Here’s who gets along.
Are you interested in adding more animals to your herd or combining some animals to save time? We’ve got the details in today’s article on which animals can stick together, and which can’t. Want to see our ranch in action? We’d love to see you on our next agritour. The details can be found on our website.
Cattle and Sheep – This combination tends to get along pretty well. Both can graze from the same grass. Sheep cannot have access to any mineral blocks given to cattle and also need more restrictive fencing. Behavior-wise, cattle are more pushy. They will boss the sheep around and be the first to get the high-value food. Keep in mind when raising sheep and cattle in the same pasture that sheep tend to need more management than cattle, meaning you’ll have to check in on them more frequently to ensure everything is going smoothly.
Cattle and Goats – These two species get along too, and can even provide some benefits to each other (and to you). Goats will graze on some of the plants, particularly weeds and brush growth, that cows will skip over. The hardest part about keeping these two together is the fencing dilemma; goats are well-known to be escape artists. Keep this in mind when putting the two together.
Cattle and Chickens – Raising these animals together can prove beneficial, if you can manage their feed supplies. Chicken will need to be fed grain, which the cattle will go for too if you’re not feeding them separately. This might be acceptable for your operation, but if you plan to grass-finish your cattle, this could make things tricky. On the bright side, chickens are great at keeping the bug population down by eating pests out of the cattle’s manure. Want more information on raising cattle? Visit our blog for more helpful articles.
Combining animals can help you save time and money. Is this something you’ll be doing on your farm? Visit our website to learn more about our operation here at Dark Hammock Legacy Ranch.
