Sheep or Goat?

Ellie

Songster
12 Years
Aug 10, 2007
1,013
8
181
Redding, Ca.
I can "borrow" some sheep to graze at my place in exchange for some wool and of course they can be mini mowers.

However, someone said they pull the grass out by the roots! I don't have a fenced front yard and neither does my mom.. we live on the same property. I have had them before, but don't remember that happening, but did not have grass at the time, either.
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I am not opposed to buying goats if they would be easier on the place.

Can you tell me the differences you see? My main purpose is eating down the grass/weeds.

Will either/both harm the new fruit trees?

Thanks very much,
Ellie
 
Goats are not grazing animals. They do not eat grass unless there is nothing else at all for them to eat. If you want something to just eat down grass and weeds you do not want a goat. If you have lots of brush and bushes and low hanging trees that you want to clean up and clear up (even kill) then you want some goats.

Goats will eat down your fruit trees, strip the bark from them and eventaully kill them. I have first hand experience with my parents orchard and my stepfather's goats. They ate down my mother's apple and pear trees. The trees died within a year.

I am thinking you want the sheep for grazing.
 
Ellie,

I have to agree with MissPrissy. I have both sheep and goats. The goats are always in the brush and under the trees and the sheep are out in the pastures.

Take care,

Tami
 
Quote:
Where I'm planning on putting my goats is right on the woods line and there would be quite a few trees inside the fence with the goats. Will they kill those trees??? The trees are pretty young, only about 15-20 years old maybe. Young hardwoods. If they would kill them then I'll have to figure out a new place to put them.
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Goats love to forage. They love leaves and will eat the bark off of trees. As long as there is plenty to eat and no need to forage as much the trees won't suffer. But you also have to be careful about offering them too much feed because they can get the bloat and become very sick. It can be a balancing act. If they eat the tree bark and the trees are suffeing move them for a while and let the trees recover. We had a huge thicket and within a week there was no more thicket. Gone. Eaten. Hasn't returned.

Goats are also nibblers. They even nibble on our clothing.

Don't worry. You will love the goats and will learn to handle them. They are like big little kids who like to eat and play and get loved on.
 
I know people say that sheep graze and goats browse, but our sheep did both. Our sheep grazed the grass, but also loved to be up in the woods, browsing the undergrowth. They cleared out all the shrubby growth and even the small trees. They ringed the bark on trees small enough to get their teeth into. Large trees, like twice the height of our house, were fine. It was actually kind of nice after they got done! If you have small fruit trees in with them, I would fence around the trees or wrap their trunks in wire, to protect them. One of our rams would even stand on his hind legs, with his front hooves up on the trunk, to eat on our dwarf apple tree, higher up. The other boys were too lazy, but Hank thought he was part goat, instead of registered Romney!
 
But the thing I need to know is will the sheep ruin a yard? Will they take the grass out by the roots as someone told me, or will they just eat it down?

thanks,
Ellie
 
Just a suggestion... my neighbors just down the street fenced their yard and they got two miniature horses. The grass stays mowed -in fact the mower was for sale out front last year...lol!
 

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