Does anyone have Ouessant sheep?

[Kitsmummy]

Tentatively looking into this...to keep 3 as pets.

Space would be approx 1/5 of an acre.
Looking to know if that's enough space, and the amount of work/requirements needed.

Ps I know that's a v small field but Ouessant sheep are the smallest breed and require v little space compared to regular sheep.

Thanks!

they are lovely, however - as someone who knows nothing about this - that does not seem like nearly enough space?

gorgeous though!

I don’t think that’s anywhere near enough space for sheep, regardless of size.

Don’t ask on Mumsnet, ask on a small holding or sheep breeding group where there will be more people with experience.

Ok a moment’s googling will get you the Ouessant sheep society guidelines which say you need a third of an acre and possibly half.

Have you ever kept any livestock? Does the land have a holding number? Does that space include any kind of field shelter? Do you have a source for the animals?

Are you in the UK? Why wouldn't you consider getting a British rare breed as some kf ours are in critically low numbers. Do you know anything about their temperament and behaviour, can you shear, trim feet and call the knacker when the time vomes?

Yep. 1/5th of an acre is nowhere near enough.

I’ve looked after these sheep as part of my business - there were four of them and they had a large two acre field to graze in that they shared with free-ranging chickens.

They were very sweet but nervous of new people and not a fan of being handled all that much.

I've just read a book about someone keeping these in France (Note - this does not make me an expert!) but it seemed that these sheep are total escape artists and a wonderfully primitive breed which might make pretty resistant to pet like behaviour.

Don’t even think about it. I don’t keep sheep, though do raise other livestock, but no 1/5 of an acre is like a garden. You could not really keep one sheep on that, let alone 3.

Sheep, most livestock, really need to rotate around fields ideally, so that the field can rest and recover from the constant grazing. You will need much more land than that, for the grazing, but also for movement. They aren’t built to be kept in a little pen. They need space to walk and forage.

Never mind all the veterinary issues you’ll need to be knowledgeable enough to deal with and the whole never being able to go on holiday because no one to take care of the animals (we haven’t had a family holiday with all of us, no one staying behind to look after the animals since 2021!). You’ll be feeding and hosing out water troughs on Christmas morning and no doubt that will be the day someone chooses to bust their hoof on something and you miss half the day with your kids waiting for the vet and poulticing it (I can personally attest to this, looking at you Christmas 2023).

Raising animals can be fun and rewarding when you have the land and the experience, but no. If you have a patch of grass you need chopped, offer the field up to a local farmer to graze for free or get someone in to flail it for you and get the grass more manageable.

Ok, I appreciate all the responses, I wasn't hopeful of getting any!

So not enough room is the main problem. Ah well.

Ps totally as an aside (and no, we will not be getting any sheep as not enough field), but has anyone else seen Babydoll sheep? I went down a rabbit hole of miniature sheep and oh my god the cuteness!!

Sheep may look cute, but really they are swines! They also need dipping, foot trimming and lambs need tails docking. They can be frustratingly stubborn, and head butting can really hurt (even more so if they have horns!) I worked on a farm one summer, and I swear my buttocks have never recovered from the head butting ram! 🐏

Are they like the Valais Blacknose... they are cute as a button!

On another note, why not keep chickens? Some beautiful breeds out there, can be 'pets', 1/5 acre is plenty enough for them, and you get fresh eggs to eat!

@flatwhiteinabucket two words...Rats and Phobia!

Babydoll sheep 😍

DH & I are sheep farmers.
Nowhere near enough land I'm afraid.

3 is the absolute minimum but sheep are herd animals and are much happier in a flock - minimum of 6.

Ah. Maybe not then😊

Have a pic of cute sheep to brighten your day x

Also videos of said sheep sheep:
www.instagram.com/p/DGeFPB0yDMP/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Oh dear OP.

They may look cute but they're a wild animal really.

Have you thought about volunteering at a pet rescue centre? Or helping out at a farm?