
The Natural Sheep Handbook
Raising a Healthy Flock from Farm to Table
Lacey Jean Carr(Author)
Globe Pequot Press
Will be published approx. on 17. November 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-4930-9178-2 (ISBN)
Description
A practical, comprehensive guide to raising sheep holistically for meat, wool, milk, and sustainability
The Natural Sheep Handbook is the perfect guide for the sheep-curious, the aspiring shepherd, or the seasoned ovis steward seeking to expand their knowledge regarding the care of sheep—including tending to the flock, sustainable grazing practices, and the production of sheep-related goods, from meat and dairy to sheepskins and wool.
Lacey Jean Carr, the Fireheart Shepherdess, draws from her years of experience as a traveling butcher, hide tanner, and ranch hand. She shares important insights, practical skills, and personal anecdotes that will equip readers to confidently step into sheep ownership, as though she is a neighbor mentoring you first-hand. Chapters cover:
The Natural Sheep Handbook is the perfect guide for the sheep-curious, the aspiring shepherd, or the seasoned ovis steward seeking to expand their knowledge regarding the care of sheep—including tending to the flock, sustainable grazing practices, and the production of sheep-related goods, from meat and dairy to sheepskins and wool.
Lacey Jean Carr, the Fireheart Shepherdess, draws from her years of experience as a traveling butcher, hide tanner, and ranch hand. She shares important insights, practical skills, and personal anecdotes that will equip readers to confidently step into sheep ownership, as though she is a neighbor mentoring you first-hand. Chapters cover:
- Space, shelter, fencing, and feed
- Common maladies and their natural remedies
- Breeding, caring for pregnant ewes, and lambing
- Considerations for rams
- The basics of at-home butchery and processing
- Salting the skin and natural hide tanning
- The shearing process and uses for wool
- Plus 12 recipes for lamb, mutton, sheep's milk, and more!
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Old Saybrook
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Weight
254 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4930-9178-2 (9781493091782)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Lacey Jean Carr lives and shepherds in the Columbia River Gorge with her sons and her partner and photographer, Christian Sorensen. They run a small-scale natural sheepskin tannery, The Bucking Ewe. They spend their time in the tannery, raising Icelandic sheep, offering classes and workshops, and supporting other sheep ranchers and farms through mobile slaughter and processing. Lacey’s written work can be found in The Shepherd Magazine, The Good Meat Project, and Homestead Mamas magazine. Visit her online at TheBuckingEwe.com or @Fireheart_Shepherdess on Instagram.
Content
Introduction: It’s in My Blood
Chapter 1: Sheep and Humanity—10,000 Years of Tradition
Chapter 2: Determining Your Why and How
Chapter 3: Your First Flock
Chapter 4: When Things Go Wrong
Chapter 5: Breeding and Lambing
Chapter 6: The Sheep Dairy
Chapter 7: The Cull, the Kill, and the Cuts
Chapter 8: Over Fire and On the Table
Chapter 9: Tanning Sheepskins
Chapter 10: The Wool
Afterword: Thank Ewe
Resources
Index
About the Author
Chapter 1: Sheep and Humanity—10,000 Years of Tradition
Chapter 2: Determining Your Why and How
Chapter 3: Your First Flock
Chapter 4: When Things Go Wrong
Chapter 5: Breeding and Lambing
Chapter 6: The Sheep Dairy
Chapter 7: The Cull, the Kill, and the Cuts
Chapter 8: Over Fire and On the Table
Chapter 9: Tanning Sheepskins
Chapter 10: The Wool
Afterword: Thank Ewe
Resources
Index
About the Author