I can’t wait to add sheep to our homestead, and it should be pretty soon! This is why I am reading the best books on raising sheep, to make sure we are prepared and ready to go.
There are quite a few sheep books on the market, so you want to be sure you pick up the right ones and don’t waste your time with useless information. After talking with local shepherds and shepherdesses near me, here were some of their top recommendations!
Currently, chickens, turkeys, and rabbits are our homesteading animals (plus two border collies!) but we have a large front pasture that a grazing animal would be perfect for.
If you also have a large grassy field or area, then sheep are likely one of your best options.
With our chickens and rabbits, we purchased them and just learned as we went! We really had no idea what we were doing when we started and while it did cause a few losses over time, we got the hang of it pretty quickly.
Related Post: 2 Easy Animals Every Homesteader Should Own For Self-Sufficiency
Sheep are a bit more of an investment. You can learn as you go, but you’ll pay for your mistakes in greater ways than you would with smaller animals.
Let’s check out the best books on raising sheep so you can limit any losses and be prepared for what is to come!
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This book is part of the collection “Storey’s Guide To Raising…” where each farm animal is covered in great detail in its own book. Each of these books has been so helpful for us on our homestead.
It was also the top sheep book recommendation I received from others so it was the first one I picked up reading!
I loved the detail this book covered. We will definitely be looking back on it regularly to follow the guides of building a sheep shelter, setting up fencing, and designing the paddocks our sheep with rotationally graze in.
This is an all-around complete guide to raising sheep. It lays everything out so nicely and the chapters are straight to the point!
Check it out on Amazon here!
This is another of the books on raising sheep that contains everything you need to know!
Here are some of the chapter contents to give you an idea: acquiring sheep, bringing sheep home, housing, fencing, common diseases, breeding, and more.
Are you thinking about having goats, alpacas, llamas, and/or rabbits on your homestead too? Then this book is a great option. Part two of this book contains all the information you need on these animals.
If you also want lots of information on sheering the sheep and spinning the yarn or working with the fibers, then this is my top recommendation. The book has several sections of great detail on this topic.
Check it out on Amazon here!
I love this book! It makes raising animals feel fun, easy, and enjoyable and something enticing to those of us just starting out!
It’s also wonderful to have on hand because it covers a variety of topics for a variety of animals. I read this book first when we were getting started with chickens, then rabbits, and now with our desire for sheep in the future.
The beginning sections and chapter are especially helpful if you are just starting out with raising animals, like raising sheep. It gives a realistic idea of what to expect and doesn’t just glorify it with pretty pictures. Raising animals is hard work, but there is so much joy that comes from it.
Check it out on Amazon here!
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This book on raising sheep is part of the raising livestock series – a great one to check out! What makes these books wonderful is that they are for the backyard homesteader and hobby farmer.
While we have 80 acres on our homestead, you certainly don’t need anywhere close to that amount of space to get started with raising sheep. You really only need a few acres of grazing pasture plus some shelter.
There is a whole section of this book just dedicated to the pros and cons of raising sheep in your backyard versus a small farm.
There is also a lot of information on understanding the sheep on a deep level, versus just spitting out facts for you to essentially memorize about the animal. This book helps you understand how sheep think, why they act the ways they do, and what their instincts trigger them to do.
I would encourage you to read this book in full before purchasing your sheep. It will give you a well-rounded picture and fully prepare you for your next adventure in raising sheep!
Check it out on Amazon here!
If you are more of a visual learner, then this book is the best one for you. I really appreciate how the pictures make consuming the information more accurate and enjoyable.
It is one of the books on raising sheep that uses a lot of colors to make learning fun! It also makes it easy to quickly reference different topics. For example, if your sheep is about to lamb you can quickly flip to the chapter for easy-to-read information in bullet point format.
The book was written for a United Kingdom audience but being in the United States I still found it extremely helpful and useful.
Check it out on Amazon here!
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This is another book part of a series, touching on different farm animals. The sheep book is full of helpful tips and tricks as if you were talking to your next-door neighbor!
It is also another one of the books on raising sheep that is a complete guide, full of everything you would need to know. It touches on breeds, sheering, housing, feeding, protecting, breeding, and more. I love that it helps the total beginner!
Everyone has to start somewhere when it comes to learning about how to raise sheep. But, no one wants to read a boring textbook to find that information. I found this book to be a great middle-ground – easy to read but packed with great information.
Check it out on Amazon here!
This is another homesteading book I love about raising animals. I have read it three times now, first with our chickens, then with our meat rabbits, and now as we prepare to raise sheep one day.
It has hand-drawn illustrations, a detailed resource page, and information on each backyard homestead animal you could raise. If you are looking to raise more animals than just sheep, this is a great book for you.
Most people love this book because it makes raising animals on a small homestead or in your backyard seem attainable. It is so helpful to see the different drawings of how to set up your back yard or space to accommodate the animals alongside a vegetable garden, fruit trees, and berry bushes.
The section on sheep covers raising sheep for meat, milk, and/or wool. It is a great overview of each of the purposes.
Check it out on Amazon here!
There you have it, the best books on raising sheep for a productive homestead! Let me know in the comments below which book is your favorite or which one you’ll be picking up next!
Kelsey at GoodPointGrandma
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These books look so interesting! My mom is actually getting sheep later this year so I might have to get her one of these books.
Oh wonderful!
It’s great when you find a good book that’s helpful and then there is a whole series so you can use the same author to learn about other topics too! I can imagine raising sheep is definitely a bit more of a challenge.
Exactly!!
How fun to have your own sheep to shear! I think they are such an adorable animal, and honestly, my lawn could use a few to keep it in check. This is a great collections of resources for anyone who is thinking about raising a flock.