Raising Goats And Sheep Together

Raising goats and sheep together in the same farm is common. Both goats and sheep are the mostly raised and common farm animals. Both are smaller sized ruminant animals and provide milk, meat and wool.

You can raise them for the purpose of producing milk, meat, wool or cleaning brush and fields of vegetation.

But you might ask, is it OK ‘raising goats and sheep together’? Answer is YES in some cases, especially if you raise a few number of goats and sheep together. But a big NO, if you raise them for commercial production purpose.

Guide for Raising Goats And Sheep Together

Raising goats and sheep together requires special care and consideration. Goats and sheep can be raised together, as long as the goats are disbudded and the sheep are polled.

Both goats and sheep are member of Bovidae family and Caprinae subfamily. So they have lots of physiology in common.

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Both are docile and suitable for commercial production purpose. However read more about raising goats and sheep together.

Feeding

Feeding is the most important part of raising any farm animals. In case of raising goats and sheep together, you can allow them to graze in the same pasture.

Goats are browsers and they love grass, brush, leaves, trees and shrubs. And sheep are grazers and prefer grass and broad leaved plants.

Usually none of them will compete for the same food. But the most important part to consider while raising goats and sheep together is the amount of different minerals they require.

Goats and sheep require mineral supplements along with quality hay, forage or grain in order to ensure both of them are getting the necessary nutrients.

The main difference in supplemental minerals between this two animals is copper. Goats require a mineral supplement containing copper. But too much copper can be fatal for sheep.

Sheep usually acquire necessary minerals through foraging. So in case of raising goats and sheep together, it’s a good idea to separate their feed and feeding locations.

Because different feeding locations limit the risk of sheep ingesting too much copper, and ensure goats are getting sufficient amount of copper.

Shelter & Fencing

For keeping your goats and sheep safe, you have to make suitable shelter and strong fence, like keeping other livestock animals. Goats are very curious animals and usually climb and explore. But sheep are more likely to respect fencing around the farm or pasture.

Goats are famous as an expert escape artists. So you have to make a strong fence based on their nature. The fence also have to suitable enough for keeping the goats and sheep inside and all types of predators outside.

You can make woven or net wire fencing. But barbed wire fences are not recommended and not suitable for raising goats and sheep together.

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Usually one acre of pasture is adequate for keeping a small group of goats and sheep. Keep the goats and sheep together inside a pen or lot, if pasture is not available. Also provide adequate shelter for both of your goats and sheep.

Although, goats and sheep need shelter for different reasons. Goats love to stay dry and require shelters during rainy and excessive cold seasons. But sheep require shelter in hot days during summer season.

Foraging

Goats are browsers and are such animals that eat almost everything which they find edible in front of them. But in case of foraging, they are actually picky eaters.

They like leaves, vines, twigs, shrubs etc. On the other hand, sheep are grazers and like grass and clover.

Interactions & Horns

Sheep don’t have any horns, but goats have horns. So you have to be careful while keeping polled animals with horned animals. Both goats and sheep are social animal and they can compete with each other for a spot in the flock or herd.

You can reduce the risk of serious injury to your sheep by disbudding or removing horns of your goats. You can also keep lambs and kids with their mom in a separate pen for avoiding injury risks from other goats or sheep.

Geeps

The offspring produced by breeding of goat and sheep or sheep and goats is known as geeps. Goats and sheep are totally different species. Sheep have 54 chromosomes and goats have 60. Mating between this two animal is rare, but possible. Geeps are result of this unnatural mating.

Geeps are often die at birth or are infertile. So, it’s a good idea to keep the bucks and rams separated from the herd, especially during breeding season. And keeping the females and males separate is essential for avoiding unplanned mating, whether you are raising goats and sheep together or alone.

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What are you thinking now? Raising goats and sheep together is pretty hardy. Right? Why raising them together? Keep either goats or sheep, or keep them separate from each other for specific production purpose. That’s good. 🙂

Frequently Asked Questions

People ask many questions about raising goats and sheep together. Here we are listing the most common questions about this raising goats and sheep together, and trying to answer them. Hope you will find your answer. Don’t hesitate to ask us if you have more questions.

Is it possible to raise goats and sheep together?

Yes, it’s possible to raise goats and sheep together. As both goats and sheep are small ruminant animals, so raising goats and sheep together is quite common. Both can be raised together for the purpose of producing milk, meat, wool or for cleaning brush and fields of vegetation.

Why farmers separate sheep from goats?

Some farmers used to separate sheep from goats, because it’s pretty hard to keep them from eating each other’s food. So goats and sheep are preferred to raise separately to prevent them from eating each other’s food.

Why does a shepherd separate the sheep from the goats at night?

Sheep and goats are kept apart to prevent them from fighting and to prevent the transmission of diseases. It is important to separate sheep from goats if they fight. They can inflict serious injury on each other’s heads and neck.

Can goats and sheep interbreed?

Yes in some cases. And the resulting animal is sometimes called a ‘Geep’. But such interbreeding is very, very rare. The chromosomes are mismatched between these animals, and they are in different genera.

Can sheep and goats eat the same feed?

Yes, they can. But you should not feed your goats and sheep the same diet.

What is the best feed for goats and sheep?

Hay is considered as the best feed for sheep and goats. Because both goats and sheep are typically feed hay along with grass from pastureland.

How do you feed goats and sheep together?

Goats prefer broad-leaf plants and will also make use of grasses, while sheep prefer grasses and cereal grains. Make sure that both animals have ample food. Feed sheep and goats separately so that you can ensure goats are getting enough copper and sheep aren’t getting too much copper.

Are sheep or goats easier to raise?

Sheep are generally easier to keep than goats.

Which is more expensive goat or sheep?

Goat is more expensive as compared to sheep.

Can sheep and goats survive on grass alone?

Yes, both goats and sheep can survive on grass alone.

Which is better goat or sheep farming?

Sheep are generally easier to keep than goats. But goat farming is much more profitable than sheep farming.

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