Running animals together?

[PotterWatch]

We are *fingers crossed* going to have 60 acres to use sometime in the coming months. It's not a sure thing yet but we are very hopeful. We would be working the land with some friends of ours. They would be using an acre or two for vegetable farming and we would have the rest to use for animals. Currently, the owners of the land pay someone to put their goats and sheep out to keep the land maintained. We are hoping to keep steers, goats, and possibly sheep. We have experience with goats, some experience with cattle, and our friends have some experience with sheep. Can we run the sheep in the same area as the steers or should they be kept separate?

I know we will need a guardian animal of some sort and I am most comfortable with dogs but my husband wants to look into a donkey or llama. Will one (or more) of those be a good enough protector for the goats/sheep? The predators we would most be concerned with are dogs. There are sometimes coyotes in the area as well, but dogs are the biggest problem. Thanks for your help!

 

[Royd Wood]

My next job after lunch is to go and let the sheep into a field where my Galloways are grazing. The sheep are fine with my cows but not sure if this is always the case with others ?????
Dogs or coyote dont last more than a minute in the field as the cows, steers and bull run them out snorting and kicking. The laying hens are free range with a trailer in the same field which I move with the cattle and so far the coyote has left them alone but will come right in the yard and take a poulet

 

[kstaven]

As long as there is enough feed to keep them from competing and the animals individually are not aggressive in nature you should not have a problem. Where I would be concerned is if you are using mineral/ salt licks. What cows and goats need in copper can kill sheep.