Goats with Sheep

[Heather Copeland]

I've had goats before and definitely don't want another buck so I am trying to decide about getting 2 doe goats and 2 buck sheep. Would they get along? I've heard that sheep don't stink like goats so that's what I'm trying to avoid. Would the bucks mess with the does? My knowledge is limited on it, so I want to find out a little before we proceed. We have about 2 acres that they will be on.
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Latestarter]

Greetings and welcome to BYH. Many folks keep sheep ewes and goat does together with minimal issues. The one main thing is they both need minerals but goats need much more copper than sheep need, so if sheep eat goat minerals, it can poison them. So most feed them all (sheep & goats) sheep minerals and give the goats copper boluses to ensure they get what they need. Goats butt heads, and male sheep ram heads. A ram could seriously injure a goat (and you if you're not prepared). Is there some reason why you want male sheep (rams) vs ewes? Do you intend to wether the rams? I have goats and plan to get hair sheep. When I do, I plan to have a ram (or more) and a buck (or more) but they will each have their own enclosures (rams and bucks) separate from the females and from each other. The females can't have babies without the males, and without babies, there's no milk. I have dairy goats for the milk.

Anyway, I hope others will chime in here. Browse around and make yourself at home!

 

[Heather Copeland]

Thanks for the quick reply and the valuable information. I have no real reason for the rams vs ewes (thanks for letting me know the correct terminology!). A neighbor has an excess of animals that basically he doesn't have enough room to sustain them all so we are taking some because we have pasture that is growing up. He has hair sheep so I wanted a few of those, but I could just get ewes instead of rams.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

My neighbor kept female goats and later brought in Barbados sheep. She hoped it might be ok to let all the sheep, including the ram, run with the female goats. The ram took every opportunity to 'rape' the goats. He actually injured one of her goats to the point where she had to be put down.

I wouldn't put them together unless you have a back-up plan to separate them if it doesn't work out.

 

[babsbag]

I have also heard and seen pictures of the rare "Geep" where they actually did mate and get bred. There were some concerns about the offspring and I don't believe that it lived a normal lifespan. I would stick to all females if possible.

 

[Heather Copeland]

Thanks for the info!! I will definitely avoid getting the rams.

 

[Baymule]

Or you could get the sheep, be sure the farmer castrates them first, let them eat all that grass, then take them to slaughter. Lamb is delicious!