I am a city girl and at the fair I was always fascinated with the ladies who sat with their spinning wheels. The magic of the motion and making something from seemingly nothing…I had to try it!

I wanted to learn everything, from the poop up, started with a ewe lamb, a black one…go figure….and the learning began….Sheep, males are called rams, neutered males wethers, females ewes, anything under 12-18 months is a lamb. Goats, males are bucks, neutered males are also called wethers, females are does, and the young are kids.

Sex- every morning…and through out the day….males of both species say hello to the ladies in the herd. The male paws at the female’s shoulder gently and nibbles at the neck. The female responds by squatting and peeing. He then sniffs…..lifts his head and curls up the upper lip. He then rests his chin on her rump…if she walks away…he goes onto to the next lady. If she stands still he mounts and breeds her…a very quick 3-4 thrust event….this is repeated through out the day…this is called a standing heat for obvious reasons. For penis size and length I would suggest “ram penis" on google.
Both sheep and goat penises are about 6-8 inches long and about the diameter of a man’s finger. The head flares a bit…insemination needs to occur internally in the cervix. Artificial insemination has to be done surgically through the abdomen. Most ewes’ go into season later part of Nov/Dec thru March/April, gestation is 5 months.

Sheep have a duel purpose…wool and meat production. Most sheep are sheared once a year….fleece length is anywhere from 1-1/2 inches to 8 inches. For lambing the ewe is crotched , the fleece is trimmed from the tail down, and the inside of the legs…Sheep eat/graze continuously all day….so they poop all day too….I had a small flock and had lambs and kids every year. There were times that I had to assist deliveries. That involves washing the personal area of the sheep with soap and water. Using a glove and lubrication ( I used KY jelly ) I have had my arm inside a ewe up to my mid forearm converting a lambs position. Goats are much smaller and I was thankful that my does never needed help delivering.

Sexual contact – having raised these animals I wonder that any one could. Having them comply to achieve other tasks such as shearing, worming, hoof trimming, or shots always was labor intensive. Female goats are too small, in my opinion, to consider having sexual contact with a human male. Bucks are very smelly during breeding season, they pee and ejaculate on their faces. It is a very heavy musk odor. Ewes, a full grown one, a year or over would probably be of a size to accommodate a human male. Preparation would include the instructions above given for assisting at birth. Rams do not use the same style perfume as the bucks. They can be very aggressive, especially during breeding season. Interaction would be risky.

Fence jumping- This is a term that refers to persons who use another’s animal without consent. This at the very least is trespassing. There was a case in our area of a man who helped himself to a farmer’s goat. He injured her and the vet had to do stitches inside. The farmer got a restraining order against him…and the guy returned. The farmer shot him in both knees with a shotgun. The story hit the papers when the man hit the local ER.
Along with personal injury, one also exposes one self to disease, not knowing the health and care of the animal in question. Salmonellosis, anthrax, tuberculosis ( but usually no species cross contamination), listeriosis, coccidiosis, toxoplasmosis and tapeworms are few of them. There are also external parasites, ticks on sheep and lice on goats. These do not live on humans but may cause a bother till they fall off. Sheep and goats need to be wormed and immunized for good health. The how and when can be read elsewhere or contact a large animal vet. As a note…goats are VERY noisy…when scared, hurt, or just hungry. I saw in another thread a question about scaring a sheep to death. There are stories that state that sheep, chased by dogs, will drop dead of fright so I guess it is possible. When sheep are in pain or discomfort, they grind their teeth.

Lesson one - Sheep and goats are herd animals, they are happier with at least one of their own kind. My original lamb did however make do with the dog, a shepherd, at first. The back door was open one day and the lamb chased the dog into the house…and was standing in the kitchen….baaing….

Lesson two - Sheep are primarily grazers and secondarily browsers, goats are the other way around…Grazing is eating grass and browsing is eating bushes and small trees…. Nothing is immune; anything you do not want nibbled on needs to be fenced. And if the book says it is poisonous, remember…they don’t read. Rhododendrons, daffodils, rhubarb, tansy, English ivy (too much of it) are some of the ones that pop to mind.

Lesson three- Sheep stay on the ground, goats climb. Goats will play king of the mountain…your car looks like a mountain…. After a rain I noticed little muddy goat prints….all over the car. Put the car away after that….I was distracted when bringing in the groceries and left the hatch open in the wagon…one of the goats pulled out the big plastic bag of potatoes out (however was sharing with the sheep) another was eating the bag of flour inside…

Lesson four- Sheep and goats like treats and will almost kill for grain….and too much grain will kill them….I taught my herd to come when I called…baaing and shaking a coffee can of grain. This comes in real handy when the kids (my sons) leave the gate open. I also learned that they will come to love and eat other things. PB and J sandwiches (handy ‘cause you can hide the worm medicine in it) cereal, rice, beans, apples, plums, and other sorts of people fruits and veggies. Dietary changes need to be done slowly, to allow the bacteria in the gut to change.

Lesson Five – Sheep and Goats are not stupid. Their habits that make them appear that way, are defense mechanisms. When frightened, they run first and ask questions later. I had a goat that learned how to climb stairs, so he could get to the grain in the barn. One of my sheep learned that when my car started the automatic gate would open soon there after. She would wait behind the car….and wait for the gate to open. She would then dart into the front yard and wait. I would go get a can of grain and baaaaa, she would return to the yard and get her treat. After the third time, I realized that it was not an accident. She was training me! The next time…I got out and chased her back into the yard….yelling and waving my arms…and no grain. :angry:




If you have any questions about the care of sheep and goats….you may pm me through the forum message system or post them here. I do not have any sexual experience with sheep and goats, they were sort of very hairy pets.

This post has been edited by ms deelight on Dec 28 2005, 05:03 AM

All I can say is Wow!!! Very informative, and a very interesting read, Thank you very much ms deelight :wub:

:w00t:

I was fortunate enuff to get a pre-post advanced read -thanX a MILLION again MsDee :wub:

pinned!

Very good. you should not forget liver flukes and in my experiance i think more hygene and enviromnet care should be added.

Just my thoughts on a very good presentation.

Liver Fluke This can be a very harmful parasitic infection. The flukes require water and warm weather to complete their life cycle. Water > enter snails > leave snails> stick to grass > eaten by sheep > migrate to liver > reek havoc > go back to water > do it all over again >. My book further stated that there is another type that uses a non-aquatic snail and ants…One can wonder at the beauty and complexity of mother nature….

Liver Flukes are not an issue where I live…and are not a transmittable to humans disease…The diseases I included were just the ones that could be transmitted and be harmful to humans. One cannot forget the importance of remembering (and doing it) of washing your hands well after being in the great outdoors

Pasture care, rotational grazing, are long term management issues….and very important. I will leave that info to be found in books and the net....

Which reminds me….I learned a lot…from books and a news letter ….the net did not exist in my hey day of sheep and goat raising…

My favorite books were Raising Sheep the Modern Way by Paula Simmons , and Keeping Livestock Healthy by N.Bruce Haynes D.V.M. . The newsletter is called simply Sheep !
Both books are still available and can be found on Amazon.com .

Well done Ms-d!! A very good article and very informative. I grew up on a farm and we had one goat as a pet...and she was sneaky. If she was in the right frame of mind, your derrier was a nice target when you would turn your back. hehehe.

Thanks for posting this Ms-d...if I could vote for you I'd give you a huge ol' 10! Since I can't my simple Thank You will have to do. *kisses* :clapping:

thank you very much Msdee

Great info for folks whom might be getting a sheep or goet as a bio lawn mower
if only all mine were pets :P
i only have about 100 ewes and now 185 lambs

Thank you ms dee for your very good information and your effort to present it to us :)

very good, I learnt alote by living with them, I may add watch your fences, when startled they will run full bor into them if scared enough! use a very bright and blatently obvious color that stands out, we used Ultra bright yello with UV pink stripes, never had a prob witht he animals, the naibours on the other hand.

And goats can take it analy very easily, you just have to take it very slow and ensure they are relaxed, if you do it right they'll want that first then the grain hehe, had the plessure of plessuring a fiew fem goats in that past that way. just have to move at their pace.

and I am very happy to here such a rapist got his knees shot out, he more then deserved it, its hard to cuase injury, you have to be pretty selfish and blatently arrogant to do such ahorrid thing (Why does that remind me of some one named Ee? lover, I wonder ;) )

and as she said, once they discover a way out, you are doomed till you fix it entirely, they are very bright runts, and ya got to be quick, and will eat ANY thing, things you thought not even possible!

This post has been edited by Allan on Dec 30 2005, 05:47 PM

Well-done, Ms Deelight...informative and detailled enough for folk to find useful...

'course, I was always taught not to play with strangers, so I found the section on fence-hopping interesting...trespass is a much bigger issue in some states than others and in most countries, some protection of private property is allowed...in fact...in some places it's imperative...fortunes are sometimes measured in flocks...and dowries paid in herds....the search for protein in the unrestful parts of the world alone will dictate that, if you don't watch over it, someone or something will eat it...and there you are with no income and no breakfast either...so of course people will do what's needful to protect them... If that rustler was only knee-capped, he's fortunate... :blink:

Thanks a bunch Ms. Dee!!

Great info! I just never had the time to read this before!! Thank You!


ManDingo

Thanks for the info. Very helpful. Never realized they could be so much work. The little Billy we has played and ate grass and hay. Yes he did love to snatch the grain from the cows..

Very informative, Ms deelight. Don't think I would want exposure to some of those transmitted little critters you described. :angry: Thank you for your information. Lonnie69125

Very helpful and useful stuff there MsDee, I commend you on your research and love the eloquence in the way you write, Bravozulu...

I can certainly vouch for the fact that Sheep are not stupid. I have a couple of pet Ewes myself and they are as affectionate and full of character as any more conventional domestic pet. They come running for cuddles and scritches and if you stop before they have had enough they will tap you with a Hoof to ask for more!

I think they have an undeserved reputation for being silly because most people see Sheep that are not used to human contact and who live in Herds... they are a Prey animal and their primary method of defence is to run away. For this reason Sheep should never be forcibly restrained, if they are not able to run away they become terrified. It takes time to gain their trust and you should always meet them in a place where they are free to walk away if they feel stressed.

It is very Rewarding to gain their trust and a real Privilege if they actually allow you to cuddle them (they could construe that as being held, so for them to allow that means that they fully trust you).

My two are an absolute Delight and lovely Pets, unfortunately these two do not seem interested in sex, allowing only an occasional brief intimate touch at times. Such things should NEVER be forced.

Many Years ago I had a lovely Ewe who definitely saw me as the Ram on estrus days, she would follow me Bleating into the barn and then allow me to give her Oral & lots of Fingering until she became very slippery & wet, whereupon I could use her Juices to jube myself up & enjoy some absolutely stunning Sex, on estrus days she would often require this several times a Day! *sigh* happy memories :).

her Juices were also delightfully Smelly, I loved to cover myself in them and get very Smelly myself and stay like that all day... I LOVE smelly Animals and I LOVE to be Smelly like an Animal myself... my biggest Fantasy is to orally pleasure a big, randy and very very Smelly Billy goat!... one day... *drool* *drool* :D