Sheep Project

Age: 9 and older (must turn 9 before December 31, 2023)

Where: Farm in Castro Valley off Palomares Road. 2 trips to Livermore farm to learn about and buy lambs. 7 days at County Fair for showmanship and auction. 

Cost: ~$600 - $700 per sheep (cost of lamb + feed, supplies, uniform, and a thank you gift for your buyer)

When: monthly meeting Tue or Wed, weekly in April after lambs are purchased

We learn how to pick out, care for and show a market lamb in preparation for the Alameda County Fair and sell at the auction. Project meetings are monthly until April when commitment increases when we purchase our lambs. Meeting dates are not set yet and can be multiple required meetings a month especially after we have the lambs. Depending on how many youth sign up you will need to go to the ranch to feed lambs and clean pens 2-4 times per week in addition to meetings where you learn to wash, trim, groom, work and train your sheep. The sheep are raised on the Project Leader's ranch on Palomeras Road, a 7 minute drive from Canyon Middle School.

The cost for your project can vary depending on the amount you pay for your lamb. You should plan on investing $600 - $700 per sheep (cost of lamb, feed, supplies, uniform, and a thank you gift for your buyer). Youth can sell two lambs at the Alameda County Fair auction and normally result in a profit when there is a successful project. Previous years most youth earned $700-$1,500 after expenses, but some members have profited $2,00-$3,000. Auction price depends on how well youth show and market their sheep and by getting buyers to the auction.

Once sheep are brought to fair, members must be at the fair every day to feed and care for sheep for 7 days until the auction.