• Converted an old camper into a camper coop to house our influx of chickens.

• Bought a run-in shelter to create a second winter housing area for the sheep.

• Brought home a Gravely to help us maintain our fence line.

These numbers continued to grow in our third year…

Sheep:

• For the 2024 lambing season, we used two breeding groups, with the addition of a second registered Katahdin ram purchased at the KHSI Expo (Atlantis).

• Growing from 10 to 15 ewes bred, we brought in 26 lambs.

Poultry:

• Up to just under 100 layer chickens (bantams included), continuing to increase our egg production, with a large demand for pasture-raised eggs.

• Decided to do two batches of 35 meat chickens versus doing one large batch (and prefer this route).

Infrastructure:

• Purchased a brand new 1835m Massey tractor with a bucket, brush hog, and manure forks to help us maintain the pastures and clean out the barn with some extra muscle.

• We also added a second camper coop to support the additional egg layers and built a small chicken tractor for the smaller meat chicken batches.

In our fourth year, we focused on pasture improvement and preparing for the infrastructure needed to support our growing flock.

Sheep:

• We managed two breeding groups for the 2025 lambing season:

  • The earlier group was sired by our top ram lambs from Atlantis (our 2024 main sire).

  • The later group was sired by Rainier, a registered Katahdin ram purchased from Heavenly Oaks in Illinois.

• Our flock grew from 15 to 24 ewes, after holding back 10 ewe lambs from 2024.

• From January through May 2025, 23 of those ewes lambed, producing 36 lambs (one ewe lamb did not lamb).

Poultry:

• We skipped meat chickens this year, as we are expecting our first human baby in December and chose not to build additional chicken tractors.

• We added quail to the farm, expanding our poultry diversity.

Infrastructure:

• We finalized plans for a 60x100 pole barn to be constructed before winter. This new barn will address capacity challenges, providing space for hay storage and improved flock management.

Our fifth year is set to be a turning point as we complete major infrastructure and continue building toward a sustainable, thriving flock.

Sheep:

• We will run one breeding group this year, all bred to Rainier, our registered ram we purchased from Heavenly Oaks, Illinois.

• We will be adding 5 ewe lambs from Gibraltar Farm, selected for their strong parasite resistance genetics.

• We plan to retain 8+ ewe lambs from our 2025 lamb crop to join the 2026 breeding season.

• We expect to enter the 2026 breeding season with 35+ ewes, setting the stage for up to 60+ lambs.

Poultry:

• We are continuing with our layer flock and quail.

• We expect to raise meat chickens again in summer 2026, after pausing for a year.

Infrastructure:

• The centerpiece of Year 5 will be the completion of our 60x100 pole barn by the end of October - we officially broke ground in August.

• Until now, our sheep have overwintered in a 24x24 two-car garage “barn” and our hay has been stored in a second garage. With the barn, both animals and hay will move into a dedicated space, allowing us to more formally invest in growing our flock and improving efficiency.

• The barn will be equipped with automatic heated waterers, eliminating the need to haul water from the house through the winter.

• It will include formal lambing jugs and dividers, allowing us to separate groups and optimize feeding programs (such as second-cutting hay for yearlings and lambs, first-cutting hay for mature ewes).

• It will provide the capacity to store and feed round bales in upcoming years.

• These upgrades will dramatically improve efficiency, reduce labor, and make flock management more effective as we continue to grow.