[MarvinH]

Is this a wind up? Sell him or eat him.

[Luce747]

Oh good.. Another narrow minded my way or the highway opinion...


Well if the lamb can't possibly thrive here despite the fact I have had a thriving herd of goats for four years now, I guess he will end up in the freezer anyway won't he!

[Luce747]

Check out all that lush pasture.. Lol...  Oh hang on, thought sheep couldn't be kept on dry lot?


Www.sheepfeedlot.com

[Jukes Mum]

Poor beasties 

[Luce747]

I agree with you. But only because of their environment.. Not because of their feeding regime.


Remain unconvinced that my lamb can't be happy here. Time will tell. If he has lesser quality of life than my goats then rest assured I will do the right thing.

[Harebell]

Check out all that lush pasture.. Lol...  Oh hang on, thought sheep couldn't be kept on dry lot?


Www.sheepfeedlot.com

Feedlots are mostly used at the last stage of cattle, sometime sheep, production to fatten them up for slaughter.  The animals will have spent most of their life on pasture - so it doesn't directly compare to your situation.

As a side note, feedlots are well know for producing some serious welfare problems (in some situations), they are rarely used here and do not have a good reputation in the UK.

[Ladygrey]

A ram lamb as a pet shouldn't need any concentrates to grow and produce wool, rams as not pets shouldn't really need concentrates in the first place
I would get him a sheepy friend if I were you, as goats and sheep are different

I also would not keep a sheep entirely indoors but if he didn't know any better then it's much the same as cows kept indoors on zero grazing I guess... But still I wouldn't do it

When we had milk goats we fed them mix but goats that weren't milking didn't get mix, so I don't know how you can feed goats mix and ram lamb none unless you cut out the goats mix or fed te ram lamb on goat mix

Just remember that there are many farmers/smallholders on here who have kept sheep for years outdoors grazing pasture with thier own kind how sheep should be kept, and so when the suggestion that a sheep "may" be on his own  and kept indoors... Of course some people may show surprise and be shocked!  What else would you expect really
If someone on here had te choice to either take a sheep to live indoors with no other sheep or be popped in the freezer, well most people would choose freezer, I would rather have a sheep in the freezer any day than put it indoors on its own and keep it there.

So remember people are just thinking of there own flocks and thinking of a sheep indoors with no other sheep, your immature replies make it worse as comparing a feedlot in the USA to one pet in the uk is sort of stupid

Goodluck!!

Jess

[Luce747]

[size=78%]what I cannot reconcile is why it's ok for sheep to be fed dry half the year and pasture when available?[/size]


If they can make that adjustment twice per year then why not stay on dry?


Who is to say my goats aren't healthier than those forced to go from grass to hay and hay to grass just because it's cheaper to feed grass when available? Perhaps my animals are healthier due to their consistent diet. ..

[Luce747]

Good god it gets better!!!


INDOORS???.? Who the hell said I was keeping him on his own indoors?.?


Do you know what.. I can't be bothered with this conversation due to the fact the critics aren't even reading the information properly so how the hell am I supposed to take advice from people who aren't even reading the situation this lamb is in??


I Give up.


What a shame.

[twizzel]

I did write quite a long reply to this but I think it's falling on deaf ears! Maybe when he knocks you over you might think differently to keeping an entire ram as a pet. Give him a job to do or put him in your freezer!

[Anke]

We are trying to get a point across and that is.: DO NOT KEEP SHEEP IF YOU HAVE NO PASTURE - the sheep is unhappy, and although its digestion may work it is an expensive and un-natural way to feed sheep. If you have ever seen sheep coming onto fresh pasture after even a couple of days inside (say after lambing) you will know that sheep LOVE grass. There is no stopping a ewe, she may even temporarily leave her lamb alone for the first few mouthfuls!

Goats are not sheep. Goats are browsers and sheep are grazers. Your goats also ideally need a daily bunch of fresh branches, grass to nibble (actually they may well prefer the weeds) in addition to some hay and concentrate (if they are growing youngsters, milking adults or in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy only).

Yes commercial goats are often kept on an entirely in-doors system, but the reasons for that are mainly due to withdrawal times on any worming/fluke medication they may need if grazed - they would produce much nicer milk if given fresh greens!

[Jukes Mum]

they have a 22ft brick outbuilding and a relatively small but more interesting, safe and secluded enclosure.

 

[Luce747]

]what I cannot reconcile is why it's ok for sheep to be fed dry half the year and pasture when available?


If they can make that adjustment twice per year then why not stay on dry?


Who is to say my goats aren't healthier than those forced to go from grass to hay and hay to grass just because it's cheaper to feed grass when available? Perhaps my animals are healthier due to their consistent diet. ..

Still no answer to the above burning question...
All I know is I just gave a handful of grass and weeds to the lamb and he snubbed it to continue eating hay. By your statement, he should be desperate since the last time he saw grass was Monday.


Nothing is falling on deaf ears at all. I am trying to decide the fate of this sheep! He can have a mate, but not if neither will be healthy and hay/veg can't substitute grass.

[Me]

Many stores are finished indoors and ewes lambed indoors so I don't see 365 day housing/small paddocking as a problem requiring immediate dispatch to the freezer in itself but do see it as undesirable and likely to reduce welfare in some way; see the 5 Freedoms inc expression of natural behaviour - company of his own kind would be a non-negotiable must IMO. On the plus side you will avoid worms, fluke and rain but he is more likely to overheat, become obese, get pneumonia and certain other diseases etc etc

As stated by others urinary calculi would be a real possibility so you would be well advised to feed only a "ram mix" and not take a chance allowing any access to "goat mix" or other animals foods.

I also would advise castration as it would be a shame if he came to a sticky end in a few years because he got nasty as many/most/all pet entire males will if regularly fed, if a 100 kg tup hits you on the side of the knee they can really do some serious damage. I value whats left of my knees and for this reason I don't cut pet lambs as teasers.

[Luce747]

Thankyou for your post.


We've had a number of billy goats in the past and people said we were crazy but we never had one try to butt us, they just butted each other! That said they weren't particularly tame and chose to steer clear. So I could take the argument that if we hand feed this lamb or keep him too tame he could well turn to butting us aswell as the other animals.


I take the five freedoms seriously with all my animals and would certainly get him a sheep companion if he has a future here. I do though believe that sheep and goats are closer than people here are giving credit for.. Afterall, they can crossbreed! This ram is certainly bleeting/talking to my goats happily enough.


And WHY is it so widely accepted to keep one pony with one goat? Goats are very commonly kept as companions for horses and yet I suggest keeping a sheep in a herd of goats and all hell breaks loose!


Still can't find much input about feeding vegetables to sheep? Would carrot and apple etc be a good thing to compensate for the lack of water in hay?