Help needed PLEASE!

[warthog]

Hi all,

We live in Belize and have spent several days now looking for goats, we are told that goats are very hard to come by in Belize. But there are sheep a plenty!!

We wanted goats mainly for eating brush and weeds, it was our intention to get 4 females and maybe when we are used to looking after these, increase the amount by introducing a male and letting them breed.

My question is, if we cannot get goats, are sheep suitable for the same job.

Also sheep in this country do not seem to be sheared, they just seem to let the molt like any other animal, if this a good thing to do.

I have always wanted goats they seem to be more fun creatures than sheep. Sorry don't wish to offend sheep owners, maybe you will tell me different.

Any advice would be welcome.

Thanks

 

[username taken]

if you are having that much trouble finding goats, hair breed sheep like you have access to will do a similar job

enjoy them, whatever you end up getting

 

[warthog]

Thanks for that information, but being new to all this, what do you mean by hair breed sheep.

Sorry if this sounds like a silly question.

 

[username taken]

not a silly question at all

hair sheep means the ones that shed/molt by themselves, they dont need shearing

 

[beefy]

sheep dont really eat the same thing as goats. they eat more grass than brush.

 

[username taken]

beefy, the hair breeds tend to browse more like a goat

the traditional woolled breeds are a different story

 

[warthog]

Thanks everybody, I'm off out this morning to look at some 'goats', I have a feeling I might find there are sheep.

People here don't seem to know the difference between sheep and goats.

Ah well, we will see.

I am going to stick out for goats, but will have sheep if I can't get them.

Or there again maybe both, who knows.

Will let you have some pics, when I get some.

 

[username taken]

good luck warthog

A lot of hair sheep look just like goats, and some goats (angoras) look like sheep. So I dont blame people too much for having difficulty telling them apart sometimes.

The key is in the tail - sheep tails hang down, goat tails stick up!

 

[warthog]

I have tracked down 3 girly goats and possibly a boy. I didn't want to get to the breeding stage initially, but in that they are so hard to come by, as we say in England "in for a penny in for a pound".

Thanks for the info about the tails, I didn't know that.

I will be going to collect my little one in the morning, so fingers crossed please.

 

[helmstead]