More sheep coming next week! (was: need encouragement)

[Henrietta23]

Wow, I could have written that post! I've gone back and forth and my DH also worries that I won't have time to milk. We both worry about fences and escapees, etc. Friends who have sheep tell me I'll hate having goats but I've always been told you need pasture for sheep. Now BBH has me wondering. I'd love a wool sheep I could also milk. But with no pasture? Hmmmm....
So, I completely understand your dilemma... I'll be following to see what you decide and to share the advice you receive.

 

[Blackbird]

I don't know Pat. You seem so down-to-earth and intelligent about everything you do. You do your research and soon enough your basically a pro. I don't know why this would be any different.

 

[big brown horse]

How big is your yard Henrietta?

My fencing isn't goat approved...I am told they are just like hamsters. Their bones are made of rubber and they can flatten out their bodies like little goat pancakes and escape a one inch gap in your fence.

Sheep don't climb either. And they don't need "enrichment" to keep them entertained. They do like to itch their bums on tree trunks etc. No damage has occurred from it...it is rather cute actually.

I'm not against goats, I just think they would be too much for me. I love goats, their personalities are so cute! I have to admit, my sheep are a bit boring. However, boring is good here...I have my hands full with that demanding orphan pig and all.

 

[freemotion]

To me, it sounds like you are looking to be talked INTO it. So here goes...

GO FOR IT!!!! You will not likely keep your original set-up exactly the way you plan it right now, anyways. You will have to HAVE the goats before you know what will work. You will fiddle with things until it works for you.

Yes, it is muddy now, but it is not muddy year-round. Put the road base in, and have a stack of pallets to put out in the really bad parts of the year. I actually make a row of "stepping stones" for my goats when it is really muddy in the area right next to the barn. The straw and poop and hay builds up between layers of snow and ice, and it is impossible to clean up until late spring and becomes slimy mud in the meantime. I don't want their feet in that much, and they hate it enough to use my stepping stones (the plastic blocks I mentioned on byh.) You can use pallets, cinder blocks, homemade platforms from scrap wood, stumps....goats love to climb, so as long as what you use is stable and does not have holes big enough to trap a foot or leg (close up the spaces on the pallets with more boards from more pallets....) they WILL use them.

You can sell does in milk in a heartbeat. You can even pre-sell the kids. Yes, some will go for meat. That is not unreasonable, and you will get more used to the idea. You do not have to eat them yourself and then consider yourself a ss failure if you can't. I am so relieved to have sold my buck (today!) because he was going to freezer camp next week if they didn't pick him up.

If one doe kicks another out, you can sell one of them...either the alpha or the low one, whoever you like the least. Like horses, there will always be an alpha and some tussles. My first two pairs of goats got along great and were/are inseperable. My trouble began when I added Ginger to the mix, a very young doeling with no mama to protect her and give her a place in the herd. I will be producing my own, so that will change. Hopefully. If not, Mya moves on to a new home. She has greater value now that she is healthy and is a very experienced milker. You will create the same in your does. They will have enough value to be sold to good homes.

Like everything, it will seem complicated at first and every task will take too long. Then before you know it, you will be doing everything by habit, without really thinking about it. Milking is very meditative and soothing for the milkmaid. So it is worth $200 per hour, the going rate of psychotherapy!!!

Does that help? Good luck and have fun! I know you will, even if you decide later to sell them. You can break even, you know. So the experience will be worth it even if you decide against it. If you milk for even part of a season, you will be ahead of the game finacially. That milk has great value, as do the products you can make from it. Fresh, raw milk is more than a condiment. It has tremendous food value and healing powers. I know this firsthand, and it is very apparent to me now that I have been a couple of weeks without fresh milk. My IBS is returning, even with raw frozen milk. Even if this is not an issue, it illustrates what a wonderful thing raw goat's milk is.

 

[Henrietta23]

How big is your yard Henrietta?

My fencing isn't goat approved...I am told they are just like hamsters. Their bones are made of rubber and they can flatten out their bodies like little goat pancakes and escape a one inch gap in your fence.

Sheep don't climb either. And they don't need "enrichment" to keep them entertained. They do like to itch their bums on tree trunks etc. No damage has occurred from it...it is rather cute actually.

I'm not against goats, I just think they would be too much for me. I love goats, their personalities are so cute! I have to admit, my sheep are a bit boring. However, boring is good here...I have my hands full with that demanding orphan pig and all.

LOL, I'll be accused of hijaking Pat's thread!! My fenced backyard is about a half acre, shared by three dogs. It is largely shaded.
My DH hates mowing.... that could be a plus....

 

[patandchickens]

You guys are just GREAT, do you know that? Thank you so much, that was the sorts of things I needed to hear. (That other people have the same sorts of doubts/worries, but that my facilities/situation are well within the realm of possibility and if I want to do it I should just DO it).

You know what else, reading everyone's posts has made me think that I would be best off trying sheep rather than goats, if at all possible (depends what I can find locally and what the breed-back options would be). Sheep sound rather lower-maintenance and lower-stress and easier to set up for, and I will not mind parting with lambs one way or another as much as I would for kids, and because they do not give milk for as many months so it is as not a long-term commitment to milking. So even though they don't produce as much milk and may require a bit more learning to be able to milk, it would probably be an easier "first milk animal" for me.

I think I have a firm plan now (and somewhat renewed courage ): I will try to get some milkable sheep, and next winter decide whether I want to keep them or switch to goats or get out of the milk business altogether. If I can't find milkable breedable sheep around here, I will get two milk goats and just jump in as best I can and see how *that* goes.

Thank you all, you're all invited over for some excellent mac-and-cheese (all that my most of my cheese is currently good for ) anytime you want,

Pat

 

[patandchickens]

To me, it sounds like you are looking to be talked INTO it.

Yes, that is exactly what I want, and THANK YOU for doing it so well

Pat

 

[Henrietta23]

You guys are just GREAT, do you know that? Thank you so much, that was the sorts of things I needed to hear. (That other people have the same sorts of doubts/worries, but that my facilities/situation are well within the realm of possibility and if I want to do it I should just DO it).

You know what else, reading everyone's posts has made me think that I would be best off trying sheep rather than goats, if at all possible (depends what I can find locally and what the breed-back options would be). Sheep sound rather lower-maintenance and lower-stress and easier to set up for, and I will not mind parting with lambs one way or another as much as I would for kids, and because they do not give milk for as many months so it is as not a long-term commitment to milking. So even though they don't produce as much milk and may require a bit more learning to be able to milk, it would probably be an easier "first milk animal" for me.

I think I have a firm plan now (and somewhat renewed courage ): I will try to get some milkable sheep, and next winter decide whether I want to keep them or switch to goats or get out of the milk business altogether. If I can't find milkable breedable sheep around here, I will get two milk goats and just jump in as best I can and see how *that* goes.

Thank you all, you're all invited over for some excellent mac-and-cheese (all that my most of my cheese is currently good for ) anytime you want,

Pat

http://psbo.ca/

 

[freemotion]

Any time. Never take me shopping with you unless your budget is quite large!

 

[sufficientforme]

How big is your yard Henrietta?

My fencing isn't goat approved...I am told they are just like hamsters. Their bones are made of rubber and they can flatten out their bodies like little goat pancakes and escape a one inch gap in your fence.

Sheep don't climb either. And they don't need "enrichment" to keep them entertained. They do like to itch their bums on tree trunks etc. No damage has occurred from it...it is rather cute actually.

I'm not against goats, I just think they would be too much for me. I love goats, their personalities are so cute! I have to admit, my sheep are a bit boring. However, boring is good here...I have my hands full with that demanding orphan pig and all.

LOL, I'll be accused of hijaking Pat's thread!! My fenced backyard is about a half acre, shared by three dogs. It is largely shaded.
My DH hates mowing.... that could be a plus....

I live on acreage but that is not saying much, I live in the desert. So basically they have VERY LITTLE pasture to graze on. Mine are doing well on free choice alfalfa and bermuda with a handful of corn for taming them. I chose a hardy breed that does well in this region for that reason. 1/2 acre of grass would be more than enough for a few sheep to mow and enjoy. Ours never try the fence line but do have to be confined at night due to coyotes.