Sheep and goats together?

[kristenm1975]

I have a nice grassy pasture area that's about half an acre and would love to have an Icelandic ewe and a Nigerian Dwarf doe for fiber and milk, respectively. I would love to hear from folks who have tried keeping just one of each together, as I have read that a person should keep at least two of each.

Thanks!

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

You can keep sheep and goats together but they can't have the same feed or mineral. Goats must have copper and if sheep get even close to as much copper as a goat needs then it will die. So you would need to feed them their food separate and their mineral. And you can not use feed labeled "sheep & goat" because the copper has been withheld. That will kill a goat without enough copper.

So yes, they can be kept together but it's a pain to have to feed separate and give mineral separate.

You could jsut go he all goat route and get either Cashmere goats or Angora goats. Then you could have your fiber and milk.

 

[bonbean01]

Not an expert here...only have sheep, but the copper in feed is a consideration...our neighbour has both sheep and goats and I've noticed that they do not hang out together at all...so, not sure if they would bond or not. Our neighbour feeds pellets with no copper and supplements his goats separately since the only time they come together is during feeding time.

Straw's idea is a good one...you don't have to deal with the feeding issue and you get both fibre and milk.

 

[BrownSheep]

Yep the copper is a major consideration. You could also go all sheep. We milk ours when we have bum lambs and there is actually a 150-200 head sheep dairy a couple of miles down from us. Sheeps milk is pretty much a sweet fattier cows milk.

 

[bonbean01]

So true, and sheep milk makes the best yoghurt!!!!

 

[Straw Hat Kikos]

Yeah but goats are better milkers. Yes some sheep may be ok but in the end goats do milk better esp if you get a milk goat. Sheep you can do more with the fiber though. They have different sizes and all. It's really up to you. You could have both but that's a pain.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

I have sheep and goats that live together. My goats and sheep in general, do not get grain. They have plenty of pasture and hay available and are all plump. Only the expecting does are fed grain and they are seperated while eatting their grain. They know it is coming and come right into the seperate area. This gets them in the habit when it is time to get milked. My goats are given a copper bolus at least once a year.

I have friends that operate a very large meat production farm and raises sheep and goats together also. They feed theirs a grain that is sutable for both and they too bolus their goats with copper.

 

[kristenm1975]

I would definitely be mindful of the issue with copper, but am mostly concerned with how they fare mentally and emotionally having only the one goat and the one sheep together. I understand that a stressed animal is one more likely to develop physical issues like sore mouth and would like to avoid that.

Thanks for all the advice!

 

[SheepGirl]

Soremouth is caused by a virus & they must be exposed to it first in order to develop it.

But looking at your OP, I see you are interested in Icelandic sheep--did you know you can use them for meat, milk, and wool (they're considered triple-purpose)? I'm pretty sure in Iceland they milk them.

You can always get two Icelandic ewes so you don't have to worry about getting a goat

 

[aggieterpkatie]

If you want both species, seriously consider getting 2 of each. Or, consider 2 sheep and a goat. A lone goat will fare better than a lone sheep, because sheep tend to be so laid back they get bullied by goats. Feed isn't a major issue...if you're going to feed grain, feed a sheep grain because you can always copper bolus the goat(s). If they're just fed hay and pasture, that's even easier. Or, you can do what I do and feed the goats their goat feed on the milk stand, so the sheep aren't able to get any. Then, when you're milking the goat(s), you can feed the sheep their own grain.