Sheep or Goats?

[protodon]

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Thanks for the pic, that looks simple and effective. I'm sure my chickens would love to get in there too.

 

[pardygwyn]

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Nope, it's just a doghouse that no longer gets used now that the goats are gone (they liked to cram themselves in there together during nasty weather!). The sheep have a simple 10x10 building I made out of castoff wood and OSB with a tarp roof. It does well in windy weather, too, but Beekissed's shed is probably a lot simpler to make and I bet it can be moved around as needed, too.

 

[Sumatra503]

No matter which goat I drink the milk from it tastes goaty to me. It also upsets my stomach.

I haven't had the same problem with sheep's milk as with goat's milk.

East Friesian and Icelandic sheep are the most popular breeds of sheep that are precisely for dairy. They are also more readily available than other dairy sheep. I've found that the hair sheep, Katadhin and Barbados(Black Bellied Sheep), tend to produce a fair ammount of milk and are quite meaty. Polypay sheep are a good dual purpose sheep and are a breed created by crossing a dairy breed, a wool breed, a meat breed, and Finnsheep which are known for multiple births. They have a good production of milk and also produce a bit of meat to go with.

For a year round production of milk you would need to breed back your ewes in order to have two lambings per year. This can be done about two weeks after the ewe lambs when she comes into heat again for a short time. Hair sheep breeds tend to be more prone to breeding year round than other breeds of sheep.

I personally raise Finnsheep crosses and they produce a fair ammount of milk, but the multiple babies tend to use all of it up.

 

[pardygwyn]

Interesting! I'll have to keep that in mind, being another person whose stomach didn't agree with goat milk. Of course, I'm a lot more likely to get a hoof in the face from my sheep than I was from my goats...

: I wasn't aware that hair sheep were good milk producers though, so thanks for the info.

 

[bagendhens]

my grandad had a couple of fresian girls who had lovely milk and wonderfull personalitles.

 

[PineappleMama]

Question... OP is AZ I'm TX so maybe sort of valid?

What about heat? I know sheep are good in cold climates, those built in fur coats and all, but what about in places where it tops 100 in the summer... safe? Not safe?

 

[Sumatra503]

Sheep tend to handle heat quite well. When it gets hot around here I've found that sheep that weren't shorn tend to stay a bit cooler and are less likely to overheat. Wool helps them to regulate their body temperatures in the heat as well as the cold.

 

[PineappleMama]

Oh awesome! Thanks Sumatra!

 

[awesomefowl]

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Those are SO cute! What breed are they?

 

[JustAChickenLittle&More]

OK sheep people. For a while now I been thinking about getting a nubian cross or two and some hairless sheep. Are they hard to keep inside the fences like goats? How about climbing on cars etc., ? Thanks