what is the purpose of keeping goats

[boykin2010]

do you think if i bought 2 females and a male katahdin sheep from a breeder that i could sell the excess lambs i get and get my money back? Not that i would want to sell the lambs cuz they are SO CUTE. do yall reccomend raising sheep from lambs or buying them when they are older. i would really like them to be friendly

 

[Hound]

I'd recommend doing A LOT of reading about sheep before jumping right in.

 

[boykin2010]

that is what i have been doing for two days. it seems more and more like they are perfect for me! i need to research more tho!

 

[Alabama ee]

Quote:
I will probably be easier and less expensive to buy them younger. Try to buy the girls from a ewe that has twins or better yet triplets.

 

[Beekissed]

Quote:
I'd go to the bottom of your page and slide on over to BackyardHerds.com and see what is happening with sheep people over there. They can provide you with info on the breeds they raise and the kind of housing and fencing you may need.

In order to keep females and males, you must have a good place to keep your male separate when you need to. Most folks who just own a couple of ewes just borrow or rent a ram for breeding or even buy a young ram lamb and sell him after breeding season is over.

You can get a good start on a small herd by getting bottle lambs and raising them...they will definitely be quite friendly and you won't have the money invested that you would if you bought breeding ready ewes. But you also take the risk of them getting sick or dying, plus milk replacement isn't cheap. You also must devote some time for their feeding schedules.

I bought my ewe lambs, freshly weaned, from a fellow for $125 per head and one already bred for $160. The same fellow loans me a ram for breeding when I need one.

You can definitely make a good profit by selling your lambs but you need to study up on the breeding times and the best times to take your lambs to market.

Much to learn about sheep....I think I studied up on them for about 3 years before deciding on the breed I wanted and how I was going to manage my flock.

 

[gingerpeach22]

milk goats (milk & cheese making), angora wool from angora goats, pets, 4H projects, to butcher and eat, to mow weeds/gullies/rugged land areas

 

[boykin2010]

ok i have been talking to some friends of mine who have goats and sheep and they said they have fenced really well but dogs keep attacking their baby lambs and sheep. Is there a certain way to fence so that dogs cant dig under or jump over and kill them! From the way people talk i am beginning to think there is no way to keep a dog from attacking your goats/sheep.

please tell me the fencing requirements for goats and sheep. does it need to be electric?

also can you keep goats and sheep together? will they be happy?

 

[boykin2010]

bump

 

[Barred Rocks forever]

Quote:
most people i knwo who have that issue get a lgd or donkey or mule most lgd cuz they bond more to the flock

 

[ChickyChickyBaby]

We have 20+ boer goats on the farm with our horses.
I have no idea why we ever got them to start with, we have had them for many years.
Here at the house, I have 2 bottlefed babies (now off the bottle) and one billy. That is how I have been clearing off the wooded and brushy area to make room for my chicken coops

Goats are doing a great job!

ETA: One of the bottle babies is mine and one is DD's. Both follow us around the yard and love horn scratches!