New and probably different

[Humbled21]

Well I was thinking of starting off with 5. I really don't know how fast sheep can mow a lawn. Of course 5 sheep are not going to be able to mow tremendously efficiently, but it will be enough to get me used to them and what they are capable of. Perhaps a small yard within a few days. However after they breed a few times, I could greatly increase their numbers. Most suggest on big yards having about 40 sheep. However it really just depends on how many clients I can get. My biggest hope is that in starting off small, people will see them and wonder about them. Perhaps even ask about getting their own lawn mowed this way. However I will be unable too because I only have 5. But over time as my herd gets bigger and my upkeep increases, my clients will have already have showed interest and it will be easier to land clients because they've already been waiting. But lets make a scenario. Lets say it takes 2 days for 40 sheep to mow someone's yard, and lets say we use the one guys prices of $1 per sheep per day. If I had 3 clients over a week I would make Mon Tues $80 Wed Thur $80 Fri Sat $80 80+80+80= 240 for one week. ( I don't plan on using that price plan) Lets say I'm able to do this 34 weeks out of the year. I would make approximately 240*34=$8160 I still haven't decided on how I would like to charge, or how I'll figure it out. I'm not even sure how much 40 sheep can mow in 1 day. I know I can't afford 5 dollars a day at first. Besides I'll still have to pay for gas for the truck to haul the sheep around. Feed for the winter, Veterinarian prices (i intend to do most of that on my own). I've looked on the internet quite a bit, and I can't seem to find a decent way to price their work. I was hoping to charge $45 dollars for what would take me an hour on my Dixie Chopper. However I'm not sure how many sheep it would take to do that. I need to ask a Shepherd what kind of square foot a few sheep can go through in a day, and turn that into a mowing estimate calculator of some kind. http://news.ca.msn.com/ontario/kitch...ss-in-guelph-1 Ah finally, here is women who is actually doing what I'm talking about. It looks like she's just getting started, but $40 dollars per lawn isn't too bad, that's just with 3 sheep too. So who knows where this will go but one thing is for sure. I need to do a lot more research.

[willshome]

Lawn care business tips

have you worked with sheep before? in your city can you have live stock in a yard? why do you think this would sell better than just mowing? why not run on bio-fuels? BTW my over head is more than $80 a day

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Brockton Lawn Care
Easton Lawn Care
Fall Cleanup Brockton

[Humbled21]

I emailed a group called Urban Shepherds, and they said that the research they've done says what I'm trying to do doesn't work very well because the sheep don't make the grass look really nice like our lawn mowers do.

However what they like to do is try to get people to keep sheep during the whole season long. That way they have a few sheep almost all the time, and at the end of the year they either butcher them, or take them back to the farm to feed them. Some people even purchase their own sheep from them and they provide them with a starter kit.

They suggested I might start an office for them in my area, but of course I would have to see if I would make any from that too. I am trying to provide for my family after all. So I guess my original idea wasn't as grand as I thought after all

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions guys. If this doesn't work out maybe I'll try renting my Dad's lawn mower and weed eater and doing it that way.

[Steve]

Well you have to admit, you are doing a lot of investigating. That is a good thing. Ultimately who knows for sure if this would be ideal for you or not until you experiment with it.

So keep us posted on what you decide to go with.

Just don't give up, you can do whatever you want.