Goats, Sheep or Alpacas?

There is a guy that lives near me looks like he is in his 80s and raises alpacas.
I talked to him and he said he had goats, cattle and sheep in the past.

 

Never raised alpacas but I can say their wool is warm and heavy.

Goats...good milk production. Our Nubian doe produced a gallon or so per day, high milkfat content, makes good cheese. Kids are entertaining with their boundless energy. Yes, a well constructed fence is a prerequisite...but still not a guarantee that they will remain enclosed. Chevon isn't bad, either.

Sheep are Stupid...and a mature ram can be dangerous. Meat was ok (Suffolk) wool was so-so, milk was not a consideration.

Out of the three, I'm going to go with goats. Toggenberg-Nubian cross makes for good eating and grow fairly fast.

But for meat-only production, rabbits rule!

 

Guinea pigs

 

I can see raising sheep for lamb meat (Not mutton.. mutton is nasty, lamb.. ie under I think its a year old?. is pretty good if cooked properly)
But I freaking hate the critters.. there dumb as ****
Goats will eat everything in sight including parts of your car (ask me how I know.....) & could get out of fort Knox.
Alpacas.. no hands on with them but far as I know there more pleasant tempered than Lhamas (who spit & bite and stomp and can be pretty mean tempered)

 

You never met a Soay. They are smart as least as far as livestock go. Far smarter than a pig. Smarter than most dogs. Any ram can be dangerous. Part of that is how they are raised. If you handle them, pet them, make them feel comfortable with you, they will consider you part of the flock. The way they talk to each other is to ram each other. Never make a ram into a pet. It makes it harder to catch and handles them when you need to, but far safer for you in the pasture

Regarding milk production you can use sheep, you just need a dairy sheep. Friesian are known for phenomenal milk production and have large enough teats for easy hand milking. I've never raised or eaten any so can't comment on temperament or taste

 

Depends on the sheep. Woolies, yes. Hair sheep, no, and primitive sheep, no not at all. That's why I got Soay, the mutton is great, tastes pretty much like elk. Jacobs is another primitive breed but for my climate Soay was a better match

 

"They are smart as least as far as livestock go. Far smarter than a pig. Smarter than most dogs. Any ram can be dangerous."

same can be said of men, dogs and elephants

sorry back to thread

 

Llamas will treat you as you treat them.
Different than most animals we us for "domestic".
They have a very fine/fragile face/bone structure and should never be hit on any surface of their face.

Watch how the treat each other and decide how you want to be treated.

They spit as away to determine pecking order.
Stomp? Never had a problem with that except if another animal threatened them or the young.
They are the only animals I know of that will run a canine off the place or kill it. Coyotes only try once and then you find them dead or their scat on the other side of your fences in a line with your fence as a warning to other the coyotes.

In short if they understand that you are the herd master then they will come around, still they may test you but usually in front of another herd animal as a way to prove pecking order.
My way to stop this action was to always be aware and avoid the spit and then to quickly tap the side of their delicate face with open fingers. Much the way they will nuzzle each other. And then tell them NO.

 

How tall is your fence for the goats?

I read that sheep are not good milk producers and that they are more work milking vs. what you get.

 

That was obviously written by someone unfamiliar with the fact that Dairy sheep exist. Whoever wrote what you read would be like saying dogs aren't good at guarding livestock because coyotes can easily eat chihuahuas. There are many breeds of virtually all species of livestock and they each have niches. I don't have dairy sheep because I knew I wouldn't have the time to devote to it, but there's plenty of information out there.
A quick search on Friesian Sheep
Sheep 201: Dairy sheep basics