This is long term planning. We won't be getting sheep soon but I'm curious. I've read information here about goats but nothing about sheep. Considering we like lamb better than goat, and that sheep's milk makes great cheese, plus the wool... and the fact that sheep are grazers not browsers I'm wondering why goats at all? Is there a reason that makes goats better? And how different are sheep to raise than goats? I have a neighbor who raises goats so I've watched them and other than the fact that the goats are destructive if they get out of their enclosure they don't seem bad at all. I was just thinking with my trees and gardens sheep might be less destructive? Anyone?
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Thank you everyone for your great information. I see two main problems with having sheep in my yard. 1. my fruit trees (I had hoped they would leave them alone because they would be hard to keep the sheep out of them). 2. my front yard pond (I wouldn't want them to drown but the dogs need access in the summer because they cool down in it).
I'm not concerned with sheering, my husband is quite comfortable with the idea of doing it, especially if it is only twice a year.
I think goats would be worse though than sheep from what I am reading. I think I would have to do like my neighbor does and keep them in pens and I'd much rather have grazers loose. I'm not looking for "friendly" pets. I have pets, two cats and a dog (soon to be getting another puppy). I'm truly looking for livestock. If they let me feed them out of my hand that's cool but if they don't I really don't mind. My chickens never got super friendly either, although one did and I still miss her a little. I think she might have been the only chicken I wouldn't have turned into supper.
Alas my husband and I are just a bit to old fashioned I guess because while we would care for any animals we would have and consider ourselves to be stewards of the land and any animals we have, we do feel that they are "prey". Chickens are for eggs and eating, and sheep would be for milk and eating. If they can provide a service on top of that. Great! For us chickens also provided fertilizer, and hopefully if I figure out how to fix the two above problems sheep would provide us with free mowing (really nice since we have a 3/4 acre lot and my husband hates mowing and I'm allergic to grass pollen). Considering we have irrigation I think we could feed them heavily on grass but I know we'd still be buying other feed for supplementation. I'm going to see if I can find the book you recommended thanks!
I think you probably should talk to someone about actually milking your sheep. The other issues you can figure out it would appear. Goats large and small are relatively easy to milk. The smaller breeds do better with milkers who have small hands :-) - it sounds like the udders on the sheep may be a lot smaller than I was used to even on my miniature dairy goats. It also helps - a lot if you have tame animals for milking :-) If you have to run an animal down to milk it - it is not going to be fun.
Erica (Dawnfire) > Catherine, The Herb LadyJuly 27, 2011 at 4:14pm
I completely agree about not wanting to run the animal down to milk it.
I kept a pair of baby-doll mini sheep in my backyard for several years. They are much friendlier than most breeds: if they are hand raised. I had one that was not hand raised and she was as stand-offish as any regular farm sheep. They left my trees alone but did eat my rose bushes. I did not have enough space to let them live on the grass alone. I fed hay for a while, they wasted a lot of it. When I went to bremuda blend pellets in a free-choice feeder, they did much better, until I realized they were getting way too fat to be healthy. I had a great deal of trouble finding someone to come shear just 2-3 sheep, and the tools for doing it myself were over 300$. NOt to mention lots of backwrenching time. The heat is an issue, but their wool insulates them from the worst of the heat, as long as you shear them in may, and provide lots of shade and water. If you want their wool for spinning, you need to leave them all year in breathable coats, to keep the wool clean. The coats do not make them any hotter, though. And be careful about water: none that is more than knee deep on them because sheep don't float. at all. No deep troughs or ditches they can't get out of, or open ponds in their field. SO they don't make the best backyard pets, although I don't regret the experience. They definitely need the right environment to thrive, and it sounds like goats are just less work for much the same rewards, unless you want the wool for spinning.
I know of a winery in the Elgin area that uses 'baby doll' sheep for tending the grass between the rows of his grape vines. I have had goats and still love them deeply. I have not had sheep so maybe someone else who has had both can give you some perspective. I have been told by many people that sheep don't have a lot of intelligence. I would take that with a grain of salt because it might have been the humans involved :-) However, you may want to look into heritage breeds and find someone who is raising say the baby dolls and see what they have to say.
I went to goats because of their intelligence and personalities - personally I have not eaten and don't care to eat the meat, but the milk makes wonderful yogurt, cheeses and of course fresh drinking.
Angora goats have the wonderful hair/wool for spinning.
And as to the goats destructiveness - there is no question they are browsers and will munch on any shrub or limb.
You might do a little noodling around on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy for some ideas on heritage breeds of sheep.
Care-wise they're fairly similar to raise, but goats need copper in their diet & sheep can't have it. The wool becomes a problem in the summer and they need to be clipped. Personally, I prefer the goats personalities over the sheep. Goats are smart and devious, and sheep...aren't. It can make enclosing them more difficult, but makes them more endearing. Both can make a wake of destruction if they get loose. Dairy goats are designed for high milk production and easy milking, and goats thrive on a lot of the brush around here that sheep ignore.
There are plenty of sheep breeders around the valley, they just tend to be more for people with a bit of space and a larger herd, while the backyard breeders seem to lean more towards the goats. Especially because of all the miniature goat breeds that can be kept in half the amount of space. If lamb is what you like to eat, and you're quite willing to milk the little udders on sheep, and shear at regular intervals, then that's probably the animal for you.
I have thought of this too.. and one thing that I wonder about is how well the sheep would do with their wool coats in the Phoenix summer... I haven't had a chance to do any research - whether you would shear the sheep before summer anyways? - but would love to hear other comments on the sheep vs goat quandary! Good luck!
Replies
Thank you everyone for your great information. I see two main problems with having sheep in my yard. 1. my fruit trees (I had hoped they would leave them alone because they would be hard to keep the sheep out of them). 2. my front yard pond (I wouldn't want them to drown but the dogs need access in the summer because they cool down in it).
I'm not concerned with sheering, my husband is quite comfortable with the idea of doing it, especially if it is only twice a year.
I think goats would be worse though than sheep from what I am reading. I think I would have to do like my neighbor does and keep them in pens and I'd much rather have grazers loose. I'm not looking for "friendly" pets. I have pets, two cats and a dog (soon to be getting another puppy). I'm truly looking for livestock. If they let me feed them out of my hand that's cool but if they don't I really don't mind. My chickens never got super friendly either, although one did and I still miss her a little. I think she might have been the only chicken I wouldn't have turned into supper.
Alas my husband and I are just a bit to old fashioned I guess because while we would care for any animals we would have and consider ourselves to be stewards of the land and any animals we have, we do feel that they are "prey". Chickens are for eggs and eating, and sheep would be for milk and eating. If they can provide a service on top of that. Great! For us chickens also provided fertilizer, and hopefully if I figure out how to fix the two above problems sheep would provide us with free mowing (really nice since we have a 3/4 acre lot and my husband hates mowing and I'm allergic to grass pollen). Considering we have irrigation I think we could feed them heavily on grass but I know we'd still be buying other feed for supplementation. I'm going to see if I can find the book you recommended thanks!
Hi Erica,
I think you probably should talk to someone about actually milking your sheep. The other issues you can figure out it would appear. Goats large and small are relatively easy to milk. The smaller breeds do better with milkers who have small hands :-) - it sounds like the udders on the sheep may be a lot smaller than I was used to even on my miniature dairy goats. It also helps - a lot if you have tame animals for milking :-) If you have to run an animal down to milk it - it is not going to be fun.
Erica, Good questions.
I know of a winery in the Elgin area that uses 'baby doll' sheep for tending the grass between the rows of his grape vines. I have had goats and still love them deeply. I have not had sheep so maybe someone else who has had both can give you some perspective. I have been told by many people that sheep don't have a lot of intelligence. I would take that with a grain of salt because it might have been the humans involved :-) However, you may want to look into heritage breeds and find someone who is raising say the baby dolls and see what they have to say.
I went to goats because of their intelligence and personalities - personally I have not eaten and don't care to eat the meat, but the milk makes wonderful yogurt, cheeses and of course fresh drinking.
Angora goats have the wonderful hair/wool for spinning.
And as to the goats destructiveness - there is no question they are browsers and will munch on any shrub or limb.
You might do a little noodling around on the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy for some ideas on heritage breeds of sheep.
http://www.albc-usa.org/
Hope that helps.
Care-wise they're fairly similar to raise, but goats need copper in their diet & sheep can't have it. The wool becomes a problem in the summer and they need to be clipped. Personally, I prefer the goats personalities over the sheep. Goats are smart and devious, and sheep...aren't. It can make enclosing them more difficult, but makes them more endearing. Both can make a wake of destruction if they get loose. Dairy goats are designed for high milk production and easy milking, and goats thrive on a lot of the brush around here that sheep ignore.
There are plenty of sheep breeders around the valley, they just tend to be more for people with a bit of space and a larger herd, while the backyard breeders seem to lean more towards the goats. Especially because of all the miniature goat breeds that can be kept in half the amount of space. If lamb is what you like to eat, and you're quite willing to milk the little udders on sheep, and shear at regular intervals, then that's probably the animal for you.