# How noisy are sheep



## brew516 (Jan 25, 2011)

I am thinking about getting a few sheep to raise for meat. My question is how noisy are they? I am not technically allowed to have any livestock where i live. I have had complaints about roosters before so I'm wondering how loud they are?


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## hastyreply (Nov 10, 2012)

Sheep can be pretty noisy when they see the feed bucket or expect you with it. Having said that some of my sheep are noisier than others. I have one old ewe who could wake the dead if she wanted to.


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## baileysclublamb (Nov 17, 2013)

It depends on the individual sheep. We have a few that are extremely loud, while others are fairly quiet. In my experience, Southdowns are very laid back and not very loud


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

My Jacobs were super loud, always talking... they would of put a Fog horn to shame.
Brecknock Hills were pretty quiet, as were the Black Welsh Mountains.
The babydoll Southdowns, some were quiet, others liked to talk but more in a low rumble.

The Katahdin's I have now, do not talk a lot but when they do, is a nice low mellow sound. Same with the Finn ewe lamb.

Really does depend on the sheep.


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## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

My Jacobs were only loud during lambing and a fight between the matriarch and a yearling...they kept calling to us to intervene! 

Now I've got one lamb ewe who is always complaining, then Polly who only complains when she thinks its time to eat or get milked. Otherwise pretty quite. 

As others said, it depends much on the individual sheep. They all have personalites: they are not "sheeple."


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## farmerDale (Jan 8, 2011)

For us, when the sheep we have are well fed and well looked after, they scarcely make a sound. But if they are hungry and see you coming, they make it known! So keep 'em fed and watered, and they, depending on the breed, will be fairly or almost completely silent.


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## dlskidmore (Apr 18, 2012)

Mine are pretty quiet, but it only takes one bleat and one nosy neighbor to bring trouble.


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## birchtreefarm (Jul 22, 2007)

They aren't totally silent and depending on the individual, they can range from low guttural baas to paint-peeling yells. 

I would advise that you not get them. You will be found out eventually. Maybe you could find someone who could supply the appropriately zoned facility and would keep them for you in return for a lamb for their freezer, or something like that.


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## DragonFlyFarm (Oct 12, 2012)

My Jacobs can also be quite loud. They are well fed, well watered, well cared for critters. Morning and evening, yelling for breakfast/dinner....even though there is field to graze and hay left from the previous meal, they want the fresh stuff. One hollers and comes running for scratches. If they see you working in the garden, than it's yelling for treats....


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## Twobottom (Sep 29, 2013)

I've got icelandics and they are super quiet. The only time they bleat is in the morning when I let them out and if they hear me in the grain bin.


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## simi-steading (Sep 27, 2012)

brew516 said:


> I am not technically allowed to have any livestock where i live.


Then I'd say it's in your best interest to not get any livestock then... Would you like your neighbors that broke the rules and it became an annoyance to you?

Not to mention what fines could cost you...


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## speakmanfamily (Aug 12, 2011)

In my experience, in the summer, when sheep don't rely on you for food, they're generally pretty quiet. Maybe the odd one or two will greet you when you go into their pen, but nothing major.

In the winter though, our sheep are NOISY. If the sheep see us across the yard, they will start bleeting nonstop. 

But really, it does depend on your sheep too. We have one sheep who has a baa louder then everyone elses, and i can pick it up from anywhere in the yard


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## Ozarks Tom (May 27, 2011)

I've yet to hear a sound out of our Barbados Black Bellies.


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

My Katahdins are quiet most of the time, and even when there is the rare vocalization, it's not at all loud. Sort of a low "blaaaat!" sound.


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## kesoaps (Dec 18, 2004)

Haha...
Hahahaha...

My sheep were NOISY! Icelandics, Romneys, East Friesians...NOISY!

They taxed us. As in..."We see you, you now owe us food" sort of tax. There was the driveway tax (you drove in the driveway and we saw you), the mailbox tax (don't think you can walk past us without feeding us) and the just got out of bed tax (Hey, you! I can see in the window, you know! Feed us!)

Yeah...sheep are quiet critters. You'll have no problem (bwaaaaaahaaahaaa!!!!)


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## Pony (Jan 6, 2003)

Kesoaps, I'm laughing so hard, the tears are pouring down my face! I'm sorry you had such a hard time with your sheep, but the taxes! LOL!!!!


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## baileysclublamb (Nov 17, 2013)

yes, we have 2 romneys we keep to breed to our babydoll southdown ram( that's the cutest cross EVER!!!) and they are the noisiest sheep we have!!!


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## gimpy (Sep 18, 2007)

Soay are rather quiet. My Light Brahma chickens were not. Notice the change in tenses there.

correction, it was only the roosters that were the problem.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

Mine only make noise if they see me, so I wear a lot of camo now....LOL


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## ErikaMay (Feb 28, 2013)

Mine have been chasing me around since i switched to grass hay from alfalfa hay and then the snow started falling. One in particular has been following me around screaming. When she was a little bottle baby I'd keep her with the sheep most the day and she would *cry* for me. "Ma! MA!! MAAAAA~~!!!!!!" People thought there was a little human child screaming for their mother. lol. She still has some pipes on her.


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