# Can I have sheep in an orchard/pasture?



## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

I want to know if I can plant apple and plum and other fruit trees in an orchard area and have the sheep graze in it as their pasture? I want to make double use of the space, not have to mechanically mow it, naturally fertilize it, and from what I understand sheep are grazers not browsers. The young trees would have a couple of years to grow before the sheep were added to the area. 

Here in No Cal we have a famous winery that grazes a flock of sheep in their vineyard surrounding the winery. So I thought it's okay, but my GF in PA says no way can I have sheep in an orchard. That they will kill everything.

Please advise me before I make a mistake!

TIA!


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## sheeplady (Oct 31, 2003)

I think it would be okay, but put up chicken wire or some other barriers around the tree trunks as they will chew on the bark and rub against the trees which could break them as well. And if you are using any chemicals on the trees. that would be detrimental to the sheep as the chemicals will end up in the grass as well.


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## sewtlm (Mar 22, 2006)

My answer is NO!!! not without fencing around every tree about a minimum 6ft circle.

My daughters sheep ate the bark off of all my mature trees (5 apple, 1 peach and 2 cherry) killing every one of them. They even reached up 6 feet to strip the bark and fruit from the lower branches, they used the wire as steps to do the reaching.

This made them pretty expensive 4-H market lambs.


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## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

I agree with sewtlm! Our sheep peeled bark even when they had plenty of other feed to eat. Very destructive!

Jean


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## perridox (Jun 1, 2006)

We put our sheep in an orchard for part of the summer. They eat the leaves on the lower branches but don't bother the bark or the apples. Our trees are older and can handle a little browsing. I don't think saplings could take the browsing, especially as the sheep go up on their hind legs and get as much greenery as they can reach. (They LOVE apple leaves!)

If we left them in the orchard in the winter, they might well eat sopme bark. I don't think you could keep them in the orchard year round.

Our sheep (Icelandics) like brush and leaves at least as much as grass. They do keep the weeds under the apple trees down really well.

Good luck!


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## Meg Z (Jun 8, 2004)

It's not just the 'primitive ' breeds that will browse. My flock is mixed, with Romney, Border Leicester, Cotswold, Corriedale, Icelandic...and all but one will go directly to the nearest tree or bush, over whatever is growing out of the ground.

None of them read those books that says they're grazers instead of browsers!

Not to mention that the plum/cherry family is a danger anyway. Wilted leaves are toxic, and apparently quite yummy.


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## perridox (Jun 1, 2006)

Hi Meg,

Yikes! I knew that choke cherry trees were deadly but didn't realize that plum trees were the same kind of thing. We have three plum trees in our orchard... never had any trouble. But then we only put the sheep in mid-summer when the weeds are high. Maybe we'll fence those trees off.


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

My sheep seem to go for any branches they can reach, even standing on their back legs... no matter how much yummy pasture on the ground. 
They don't bother the bark.

If the orchard has been around for a while, you should definitely test the soil for the copper levels. The chemicals that were used in the past contain high levels of copper that will kill your sheep.


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## perridox (Jun 1, 2006)

Double yikes! How long ago did they use copper on apple trees? Our trees are about 25 years old! 

Perri


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## eieiomom (Jun 22, 2005)

Perri,

Don't know for sure. I know someone who runs an orchard and had a large loss of sheep due to copper toxicity. They were told to test their soils as a first step because of that.
It ended up being first the commercial pellets they were using, also due to hay they had bought from a farmer who had fertilized their fields with too much cow manure and had toxic levels of copper in the hay that was grown in that field.

Deb


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Thanks for all your replies. I will move the orchard plans to another part of the property. We are buying a new place and next Spring we are planting the small orchard. The 5 sheep were to follow in a few years. So will lay out their pasture area away from the orchard. Have to draw out the gardens and stuff on paper to make sure we set things up right the first time.


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## GrannyCarol (Mar 23, 2005)

One thing I am having good luck with is running my ducks in my very small orchard! They will eat the lower leaves, but are keeping the grass down around the trees (dwarf and semi dwarf trees, a bit hard to mow under) and eating the shoots that are coming up from the roots. The trees shade the ducks and give a bit of browse, but the ducks can't really harm the trees. We planted the trees years ago and they have never been sprayed, so I'm not concerned about that problem. I'm hoping the ducks will help to keep bugs off the trees - we're trying this for the first time this summer.


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## wstevenl (Mar 26, 2008)

I've read articles about grazing pigs in apple orchards.


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## ShastaFriesians (May 27, 2008)

Leslie: Great to hear you are going to plant an orchyard. I am familiar with the sheep experiment in the vineyards here in California: you can go to the website of the University of California at Davis and research this experiment: the sheep have been conditioned to reject grapes and grape leaves with repellant, other wise they will strip and eat the leaves, fruits, and canes. With young fruit trees, they will stand on their hind legs astride the tree trucks and bend them to strip the leaves, fruits, and branches. I would recommend using feeder geese, four per acre, to keep the groundcover, weeds, grass, and bugs down.


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