The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: billy_wiz on January 15, 2017, 08:22:28 pm
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Can you tether sheep as you would goats ?
I have an area of grass. I don't want to use goats because they are just too destructive when they get loose , as they invariably do . Fencing would be inappropriate , hence the question.
If so how?
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I have seen a large black 4 horned Jacob x ram tethered as a sort of guard sheep in a gateway. I think he had a collar. He was on a really long rope so had plenty of room to move about and seemed quite happy.
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Tethering is not recommended for sheep or goats. Electric fencing is a good option and portable. Without knowing your full circumstances a strimmer may be a better idea.
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IMHO Sheep spend too much of their lives trying to find ways to die in safe places let alone literally giving them rope to do so :innocent:
I don't think its safe enough personally
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Near to me there are two sheep grazing in a graveyard on tethers. They seem fine. I think it depends as much as anything on the temprement of the sheep.
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I don't think it's a great way to keep them, but saw a big tup tea tethered, with a kennel there... Owner said he kept escaping into neighbours fields of ewes!
I tried tethering my first 2 goats when they were kids but they were highly strung there was too much risk of injury so I gave up. In Norway it was quite common.
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a strimmer doesn't need wormed, vaccinated and no foot rot...
....sounds like a plan :thinking:
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If you keep sheep you'll need equipment and products to vaccinate, foot trim, dag and shear and ensure a constant supply of clean water. Grass doesn't grow all year so you'll need a hayrack and somewhere dry to store hay for the Winter months. You'll need a holding number and to register with a large animal vet. Sheep like to meander, to settle on high ground for the night and to lie down in the shade on a hot day. A sheep is a flock animal and should never be kept on its own.
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I suppose you might be able to with a couple of hand reared sheep or ones that are used to lead ropes or being tied up like show sheep, otherwise I think it would be unfair. Personally I wouldn't just tether 1 sheep or goat as their herd animals & like company & also is your area of grass used by dog walkers? & are the sheep used to dogs as even though ours are they do like to move away from a natural predator. Putting them on a tether with limited space where dogs often go is a recipe for disaster, as they will likely panic & get themselves caught up. Also do you have other ground to move them onto after? & they'll also need water & some form of shelter even if its just a tree or hedgerow & consider the breed, age & purpose of the sheep - e.g breeding, meat ect, as this time of year some breeds are more sensitive to the cold & some need more feed supplements. Whereas a lot of native breeds are pretty hardy.
Also consider how much grass you have? Approximately 6-10 sheep to 1 acre is recommended by the National sheep association. or you could opt for geese which are hardy & you could just pen in if you wanted to just put some wire across like with the sheep, but you'd just need water & shelter in the form of a kennel with a door or something, but 5-10 geese would clear a couple of acres quite happily over about 6-8 weeks. Plus you wouldn't need paperwork for them.
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Yes you can, but it's extra work and vigilance. I have a tup who is getting aggressive, he has been tethered, on a VERY long combination of chain, light rope (to ease weight/drag) and swivels (very important). I could feed the others in safety, he had a very big hay rack. (At the moment he's loose and behaving himself, just tying him up while the others feed). Far from ideal, i wouldn't do it if I could avoid it.
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So on average it would seem that those who have seen sheep tethered would say it's ok. Those that haven't seem to deem it not a good idea.
So do you go for the theory or the practice??
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Well, if the question is "can you tether a sheep?", the answer is clearly "that depends on both the circumstances, and the sheep".
However, if the question is "is buying a sheep and tethering it a good idea for keeping my grass down?", the answer has to be no, for all the reasons already stated!
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I would say you've summed it up nicely there Womble.
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traditionally Ouessant sheep were ALL tethered on the island during the agricultural calendar from feb to september. The rest of the year the sheep had and still do free access ( vaine pâturage) to roam the island. The sheep were tethered in pairs.
This text is from writings by Gustave Geffroy on his Impression of Ouessant 1897.
....Et partout, des moutons, des moutons, encore et toujours des moutons, des noirs et des blancs, petits, vifs, attachés deux à deux par une longue corde,........
My translation, "And everywhere, sheep, sheep, more and always sheep, blacks and whites, small, lively, tied two by two by a long cord."
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It was common practice to tether (and shackle together ) sheep in Eastern Poland (and Bosnia) when I worked there in the '80's
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So apart from stopping them from getting lonely, what does tethering them in pairs achieve? ???
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So apart from stopping them from getting lonely, what does tethering them in pairs achieve? ???
Most I saw were hobbled --- lambs to ewes
No need for fences and they couldn't disappear too far too soon ?
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It is an interesting concept and I assume that the farm layouts in those days in Europe were very different than today. Personally I feel it is a practice that is outdated but there is always the possibility of an exception, which people have described above.
I wouldn't trust mine!
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It also used to be common practice to dock horse's tails, keep pigs in tiny stys (sties?), drown excess puppies in sacks, and so on. Just because we used to do it doesn't mean it's acceptable practice.
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The answer is ... I guess you can ..... but I definitely wouldn't for welfare and safety reasons.
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There are lots of parts of the world where fencing is impractical (hard rocky terrain) or unaffordable for the people who live there and all sorts of animals are tethered. I am not sure that sheep are any more disadvantaged when tethered than goats or horses or donkeys but I am sure you would be constantly bothered by knocks on the door and complaints if you tethered sheep where people could see them in this country.