# Can you run sheep with goats?



## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

I was considering adding a couple sheep, most likely wethers after getting my pasture finished fenced in.

There are a lot of sheep here on the Big Island, and I was thinking that the goats would eat different food than the sheep when they do all forage right?

Would they all herd together or would it be dangerous for one group or the other?

Does anyone have sheep and goats together?


----------



## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

The only real problem is with minerals. Sheep can't have the ones with copper in them and goats can't live without copper. You could always just bolus regularly I guess.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Yes, they can be together...theres a few members here who raise sheep and goats together but have improvised ways to keep the goats minerals out of sheep reach


----------



## Arkie (Sep 25, 2012)

Don't want to hijack the thread, but I'm really curious; Will a weathered sheep produce enough fiber to justify his keep? (are they profitable)

Bob


----------



## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Bob, I think that's a good question. I'd not be interested in the fiber myself though, just to keep weeds down that the goats miss.


----------



## FaRmEr FrEaK (Jul 7, 2012)

I raise sheep and goats and I just pen them in different pens because it gets hard to feed them together. But It definitely is worth it.


----------



## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Dayna said:


> Bob, I think that's a good question. I'd not be interested in the fiber myself though, just to keep weeds down that the goats miss.


Besides nutrional needs being different between the 2, sheep are grazers and will keep grass mowed down, goats are browsers and would rather eat "up high" as well as pick at weeds growing above pasture level.


----------



## Shellshocker66 (Mar 19, 2012)

I tried running both when I first started... It was kinda a nightmare during feeding time. I had to top dress goat food with minerals to make sure the goats got it, and couldn't leave loose minerals out for them. Sheep don't take well to watching another 4 legged breed getting something they aren't!

The ewes were horrible and hard to get in pens, and the ram who was not a bottle baby thought he was one and kept sticking his horns places they didn't belong. I spent 13 hours one day chasing one of the old ewes who got out and made me run up and down a hill all day.

I finally threw in the towel and decided more power to those that can run both, I'm not one of them.


----------



## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

You can run them together, but as mentioned, sheep cannot eat goat minerals because of the copper.

Sheep like to graze, not browse. If you need to keep the weeds down more...get more goats...they'll do a better job and then you won't have to deal with the mineral issue or sheering.


----------



## AlecBGreen (Jul 7, 2009)

one issue to be mindful of is that they share parasites


----------

