The First Arrivals

Well, its happening!! I am bringing home my very first sheep as part of Ewe Know It Farms today! Last night my dad and I drove with my cousins trailer up to central Michigan and this morning we headed over to met Isaac from Matchett Farms. Isaac came highly recommended to me, every sheep person I talked to seemed to know and love the Matchett operation. I have been talking with them all the way since April about buying some ewes, and today is finally the day.

When I first emailed, I was really just looking for a quote on how much X number of sheep at breeding age might cost me. But Isaac came back with an incredible offer that was exactly what I was looking for, the right number of sheep and a mix of two age groups so I could breed half the flock in July and the second half in December when they were the right age.

That initial grouping didn’t quite work out since my loans took much longer to clear than expected, but I am bringing home 50 Polypay ewes on a six+ hour trek back to the farm. These ladies will be the foundation of my flock as I plan to retain ewe lambs that are born on my farm to grow the numbers rather than keep buying from outside flocks. It is always a risk when buying animals that you will bring in diseases that your existing flock has not been exposed to or had major issues with, so it is very common practice to keep a closed flock in the commercial sheep world.

The sheep rode well on their way home, packed into the trailer like sardines wo they didn’t shift around too much in transit. When they got to the farm we loaded them right into a barn full of fresh straw, yummy hay, and clean water. Soon enough they will be out on pasture taking advantage of the summer grass.