Hello from Australia

[Vonny]

Hi all .. thanks for having me here! I’m Vonny from Central Queensland in Australia.. I embarked on this crazy backyard herd adventure on our small farm January this year after almost being wiped out from a category 5 cyclone then a couple of years later during the bushfires! We had so much timber on the ground post cyclone, the bushfire was almost inevitable!!! Our answer was to get some sheep! When we went to choose our couple of lambs we fell in love with this very odd looking sheep and came home with not only two dorper X lambs but also our gorgeous Boer x doe! One thing led to another and the menagerie now includes 3 sheep, 4 goats, 9 ducks, 2 chooks, a cockatoo, a rat, a lorikeet and our long suffering dog who now has to share his mummy with all our other demanding creatures!!! I don’t have to tell any of you how addictive it is to have these beautiful companions in our life I’m sure!!! I dream about them, cuddle them and chill with them a good part of every day!!! It would be fair to say we are obsessed with creating the best environment we can to make our amazing family happy!!! I can’t express the joy these guys bring to our life!

I very much look forward to contributing to this community and drawing on your extensive experience! I’ve started studying Certificate in Small Acreage Faming (Livestock) and am really hoping that I can draw on this community to help me on my learning journey!

The pic is me enjoying a love sandwich with some of my babies!

 

[SageHill]

Welcome! I just joined up 2 weeks ago. There's a wealth of knowledge and great folks here. Love the pic - peaceful kingdom . I've got sheep, chooks, and dogs.

 

[Vonny]

Welcome! I just joined up 2 weeks ago. There's a wealth of knowledge and great folks here. Love the pic - peaceful kingdom . I've got sheep, chooks, and dogs.

Thanks! I was just reading your introduction and absolutely love your dogs! We are currently in middle of a rock and hard place with our babies .. our boer doe was attacked by the neighbours dog and we have recently lost 1 chook and and 3 ducks to chicken hawks! Heartbreaking stuff! We’ve been offered a LGD to help look after them but are hesitant and as we have never had a working dog of any description, all our German shepherds and other dogs have been strictly pets! Our concern is that our little farm is in the middle of a small acreage area that has regulations about dogs barking etc. .. at the moment our paddock is only 1.5 acres with further expansion planned in November.. I’m concerned the putting an intact male dog with the herd may cause issues for our neighbours and that we may be challenged to control him. He is a maremma and comes from a breeder who I guess is hoping if all goes well that we will ultimately buy one or two of their next litter.

 

[Vonny]

PS Our doe is now ok and that particular attacking dog has been removed from the neighbourhood!

 

[Baymule]

Welcome from east Texas.
Read the LGD forum. There is lots of information about LGDs.
I’m glad you r die is ok now!

 

[Vonny]

Welcome from east Texas.
Read the LGD forum. There is lots of information about LGDs.
I’m glad you r die is ok now!

Thanks! I’ve started doing just that!

 

[SageHill]

Thanks! I was just reading your introduction and absolutely love your dogs! We are currently in middle of a rock and hard place with our babies .. our boer doe was attacked by the neighbours dog and we have recently lost 1 chook and and 3 ducks to chicken hawks! Heartbreaking stuff! We’ve been offered a LGD to help look after them but are hesitant and as we have never had a working dog of any description, all our German shepherds and other dogs have been strictly pets! Our concern is that our little farm is in the middle of a small acreage area that has regulations about dogs barking etc. .. at the moment our paddock is only 1.5 acres with further expansion planned in November.. I’m concerned the putting an intact male dog with the herd may cause issues for our neighbours and that we may be challenged to control him. He is a maremma and comes from a breeder who I guess is hoping if all goes well that we will ultimately buy one or two of their next litter.

Thanks - they're good workers for sure, and good buddies too.
Dang about your doe and the birds -- grrrr.
We have a pack of about 5 or so coyotes so I'm always on the lookout, It's also a major reason we put up a barn so the sheep would be safe at night. I've thought about an LGD but even on the 12+ acres here I don't think it's big enough, I'd be worried they'd hop the fence in pursuit of a coyote. I have to say I have no experience with LGDs other than being around some on other's properties. I do know a lot of people who have them. My dogs are all herding dogs not guardian dog (German Shepherds are herders and not guardians). From the research I've done, like any dog the LGDs need training - they don't just come automatically doing the work.
It does sound like you've got someone who knows what they're doing with the LGDs I'm sure they could answer a lot of questions. Maremma's are a great breed.

 

[Daisy1702]

Hello from Melbourne Australia
I hope to be able to help you. I own 5 sheep 4 cows 15 chooks 1 duck 5 cats 5 horses and 3 dogs

 

[Vonny]

Thanks - they're good workers for sure, and good buddies too.
Dang about your doe and the birds -- grrrr.
We have a pack of about 5 or so coyotes so I'm always on the lookout, It's also a major reason we put up a barn so the sheep would be safe at night. I've thought about an LGD but even on the 12+ acres here I don't think it's big enough, I'd be worried they'd hop the fence in pursuit of a coyote. I have to say I have no experience with LGDs other than being around some on other's properties. I do know a lot of people who have them. My dogs are all herding dogs not guardian dog (German Shepherds are herders and not guardians). From the research I've done, like any dog the LGDs need training - they don't just come automatically doing the work.
It does sound like you've got someone who knows what they're doing with the LGDs I'm sure they could answer a lot of questions. Maremma's are a great breed.

Thanks! I did read yours were herding dogs and then had a brain fade! Yes, the breeder trains LGDs .. your response made me feel nostalgic for my old German shepherd who would herd everything .. my 5 kids when they were young .. the ducklings to a point where it was hard for their mum to get them .. the instinct was strong!

 

[Vonny]

Hello from Melbourne Australia
I hope to be able to help you. I own 5 sheep 4 cows 15 chooks 1 duck 5 cats 5 horses and 3 dogs

Hi Daisy!! Lovely to meet someone in my own time zone!! I’ve just come back from visiting my daughter in Rawson and there sure is some beautiful sheep out in that Gippsland area!! Those beautiful green rolling hills in Victoria must be a real treat for sheep!