Information and Care

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Our sheep are known as Harlequin Mini Meat Sheep. That’s a bit of a mouthful, so we usually refer to them as ‘Mini Sheep’. They were originally bred in South Australia by Dennis Russell and are perfect for anyone living on acreage who is looking for a green or hassle-free alternative to maintaining a lawn. 

They are approximately 2/3rds the size of a regular sheep and come in a variety of colours and patterns. Colour of the parents is no predictor of offspring colour. It is a lucky dip! 

They can lamb every eight months and often have twins. This high fertility rate means they can produce as much meat as any commercial breed per hectare.

Mini sheep are easy to look after. They never need shearing! That’s right. Our sheep are ‘self-shedding’, meaning their hair (not wool) will simply fall off in clumps around spring and summer. They have very small tails so there is no need for tail docking. Additionally, none of our sheep have horns.

Our sheep are resistant to external parasites (i.e. flies, ticks, lice, buffalo fly). Therefore, there is no need to dip, jet or spray them. They are fairly resistant to most stomach worms except Barber’s Pole Worm, so will require drenching for this.

Mini sheep are non-selective grazers as they eat all kinds of grass and most weeds. We use electric fences to keep them off orchard trees and garden beds.

They are flock animals and always keep together whilst grazing.

More information can be found at the Australian All Breeds Miniature Goat Society Inc. website.

Your sheep should be kept in a predator-proof paddock or yard. It is best to have at least two separate paddocks so they can be rotated between them every six weeks. This reduces the risk of worm problems. Pastures should be free of Lantana, as this doesn’t agree with them.

A small mesh or rail pen will be useful for handling the sheep; for example, when drenching or clipping hooves. Drench would be best bought in small quantities as it has a ‘use by date’. Drenches should be rotated to avoid resistance.

We recommend that the sheep be kept on a property with enough grass to feed them. If necessary, their diet may be supplemented with sheep pellets, grain or hay; readily available from Farm/Produce Supply stores.
 

We strongly recommend that you adopt at least two sheep as they are flock animals and are happiest in a group.

Lambs become fertile at 4-6 months of age

If your sheep need moving, this can be usually be done without a loading ramp due to their smaller size.

You need a PIC CODE in Australia to own any hooved animals.  This can be obtained from The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.