Goats and sheep on half a acre

[BreanneRN]

I have sheep, and I enjoy keeping them. They are hair sheep, so don't have to be sheared like wool sheep. They grow a coat in the winter that they shed in the Spring. Many people keep sheep together with goats and they are fine on pasture together or feeding hay. Goats are friendlier but also harder to manage than sheep (IMO) as they are harder to confine and less respectful of your personal space. However, having 3 or 4 of either would not be too difficult. If you want to breed, Billy goats are kind of smelly. There can be individual preferences as to taste if you are going to eat them. Hair sheep taste more like deer than wool sheep. I have 2 1/2 acres and they help me keep down the weeds. They are prolific breeders, but without a male you will not have to worry about that. Oh, and as far as eating goes, my sheep are just a prone to eating bushes and trees and will often preferentially eat them, so I have to fence them off from said targets. On the other hand, goats would be harder to fence off from the shrubs/trees as they are not really very respectful of fences and like to escape.

 

[Birdsong 82]

I have sheep, and I enjoy keeping them. They are hair sheep, so don't have to be sheared like wool sheep. They grow a coat in the winter that they shed in the Spring. Many people keep sheep together with goats and they are fine on pasture together or feeding hay. Goats are friendlier but also harder to manage than sheep (IMO) as they are harder to confine and less respectful of your personal space. However, having 3 or 4 of either would not be too difficult. If you want to breed, Billy goats are kind of smelly. There can be individual preferences as to taste if you are going to eat them. Hair sheep taste more like deer than wool sheep. I have 2 1/2 acres and they help me keep down the weeds. They are prolific breeders, but without a male you will not have to worry about that. Oh, and as far as eating goes, my sheep are just a prone to eating bushes and trees and will often preferentially eat them, so I have to fence them off from said targets. On the other hand, goats would be harder to fence off from the shrubs/trees as they are not really very respectful of fences and like to escape.

The last poster was correct. Goats do you like to get into just about everything that is not fenced off. And it takes a tall strong fence to keep them in. They don’t really respect your personal space but in certain ways I enjoy that. And Billy goats are extremely smelly and not exactly friendly all the time . But I’m sure that depends on the goat. Goats do you prefer to eat brush and trees ( and your garden is not protected ) more than grass. It’s all see you have is Pastor they will eat it. Getting used to and understanding how to contain goats does take some time but after a while you get used to it you know what you’re doing. Sounds like sheep are a little easier to manage though

 

[RustyBucketFarmGirl]

So i know i cant keep them together in pen because of copper problem but can i have their feed in their separate pens and let them together on pasture.and how many sheeps and how many goats can i keep on my property (this is one idea,i dont say i will do it maybe in the future when i will work myself for money but i want to plan everything)

What is your main goal for keeping them?

I am in agreement with some of the other replies that one or the other is the best bet. To keep a healthy herd of both i would want much more pasture space for browsing.

Too much small livestock sharing a small pasture can lead to worms and illnesses that are a pain to deal with. Do you have any other animals? Dogs? Cats? Chickens? All that should be considered in a head count for pasture useage as it leads to more fecal matter and more fecal matter requires more time to break down.

I would be cautious about putting too many animals on a half acre. Take your time with planning and do your research. I went to visit a number of goat farms of various sizes to help with our housing and pasture planning. It helped me picture how much space we needed and how i could make that work on our property.

Good luck! Our Nigerian dwarf goats are like lap dogs. They bring our family a lot of joy!

 

[Matija]

So this is layot .im sure i will have one dog (german shepard or something else).8chickens with rooster,and sheep.(as i readed your posts i will think goats are too much for me).and my goals are meat,their manure and (if i learn) making cheese.
There will be "koi pond too but it will be only 5-10 square meters.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Both are great. Not one or the other is necessarily better. It’s what works best for you and your situation. I’m partial to goats but that doesn’t mean they work for everybody situation. I would love to get sheep too But with two pigs for goats and 18 chickens I think I’ve hit my limit.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Keep us updated on what you decide and send pics !!!!

 

[Latestarter]

I truly hope it all works out for you. Please do NOT be fearful of asking questions here as there are so many great folks here who will offer you help! I suggest that you also visit over at the sister site: www.backyardherds.com as they specialize in herd type animals and there are a lot of really great goat folks and sheep folks over there who will also willingly help you. There too, there is no problem with asking questions, and there's a lot of great info already posted.

 

[Birdsong 82]

Asking questions shows you want to what’s best! Which is great. Ask away. Amazing people in both forums with lots of knowledge!

 

[BreanneRN]

Yeah, keeping down the numbers is my biggest problem with the sheep, all my 1st time mommies twinned this year! Usually, new moms will have singles. As I only have 2 1/2 acres and pasture only half the year, the feed store bill goes up, and since sheep don't tolerate copper, have to be careful of feed. I find that sheep math is just as bad as chicken math around here. But, you can eat them if you have too many... And though they are shy, I have spent time with them, doctored them, and they mostly look up to me and try to pick up on what I want them to do. Sometimes, they even help me get a new mother into a pen, so I can watch her for a week or 2. They will run in there and show her the way, then run out so I can close the gate. They are much smarter than people give them credit for. I buy them sheep minerals so they have access to salt. I have a Suffolk/hair sheep cross ewe that is very friendly, though we had some go rounds initially (she started trying to butt me when I first got her), but I had a little aluminum frying pan that I would hit her over the head with. I don't think she liked the ringing noise it made and quit that stuff pretty quick. Sheep are pretty hard headed so it never really hurt her. She will come up to me to be petted and talks to me, and she is my dominant herd leader sheep. As to the dog, forget the german shepherd, what you will need is a guardian dog, to protect from predators. I know they must have versions of those over there... For me, with just a few sheep, a herding dog just doesn't have enough to do. Don't know what kind of climate you have there, but that might influence your choice of sheep. I have what I would describe as a symbiotic relationship with my sheep, I feed and care for them and in return, they feed me!
The lambs are very cute and mischievous (yes, they like to escape their pens, leaving mommy behind, just because they can), but as they age, ram lambs get pretty obnoxious, so you aren't sorry when it's time for them to go!

 

[Matija]

We have lots of dog species for keeping sheep.german sheppard,belgian sheppard,rottweiler, and yugoslavian shepperd dog called sarplaninac.