What We Teach New Sheep Farmers in Their First 90 Days
The first three months of sheep farming are the most critical and most farmers get the basics wrong. Through our smallholder mentorship programme, we've worked with dozens of new farmers across Kiambu and surrounding counties, and the same handful of gaps show up again and again. Here's a breakdown of what we teach in those first 90 days.
Week 1–2: Infrastructure Before Animals
The single most common mistake we see is farmers buying sheep before their fencing, shelter, and water systems are ready. We insist that every mentee has secure paddock boundaries, a basic shelter structure, and a reliable water source confirmed before any animal arrives on the farm.
Week 3–4: Choosing the Right Breed
New farmers often choose a breed based on price alone rather than suitability to their land and goals. We walk through stocking rate calculations, local climate considerations, and whether the farmer's priority is meat, wool, or a dual-purpose animal before any purchase is made.
Week 5–8: Health Fundamentals
We cover the core vaccination calendar, deworming schedules, and how to recognise the early signs of the most common regional diseases. Every mentee leaves this stage with a written health record template they can use from day one.
Week 9–12: Record Keeping and Reproduction
Many smallholder operations fail not because of poor animal husbandry but because of poor record keeping farmers simply don't know which ewes are productive and which aren't. We introduce a simple paper or spreadsheet system to track lambing dates, weights, and health events for every animal.
Beyond 90 Days
Mentees who complete the first 90 days move into our quarterly consultancy package, which includes on-site visits and a structured annual review. Most farmers who follow this programme see their flock stabilise and begin generating reliable income within the first full year.