Sheep or goats?

[Vernitta]

In the future we would like a milk cow and I had read that they would do well with a companion. We've been toying with the idea of getting goats, but I don't think our fences would really keep them in. From the areas that I can see we have 6-strand barbed wire fencing. We've recently started toying with the idea of getting a couple of sheep instead of goats. One of the reasons we would like to get goats or sheep is to help keep the brush down in the pasture. It's my understanding that cows would not do that.

Here are a couple of pictures of what our pasture currently looks like.

[where I want to]

Used to watch my neighbors sheep zip back and forth through the fence. Pretty soon it looked line a string of cotton swabs with the sheep's wool wrapped tightly around each barb of the fence. That is my only experience with sheep.
I think it's more important to decide what you want them to do for you.

[Vernitta]

I'm sorry, I thought I was clear what I wanted them for - companions for the milk cow and to keep the brush down. We could probably breed them for meat, too.

[TenBusyBees]

Katahdins or barbadoes are great HAIR sheep....no wool to shear, delicious meat, respects the fence, gentle dispositions, and does great clearing pastures. Handles the heat of summer really well and pretty disease resistant too.

[PricklyThistle]

Yeah, I think you'd need to go with hair sheep if you have barbed wire. A wooly would get snagged on the fence all the time. I have Shetlands, which are great at clearing pasture but if they happen upon a thorny plant I'll often find it stuck to them like some bizarre decoration.

[Rocky Fields]

Get two cows.

[Muleman]

if you have no real preference it may come down to availability and pricing in your area also. Where we live your run of the mill goats are fairly cheap and abundant, where as sheep are more expensive and harder to find. They will both do just as well in my opinion for what you are wanting, so the goats may be a cheaper way to do the same job, but of course in your area it may be different. I have seen people successfully use yokes on goats who they had a problem getting out of the fence, so I would not let the fencing be a big determining factor myself.

[PNP Katahdins]

There are LOTS of Katahdin hair sheep all over Missouri, as well as other hair breeds and crosses. Ours stay in the barb wire and electric fences pretty well, as long as they have water and plenty to eat.

Peg

[ArmyDoc]

Goats are better at clearing brush than sheep. Of the sheep breeds, the hair sheep seem to do better with brush than other breeds. Goats are naturally curious and talented escape artists. Good fencing is a must. Sheep are more heard oriented and less likely to challenge fences, but both are smaller than cattle and need tighter fencing... You might try stringing electric 18 inches or so off the ground and 8 inches in from your existing fence.

[CountryWannabe]

My hair sheep do not respect just barbed wire - they would be out of that in a flash. They do fine with field fence, though.

You do not say how much property you have. Will you be able to raise sufficient feed for both species or will you be buying bagged feed? Keeping sheep with a cow may present feed problems - cows need more copper than sheep can tolerate and most bagged cattle feeds have copper added. Sheep cannot have the same mineral supplements as cows, either, for the same reason. Sheep tend to prefer grasses rather than weeds and brush, as do cows, though hair sheep tend to be less picky about that.

Goats can eat the same feed and use the same minerals as cows. They prefer weeds and brush to eat. They ARE harder on fences, that is the truth. Mine do stay inside field fence, though, as long as they are well fed and there is nothing in the immediate vicinity that looks tempting.

Mary

[Tabitha]

Considering the looks and your description of your fencing, yes, get two cows.
Goats will drive you nuts with your setup. Kahtadins and Dorpers will do a decent job, but you have to fence them well, keep stray dogs out. Have you considered small cows? Like Dexters? they are very good brush clearers. I have watched them eat and was amazed. Also very docile and good milk and meat producers.

[Vernitta]

I'm sorry. You are right. I did not say how much land is available for pasture. I would say about 4 acres.

There are a lot of honey locust trees and some kind of berry bush that is about nine feet tall and has taken over parts of the pasture. We are going to cut it all down, but we need something to keep it back.

I would love to get some Dexters, but they are expensive out here. It seems like goats and sheep are about the same price here.

Right now our plan is to pasture raise them and try a fodder system in the winter.

[TenBusyBees]

Vernitta, I guess I mis-read you were wanting companions for your cow....I read it that you were trying to decide which to keep. Keep in mind sheep and cattle have different dietary needs. Cows need copper and copper is toxic to sheep. Feeding completely seperate would be tricky and burdonsome.

A llama might be a suitable companion...they do an awesome job clearing and are a good guard animal. Supposedly they make fine dining and very beef like in flavor....but I personally can't vetify that.

[hotzcatz]

Well, since you don't have a milk cow yet, how about a pair of milk goats? Nubian goat milk is almost identical to the homogenized milk you're used to if you buy milk at a grocery store. Raw cows milk is much different than store bought cows milk. Also a cow makes a LOT of milk, if it's just for home consumption a pair of milk goats might produce an easier to deal with amount of milk. Also if they step on your foot during milking you won't notice it as much.

[farmerted]

[QUOTE=Vernitta;7052403] and some kind of berry bush that is about nine feet tall and has taken over parts of the pasture. We are going to cut it all down, but we need something to keep it back.
/QUOTE]

Are the berries Red and did said bushes appear before any other plant this spring? They are probably honeysuckle bush, http://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/fi...h-honeysuckles a horrible plant almost impossible to kill. I am hoping to get some Nigerian dwarf goats to take care of my honeysuckle problem, but still need to mend some fences around my 3 acres.

I haven't had either one and have been thinking about the same question. The thing that makes me lean towards goats is rumor has sheep are kind of boring and kind of dumb while goats can be entertaining.

[farmerted]

Originally Posted by hotzcatz

Well, since you don't have a milk cow yet, how about a pair of milk goats? Nubian goat milk is almost identical to the homogenized milk you're used to if you buy milk at a grocery store. Raw cows milk is much different than store bought cows milk. Also a cow makes a LOT of milk, if it's just for home consumption a pair of milk goats might produce an easier to deal with amount of milk. Also if they step on your foot during milking you won't notice it as much.

I would like to have milk goats, but I am not ready to milk them twice a day at the same time every day and have a ram around as well since to have milk rumor has you have to have pregger goats, or ones with babies, all the time.

[grandma12703]

Our wool sheep do fine with our electric fence when we want to set up temp. paddocks. They also do fine with 5 wire barb and with woven wire fence. They don't really test the fences much. Now the goats do test it all the time. We have plenty of grass and water though. I think if they didn't have enough to eat they would probably test it more.

[FarmboyBill]

I would suppose cows or any other animal would do well with a companion. I know for a fact that cows DONT necessarily need one. My dad in his older years kept a milk cow, a Jersey, in the lot that we used to keep the cows when we had a dairy. He had stock cows also, but they ranged well away from the lot most of the day, maybe passing it twice in a day. The cow did fine.

Whether you get sheep or goats, youll wish you had gotten the other in time. I had goats here, and they never got out and all I had was wire barbed fence. For most of the time I had them, I left the driveway gate open. It wasn't until late when I got ready to sell them that they had found they could just walk out the driveway.
Sheep will kinda scratch themselves on the wire whether barbed or woven. In time they'll bend the posts if T posts.

[CountryWannabe]

Originally Posted by farmerted

The thing that makes me lean towards goats is rumor has sheep are kind of boring and kind of dumb while goats can be entertaining.

Oh, they are entertaining alright! The most fun I have ever had in my life was figuring out where the little dears were getting through the fence and into my new orchard.

They *do* seem to be more affectionate and easier to get on with. But lambs are cute and funny to watch, too. I raise the sheep for meat, so I guess I am not bothered about them not being my best buds.

Mary

[Vernitta]

I don't care if they are entertaining or not. lol I have four children to keep me entertained. I would rather have something that's easy to work with.