Goats or sheep?

[Jake]

There is a pretty wide overlap between sheep and goats, each has breeds that can do what the other is best known for, for your small acreage I'd look at the mini goats, or Icelandic Sheep which are also small, but do need to be sheared. Is the fence barbed wire or sheep type? At 4' its short for most any goat breed. You dont show where your location is, that also can have a bearing as to which species would do best in your area. From what I read in your posts a mini goat breed could well be best for you.

 

[hikerfrog99]

I live in the upstate of SC.

 

[Livestock lover]

Goats!

 

[taylorm17]

Goats!

I second this

 

[norseofcourse]

get sheep! get sheep!

ok, I'm biased, I have sheep

I have Icelandic sheep, they don't need to be sheared, as they will shed out in the spring. However, they grow about an inch of wool per month, so if you wait till they shed, it'll be *really* long wool! lol
My sheep also seem to be browsers just as much as grazers, and I'm not completely sure if that's because of their breed, or where they're raised. My pasture is really brushy, and mine love that, and the lambs I raised last year eat all the brushy stuff their moms do. However, the ram lamb I got came from a farm with more grass than brush, and he doesn't seem to eat as wide a variety of brush as my other sheep do.
I like their smaller size, and they're fairly friendly, especially my ewe lamb, who I spent a lot of time handling, from the time she was born.

 

[bonbean01]

Ms. Sheople here...LOL...our Dorpers and Katahdins and crosses...hair sheep are totally friendly and with or without food, they come running...love to be pet and hugged and are very friendly...but then they are my babies and I spend a lot of time with them. Yup...I'm biased for sure...love my sheep and lambs!!!!
Which ever you decide, hope your adventure into owning critters is a good one

 

[madcow]

I would say that whichever you decide to get, goats or sheep, it would be good to look for critters that have been socialized from birth. Also, keep in mind that from a goat's standpoint, even if they have been socialized, when you bring them home they will be standoffish until they get to know you. As you are something new in their lives they have no idea if you're their friend or there to murder them instead! I have goats, I so can't speak for how sheep behave when you first bring them home. My husband calls goats "dogs with horns."

Goats will naturally follow you once they get to know you and come to trust you because of their herd instincts. They are quite intelligent creatures. I figured out that if one of my goats inadvertently gets out of the pen I follow him or her a short distance and then abruptly turn around and walk to where I want them to go and they will naturally follow me as they are herd animals. They weren't trained to do this, it comes naturally. Also, goats get lonely if they by themselves. They can be put with other animals for companionship, but a second goat would be ideal. Again, they are herd animals.

Goats are very trainable and can work for you to lead a cart or carry a pack, and are tolerant of dressing them up, if you are so inclined. They can walk on a lead with some training and learn all types of tricks, just like a dog. I would imagine sheep are trainable, but I'm not sure to what extent, as I have goats.

I love my goats and so does my husband, who tried to talk me out of getting any. They have won him over with their playfulness and how adorable the kids are. Before we got the goats my husband was convinced by others (probably by others who had never had goats or didn't know how to properly manage them) that all goats are escape artists and there wasn't a fence that could hold them. That isn't true of most goats. We have fencing which is designed for goats (you buy it by the roll), and it's twisted together and not welded, as goats love to rub and scratch on everything and just their repeated weight against the fencing will break welds. The goat fencing isn't expensive, and we have no problems with them getting out or getting their heads and/or horns stuck in the fence.

Hope you can make a decision about which to get, because from there it will be more decisions on what breed to get. I have pygmy goats and I milk my does when they are in milk. I went with pygmy goats because I wanted goats that were easy to manage from a size standpoint and our milk requirements aren't huge. We have 2 acres. If you have no real need for meat or milk I would consider getting a buck that has been wethered (neutered). An intact buck has a strong odor, especially during breeding season, which is year round with pygmies. I don't find the odor really unpleasant, just strong at times. A wethered buck is much more gentle, as breeding is not on his mind 24/7. Our little wethered buck Waldo is a real sweetheart and very affectionate. He's my husband's favorite. He has no odor at all, other than just a mild goat smell, which isn't a bad smell to begin with.

Good luck in deciding! Hope that helps more than it hinders!