sheep

[pslamont]

Looking to get rid of a few sheep. These are too old for breeding, etc... but good lawnmowers. We have culled our herd to start breeding.

Aloha, Pam

I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says

"Oh Crap, She's up!"

[Lin W]

Hi Pam, tried many times to email via this forum with no luck so guess this is my next (only) option. Don't know if you remember but we corresponded back at the beginning of the hydroponic lettuce endeavor. Now I have sheep questions, if you don't mind. I've had some health problems that have kept me from beating the jungle back for some months now and was wondering if a couple of sheep might be a good idea. However, I know nothing about sheep. They would obviously need some kind of shelter and I do have an old woodshed but it has a cement floor and don't know if that is good for sheep feet ;-) And, do they require sheep pellets or some such, or is an acre of waist-high grass and other vegetation enough for them? I'm in upper HPP and have a fenced and cross-fenced lot, many cats, and two big old silly dogs that spend most of their day zonked out on the lanai. Sheep would be pets first, lawn mowers second, never meat. Are sheep friendly, do they like people? I'm the sort that, given half a chance, would be kissing a sheep on the nose, so...? Any advice, suggestions, warnings, etc., will be appreciated. Aloha, Lin

quote:

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Originally posted by pslamont

Looking to get rid of a few sheep. These are too old for breeding, etc... but good lawnmowers. We have culled our herd to start breeding.

Aloha, Pam

I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says

"Oh Crap, She's up!"

---

use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without

[Cagary]

You might want to check this article out.

http://eveningrainfarm.com/2010/02/is-th...a-pasture/

[Rene Siracusa]

I have a ewe who is too old for breeding, but she would like some company. You can email me at renesiracusa@hotmail.com. I have nice pasture and housing, and I know how to trim hooves.

To the person who has tall tall grass: I think a goat would be better for your needs. Sheep are grazers - they eat low to the ground. Goats are browsers - they go for the taller plants, including prickly ones like sleeping grass, bougainvilla and roses.

[pslamont]

I believe the sheep I wanted to get rid of are spoken for, however it is not a done deal. Will know in a couple weeks. That said, Sheep are great for clearing a lot. I was amazed to find that they eat quite a bit of off ground vegetation. Mine love WaiWi and ohia and ferns, and will stand on their hind legs to get to the nice tender leaves. We hand cleared an area within our sheep pen and now the sheep keep new budding leaves and plants from coming up. They are a wonder.

As for the social issues... Sheep are dumb as doorknobs. This makes them nice pets though. Only an in-tact male is a problem. You wan females or neutered males . They will eat from your hand if you give them a treat (I don't use sheep pellets any more, just some wet cobb plus a mineral lick made for sheep). Mine all now come in from the field if they see me and/or hear a feed bucket with a little rattle in it. I pet them and talk to them. Sometimes it is fun to take a beach chair and a bucket of food into the pasture. They surround me and have a grand old time.

For shelter, I see no reason not to have a cement floor. I put straw down on our floor. They poop in it and I put down some more straw. This actually makes a nice warm bed for them. I clear it out a few times a year.

You can always contact me at pslamont@yahoo.com.

Aloha!

I want to be the kind of woman that, when my feet
hit the floor each morning, the devil says

"Oh Crap, She's up!"