Raising Sheep and Goats Together

[SageHill]

Horse mineral has a high copper content, too much for sheep. It takes time for it to accumulate in their liver , so your sheep might not have got too much. A little is good, too much and one day they die and you don’t know why.

They probably didn't get too much - they didn't pig out on it like they do the sheep mineral, and there is always plain salt available. I pulled it as soon as I found out about the copper.

 

[journey11]

I came here to ask this exact question. My daughter raised a ewe lamb for the fair this year and the buyer gave her the lamb back. We raise Nigerian Dwarves and I do understand the differences in their diet and management. The companion wether lamb that we have had in with the ewe will be going to the butcher this fall. We are still on the fence about trying to keep her for a breeding project. Do you think she would be happy and do alright in with the goats or should I just go ahead and put her up for sale? We did get a little emotionally attached to her, which makes it hard to decide what's best. She's been in quarantine the past month after the fair and has been otherwise healthy.

 

[Show Sebright]

I came here to ask this exact question. My daughter raised a ewe lamb for the fair this year and the buyer gave her the lamb back. We raise Nigerian Dwarves and I do understand the differences in their diet and management. The companion wether lamb that we have had in with the ewe will be going to the butcher this fall. We are still on the fence about trying to keep her for a breeding project. Do you think she would be happy and do alright in with the goats or should I just go ahead and put her up for sale? We did get a little emotionally attached to her, which makes it hard to decide what's best. She's been in quarantine the past month after the fair and has been otherwise healthy.

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It’s truly up to you. She looks over conditioned but if she is walking fine and you love her the keep her. She will do fine with goats and you clearly know the diets. My sheep likes to be with the goats at school.

 

[journey11]

It’s truly up to you. She looks over conditioned but if she is walking fine and you love her the keep her. She will do fine with goats and you clearly know the diets. My sheep likes to be with the goats at school.

Yes, she was a bit on the chubby side, as the judge let us know. It was my daughter's first year showing a lamb and we learned a lot. We won't look to breed her anytime soon. I'm just hoping she'll bond with the goats and they won't snub her.

 

[farmerjan]

She can live with the goats...they can get along as long as the increased need for copper is addressed in the goats. My main objection to the "Pollyanna" presentation is that they are not the epitome in complimentary animals living together in "total harmony".... the biggest problem will be in the males being together when the females of the respective breeds come in heat... and they will bother each other... even intact male llamas will harass sheep when they are in heat .... and the worm situation was totally wrong....
If you provide a general all purpose mineral and then supplement the goats with the copper... and realize they will all be susceptible to parasites... then you will be fine.

 

[Baymule]

@journey11 im so happy to see you, please come back ! Your daughter looks happy with her lamb. How old is the lamb? If somewhere near a year old, she should be bred this fall. My hair sheep will breed all year around, but it is my understanding that wool breeds are seasonal breeders. Put Miss Pleasingly Plump on a diet to shed a few pounds, internal fat can make it hard to get her settled.

She is already trained to be in her own stall or pen, continue putting her up at feeding time. Then you won’t have to change feeds for the goats.

 

[journey11]

Hey there, @Baymule ! Good to see you too!!

The lambs were born in January. She's a Hampshire. Would it be bad for her if I didn't breed her for a year or so? I'm not really well set up to keep her for more than a pet right now. We're going to send the wether to freezer camp in the fall. It's so dang hard not to get attached to things sometimes, but I mean to be practical about it. I might just sell her if it would be in her best interest.

I've only got an acre here at the house and 18 Nigerian Dwarf goats on that (and lots of chickens). I have 46 acres another fifteen minutes down the road, but it's not ready for livestock just yet and we're trying to work that out with fencing and putting the extra goats to work clearing brush and I am trying to find a pair of adult LGDs ready to work to put in with them and hope that they'll work out like they should. The farm is real overgrown and needs a lot of work. We hope to move out there sooner rather than later.

We're supposed to have a heat wave this weekend with index of 109 and of course that's when I'm headed out of town with my hubby for a little TN getaway. The kids and their Nana will be here holding down the fort though. I went ahead and put the sheep in the goat pasture today where the edge of the woods will give them some deep shade so they'll cope better. Spent about an hour watching them chase the goats around and kick up their heels until they wore out.

 

[Baymule]

The only thing I can think of on holding back a year on breeding your ewe, is don’t let her get fat. Just like us, internal fat is hard to get rid of. If she’s too fat, she might not settle. Plus, keep her away from the goat feed, it has too much copper. You can copper bolus the goats and feed an all stock with no copper.
That sounds fantastic on moving to the land! You should start a journal here and chronicle your adventures!