sheep or goats?

[kinnip]

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I am sooo glad I haven't had this problem.
I find that intact bucks are a little smelly, but it's not really offensive, just bucky. I find the smell is barely noticeable until they start flirting with the ladies. In all fairness, anyone would smell if they were peeing all over their face.

 

[Alexis]

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[mistylady]

I'm over in Ohio and the goats wintered fine in a barn with hay and some feed. We keep ours on chains and tethered to things because they can escape anything. They jump, push through and plain old destroy fences. They have cleared over an acre of land for us that we could not even walk through. They're great! But you need to get ones you can trim the hooves on and worm without a fight. Our male has no .... he's been clipped (a wether) so he does not smell. He pees on the ground. And poops almost constantly. They are big time poopers!

 

[ole-crone]

SHEEP SHEEP SHEEP

Goats are browsers not grazers. They only eat weeds and junk like that if you are forcing them by starvation.

It's so sad to see them tied up to 'eat weeds'.

 

[ams3651]

at this point im considering "renting" a goat or 2. I only have about 1 1/2 acres to clear and then part of it will be planted each year. When I was a kid we had a pygmy goat and my grandfather kept him tied. I think one would be lonely but If I had 2 tied they wouldnt be able to interact much. With the exception of electric fence, fence panels would be expensive.

From what Ive read here and other sites goats seem to prefer weeds and dont have to be forced to eat it. Sheep prefer grass and thats not what I have. Im not sure what Im going to do but Im gathering info.

 

[goldensunriseranch]

Just keep in mind even goats won't eat every kind of weed. And some can actually kill the goat if they eat it because they have nothing else. I've found mine to pick and choose what they want and the ones they don't want they just let grow and grow, especially since I feed them hay and grain. Might be easier to just mow the weeds down.

And I would never tether a goat, it's just a dangerous situation for them. I've heard lots of people with tethered goats that eventually strangle themselves on it and it leaves them very vulnerable to stray dogs and other predators. If something scares it while on the tether it can run until it hits the end of it's tether and either a) break the tether and then it's loose anyway, or b) it breaks it's own neck when it hits the end.

 

[dangerouschicken]

I am thinking sheep at some point, as well as alpaca. I want to spin my own wool in the future, so that is a reason for me, plus lambs taste better than goats, and sheep cheese is better than goat cheese, at least to me.

 

[ams3651]

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i would get 2 because 1 would be lonely, i wouldnt tether them because they wouldnt be able to mingle and play. I cant mow 1 1/2 acres of field because I only own a push mower, and cant buy a tractor and field mower just for this. If a goat doesnt eat everything then I will have to remove what it doesnt eat which at this point would be alot better than what I have now. Im still not sure, I noticed 2 neighbors with goats and I might try to see if I can "rent" a few.

 

[chickiedoodle]

Around here at least, goat rental is gaining popularity. I see signs frequently advertising for goat weed control.

I have a couple questions because we (okay, I) are looking into goats for next year, but want to have things in order 'first'--something we didn't do with the chickens

I am looking into Nubians, just 'cause I think they are cute and I want milk.

Does anyone use portable electric fence with goats? Our property is impossibly huge for fencing, so I was thinking of having a "home base" with a barn and fenced yard, and then herding them around the property and moving the electric fence as they clear an area.

We have tons of bracken fern

Will I need to cut it all out before putting the goats in an infested area, or will they leave it alone? I have read that it is a huge problem for sheep and cows, but not goats. Is that true?