Sheep VS. Goats...how hard are they?

[purplequeenvt]

I wouldn't really say they have a personality. For me, they're friendly or they're not; shy or outgoing (kind of goes with friendly-ness); passive or aggressive; gentle/calm or high strung; etc. I mean, I love my sheep, but I wouldn't say they have "defined" personalities, at least, not like a dog or a cat.

Some sheep don't seem to have a personality, but the ones that do totally make up for the others! We have Steve who loves attention and basically shows herself at the fair. She will also pout (and not show off in the ring) if she doesn't get a "cookie". Then there is Infiniti who is the first one to the gate to greet me (ie....check for goodies) in the morning. Bridget the bug-eyed Shetland who never stops yelling. Jazmin, the best bottle lamb I've ever had. She isn't pushy or overly obnoxious and she is soooo sweet and comes when she's called. She and her buddy, Moe, go to the children's barnyard at one of our fairs every summer. Galadriel (AKA Pig Sheep) is the fattest, pushiest sheep in the barn. She looks like she is pregnant with triplets even when she isn't pregnant at all. But even the ones that aren't "in your face friendly" have personalities. Hairball (don't ask ) and Dixie are both quiet and shy. Babette and Buttercup occasionally like to be pet, but usually prefer to watch from a distance.

As to Goats vs. Sheep....I don't know that one is necessarily easier or better than the other. Wool sheep require shearing, dairy goats require milking, etc... I'm not really qualified to judge from the goat side of the question as I only have one goat and he is not a normal goat. He prefers to keep his four feet firmly planted on the ground. He's a good goat now that he's realized that the sheep are not going to eat him.

If you do get some sheep, being in TX, a hair sheep would probably do better than a wool breed. A lot of wool breeds would do fine, but the hair breeds seem to thrive on shrubs and heat.

 

[aggieterpkatie]

I've had some sheep that don't have much in the way of personalities, but I have had a few that have been just like dogs. They knew their names, came when called, loved attention, etc. And my girls now definitely have personalities. Goats are more "in your face" and demand attention. That bothers me sometimes. When I go in to give them all attention, the darn goats practically knock me over and keep the sheep away, and I hate that. If I'm feeding treats (like veggie scraps, etc) the goats will be buttheads and keep the sheep away. Drives me absolutely nuts. If it wasn't for the milk, I'd not keep goats. I'm fond of my goats, but I could live without them.

 

[EggsForIHOP]

So, one more thing I have been curious on...

With the goats I have a pretty good grasp of what I need to be asking/inquiring of breeders now...but with sheep?

What would you be asking of people when you contact them? Diseases, issues, etc....

I mean, a beautiful website and a pretty farm can still be harboring some nasty stuff underneath it all as a friend of mine learned the hard way once...it was sad watching her go through some of the stuff she did and all because she just didn't know to ask...

Is there an online guide here somewhere of good things to inquire when one does look at sheep? Like "The Potential Sheep Buyers Interview Guide?"

If not, someone experienced needs to put one together PLEASE!

And hair sheep....hmm....I like hair sheep...I could do without shearing things ...I have a huge 2 - 3 acre chunk of the property that we could clear out and dedicate to sheep (just a few) so I'm gong to read up for sure on different breeds and such...kinda start taking notes...it took a while to REALLY talk me into the goats, but once I got into researching and such I got more and more excited...so I could see myself doing the same with some sheepies

The goats have even beat out my horses for my favorites...I don't think sheep will ever over ride that ...but I think I have a warm corner of my heart and a portion of the property we could one day dedicate to sheep

 

[Beekissed]

This may help you with breed info and what to look for or ask about diseases:

http://www.sheep101.info/201/

 

[boykin2010]

I'll take hair sheep over goats anyway! All of mine have their own personality. My bottle baby knows his name and waits at the gate for someone to come and scratch behind the ears. No shearing and no special foods other than grain and hay ( only parts of the year.)
Sheep are very independent but when raised right can be as tame if not more tame than goats. I've also noticed goats kind of like to think that the grass is greener on the other side and are constantly escaping. My sheep have never gotten out. All we have is a 5 wire electric fence. Many people also think lamb and mutton taste better than goat although that is a personal preference.

Katahdins are my favorite breed. Great mothers, great meat to feed ratio, friendliness, easiness to take care of, ample milk, etc. I can't think of anything bad to say about them!

 

[SheepGirl]

I like this article the American Finnsheep Breeders' Assocation wrote up: http://www.finnsheep.org/buysheep.htm

 

[boykin2010]

Oh and also wanted to add that depending on where your at 3 acres is plenty of grass for some hair sheep. I keep about 10 full grown sheep on 3-4 acres.

 

[TexasShepherdess]

I had some goats before I got my sheep...you couldnt pay me to have goats again...granted, they are entertaining to watch..afew kids in our 4-h club have goats and they were entertaining to watch at the show..my son's ewe was kinda boring..she slept most of the time..BUT, she actually has quite abit of personality..very commanding in the ring...actually most of my sheep have unique personalities..just not the annoying-ness of the goats.

my goats were VERY hard on my fences, constantly getting out and were just generaly more labor intensive then my sheep are. my sheep are dorpers, so they shed..no labor there.

the sheep 101 website is a great resource.

 

[Cornish Heritage]

Having had goats in the past, we will not go there again. Goats are very hard on fences BUT I will say that they are WAY more intelligent than sheep.

If you do not want to shear sheep then get hair sheep. That is one of the reasons we bought our herd of St. Croixs - they shed their hair like a dog or cow etc each spring. One other thing you want to take into consideration is parasite resistance. Many sheep breeds have to be regularly wormed due to their low resistance. St Croix are one of the most parasite resistant sheep breeds out there, that is why some of the universities keep flocks of them to study. That is also why some breeders sue St Croixs to cross into their flocks to try & up the parasite resistance in their own flock.

Liz

 

[EggsForIHOP]

Thanks to everyone for the links and good info...I've been reading and clicking on links and googling and such like CRAZY the last few days...taking notes as I go...REALLY thinking through all the info and such!

I POSITIVELY see sheep in our future! Maybe sooner than I thought, in a year perhaps...but the goats are staying too I just love them and their antics too much to even consider trading them for sheep...but ADDING "sheep corner" to the property is doable I think

Thank you again everyone for all the good info! I'll be back with more questions when the time comes