rachels.haven's Journal

[rachels.haven]

Hmm, closest goat neighbor is selling out of chickens, rabbits, and her finnsheep for cheap. Too bad I don't want sheep. I definitely don't have enough grass even if I did want to play sheep. Looks like someone could get a starter sheep herd for $200. I think it has to due with relationship (therefore none of my business) stuff, but I hope she's doing okay.

 

[Baymule]

I sure would be tempted on the sheep. Lamb is good!

 

[rachels.haven]

It would be more tempting if I knew more about sheep. Bred pregnant ewes from a breed that kids multiples and wethers for eating would be interesting if they were goats.

 

[Baymule]

Sheep are easy. I go feed in the mornings and there is a new lamb/lambs. I have witnessed only 3 births in 5 lambing seasons. I just sat and watched, they did not need me. If I had to baby them, stay up all night, pull lambs, and jump through hoops, that ewe would be leaving.

If they are a good deal, you could always resell them.

 

[rachels.haven]

What about parasites? I hear sheep get them bad.

 

[Baymule]

Not any worse than goats. If you get serious about Sheep, you can take fecals and select for parasite resistance.

 

[Baymule]

Not any worse than goats. If you get serious about Sheep, you can take fecals and select for parasite resistance.

 

[Baymule]

Oops.

 

[Bruce]

"Finnsheep - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Finnsheep
The Finnish Landrace, Finn or Finnsheep is a breed of domestic sheep native to Finland. It is one of several Northern European short-tailed sheep breeds, but is notable for its high incidence of multiple births – it is common for a ewe to have three, four, or even five lambs at once."

And
Finnsheep breeders association

 

[rachels.haven]

Naw, I'm not really a sheep person.
If I got sheep my 4 year old would never let me live it down because he wants the next animal we do to be a dairy cow-specifically a (giant) holstein but he'd settle for any of the other bold spotted ones (especially a Guernsey named Guern) and I could take care of it forever for him. Unfortunately for him, cows are a whole other level and definitely not for hanging out with kids...Maybe when he's 14 I'll get one for him instead of a car. He's been asking since we moved here-only A LITTLE (giant) dairy cow.

...I feel like if we got a cow we'd need to build a separate barn shelter, a separate hay shelter for round bales, get a trailer, get a different car, get a round bale feeder and stock tanks, bigger milking stanchion, stronger fences, different manure management strategy...I think I'll just take him to someone's dairy farm store and buying some raw cow milk for Christmas, because I am not smitten by cows-yet. Some of the smaller breeds like jerseys are beautiful.