Author Topic: Are goats as easy (or hard) to keep as sheep? (Read 5359 times)

Nethermoor Pigs · « **on:** May 03, 2014, 03:26:33 pm »

I keep sheep so want to know how they compare. Is there a ready market for kids?

Old Shep · « **Reply #1 on:** May 03, 2014, 09:34:05 pm »

Depends what sort of goats you are thinking of and what sort of market for the kids (ie pets / meat) I've had pygmies (cute but hard to contain) and currently have angoras (easier to contain but have rotten feet).

ballingall · « **Reply #2 on:** May 03, 2014, 09:52:07 pm »

Old Shep is right, it depends what kind of goats you get. Pygmy's there seems to be a ready market for kids, and even castrated males fetch good prices. But, if they struggle at kidding, you are more likely to need a vet and possibly Caesarian's. So bear in mind that potential for vet bills.

Personally, I think goats do need a little more attention than sheep do. They are less hardy, more likely to get into mischief! They can't survive on just grass alone (not that sheep can all year round).

There is an increasing market for goat meat too, so Boer's might be an option.

Beth

Anke · « **Reply #3 on:** May 03, 2014, 10:02:23 pm »

As someone who keeps both sheep and (dairy) goats, definitely the goats are more work. Sheep need ad hoc work with the whole flock every so often (feet, drenching etc), other than that it's just daily checking they are ok and dealing with any problems there and then.

Goats need daily feeding, they live in-doors quite a lot, and definitely at night if you are milking them, milking takes anything from 20 mins for two/three (with feeding, watering, possible bottle feeding of kids) to 1 1/2 hours if you do 7 or more (milking machine) and have to bottle kids too.

You won't make any money by just having dairy goats (unless you are cash-rich and can set up a commercial dairy), possibly some money to be made with meat goats?

Mays · « **Reply #4 on:** May 04, 2014, 09:07:07 am »

demand is growing for meat goats, I find the sheep are sporadically labour intensive where as goats are "a little bit every day" type of labour, so depends what fits into your lifestyle. I have horses and I find the goats slip into the horse routine nicely, but if I just had sheep, I would find the different type of care required by goats tying.

goosepimple · « **Reply #5 on:** May 04, 2014, 09:27:26 am »

I find my pygmies less hassle than the sheep, but I keep rare breed sheep and they don't come without problems, hence the rare-ness.

I haven't had a problem containing the pygmies. There is a good market for them and females (I've only had females this past 2 years so lucky) fetch around £250 while the castrated males can go for £100, they're great fun and brilliant characters. They are a nice side-line to your sheep and a nice hobby that makes a bit of money to allow me to break even

Why not try geese? Ours don't have housing, they just free range, never had any attacked, hardy, eat loads of grass, a bit brown bread now and then and they can eat grain or ours like to eat the sheep crunch so an extra handful out now and then is easy and not noticed. They can go for good prices at auction, and privately can sell at about £40 each or even up to £180 for a good breeding pair is not unheard of.

fifixx · « **Reply #6 on:** May 04, 2014, 11:37:28 am »

Definitely harder but more rewarding! I have meat goats - happy to share info if you want to dm me!

www.beremarshfarm.co.uk and more up to date www.facebook.com/BereMarshFarm

fiestyredhead331 · « **Reply #7 on:** May 04, 2014, 06:42:47 pm »

more work but more rewarding in my opinion, and I keep sheep and goats. We are getting more people who keep sheep wanting to know more about goats now there is a local herd so I generally tell them to come over for a day and see what is involved and meet them up close before they go and buy some and then realise what they have let themselves in for

jaykay · « **Reply #8 on:** May 04, 2014, 06:52:01 pm »

I have dairy goats (Old English) and Shetland sheep.

I have more to do with the goats - they need shelter, so come into a byre every night. They're around more, respond to me more, half-way between dogs and sheep I reckon.

So when it's time to do something with them, they're about and quite tame. They wear collars, I have a milking stand they can be persuaded to get up on and shut into. I don't have to worry about 'catching' them.

They make way more fuss than the sheep, about drenches, vaccinations, foot trimming.

The sheep need less attention, but when they do it's a morning's job to round them up, get them in, deal with them etc. They resist each step in the procedure.

The goats need double-height stock fencing, or wall-topping over drystone wall, if you want to keep them in. For all the Shetlands' escape-artist reputation, unless the walls have gaps, or the gates need lamb-bars underneath, they tend to stay where I've put them.

ScotsGirl · « **Reply #9 on:** May 04, 2014, 10:15:36 pm »

I have both and although goats are maybe a little more needy they are by far the easiest to manage. Sheep are more difficult to round up and seem to have more problems with feet, fly strike, shearing, getting stuck on back.

I make more selling offspring of goats and meat is about similar to lamb but they do eat more hard feed and hay so haven't really worked out whether still financially more viable. Love the goats though. More limited also with grazing due to fencing.

Penninehillbilly · « **Reply #10 on:** May 05, 2014, 12:58:59 am »

I've just a couple of sheep (may be a slight increase soon if in-lamb, but not sure), and 6 goats, I much prefer the goats, they're fun, full of mischief, but like their routine, love human contact, yes they do need keeping in, esp in winter, but it's easier to walk across the yard to the shelter of the barn than trail down the field in a snowstorm with nuts and hay. The sheep have a field shelter but still need water and feed taking down.
Give me goats anyday