SMALL STOCK
From page 46
A big difference between
sheep and goats is their
foraging behaviour and diet
selection. Goats are natural
browsers, preferring to eat
leaves, twigs, vines, and
shrubs. They are very agile
and will stand on their hind
legs to reach vegetation. This
agility sometimes gets them
into amazing positions. Goats
like to eat the tops of plants.
Sheep are grazers, preferring
to eat short, tender grasses
and clover. Their dietary
preference is forbs (broadleaf
weeds) and they like to graze
close to the soil surface. Goats
require and select a more
nutritious diet.
Sheep and goats have similar
nutrient requirements, though
goats have higher maintenance requirements because
they are not able to digest the
cellulose of plant cell walls as
well as sheep. Lambs tend to
grow much faster than kids,
no matter what the diet is.
Sheep convert feed more
efficiently.
Grain-feeding is less likely to
be profitable in goat (meat)
production.
With the exception of a few
breeds, sheep and goats
fatten differently. Goats
deposit fat around their
internal organs before
depositing external fat over
their back,
ribs, and
loin. Sheep
deposit
external fat
before
depositing
internal fat.
Sheep have a
narrow
tolerance for
excess
copper in
their diet,
though toxic
levels
depend
upon the
level of other minerals in their
diets. Breeds also vary in their
sensitivity to copper toxicity.
For this reason, it is generally
recommended that sheep not
be fed grain and mineral
mixes that have been
formulated for other livestock
(including goats), as these
feeds likely have copper
added to them.
Continued on page 49
Billygoats (males) have beards, rams do not
Goats have straight horns, sheep do not
48
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