A small operation with a plan can be both rewarding and satisfying. When Doug and Elaine Mills moved onto their 5 acres just north of Harrison, Ark., they knew then that they wanted animals that would provide pleasure, keep the grass down and pay for themselves. They’ve basically achieved that goal.
Doug and Elaine didn’t have much of a farming background – they’d only had dogs, chickens and rabbits – so they knew this would be a great adventure. They began with Barbados and Katahdin sheep and a few goats. Elaine said, “We bought them mostly to mow.” The Mills’ repaired existing fencing and installed new fencing. Elaine said, “Doug had no idea how to build a fence, so we hired somebody to help him build the first one. That’s how we got started.” Doug must have been a quick learner because the pastures are now fenced and cross-fenced. They’ve also added shelters for the animals. It didn’t take too long for the Mills’ to trim the herd down to just Katahdin sheep. The goats ate a lot more than just grass and weeds, and Elaine added, “I didn’t want horns.” Elaine and Doug have now developed a love for the Katahdins. They chose the Katahdin breed because, “they don’t have to be sheared and they are very gentle in comparison to other breeds. They’re a hair sheep, originally from Africa,” Elaine said. She explains that the breed gets a heavy coat of hair in the fall and winter and then sheds it in the spring. The Katahdin breed also has an innate ability to fight internal worms and intestinal diseases that other breeds usually have. Elaine said, “We don’t have to vaccinate or deworm very often. We try to stay as organic as possible. I think it’s better for the sheep.”
Doug and Elaine like to keep the herd at about 10, but right now they have 13, including the ram. Elaine said, “Usually we sell them when they’re weaned. We sell them to people around here or sell them on the Katahdin website.” She added that some want the animals for the meat, but others want them for pets. They never have a problem finding buyers.
Another reason the Mills’ chose the Katahdin breed is because the ewes are such good mothers. Although the ewes may normally birth a single lamb the first time, after that they’ll usually birth twins. Elaine said that one of her ewes had triplets last year. Because lambing occurs in the wintertime, the ewes might lamb out in the fields, but they’ll normally go into the shelters that Doug and Elaine have built for them. As soon as there’s a baby, the lamb and its momma are placed in special sections of the pen. At birth, they determine whether the lamb will be raised for breeding or for meat. Black ones are especially coveted. Then Elaine and Dale name each one – varied and cute names like Freckles, Vixen, Domino, Marco and Hershey.
After seven years on the place, the animals have the farm sheep-manicured and Doug and Elaine have managed to plant fruit trees and a garden. The vegetable garden provides food for both human and sheep consumption. The animals love the homegrown kale. Five acres of grass usually provides enough forage. However, Doug said, “We usually supplement feed with hay, grain and protein blocks for about four months, but this year we’ve had to start supplementing already because of the dry conditions.”
Blessed to live in an area of Boone County where there isn’t a predator problem, the Mills’ said they haven’t had a need for a herd dog, but they do have a few herd cats to let them know when something unusual is happening.
The Mills’ love their sheep and consider them part of the family. They’ve taught the Katahdins to come running at the mere shake of a feed bucket, and each sheep knows its own name. Doug summed it all up by saying, “The sheep are good mowers, good mothers and good meat.”
