Hi all. I want to know if sheep would make good lawnmowers for gardens. I originally asked the question with goats (see Goats as lawnmowers) and everyone said it would be a really *bad* idea. So, how about sheep? The grand plan is that a group of neighbours invest in one or two sheep, a portable electric fence and some form of portable shelter and water container. Anyone see any flaws? Would we need more than one sheep - do they get lonely? If a pair should we get one ram + one sheep or 2 sheep? What do they eat as supplement to grass in winter? All thoughts welcome. Thanks in advance.

Damian

-- Damian Martin (damianmartin@post.com), February 22, 2001

Answers

One summer I made a deal with a Kathadin (hair) sheep raiser to where he brought by four lambs (two of each sex) for me to raise for the summer as lawnmowers. They would be sold at the end of summer with our splitting proceeds. Did really well inside the chainlink fencing. Ate a minimal amount of feed. Didn't provide any shelter. They seemed to prefer piling up under the steps going up the porch. Rather spooked some visitors. However, I have no yard plants or flower beds and I rather think they would really, really like a vegetable garden, much to your dismay.

-- Ken S. in WC TN (scharabo@aol.com), February 22, 2001.

Sheep do get lonely. You would have to have more than one. I would not get a ram. The cheapest way would be get weathers(castrated males). You mentioned "for a garden", if you are talking a vegetable garden, I would not use sheep. You wont have a garden left. If you're looking to weed a vegetable garden why not get geese or even some breed of ducks, like Campbells, that are good foragers.

-- David in NH (grayfoxfarm@mcttelecom.com), February 22, 2001.

Well, there are two sides to this: 1) sheep are great lawnmowers and it would be great to buy market lamb in spring, raise it mowing grass through the growing season and butcher it in fall avoiding winter feed. 2) good fences are required to keep the sheep where you want them (and out of where you don't want them!). They will eat almost everything that grows in a garden including your vegetables, bulb greens, tree bark (especially fruit trees) and the same from your neighbors' gardens.

We use sheep on tethers with limited success for lawnmowing and to conserve our pastures. They have to be well anchored, free spinning on both ends to avoid getting wound, clear of ALL obstacles to avoid tangles, and the water has to be exactly at the end of the reach where the sheep cant walk around it and dump it with the chain. Basically, if anything can go wrong, it will.

-- David C (fleece@eritter.net), February 22, 2001.