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Do you know sheep and goats are not only easier to raise but economical as well? That’s the reason why livestock keepers prefer raising goats and sheep over other animals.
However, it is said that sheep and goats can not be raised together. So, it can either be goats or sheep. If you plan to keep both, they need to be confined to separate places.
Have you ever tried figuring out if cows and buffalos can live together why can’t sheep and goats? Well, there are some reasons.
Why Exactly Do Farmers Separate Sheep from Goats?
The farmers separate the sheep and goats mainly because
- Sheep and goats together create a big mess
- Sheep and goats are two different creatures
- Sheep can transmit diseases
- Sheep can not eat goat feed
- Their requirements are different
- Goats are stubborn
- They can not be bred successfully
- Sheep are grazers and goats are browsers
Sheep and goats together create a big mess
The one reason why livestock farmers prefer not to keep sheep and goats together is that they create a mess.
Frankly, it is not just sheep and goats if you try to mix any two different animals, there would be a mess.
To avoid the mess, livestock farmers either choose one to raise or prefer confining them to separate places.
Sheep and goats are two different creatures
Sheep and goats belong to the same family, have the same size, and more or less the same structure.
However, still, these two are different from each other. The livestock keepers try raising the sheep and goats separately to not be a jack of all trades.
Sheep can transmit diseases
Sheep and goats are tried to be kept separately to limit the transmission of disease. As per the legitimate reports, sheep can transmit many diseases.
However, the goats can get sharpies from sheep. Sharpie is a degenerative, fatal disease that affects the nervous system directly.
The livestock keepers raise sheep and goats separately to protect goats from fatal degenerative diseases.
Sheep can not eat goat feed
Even though the sheep and goat belong to the same family and are both herbivores, they can not eat the same feed.
The goat feed contains a good amount of copper that sheep can not digest in noticeable quantities.
When these two members of the Bovidae family are kept together, it’s hard to keep them from eating each other’s food.
To prevent them from eating each other’s food, sheep and goats are preferred to raise separately.
Their requirements are different
It’s just not the food, these two members of the Bovidae family require different environments to live in.
It’s hard to build a space that is suitable for both animals, the livestock finds raising them separately more feasible.
Goats are stubborn
Sheep are categorized as “gentle” farm animals however the goats are a bit stubborn. They misbehave quite often due to rebelliousness.
The sheep rarely misbehave, they hardly fight or defend themselves in a fight. To not continuously worry about goats fighting sheep, they are raised separately. Sheep cry baa often while staying with goats.
They can not be bred successfully
Various domestic animals can be bred to produce a hardy animal having the characteristics of both.
If these two members of the Bovidae family meet and pregnancy occurs, it would never be carried to term. That’s another major reason why sheep and goats are never raised together.
Sheep are grazers and goats are browsers
All animals that are grazers need to graze and browsers need to browse to live a healthy balanced life.
If you keep sheep, there needs to be grasses and weeds to graze and if you choose to raise goats there should be baby trees and bushes to browse.
It’s hard to grow sufficient grasses, weeds, bushes, and trees altogether. Since their demands are different, these animals can not be raised together. Sheep need fewer acres to raise as compared to goats.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can sheep and goats live together and eat the same?
No, sheep and goats can not live together for several legitimate reasons. No, they can eat the same food.
Their nutritional requirements are more or less the same except for the fact goats need more copper than sheep.
Goat feed needs to be rich in copper however the case should not eat copper much. That’s one reason why these members of the Bovidae family can neither live together nor eat the same food.
Is raising sheep and goats together profitable?
No, raising sheep and goats separately is profitable. Raising them together would be similar to inviting trouble. These members of the Bovidae family carry the same parasites, raising them together would just be a mess.
Can you mix sheep and goats?
No, the sheep and goats can not be mixed. They can not eat each other’s food and carry the same parasites. That’s why mixing these two members of the Bovidae family is just a terrible idea.
