Ok, I now have four new additions to my family. We live near the flood plains and people are evacuating as the water rises. Yesterday I was asked by a man near the river if I would take in his two pygmy goat does and his two sheep, an ewe and a young male lamb. I said yes of course, and although I haven't had goats for awhile I'm sure we'll be fine. His animals are a little timid so I guess they are nervous, hopefully they'll relax soon. I have never had sheep and asked him the breed, but he forgot to answer in the excitement yesterday. I don't even know if the little male lamb is castrated or not. I was in a mad scramble yesterday to fence off the front of my barn as it is opened in the front. The little lamb escaped as we were putting him into the barn and he took off, we didn't think we'd see him again, but I'll be darned if my daughter and her friend didn't chase that guy however far and got him stuck between two trees he was trying to jump. They carried him all the way back! All I got from the fellow yesterday is that they don't need to be sheared. Which means they are hair sheep right? I told him his family could come and see them whenever. I know they are in a terrible spot with the water rising fast. It's got to be hard to lose some pets. I know he said they were offered money by someone else, but that person wanted them as food and of course they are pets. The wife apparently kept the youngest male goat, and agreed that they didn't want to worry about these guys. I hopefully will see him soon and be able to find out if the male lamb is fixed and what breed they are. They are polled (the sheep), all white, about two feet tall, and don't need to be sheared. There is a little hair on their heads going down towards the eyes, but the majority of the face is short haired. I'm going to start googling sheep in a minute, but any knowledge would sure be appreciated. Oh, and goats and sheep don't go great together. The poor sheep keep getting bullied by the pygmys, they head butt them, and get first rights to the food. I had to stand out there with them today and supervise.
And the family keeps on growing......
Patch...bless your heart for taking these guys in! Wish I knew more about goats and sheep and could help you in some way. I hope after a couple days, they get used to the new routine and settle down for you!
Christy
Hi Patch. I would definitely want you for my neighbor! The only hair sheep I know is the Soay--but it is very rare. You could try googling it and see if the picture looks anything like.
Definately not Soay. I was thinking Katahdin (SP?) or Targhee but still not sure. Probably pure though because both look the same.
what will you take in next? LOL. good thing they found you. so much better to plac ethem than have to abandon them and not know if they make it...
Dorpers are another hair sheep breed.
Patchouli78 is there anywhere you can pen the sheep up away from the goats? They'll thank you for it. The goats won't accept them and may hurt them . Heck goats don't even accept new goats!
MollyD
Unfortunately there is nowhere to separate at this time, they were kept together the whole time before, I don't understand how that worked. It's gonna take a minute to get them organized, but at least they are safe and dry.
Goats are easily upset by new situations. They hate changes. Could be they're taking it out on the sheep.
MollyD
Well Molly, they're real buttheads, lol!
;P
lol : )
LOL good one Patch!
Ok, I'm thinking Targhee, Kathdin, Leicester, Romney, Dorset. I dunno looks similiar to these guys. I'm not a sheep person so having a bit of trouble with the identification. Not large enough to be a Dorper, heads not right anyway. Hmmm.
Does anyone know what sheep this may be?
adorable?
Sorry Patch, not a sheep person......they sure are cute though! Are the sheep and goats getting along any better?
Oh, that's not the sheep here, lol. That's a pic I pulled off the web that I thought looked close to my sheep. Only the sheep here has all of its hair. The goats here are pygmys and I believe the one in the pic is a Nubian, but definately cute!
The one in the pic appears to be a Boer Patch...Looks like the ones at my Homestead...
I think I know that sheep.. Lemme lookie...
Lol, does look like a Boer! Don't Nubians have roman noses and droopy ears too though?
Yeah but not that brown head /neck pattern...I think your sheep may be a Wiltshire Horn sheep..My friends in New Zeland raise them...Or....
There is a genetically modified sheep, crossing a parasite-resistant Katahdin sheep with a muscled Dorper to create a hairless sheep with high parasite-resistance (and a mild flavor) that they call the hair sheep. It is hoped that this sheep will allow sheep farmers to raise their meat sheep without the use of anti-biotics and homones, so that they can sell the meat as organic.
i can't resist... how can you call something genetically modified "organic"?
It sounds more like an intentional cross--the term GMO usually refers to the artificial introduction of genes from another species--or of novel genes created in the lab.
Is this what you are talking about Dusty?: http://jas.fass.org/cgi/reprint/75/3/630.pdf
Not a Wiltshire, it's polled naturally.