Any one have Sheep or Goats?

[AppleCrisp]

Hello.
Does anyone have sheep or goats? I am interested in them as pets, if I got sheep I would shear and sell their fiber. I'm not sure which I would prefer tho, so if you can give me pro's and con's. I would be interested in getting about 3 or 4. I was thinking a pregnant female adult, and some babies to raise and bottlefeed. What do you think? Thanks.

 

[sunnychooks]

Hi Apple!
I have both - sheep and goats. If you are interested in a pet that you can really interact with, I would suggest a goat instead of a sheep. They tend to have more "personality" and are lots more fun.
Fiber prices tend to vary depending on the demand in your area and the quality of the fleece. I sell mine to handspinners, but when I had a large flock there were times I had to sell to a "wool pool". One year the price was only about 40 cents a pound and wasn't even worth the cost of the gas it took me to go! I'm not trying to discourage you, but you need to investigate before you decide.
The nice thing about goats is that you can have fresh milk for your family if you chose to breed them. The biggest problem with them is having a VERY secure area that they won't be able to escape from.
Regardless of which you choose (or both?) keep in mind that you always need to have more than one since they are very social animals. Your plan of getting 3 or 4 is a good start, but be aware that if you decide to milk your goats or raise market lambs you will probably end up with more animals than you originally decided on and should plan your facility so that you can expand it, if necessary.

Edited to add:

If you want strictly pets DO NOT GET MALES unless they have been castrated (They are called wethers).
An intact buck (male goat) has some disgusting habits and they STINK. I bred one of my does two days ago and she still smells bad from being around him for a few hours! If you want to milk your doe and she is kept around a buck, the milk will take on the odor of the buck and give it an "off" flavor.
A ram is not a good pet, either. I have had a few over the years that were downright DANGEROUS. Some are OK, but those are the ones that tend to be shy of people and would not make good pets anyway.
If you consider breeding either sheep or goats, be aware that there is not a big market for bucklings or ram lambs unless you are OK with selling for slaughter. The best time to sell them would be during Ramadan, at Orthodox holidays and to some ethnic markets.

 

[fdnick]

We have sheep but they are "hair" sheep (no wool) American blackbellys (barbados) they are great for weed problems but for spinning we have angora bunies

 

[Henrietta23]

Quote:
I have a friend who just got three sheep. She is a spinner and knitter so she has them for the fiber. And they are very much pets, very sweet and friendly. Two were raised by nuns! I don't know their breeds but could find out if you'd like.

 

[kstaven]

If you have the fences to handle them goats are the easiest to tame and manage.

 

[helmstead]

I've never had sheep, but I LOVE my goats (even my bucks). They are sweet. relatively inexpensive to keep and greatly entertaining!

The main reason I didn't want sheep is I don't want ANOTHER animal I'd have to clip. The horses are clipping enough for me! Past that, I know nothing about them.

 

[AppleCrisp]

Thanks. Does any one have... Pictures?

lol
Umm I think I may be leaning towards sheep because I would really like to get a alpaca or two to mix in the bunch, I heard they mix well.

Another reason I was thinking sheep is because they have alot of wool, and it might keep them warmer in winter since it gets to be -45 ish.

 

[helmstead]

Pictures of our goats are on our website under The Barnyard.

MAN that is cold...!

 

[AppleCrisp]

Yeah, Its gets so cold. It pretty bad... you know you walk to the end of your drive way and your eyelashes freeze shut, and even with all the ski pants, long under wear and down jackets in the world you would still be cold. lol

 

[sunnychooks]

Here's a thread you may be interested in:

http://backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=18690&p+1