# Feeding Hair Sheep and Goats



## russellsmom (Nov 13, 2002)

I would really like to get some sheep to run with the goats I already have. I am considering Katahdins who sound like they'd be a good fit for me. What concerns me is feeding them. Right now the goats are on a blend of oats, cracked corn, soybean meal, with dried molasses. I had been feeding them Purina Goat chow, but this custom blended mix that I can make myself is so much cheaper. THey are getting Purina Goat mineral mix that they seem to really like. 
THis is where I am just not sure what to do with the sheep. Is there a mineral mix that both sheep and goats can use? I've heard hair sheep may be a bit more tolerant of copper, is this true? 

Niki


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## Ross (May 9, 2002)

I don't know that hair sheep are any less suseptable to copper toxicity than any other breed, it's not been a claim I've heard. I have heard of goats getting sheep mineral and doing OK, still it is not going to have the copper thay may need. Your feed mix sounds fine for sheep, the goat chow might not be. Hopefully someone with Katahdins will weigh in on the copper topic and I'd ask the goat folk if any keep them on sheep mineral as you hope to. (Perhaps you already have a post there I've been too busy to check!)


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2004)

Have had Katadins for 20 years. Most of the time they had beef cattle mineral. No copper problems. Understand copper may be a problem if animals under stress. Feed should be fine for both. Katahdins will be much easier to care for than goats.


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## Guest (Apr 14, 2004)

I would be careful of the cattle minerals and giving them to Katahdins. We only give ours sheep minerals - they are still sheep no matter if they have wool or hair. And, I guess it would depend on whats in the goat feed - don't know much about goats. Otherwise, we feed ours alfalfa/grass mix hay and grain. In the summer they are on pasture. If you have further questions, just email me and I would be glad to help you out. [email protected]


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## okiemom (May 12, 2002)

my 2 cents,

i ran both sheep and goats together and gave them sheep and goat feed and found that it was fine for sheep but not enough for the goats. I will admit things got crowded though w/ the babies in mid winter (not by my planing) arriving so worms became a problem. Stress could have been a bigger factor than the minerals or lack of minerals could have contributed to the worms and teh pneumonia. Vacc. for pasturella is a good thing, I learned this the hard way.


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