Search results

  1. A

    Land lease for sheep

    Has anyone ever leased land for sheep? I have someone that is willing to lease some land for me, just to keep my sheep there. It's only about an acre, fenced with electric and automatic water but no shelter. They were setting it up for a horses. I can't figure out how much to tell them I would...
  2. A

    Should I get a Ram?

    I've posted on here about this before. Going through different breeds. I just have one ewe but it's such a hassle to find someone with a ram I can use to breed her. I talked to someone in spring to use their finn-dorset ram on my ewe. But now the logistics of getting this ewe to where the ram is...
  3. A

    Small Katahdin

    I got a katahdin ewe back in May of this year. She was 3 months old at the time and one of the smaller ewes in the flock although not sickly small. By small I mean a few inches shorter and just proportionally smaller than the others. I currently keep her with my one year old nigerian dwarf buck...
  4. A

    Small Katahdin-Double Post- Ignore.

    I got a katahdin ewe back in May of this year. She was 3 months old at the time and one of the smaller ewes in the flock although not sickly small. By small I mean a few inches shorter and just proportionally smaller than the others. I currently keep her with my one year old nigerian dwarf buck...
  5. A

    Decrease in Production

    My nigerian doe has decreased in milk production by quite a bit. I recently weaned her kid at 6 weeks. Right after that she was giving 20 - 24oz per milking a week and a half later she is giving 13-15 oz per milking. I know they peak around 6 to 8 weeks and the kid was demanding milk all day but...
  6. A

    Alfalfa pellets

    Okay what's the deal with Alfalfa pellets? I'm sure this has been discussed before but are they 'free' like hay or should they be limited like grain? I was feeding my doe as much sweet feed as she wanted on the milking stand but then decided to start feeding her alfalfa pellets on the stand...
  7. A

    WHen to breed...if ever.

    I have a really tiny nigerian dwarf doe. She is probably only about 15 inches tall but she is 9 months old. At this point, her and my 7 week old buckling are the same size. She's so tiny I'm wondering if she can ever be bred. I read that ndga's standard height is 17-19 inches. She would still be...
  8. A

    Feed Questions

    Okay I have two feed questions: 1. I have goats and I recently acquired a katahdin sheep. So I bought sheep feed from TSC. Now I see they also sell "sheep and goat" feed. I'm assuming this is just sheep feed with a different label? Because I know sheep can't eat goat feed due to the copper. Is...
  9. A

    Disbud again?

    How do I know if I need to disbud a second time? I can't really tell what horn growth is. I have a buckling who I disbudded 2 weeks ago. He is almost a month old now. It was my first time disbudding so I had a very light hand. I never saw a copper ring but I did see white/bone which made me...
  10. A

    Katahdin vs Shetland

    I know these aren't dairy breeds but I need something small and I don't have a lot of options when it comes to breeds of sheep. In fact, I am looking these two up because they are both available on craigslist right now. The shetland's small size appeals to me but the katahdin's shedding ability...
  11. A

    Doe in Labor/kidded C-section...Pics added

    Okay, here we go. I didn';t want to be one of those people but here i am asking for advice while my doe is in labor. I know I will probably have to call a vet but I don't even have a large animal vet and they are hard to find since I don't know anyone with large animals. Okay anyway, I came...
  12. A

    So confused

    Okay so my oldest Nigerian doe has had a really swollen vulva since the weekend. Nothing I ever noticed before. Now she has had a chance to be bred since mid October and I finally moved full-time with my buck sometime in december or january. I posted a topic about my frustration on her not being...
  13. A

    Smallest Full-Size Dairy goat?

    Does anyone know what the smallest breed of the full sized dairy goats is? It seems at one point or another I've read that all of them were the smallest except saanens or alpines.
  14. A

    Goat Bred?

    Okay this seems to be a pretty common question but now I am asking it because I am experiencing it. I have no idea if my goat is pregnant. I have one nigerian dwarf doe that I thought was maybe bred(accidentally) in mid october. I wasn't sure then and I am not sure now so I have been running the...
  15. A

    Breeding Setup

    Can anyone tell me what their breeding setup is like? As in, how many animals you keep for breeding if you are breeding for a certain trait. I was thinking that if one was to breed for milk output they would probably have to wait until at least the second year before know if the doe will be good...
  16. A

    Dairy Sheep on One acre/Icelandic Sheep

    Oka yI have a few new questions: 1. How many Icelandic sheep could one keep on 1 acre, for dairy purposes, if they were to get all of their diet from grazing? 2. Also what is the feasibility of buying a small herd of Icelandics, put them on a few acres, leaving them there and coming back for...
  17. A

    Sheep size

    I was contemplating getting some sheep. I only have one acre and they would probably be in with my goats when I am not home. I know the difference between sheep and goat nutritional needs but my worry is space. I am looking at icelandic sheep and east friesian sheep. I really want them for milk...
  18. A

    Milking "Backwards"

    I was watching that new show with Jeff Corwin on the food network and one episode he went to Greece where they milked a herd of sheep really quick. They kind of propped their back legs up on this big jug and then milked "backwards" into the jug behind the sheep, rather than under the sheep. They...
  19. A

    Whiney Goats

    Well I think I have created a few monsters. I was letting my goats all run together when I came home and let them out to forage. They are in a pen(separately 2 and 2) all day and there is only some grass in there, which they are not too fond of. I have 1 buck, 2 wethers, and a doe all about 4...
  20. A

    Mini Horses vs Mini Donkeys

    Can someone tell me or direct me to a place that will tell me the pros and cons of either? I have an acre of land and I just recently started with nigerian dwarf goats. I was always scared of caring for ruminants and equines mainly because I didn't know where to get hay or how to feed but now...
Top