Gertie Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Hi ALL I know there are a lot of you guys out there with knowledge of livestock keeping! Today we got a lovely fence installed...so now we have secure space I would love to get some animals. We have 2.3 acres, one stable and I work full time! I get weekends and school holidays off. Was thinking along the lines of sheep, goats, ponies or donkeys. The main aim would be as a pet and to keep the grass down. How much time and space do I need for a few of the above animals and which is the best/ easiest to keep? I've read a bit so I know goats are browsers, donkeys can be hard work to keep and sheep get fly strike. What do you experts advise? Thanks as always! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Horses & donkeys will poach your land, plus you should have a minimum of 1 acre per horse / donkey & be able to put them in another field ( rotate) to let the land recover. Sheep - unless you have lots of time & know that they have a constant death wish, don't go there. They are good lawn mowers & do level out the land though. But don't be tempted to get too many & again - you'd need to rotate them. Goats - great, but known escape artists. Pigs - a doddle! Chickens - brilliant! It's all about personal preference. What suits one person, won't suit another. Don't jump in - do lots & lots of research first & talk to others who have experience with all these animals. We are glad we've done that, as we have now decided against & ruled out quite a few different animals. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted April 27, 2012 Share Posted April 27, 2012 Horses & donkeys will poach your land, plus you should have a minimum of 1 acre per horse / donkey & be able to put them in another field ( rotate) to let the land recover. Sheep - unless you have lots of time & know that they have a constant death wish, don't go there. They are good lawn mowers & do level out the land though. But don't be tempted to get too many & again - you'd need to rotate them. Goats - great, but known escape artists. Pigs - a doddle! Chickens - brilliant! Better with a sit on mower & lots of chooks!! It's all about personal preference. What suits one person, won't suit another. Don't jump in - do lots & lots of research first & talk to others who have experience with all these animals. We are glad we've done that, as we have now decided against & ruled out quite a few different animals. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 28, 2012 Author Share Posted April 28, 2012 Thanks Emma A lot of people have said that about sheep, although it all looks so tranquil in the field of sheep opposite and they just look like big woolly lawn mowers! (im in the early stages of research!!) The land is split into 3 sections, so I could rotate easily. I'd like goats, but they don't sound that straightforward with milking/neutered males being the options. But I do love goats. The fence is very sturdy & 5ft high with stock fencing and barbed wire on top. The other option was to have someone else's sheep. There is a nearby shepherd who would like to graze them in our field. I guess he would do all the checking & sorting out the problems. The previous occupant kept ponies & donkeys in the past. I guess it must be possible with the space. Time, as ever is my biggest constraint...grrr! The land is quite sloping so I'm not sure a ride on mower would cope. We've been using a petrol strimmer to cut usable areas. The grass is rather long! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 I wouldn't start with a pony or donkey as they will need more attention with feeding + mucking out and could need more vet/farrier attention ... not sure if the land is near to your house or not either to think about going up over winter, does it have electric/water supply to the stable. At this time of year I'd see if you can get a local shepherd to put some ewes and lambs on there to keep the grass down for you but you'll also get used to a bit of their care - then maybe get some weaned lambs. Sheep do want to die esp if you have a stream nearby etc but you could get some smaller rare breeds like Shetlands or Ouessant and they can be nice pets too. If you get them sheared the risk of flystrike is lower. Goats are good and if you can get them young enough or already tame, can make great pets. We used to walk the goats on leads at the Childrens farm and they loved the attention Another thing could think about, although expensive, are alpaca - even better if they're halter trained! Pigs will wreck grass and turn it to mud so I'd avoid those tbh unless you keep one third for them, or maybe even a smaller area. Know you've said they're mainly to keep grass down and as pets but would you think about rearing things for meat - chickens, lambs, maybe pigs in one third Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 29, 2012 Author Share Posted April 29, 2012 Thanks Lewis! I will investigate the options further. I'm pretty confident the sheep wouldn't be able to escape our new fence too easily - very sturdy stock fence & barbed wire & 5ft high . We've only got a small pond that's bathtub sized, so no streams to get into trouble in. I think I'll approach the shepherd in the first instance as that would be a good starting point to get experience. There was a field of Alpacas where we lived in Surrey, I liked to look at them & they eyed me from afar. Other than that I've no experience. They look very cute & cuddly. I love the idea of goats & have met lot of characters, so I'm going to look into that more seriously. If I had more time I'd consider lots of chickens, but I've had such a lot of issues with mine & I've followed all the good husbandry advice. I've come to the conclusion I need more time to be a good chicken keeper as they don't seem very robust creatures (that's just my opinion!) it's a shame because I love chickens! Pigs aren't something I've considered (although i like pigs too), due to the effect on the ground. I don't want to impact on the environment too much& ive seen what pigs do to the ground! So I think I shall look more into borrowing sheep and maybe later after research thinking about goats. I've got 2 goat books so that's a good start! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 I'd continue to research it personally but do keep thinking about it, the books are a good start I am a very rash individual and we have got all sorts of animals now I am a firm believer in that if you think too hard about what may go wrong you'd never do anything.. Yes some things have backfired on us but in the main its fantastic, we have learned as we have gone along got good advice and help when we needed it and have come through it all so far Sheep are easy 90% of the time, they just need fly prevention treatments, worming and feet trimming (which I have found really tricky) - as long as you dont lamb them they are surprisingly easy (lambing is a whole other ball game!) Our goats are probably the easiest although they did escape when they first arrived as they were so tiny (we had to keep them in till they grew too big to get through stock fencing holes) but have caused us no problems since The pigs we have only had for a short time but they are incredibly destructive (but lovely all the same) they need the smallest amount of space so we have a separate area for them to cause their mayhem in Geese are good lawn mowers apparently and waterfowl suffer far less problems and parasites than chickens do There is paperwork and records to be kept for all the animals and registration with DEFRA and Trading Standards is necessary (but free!) Do have a think and speak with your shepherd friend. If you dont do it then you'll never know what joy they may have bought you - nothing worse than having the land stay empty because you are too worried about what may go wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 What about geese They keep the grass down and lay lovely eggs. My freind made a lovely quiche with her goose eggs when I visited her on Saturday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loumabel Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 I have had a couple of sheep for a year now so still a complete novice, but they have not really given me any major problems. Like Redwing said they just need regular spraying with a fly, lice and tick treatment, worming, feet trimming and shearing once a year. (still got to do this yet!!! ) My two girls are purely pets that mow the lawn and they think they are dogs as they run around with my two labs like loonies and even nudge me for an ear scratch now and then. I would recommend them as a good starting point for your land, they really are a lot of fun to look after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 Thanks everyone for the replies. To be completely honest, I would love to keep everything you've all mentioned so far...I just love animals. But sadly don't have space or time for a proper smallholding just yet...I'm working on it! Thanks Redwing for the 'research but don't over think it' advice. That's exactly what I am prone to!!! Glad to hear that you find sheep owning straightforward. Is there a best time of year to get started with livestock? Also, very sorry to hear about your Tarzan. I'd love geese too but I have no idea what they need or how much grass they eat. Do they fly away, do they need water for swimming? No idea! Need to look them up. Loumabel - your pet sheep/lawn mowers sound similar to what I would be aiming for - practical pets. How did you get started?I love your avatar by the way. Good luck with the shearing, hope it goes smoothly I know with keeping chickens I did a huge amount of research but nothing prepared me for the joys or difficulties of it. I guess I'll just have to research then take the plunge. I think it's most likely to be sheep and or goats and maybe a few geese if we have the space. Oh, and a couple more chickens! Better stop there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicken shack Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 I found this site on google and is quite easy to follow http://www.waterfowl.org.uk/docs/keep_dom_geese.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loumabel Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Hi Gertie, I can definitely recommend sheep as good pets although like I said I am a complete novice and have only had them for a year so i can only give you the small bit of knowledge I have picked up along the way. I got my two girls from a colleague of my husband who runs a smallholding in her spare time, they were orphaned lambs and she knew we had some land so offered them to us. We paid about £40 each for them and I have no idea if that is a good price or not we just wanted to stop them becoming Lamb chops and needed a couple of lawn mowers. We only have an acre split into 3 sections, two of these are for the sheep and we swap them between the two. As we have limited space I have to pick up all the poo everyday which can be a mammoth task some days but this shouldnt be a problem for you as you have more land to play with. We havent had any major problems but did have a little scare last summer when I spotted a quivering patch on the back of Beatrice and on closer inspection it was heaving with maggots!!! Luckily they had not broken the skin and I s"Ooops, word censored!"ped them all off clipped that section of wool short and sprayed with 'Click' fly strike spray and this sorted the problem out. I spend a lot of time leaning on the fence post looking at them everyday and just observing what they are up to and this has always shown up problems before they get out of hand. They are relatively cheap to keep and we feed them on pasture supplemented with hay in winter although we are still giving hay at the moment due to the dry weather earlier in the year and also some sheep mix as a treat and a crystalyx mineral lick. They really are a lot of fun and very affectionate, quirky characters. I would stick with ewes as I think rams can get a little bit dominant if kept as pets even if they have been castrated. Good luck and feel free to PM me if you want any more info, although like I said I really am no expert . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted May 2, 2012 Author Share Posted May 2, 2012 Thank you very much Chickens Shack and Loumabel. I really appreciate your help! The geese site was very useful. I like the idea of them... Would need to sort out a pond or pool or something for them to swim in, but sounds quite straightforward other than that. Glad to hear keeping sheep has been fun and not too difficult for you, although daily poo picking sounds quite a chore...lucky sheep! Thanks for the offer of PM, I will defo do that nearer the time. I have loads of stupid questions!! Im still waiting for the shepherds phone number! Im surrounded by people who keep sheep on 2 sides of my garden, so really it shouldn't be that difficult to find out about them. They look so serene in the fields. Is fly strike an all year round problem or just more in the warmer moths (I'm guessing that's the case). I won't have much sheep,watching daylight time in winter (if any), so any problems would be harder to spot. Do you have a shelter or stable for them in the winter? Thank ewe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted May 2, 2012 Share Posted May 2, 2012 I dont bother poo picking my sheeps grazing but I have now split it in two in order to keep the grazing in better condition, this should give the muck a chance to disperse before the sheep go back on a section Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Hi gertie, I am really interested in this as we have a similar idea, what did you decide? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gertie Posted September 29, 2012 Author Share Posted September 29, 2012 Hi Conturechicken We have decided on whether goats which are male neutered. We will probably go for pygmy to begin with. We chose male goats as they don't need milking or much daily maintenance. I've decided against sheep as the person opposite us keeps Jacobs sheep. During the summer they were swarming with flies & I'd be terrified about fly strike. They also were very timid. I'm sure if handled sheep would tame but I don't think sheep would suit us. But I've yet to get the goats as we still have not refurbed the stable (hole in roof & door hanging off-so no des res!) I have the defra number though so hopefully spring next year will be g-day! I'd love to get more hens & I'm tempted with geese too. Whats tempting you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted September 29, 2012 Share Posted September 29, 2012 Good to hear you have reached a decision If I could rewind time I would go for larger goats, Pygmy goats seem to be quite a bit of hassle. Mine regularly escape now and are pushy and a law unto themselves and I know I am not alone! I would get wethers but would get a dairy breed, these are quite placid and easier to deal with! Dont get me wrong I do love my goats, they never escaped before but now they are older and a bit more confident they are regularly out of the field (luckily the other side of the fence is also ours) and a neighbour informs us that when they hear us coming up the lane they squeeze back in to their field Its a common misconception that as Pygmy goats are small they are easier to look after! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I would love some goats, and even looked at some of the goat rescue sites, but for practical reasons I think it might be geese. We are hoping to acquire some quite rough land at the rear of our garden. The current owner is going to clear some of it, and eventually I would to have a few fruit trees and maybe some geese to keep on top of the grass. I know we will probably still need to do some strimming. My main dilemma with goats is that about once a month we have an overnight trip to Scotland to see my fil and I don't think I could ask the neighbours to let goats out and put them in at night (we inherited a goat shed when we moved in) unless they would be ok in a field shelter overnight from time to time? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 I kept my goats in for their first few months just so they could grow and not get through the fencing Now they live out 24/7 with only trees for shelter, in the winter they will be moved to an area where they have a choice of three shelters (pig ark, stable, shelter) and they can choose to go in if they want to Unless they were ill I cant see myself shutting them in overnight They dont like rain but they dont mind the cold at all so as long as they have somewhere to shelter they should be ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
counturchickens Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 That's good to know, thank you. The might be back on the agenda. Not planning to get them until the spring, so time to plan and think about fences! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
