Sheep and domestic birds
Sheep should have no trouble sharing an outdoor space with birds such as chickens, turkeys, geese, and ducks, provided that all species have their specific needs taken care of (like dust baths accessible for chickens or turkeys or accessible ponds for ducks and geese).
Ensure that there is plenty of space to avoid any situations where a bird (especially a mobility impaired resident) might get caught underfoot from a sheep.
Sheep are also (quite reasonably) particular eaters who will not eat pasture or food that has been defecated on by another animal, including birds, so if you’re going to keep sheep and birds together, it would be preferable to find a solution to keeping the sheep’s living spaces clean.
If you choose to house chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, or other smaller bird species with sheep residents, you will need to give special consideration to overnight accommodations. These avian species must be secured in predator-proof housing overnight, but it may not be advisable for the sheep they are living with to be closed in with them.
Some very docile sheep may be fine, but those who are more playful could inadvertently cause injury to a bird resident. You do not want to create a situation where a sleeping bird resident, especially someone who may be sleeping closer to the ground, is injured by a sheep they cannot get away from. Sheep also may become too warm if closed in a predator-proof space designed for birds. In general, it is safest to give the bird residents a safe space to sleep away from their sheep friends.
Sheep And Dogs
As a general rule, it’s not a good idea to let dogs interact with any animal at a farmed animal sanctuary. As the species in your care are prey animals, there is a high chance that there will be a negative reaction, either from the dog or the resident, and it is never worth risking an animal’s safety when there is any possibility to avoid conflict.
When it comes to letting dogs spend time around sheep, it is entirely dependent on the individual personalities at play. Some dogs and sheep have been known to get along very well, without any issues. However, other personalities might not ever be safe around one another, especially dogs who are more prone to chasing or aggression. If for some reason a dog must spend time around sheep, plan for a great deal of supervision, with the knowledge that some dogs may live peacefully with sheep one day and decide to chase the sheep the next day. Some sheep might be too skittish or afraid to ever peacefully be in the same pasture as a dog. Even many dogs that are known as good “sheepdogs” might be too intimidating for a sheep to spend time with.
Sheep And Cats
Sheep should be able to coexist fairly easily with cats; most likely they’ll do their own thing apart from one another. Some have expressed concern about cats spreading toxoplasmosis to sheep, though this should not prove to be a practical concern if the sheep’s food source is not defecated on by an infected host cat.
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