Sheep and Goats: What they can do for you!

[@mkennedy151]

Great video!! Learned a lot!!

[@Keldoh3ad]

Thank you for this video, helped me immensely in my farm animal class

[@kenayeyo5696]

I enjoyed reading this documentary!

[@paulorientetheluffaranch]

Great video! Thanks so much. I picked up some good tips.

[@goatvetoz]

Thanks- excellent video on the basics for new entrants. Great advice about only buying healthy animals to start a herd. It is much easier to ensure you don't introduce chronic diseases that have carriers like CAE (OPP in sheep), CL and Johne's disease than to eradicate them. Lice and footrot as well

[@henryrights8428]

thanks for the informative presentation =]

[@goatvetoz]

Goats are wildly used for weed control in Australia. Australia also has a Cooperative Research Centre on pest animals, that is doing excellent work on predator control. They have their own Utube channel

[@SLFYSH]

Thank you for the information. Can you advise as to what that Utube channel is so that others can reach it?

[@idenandigustara5081]

I was very interested and wanted to have a farm like that

[@Jefferdaughter]

Don't wish to deminish the predator issues that Australian famers face, but Australia doesn't have 50 - 70 lb coyotes (found in the Eastern USA), wolves, bears, or mountain lions, does it? Or anything similar?

[@Nightowl5454]

Australia's main predators are feral dogs and dingos.

[@TheNorseAmerican]

There are a lot of predators in Australia, including the famous dingo

[@1mtstewart]

in a general sense, how many animal units is a cow= 1, 5 sheep = 1 cow, 8 goats = 1 cow? is that about right? transitioning out of cattle as the supply increases and going to meat and dairy goats initially. I see sheep joining in as the need for fiber becomes evident. thanks for the video

[@NCATATTRA]

+1mtstewart Yes, you are correct . It does depend on the mature size of your cattle, sheep, ,and goats. That conversion factor is for a 1000 pound cow, a 200 pound goat, and a 150 pound goat. If different, you have to adjust accordingly. If you are transitioning to goats, or any small ruminant, remember to build into your production plan a protocol for mitigating parasites while you graze pasture. They will have to be reckoned with. A good place to start is the ATTRA publication, Tools for Managing Parasites in Small Ruminants: Pasture Mangement attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary.php?pub=415 Thank you for your inquiry. We raise sheep in Montana. If I can be of any further help, please feel free to contact me. Yours, Dave Scott Livestock Specialist NCAT/ATTRA Program 406-533-6642

[@NCATATTRA]

+1mtstewart Sorry, I meant to say a 120 pound goat! Dave

[@1mtstewart]

+NCATATTRA If I am using an intensive rotational grazing plan with cattle and goats rotated through many paddocks, will the goats pick up the parasites if they don't get back to the same paddock for 80 or 90 days? I am not sure about the life cycle and vulnerability of the goats and/or sheep to the parasites.

[@downbntout]

Gotta remember goats are browsers, the cattle and sheep are grazers. The goats will prefer broadleaf shrubby species and they reach up to find food, not down

[@sfbluestar]

What breeds of sheep/goat does not have that lamb oder in their meat?

[@NCATATTRA]

The flavor of the meat isn't caused by the specific breed of animal. The sheep/goat flavor you sometimes taste is usually due to the age of the animal (older animals may have a stronger flavor) or because the animal was an uncastrated male. Flavor can also be impacted by what the animals eat (grain, grass-fed, etc.). If you have other questions please contact us at ATTRA. 1-800-346-9140.

[@coldironhands1]

should've called it 'sheep, goats, and what they can do for you'

[@eugenesteele8310]

can sheep and goats be treated for parasites without violating Organic standards

[@Big_Guwop713]

Eugene Steele yes there is natural de wormer. But should just build a parasite resistant flock (st. Croix breed is best for this !)

[@lindacoffey3190]

@@Big_Guwop713 and Eugene Steele, we have a publication about managing internal and external parasites for organic livestock: attra.ncat.org/product/tipsheet-organic-management-of-internal-and-external-livestock-parasites/ Short answer is, "no"--and so pasture management and animal selection are imperative.

[@downbntout]

The hoop shelter would be nibbled by the goats and would soon be de-tarped

[@lindacoffey3190]

I would have thought so, too, but the farmers had the same tarp for 5 years! Thanks for watching and commenting! Linda Coffey, NCAT Livestock Specialist

[@Jefferdaughter]

There is so much plastic in hoop buildings that their environmental impact can't be good. That said, it is difficult to find a more economical shelter for large groups of animals. Putting a hoop structure on a pony wall would keep the cover out of reach of the goats.