This crazy girl is getting sheep!

[Messybun]

As the title implies, sheep are coming soon to a farm near me!
Three six month old teeswater sheep. I have so much to do. What on earth am I doing? I’ve never had sheep. Ahhh.

So, questions to ensue.

Can sheep eat corn? Three sided shelter enough? What’s the best way to introduce to goats? Who wants pictures when I get them?!

 

[Messybun]

The sheep are great but their owner is a bit busy!
The two bigger gals love chin scratches and the one is learning to like neck rubs. Yay. The skittish one is gaining weight, so that’s good. They took a few introductions to the goats but now they seem to just not care each other exist...which is perfect.

The only problem, well two, is that they keep trying to eat tires. I have tires on their side for the goats to play on and the sheep keep trying to drink the rain water out of them. Just why???
The other problem is they are absolutely sure my tiny white dog is a sheep and they need to care for him. They get so pushy in their sniffing he ends up in the dirt... so I’m trying to get them bored with him. Any ideas lol? I guess he just looks like a lamb them.

Oh, and they’re already trained to know what “bedtime” means lol, all I have to do is whisper it and they leap away and rush into their house at night. Which they are getting locked up so they can eat their food in peace from the goats.

Anyway, think I covered everything.
Hope y’all are doing alright and enjoying your adventures!

 

[baymule]

I do! I do! I do! I want pictures!

A 3 sided shelter should be fine. Make sure you can close them up at night to keep safe from predators.

Sheep can eat corn.

Introduction sheep to goats…….

SHEEP! Meet the goats!

GOATS! Meet the Sheep!!

 

[Messybun]

When introducing sheep (and I assume sheep/goats), put them in a very small pen together. Sheep have to take a few steps backward to ram. If they can't back up, they don't have nearly as much power. A very small pen reduces the chance of injury in the case of a conflict.

Watch out for your goats' safety. If you see a sheep/goat spar, the goat rears and the sheep rams - the goat's belly. Goat 0, Sheep 1.

Ewes don't ram as hard as a ram, but they still do sometimes.

With that said, I have never had an issue with sheep and goats. My ram(s) and sometimes others get moved in with my goats in spring. The pasture is large enough the goats keep away. We just have to feed in two separate areas so the goats get enough to eat. My goats have never had a copper supplement, mineral block, or pelleted feed so I don't have that issue. (My water is high in copper, but seems to be tolerated by both my sheep and goats. IDK?!)

Alright, good to know.
I’m going to have them semi introduced with a hog panel between first. I’m hoping that they just honestly observe each other and don’t integrate but don’t care. Apathy is the goal lol.

 

[farmerjan]

Oats are higher in protein, lower in energy and carbs. Neither is acceptable for a growing ration alone. Corn will fatten much more than grow an animal. Feed a balanced ration to them while growing. 12% minimum protein. You can add oats to stretch it if the value is there.

 

[Messybun]

Eating grain right in front of me! One finished her breakfast and came over to smell me, stared for a few seconds and walked away.

I know they’re used to people, but they haven’t been extensively handled, so it’s really neat to see how quickly they’re adjusting.

 

[baymule]

Favorite scratch place is their brisket, between their front legs. They cannot reach that spot and will beg for more. It’s a great way to make BFF’s out of your sheep. It’s also a great way to ensure they will be forever pests, annoying stinkers that will never leave you alone!

 

[Messybun]

Here are the pics from Facebook.

 

[CrealCritter]

Oats are higher in protein, lower in energy and carbs. Neither is acceptable for a growing ration alone. Corn will fatten much more than grow an animal. Feed a balanced ration to them while growing. 12% minimum protein. You can add oats to stretch it if the value is there.

My son gave me 3 bags of cracked corn. This is the first cracked corn I've seen that actually has some nutritional info on the bag. One would think most all corn would be similar. 7% Protein, 2% Fat, 3.5% Fiber. I don't think I would feed this as a sole ration to any farm animal. But I would do a 50/50 blend of something like 15% commodity when I got to fatten up a head of cattle for processing. Actually this is my 90 day pre processing plan.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[Messybun]

Oats are $26 a 50# bag here! last I checked. Could be more now -- I mean everything goes up every week.. If you get those for $5 buy a lot and share.

This is direct from the farmer. He doesn’t always grow oats but neighbors have been asking him to. The fields are literally within walking distance, part of why they’re so affordable.