Anyone got pet sheep ..... !!

[Ranyhyn]

I’m going to try not to be negative here. I have done a few seasons of full time lambing now and know a bit about sheep from my career.

They are large, heavy and die for no reason. They are good livestock animals as they produce young yearly and have two incomes (wool and meat), also having them on a large scale makes the upkeep and random dying worth while. To name a few they need regular hoof trimming, shearing, injections, worming etc etc.

You will need stock proof fencing + some more idiot proofing. In small paddocks, actually stuff that, even on 50 acres a sheep will break its leg on the one bucket you left out or get its head stuck in the stock fencing. Recently I saw one that chewed through electric fencing and made a noose for itself.

Tame them and they become bolshy and will run you over. I would never have a small child around sheep motivated by food as they trample adults.

Have them flighty and you won’t get near them, they will jump inside out to get away and attempt to scale anything. They also will run into any small crevice possible as long as it’s not in the direction you are trying to herd them.

Sheep do not get spayed regularly as far as I know. I can’t see any appeal for it as it’s ‘unlikely’ to have a random ram come and cover a ewe and even less so that she would take it without being teased and even less so that it would hold without extra minerals/nutrition. They also would probably take excuse of stress and pain of a procedure to die.

Learn about the zoonotic diseases they carry too, especially if you do decide to lamb them. No pregnant or weak people should go near lambing ewes due to the toxoplasmosis risk.

Probably will need a stock number as well (not sure on this).

Bar be above they are sweet animals with individual personality’s. But would I have them on a pet basis? No.

Do a few weeks work on a farm and you will get to know what they are like.

God thats a pretty scathing write up.

Sheep are fantastic creatures and not as stupid some may think. Ours do not scale fencing run any age of person over or die at will. Though I know some do. The best case scenario is not to pet the up too much but get them on the cake and they become quite biddable but with the bonus that handling them becomes easier when they are not scared of you.

You may find quantities of anything an issue running that little sheep so it may be worth palling up with someone in order to buy drench (womer) ect because the lowest quantity Ive seen is 20no.