The herding thing does vary by breed. Icelandic Sheep (the one I have experience with) for example, are a lot less prone to clump herding.

Not sure about this... I really don't like cats but I love goats

I also will disagree. Not much of a cat person (don't hate them, but prefer them to live in the barn/outside, my dogs live inside and are obedience trained). But I love my Myotonic goats, and find them personality-wise much more similar to my dogs than any cat I've associated with in just shy of 60 years.

@@marahdolores8930 Yes, goats have been proven to look at humans for help when they can't do something, which is something dogs do. They will also follow you around wherever you go, like dogs do. They're basically vegan dogs :)

Yeah ive had boer goats and found them to be almost dog like they come when called even get the tail wag when given them a scratch

What in the world are you going to do with either of these in an inner city apartment?

Of course sheep are dumb. They die to Black berries ffs xD A herbivore dying to its prey...

Sheep are stupid, stupid stupid for sure!

I’ve eaten goat meat once or twice many years ago. I had lots of leg of lamb and truly enjoy it. I’ll have to try goat again before deciding which one I like more. In my situation, goats would really help open more pasture and silvopasture. But all I’ve heard is that they’re tough to keep in the fences. I’m a few days away from 67 and don’t relish the idea of chasing them down in the brambles and briers. Guess I’ll get sheep first, for meat and pasture improvements. Goats later to clear additional pasture and maybe provide more meat.

@@Skashoon Boer goats are easy to keep fenced in, it's a big difference from other goats. They're heavy and not very jumpy.

Nice post... but you forgot to mention the Nibian - screaming bloody murder all day part. For some reason long ears = screaming goats 😁

I feel like you underestimate the sheep; my youth spent chasing away sheep from my grandfathers forests showed them for the menaces they are

We let our sheep into the orchard as natural lawn mowers. They are wonderful at not harming the trees. Like you mentioned they will eat the fruit & leaves from low branches.

Goats also will strip the bark off your tree as well

"There is nothing like a goat to make a desert"😂

I prefer sheep. Have dorpers. 2 of them. They hang with the horse, but I did have to shear my ram, he had a matted carpet of wool on his topside. I bought cheap shears on Amazon, my farrier held him and he actually looks fairly decent...

@@SuperDobieGirl with just 2 you might want to build or buy a stand for shearing. It will be less work if it has a head stanchin you could put a place to give them grain. Then they will want to jump up on it and will most likely let you shear them. Only bad thing is the wool un carded or picked isn't worth much. You could send it off to be cleaned but its not cheap.

@@FrozenHawkHunter I just shear them IF they don't drop it. But I'll keep a stand in mind. Good idea. Oh I just toss the wool. It's filthy and there's not much on them.

That's OK. I enjoyed reading your story.

awesome input buddy , cheers from usa

bueeena po que le vaya bien en su granjita compadre

I've had both, and found the goats to be much more interactive and interesting. A bunch if characters, they were . . .

Thank you. I appreciate the kind words and encouragement.

Thanks!

Breed has a lot to do with it too. The so called 'primitives' sheep breeds tend to have a more goat like personality.

Have learned something

Hello Carol! What u said interested me, am I guessing correctly, u said ur sheep “can” be milked, but u don’t milk them for ur consumption? Knowledge is key, I want to learn and know, I’ve been leaning towards goats because more people say that they r easier to milk, I have never eaten goat meat , but have sheep, I like sheep meat, I like the fact that sheep’s do not get into mischief as goats do (or as much per u saying they got out, but awesome they came to ur porch) if u don’t milk them for ur own consumption, have u before? I don’t know if u have had goats or ever milked one, if so, could u give me a comparison between the two? Which is easier, taste different or same, would I need to shave around the utter??? Really interested and hope u respond! Thank u and have a wonderful day

@@joybickerstaff194 Hi, yes I find sheep so much easier to keep than goats. The Icelandic sheep are a more primitive breed of sheep that were originally used as triple proposed; wool, meat & milk. Some lines also serve as leader sheep. Icelandic sheep are different than most breeds of sheep in their diet hardiness, tend to be both browsers & grazers, plus their temperaments. This breed doesn't herd as well as other sheep breeds & not as flightly / timid. Some rams can be aggressive. Icelandic sheep are still raised the same way as ages ago. In early spring the sheep in all the farmers in Nordic countries are turned loose to free range along the countryside on their own. So the breed wasn't developed to be herd & watched over. You can read more info on the breed: afs.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/icelandic//#content As for my experience with the Icelandic sheep: • I've only used my sheep for wool products & meat. The meat is absolutely delicious. The wool makes wonderful warm sweaters & blankets. • I haven't milked them yet. I'm training the ewes to the milk stand this winter for hopes of milking them in the spring after lambing. You can only milk the sheep for 3-4 months but you can freeze the milk for later use. I personally love their stronger temperaments. Any smaller threats to the herd are easily dealt with by the sheep on their own such as foxes & eagles. Larger threats of course you have to protect them from injury. Our previous ram protected the herd from free roaming dogs until I could get out to the pasture to help. Another more timid breed of sheep would've obtained injuries. As for the temperament in handling the breed. I find them very easy & trustworthy if handled by building trust & respect. They don't get flighty & scared running in all directions when working with them. I can walk over to them place a halter on them & tie them up to do any maintenance. No chasing or corralling required which I prefer. This breed doesn't require any grain. During the winter & pregnancy traditionally they were supplemented with kelp. Now you can supplement with minerals. They are very hardy animals that rarely get sick, over loaded with parasites, or hoof issues. They can do well with less than ideal pasture if you have plenty for them to browse on. The lambs don't require their tails to docked. If you use them to milk you don't need to shave / trim wool around the utters. If you're new to owning sheep I suggest you go out to various farms & meet the different breeds. I love Icelandic sheep but know their temperaments aren't for everyone.

@@carolhudson1732 Wonderful info, thank you Carol!

Thats what they do in Québe's Easter townships, they use the Swiss Saanen goats from the Swiss alps for their goat cheese production..its actually just across the lines from Vermont.

Swiss Oberhasli was my best mellowest and quietest dairy goat. Excellent mother with plenty of milk. I also had a French Alpine that was fine, produced even more milk but rather aggressive to all the other ones. I would never recommend a Nubian because they are so noisy and disturb the whole neighborhood. Regardless of how much milk they produce, Nubians are not worth keeping due to their noisy nature.

@@richardmang2558 Of all the breeds of dairy goats I've had, over the last forty years, Oberhasli's were my favorites. They have better temperaments than Alpines, and in my opinion their milk also tasted much better. You are right that Nubians are noisy, though if a person lives where that's not a problem, they can be a good goat to have. They do have excellent quality milk. I wouldn't keep Alpines again because of their temperaments, wouldn't keep Toggenburgs because of their milk taste.

Glad it was helpful!

You are not wrong.

@@rollingofarm 😂

Likewise with the electric fence. I prefer high tensile wire to netting for that reason alone. It can be adjusted in height much easier too. (Plus it’s a lot less money)

Thanks

Simple answer is to get a Kangal Livestock Guardian dog. They can kill wolves! 2 of them would tear through a pack of coyotes in no time.

Thanks

Thanks

Thanks

Glad you think so!

Thanks

Thanks!