This crazy girl is getting sheep!

[tortoise]

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?!)

 

[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.

 

[Messybun]

So, getting more grain and hay for the sheepies. Farmer apparently had oats cheaper than corn. Are they comparable for sheep?

 

[Messybun]

Alright. I’m getting loose sheep minerals, cattle panels (the 50” ones are only $2.00 more than the 36” right now), and all stock feed. Am I missing anything?
I’ll get shears later, and I already have hoof trimmers for the goats.

I plan to switch them from all stock feed (what lady said is comparable to what they eat) to corn/possibly oats. Will that be alright, or will they need to stay on all stock while they finish growing?

 

[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.

 

[The Porch]

Sounds like your on top of it.

 

[tortoise]

Alright. I’m getting loose sheep minerals, cattle panels (the 50” ones are only $2.00 more than the 36” right now), and all stock feed. Am I missing anything?
I’ll get shears later, and I already have hoof trimmers for the goats.

I plan to switch them from all stock feed (what lady said is comparable to what they eat) to corn/possibly oats. Will that be alright, or will they need to stay on all stock while they finish growing?

If your pasture is decent, they don't need grain. Ewes might need grain during gestation, depending on hay quality. (assuming late gestation occurs in late winter when they are only eating hay.) Your best bet is to have your hay tested and then get a custom grain pellet based on your hay nutrition. It's very reasonable, and last time I had it done the minimum was only 100# of grain.

If you can't get custom grain, then all stock feed is just fine for ewes. I use it unless my hay quality is sus or they're not maintaining condition on hay + all stock feed.

 

[Messybun]

If your pasture is decent, they don't need grain. Ewes might need grain during gestation, depending on hay quality. (assuming late gestation occurs in late winter when they are only eating hay.) Your best bet is to have your hay tested and then get a custom grain pellet based on your hay nutrition. It's very reasonable, and last time I had it done the minimum was only 100# of grain.

If you can't get custom grain, then all stock feed is just fine for ewes. I use it unless my hay quality is sus or they're not maintaining condition on hay + all stock feed.

I believe my pasture is good. My goats stay in good condition all throughout the summer with very little grain (mainly treats or bribery). It also has a lot of variety.

I was planning to do alfalfa hay or pellets the last two weeks or so of gestation. I was debating on how much grain during gestation because I don’t want overweight ewes. And then grain for lactating ewes. Creep feeder with appropriate feed for lambs of course.

“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.”

I was hoping to be able to cut the feed store feed with oats or corn. Oats are $5.00 a bag corn is $9.00 a bag. All stock is $17.00 for 40 lb. about how much can I cut it for the growing ewes? I want to take good care of them, but as easy on the budget as possible. So 1/4 oats to 3/4 all stock? What’s going to be my balance?

The hay is all local coastal or orchard/grass. Literally cut from down the street. Same type as what they’re currently getting. It’s not the greatest quality ever, but it’s fairly green, smells great, and is fresh.

 

[Mini Horses]

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.

 

[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 🙏❤️🇺🇸