[Collie26]

Simply will sheep eat docks?

If so i may need more than 6

[ellisr]

my lot eat everything

[shearling]

mine only grass, fallen apples and the tender leaves of damson and fruit trees    . They do not like docks, nettles - cut or otherwise. 

[plumseverywhere]

The sheep here eat everything the goats don't so they work quite well together! not seen the lambs eat docks but the goats definately do, the sheep just seem to want the grass at the moment (mainly the grass the other side of the fence to where they are - if I have prise any more heads of out fences today i will scream!!)

[ellisr]

That is just normal with sheep and they love to find brambles to tangle in

[waterhouse]

Our sheep seem to like docks and will take them down almost tothe ground.

They won't touch thistles or nettles. Having said that we have been strip grazing because of a desperate shortage of grass (we had virtually no rain for 3 months) and the nettles were eaten as they sprouted in one strip while in the next strip they got away and haven't been touched.

Now we have real grass growing they're getting a fresh paddock this morning!

[SallyintNorth]

Ours don't eat docks, and neither will my pig.

I wonder with sheep if it's a breed thing?

Our sheep are Texels, Beltex, Charollais and North Country Mules.  Swales don't eat docks either (or at least the ones I had didn't.)  Nor Hexhamshire Blackface.

[jaykay]

My sheep (Rough Fells) don't eat docks, thistles or nettles - sadly 

[waterhouse]

My dock-eating sheep are dartmoors.  Both the ewes and the lambs do it, in fact the boys have uncovered my chain harrow which had vanished beneath the weed

[Rosemary]

I didn't know we HAD docks in Sheepfold when the ewes and lambs were in there. Once I took them out, they became apparent, so I assume the sheep ate them. The tups are in Sheepfold now but don't seem to eat the docks, so I'm knocking them down with a dashel basher.

[plumseverywhere]

That is just normal with sheep and they love to find brambles to tangle in

Oh yes, had a few of them too LOL. luckily they mingle with the goats now so any brambles are long since decimated!

[Fleecewife]

I think that Sally is right - it is a breed thing but it is also an experience thing too.  If sheep haven't seen docks when they were lambs and shown by their dams to eat them, then they are less likely to.  Our primitives certainly relish them and seek them out at certain times of day.  We had a paddock which for some reason was badly infested with docks and after about three years of grazing plus the occasional topping they seem to be under control
Shetlands in particular seem very fond of big juicy spear thistles - it's terrifying watching them eating them and carefully crunching up the spikes    The Hebs are not eating any of those at the moment, maybe it's something they do later in the year (although OH is clearing them at the mo so hopefully there won't be any later in the year  ).  Nettles seem to be eaten later too, once the nutrient value of the grass is lower perhaps and the sheep need the minerals which nettles bring up from deeper than grass can?