Sheep = Mudpit?

[Genipher]

We have .24 acres. Our city allows backyard sheep or goats with a permit. Now that we own a home, I was hoping to get a couple of sheep to mow the lawn, provide meat babies, and just enjoy their cuteness. However, a friend of mine told me 2 sheep would turn our backyard into a mudpit, even if we created 2 "lots" and rotated them on the land.

Is it foolish to think we can have an "urban homestead"? Would sheep (or goats) destroy our backyard?

 

[secuono]

I think that is roughly 102 feet by 102 feet. For regular sheep, no way.
And if any buildings are in there, that makes it much less grazing space.
You could get a miniature sized breed, an ewe and a ram. Maybe a second ewe. Eat their lambs.
Split the yard in two or maybe three, rotate them in it.
But that won't work if you live in an area where you don't have a lot of grass growth. And in winter it might mud up, for sure some mud.

 

[Baymule]

You might get some chickens. That is awful small for livestock. The grass would be stripped bare in no time. We lived in town and I wanted sheep.... but settled for chickens. Now we have 8 acres and I got my sheep.

 

[Genipher]

Thank you, guys. This news is rather disappointing. I was hoping my friend was wrong.

We currently have 9 "teenage" chicks in the basement. I just calculated the cost of their upkeep and the required permit from the city ($50) and I'm thinking our money might be better spent on other things. Aren't chickens supposed to HELP with the food budget??

sigh.

Now I need to figure out how to get rid of the random blackberry starts spurting up in the middle of the yard. Maybe keep a goat for part of the year and then eat'em?

 

[Baymule]

My first egg cost me $730...... A lot of chickens later, I could buy cheaper eggs at Aldi's (which I do, but it's for the pigs). My chickens make GREAT garden compost. I fill the dirt floored coop and run with leaves in the fall and let the chickens reduce them down to garden gold.

I sell eggs to help with the cost of feed. I buy a non GMO feed that is twice the cost of normal feed. I butcher hens on their 2nd molt. I can the meat and I can broth. I can the bony back pieces for dog food. They make delicious chicken and dumplings, soup, easy and quick chicken salad.

If you get a goat or lamb to clean up the yard, get a wether, castrated male. Name him Dinner. I castrate my ram lambs and they are ALL named Dinner. I currently have a very friendly, sweet DINNER that is ready to go to slaughter.

 

[Latestarter]

Very difficult to keep livestock on a 1/4 acre home lot. When you remove the area taken up by the home, "front yard area", and any other structures out back, you have very little left. Nowhere near enough to support even one "pasture" for grazers. You would essentially have to set up a dry lot pen area to keep them in full time, and only allow them out to graze with supervision as even a single sheep would turn your yard to dust/mud in a couple of weeks time. You would need to provide/buy 90%+ of their required feed by purchasing it. If you wanted the sheep as a pet, I guess that might be OK, but for meat, the cost would be extremely high per pound by butcher time. You also have to account for waste management. You'll be amazed how much waste there will be produced.

 

[Reindeermama]

What about quail or rabbits? Maybe Ducks...they lay all year round without taking a break. They lay about 200 to 260 eggs each per year depending on what kind you get, and they grow quick.Quail can be raised in pens in your garage. Rabbits are pretty easy, if you can get by the cuteness factor in eating them. .24 of an acre is about 10,000 sq. ft., so you might could get by with a pair of pygmy goats. You can use just a large dog house for housing them, and use portable electric netting to keep them in a certain area, and then move them around as they "mow" your grass. Babydoll or Harlequin sheep might work also. It is not cheap, but you could feed hay, and sheep pellets too.

 

[Reindeermama]

I am assuming through with sheep you would have a small pen and small yard area where you don't mind if they turn it into a dirt only pen. You could let them out to mow the other areas, and feed when they didn't need to mow.