Feeding Sheep and Llamas Together?

[mylilchix]

I guess I could post this in both sections. Next weekend we're getting 4 sheep which we'll put in with our llamas. Hopefully, everyone gets a long ok. I want the llamas to watch over the sheep. Since the llamas and sheep have different feed requirments other than pasture, should I seperate them to feed them or will they learn whose food is whose?

Thanks,
Sonja

 

[Bil]

I would at least start them out separately just to get them used to it. Then after a while start mixing them together and see how they do. Some will have no problem at it and others will take to it easily.

Good luck!

Bil

 

[sayyadina]

There is some danger with putting llamas & sheep together. This also applies to alpacas, goats & cows. There's a disease called Johne's disease or paratuberculosis which can affect ruminants. There's a farm in my town that used to have a bunch of alpacas. They decided to get some goats, and put the goats with the alpacas. Within a very short time, their entire alpaca herd was dead from this disease.

Another reason not to feed them together is that they have different nutritional requirements, and thus don't get the same feed.

And because they're different species, they communicate differently, which could cause issues.

 

[mylilchix]

There is some danger with putting llamas & sheep together. This also applies to alpacas, goats & cows. There's a disease called Johne's disease or paratuberculosis which can affect ruminants. There's a farm in my town that used to have a bunch of alpacas. They decided to get some goats, and put the goats with the alpacas. Within a very short time, their entire alpaca herd was dead from this disease.

Another reason not to feed them together is that they have different nutritional requirements, and thus don't get the same feed.

And because they're different species, they communicate differently, which could cause issues.

Hmmm, interesting point. From everything I read they should be ok together. http://www.sheep101.info/201/guardians.html

Sonja

 

[sayyadina]

I believe there is a blood test that can be done on the sheep to see if they have Johne's or not. This website has a lot of information. http://www.johnes.org/

One thing you could do at feeding time is herd the llamas into one area, and the sheep into another. Give them each their grain, clean up poop & such while they're eating, and let them back out together when they're finished eating. We have 3 female alpacas we have to do this with, and it works very well.

 

[ksalvagno]

Don't you have to worry about the copper levels for the llamas? I think it is the sheep feed that has higher copper levels in their feed that isn't good for llamas.

 

[jkcove08]

Actually I was told when I had a sheep not to let her eat the alpaca feed since there is extra copper added and that is deadly to sheep in the long run. I collects in one of the organs and will slowly kill them. We separated them from that point on and eventually sold the sheep. Good luck. Jenn