Given the high rates of mortality due to predators often fluctuating, or weak market prices and susceptibility to theft, is it worthwhile to farm with small stock? 

That has been one of the questions farmers, especially those intending to try their hand out at small stock, have been pondering. 

It might surprise some, but many farmers of note who have been in the game for as long as I could write my name have given up small-stock farming for some of the reasons I listed above and others. 

To a novice farmer, this is a great red flag – the fact that those in the know have shunned this form of farming. But it is not all a lost cause; indulge me a little here.

The most common argument against small stock farming is that “...they need a lot of attention, and they are prone to illnesses easily…” and that “...they are a soft target to predators”. 

While this is true about small stock farming, there are countless ways to mitigate the impact such factors could have on your farming. 

Let us break it down

The most important consideration one needs to take into account even before considering any form of livestock farming should be the environment in which you intend to farm. 

That includes often-overlooked things, such as is the area too bushy? Is the terrain mountainous or too sandy? How far is grazing, and in what quantities? Do I have sufficient access to water? 

If, as in the question above, you intend to farm with the Karakul sheep, and your farming base is the shrubland in certain parts of Omaheke, then you are setting yourself up for failure, as that thick-wool sheep will not make it through the large variety of shrubs and encroacher bush species. 

Also, in areas that have fewer shrubs and smaller trees on which goats and sheep largely browse on; you will find it difficult to keep small stock. 

As for predators, there is a simple solution to this – better management. 

You need to be aware of the type of area where jackals, caracals and hyenas, which largely prey on small stock, wander the most and keep your livestock away from such areas. 

In addition to this, it would help if you keep them in the kraal a little longer and let them out at proper daybreak. 

Letting them wander off at the crack of dawn or just after the morning cup of tea often leads them right into the path of many of these predators. With the exception of the jackal, many of these predators are nocturnal hunters and could be returning from their expeditions at the crack of dawn.

The attention that is needed for small stock, in my view, is as good as that needed for any type of produce or product on your farm. 

Yes, small stock might need more frequent care, but all livestock need proper care and handling. Vaccinations, proper shelter, clean water daily and nutritional supplements are all part of the game for any type of livestock. 

The trick is to make it a habit to regularly check on your livestock, study their grazing patterns, observe ticks and mites in them and treat them accordingly. 

Also, regularly deworming your small stock is high on the list. 

Most importantly, if you farm in an area prone to drought, like the Omaheke region, where many of us farm, you would do well to take on small stock, as they are better resistant to drought than your average large stock. 

I dare to be proven otherwise. 

All in all, practice this easy management model, and you could be singing a different tune on small stock farming.

- tjatindi@gmail.com