When sheep happens: Sheep farm in Bulacan aims to recognize sheep products in the public market

By BENJAMIN SARONDO

Renzo Daniel Dela Cruz, 28, is the owner of Enzo Sheep Farm, located in Angat, Bulacan. He said that his father, who is a goat farmer, mentored him to know and understand sheep farming. Before 2012, Renzo said that they ventured into goat farming first, but they decided to stick to sheep farming because sheep are easier to raise compared to goats.

“I prefer sheep rather than goats, while my father prefers the opposite. In 2012, we established the sheep farm, carrying the mission to produce healthy and quality dorper for the public market here in the Philippines,” Renzo stated. He also hopes that more Filipinos will recognize sheep meat and sheep products.

“I am happy seeing newborn lambs and their white color after being born. They look so fragile yet so sweet. I feel a sense of fulfillment whenever I watch them running in the sheep house. I am happy, and aside from that, I gain money.”

Enzo has dorper and white dorper sheep right now on his almost 2-hectare farm. The farm specializes in breeding quality white dorpers that are heavy boned, big headed, and muscular.

“We are very strict on selecting the sheep we will purchase and breed, and that is what separates Enzo Sheep Farm from other sheep farms. Instead of just me, my father helps me to make sure that I select high quality sheep.”

Back in 2012

“In 2012, we have St. Croix ewe and doper sheep on the farm. We crossbred when we were just starting, but we realized that pure breeding is better,” Renzo said.

A few years later, Renzo said that they stopped their sheep farm because of their guard dogs, who were killing their sheep by biting their necks. Renzo was grateful that he was included in Public Law 408 and that he was able to purchase American agricultural commodities, such as five exe sheep and one ram. He said that his previous purchase helped him to continue his sheep farm and pursue sheep breeding.

Renzo now focuses on breeding dorpers that are American-Australian-bred. “When there is someone I know who will import sheep from Australia, I ask them if I can purchase sheep as well.”

Choose, produce, and keep

In sheep breeding, choose and select are terms often used interchangeably to refer to the process of selecting specific animals for mating in order to improve desirable traits in the offspring.

“This involves evaluating individual sheep based on characteristics such as conformation, health, productivity, and genetic traits,” Renzo stated.

In sheep breeding, produce refers to the act of breeding sheep to generate offspring, emphasizing the creation of new generations within the flock. The next step to follow is the selection of parent sheep with desired traits to pass on to their progeny, breeding sheep to generate offspring, and emphasizing the creation of new generations within the flock.

On the other hand, “maintain” in sheep breeding involves the ongoing care and management of the flock to ensure their health, well-being, and continued reproductive success. This includes providing proper nutrition, veterinary care, and appropriate living conditions to sustain the overall health of the sheep.

“Keep some and sell some, in sheep breeding refers to the practice of retaining a portion of the offspring from a breeding season to be kept within the flock for future breeding purposes, while the remaining lambs are sold to others, often for various purposes such as meat production, wool, or as breeding stock for other farms,” he said.

This strategy allows breeders to continually improve and refresh their flock by selecting the best-performing individuals as replacements while also generating income through the sale of surplus animals. The decision on which lambs to keep and which ones to sell is typically based on desirable traits, conformation, and the overall breeding goals of the operation.

Father’s love

He did not find it hard to maintain Enzo Sheep Farm because he always had his father to accommodate his concerns, give tips, find easy ways, and more.

“Since my father has experience with goat farming, which is somehow similar to sheep farming, I always have someone who I can consult and talk about my struggles about my sheep farm,” Renzo said. “I did not start from zero, because all of the knowledge about farming that my father has, he imparted to me, especially about the breeding and husbandry of sheep.”

“Right now, we are only producing breeders. They are being sold to hobbyists and farmers who want to upgrade and improve their flock,” he stated.

Aside from his father, Enzo Sheep Farm has a farmhand who is responsible for gathering plants and grass that will be fed to the sheep. Mulato and napier grass are what they feed to the sheep and they also feed them feed concentrate to help them grow faster. The farmhand also cleans the flooring of the farm to make sure that it will not produce a foul smell, which can make the sheep sick.

His wife also helps with the farm by creating a daily report on what tasks are accomplished on a daily basis, and sometimes she helps to feed the sheep.

“I regularly visit the farm, at least once a week, to monitor the sheep and the situation on the farm if I need to provide something that will benefit and improve the sheep.”

Collaborative effort

To sustain the sheep farm, Renzo said that it takes collaborative effort. That is why every problem he encounters can be solved immediately with the help of his father, wife, and farmhand.

Renzo said that he has a background in sheep farming because of his father, who taught him, but when starting a different breed, especially the imported ones, he struggled and needed to do research on how to take care of the imported breeds. But he said it was worth it because imported purebred sheep cost more.

There are times when his female sheep give birth to only one lamb. He still does not know why this always happens but he said that even though this is the case, the good thing is that after a month after giving birth, his female sheep start to heat again and get pregnant.

“When a female sheep becomes pregnant, we limit its food intake and avoid causing it to gain more weight, which can cause it a hard time giving birth. We monitor a sheep pregnancy calendar and make sure that one month prior to its birth delivery, we put it on a diet,” Renzo said.

He also said that injecting antibiotics and feeding milk from the sheep is very important, as it contains colostrum that is rich in nutrients and antibodies to provide essential immunity to the newborn lambs.

Photos by Renzo Daniel Dela Cruz

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