I keep reading this title as Sheeples not sheepies!
Arlosmine, it might work if you can find a bunch of sheeples. They’re easily persuaded and will follow a crowd. Turn one loose with a mower and the others will follow! :lol:
Hmmm…now thinking that I could move the electric netting with temporary step-in posts to various places which would need nibbles. I have many smaller strips that will be horrible to weed whack because they are in between poplar trees.
I was also surprised by those who were so negative about sheep. I quite enjoy having mine around. There is an investment in learning about the basic care of sheep and making sure you have a setup that will contain them and keep them safe, but really they are an excellent and environmentally friendly way to keep a farm looking neat. I guess I can only speak for my own flock, but I find them to be peaceful, intelligent creatures.
Arlosmine, the breed that you choose is very important. I talk to other people who raise sheep and the level of care required can be very different. Also, some types of sheep graze closely while others browse (you want browsers). Some breeds are tougher health-wise and predator-wise than others, though having a plan for protection from predators is a must either way.
It can be difficult to find a vet that will care for sheep, so it’s helpful if you are a little handy with basic veterinary matters like worming and giving shots. But, unless you are lambing, a hardier breed shouldn’t require much other than basic shots and worming.
The only reason I would be negative about sheep is that livestock ownership is a commitment. Sheep aren’t hard but they are different than horses and there’s a little bit of a commitment to getting your facility set up for them and learning about their basic health and maintenance needs.
I have three Shetland wethers in a quarter acre paddock. With the terrible drought we had this past year, the only thing growing well were the weeds, particularly both broadleaf and spiny pigweed. I was delighted to find that my Shetlands, as noted by another poster above, browsed the pigweed beautifully, and their pasture looked better than any on the farm and required much less maintenance.
Also mine, unlike the various goats we’ve tried, do not seem to find the fencing to be a personal challenge. We have just basic field fencing, which my now not so mini pig, slips under to go in and out of the sheep pasture at will, and the sheep nonetheless stay put, so no, I don’t find them difficult to contain.
Mine were all born in April and I can still pick each of them up if I had to. We got ours from novelty breeders in my area who are usually happy to sell the male lambs as wethers to be pets or fiber animals, so mine are friendly and easily handled. They are also quite entertaining. I was told that sheep are stupid and dull compared to goats but my experience has been the opposite, as I’ve found goats to lovable but obnoxious brats who were also escape artists and tree killers. My sheep do not bother my trees, nor do they bother much else when out in the general barn area, unlike the goats who had to taste and chew on everything.
I have two wooly livestock guardian dogs, two mini donks and two mini horses, all who need to be sheared in the spring, so doing the sheep is just more of the same. I don’t spin, but have a friend who does and plan to donate the wool to her and I may at some future point, send the wool off to spun into gloves or scarves for my family use. Might be fun to have a something created from our own animals. They tend to freeze restrained so I don’t anticipate a big fight in order to get them sheared.
Here’s a photo of the pig hanging out with the sheep: https://goo.gl/photos/e2Dkyfj7xProKtbR9
Here’s a little video clip of the first two we got who are half brothers, and one of the barn cats, and he’s a little cat, to give you an idea of size. They are four months here: https://goo.gl/photos/FhhrtDXhGUnF6d8K9
And this little clip is my favorite, wat for the little hop at the end: https://goo.gl/photos/o3L6GQYzCupufDSb7 They often do these funny little hops when they get exuberant about something and are just hilarious. When we first started letting the mini pig out to have the run of the place, whenever he would venture into the sheep pasture, all three would bounce over to him, sometimes in not so athletic leaps that would have them landing on their bums and rolling around. I about fell over laughing at their antics.
I don’t think if you tried it and it didn’t work out, that you would have much trouble placing any Shetlands that you bought, so my vote is yes. Try it.
And one last thing, where I hate horns on goats because they will use them against you - I’ve picked up many a horned and protesting goat, only to have them try to hit me in the face with said horns - my Shetland wethers each have little curled horns which they have never offered to use against me, even when being picked up, and they make great handles. You can also wrap a lead around the horns, rather then their necks, and teach them to lead that way.
I do love watching the sheep come running! It’s been a fun adventure, having them.
