Looking for the right companion critters

[Theweddlefarm]

We raise wool sheep. I feel they make great companions if you spend enough time with them and talk to them, as silly as it sounds. We have 35 ewes that are like big babies. They are gregarious by nature and so 2 or 3 would be a must. They will tackle low leaves, but are not overly aggressive of the trees.

 

[punk-a-doodle]

Some small sheep that don't need shearing:
-Soay
-miniature Katahdins
-dorper/mini crosses or other mini and hair sheep mixes

We have some Barbados on our street. Not as tame as some, but not as flighty as others.

For goats, I hear fainting/myotonic goats with a good degree of myotonia are supposedly some of the least difficult goats to contain. My husband and I will be buying fainting goats for this reason. We are trying to find the harder to locate (in our area) smaller lines versus the bred up meat lines.

Look into methods such as rotational grazing to keep your land looking its best.

 

[The Farm]

X2

I have raised the fainting goats an they are very easy to fence in. And they can't climb either nor stand on there hind feet.

 

[Jrose]

I talked to my neighbors who tried keeping 4 sheep last year. I don't know the breed, they were black with long locked wool, and pretty large. The sheep were on a 3/4 acre pasture and turned it into mud promptly, they couldn't keep grass there, try as they may, even when they switched to pasture rotation between two equally large areas. I think they've given up. This put me off the sheep idea a bit...

I've been eyeballing pygmy goats. I originally didn't want pygmies because they might be hard to contain and because I wanted pack goats, but in all honesty... I like the idea of being able to pick them up and control them if a situation occurs, I can transport them in my car, they should pose little threat to the grass with tiny hooves, they won't put a dent in my budget with feed costs during the winter, I have an infant nephew, and my family is less intimidated about a tiny animal that can't crush a kid, etc etc.

I am curious about fencing. I'm not worried about predators- The exterior of the property is fully fenced with a 4' fence, my dog (who's wonderful with all animals) keeps intruders well away. Do you think I could get away with 3' for containing pygmies? Some articles said that once full grown, pygmy goats shouldn't be able to jump 3'. I have abundant 3' welded wire fencing. I've also heard that they're pretty forgiving on fences, compared to large goats. Any experience with this?

(I also planned on disbudding, which would rule out goat horns getting caught in the welded wire)

 

[Jrose]

Some small sheep that don't need shearing:
-Soay
-miniature Katahdins
-dorper/mini crosses or other mini and hair sheep mixes

We have some Barbados on our street. Not as tame as some, but not as flighty as others.

For goats, I hear fainting/myotonic goats with a good degree of myotonia are supposedly some of the least difficult goats to contain. My husband and I will be buying fainting goats for this reason. We are trying to find the harder to locate (in our area) smaller lines versus the bred up meat lines.

Look into methods such as rotational grazing to keep your land looking its best.

I want to pack the goats, as well as train them on a lead and take them walking with the dog. I've heard fainting goats are a bad idea for this...