Sheep near house - need fence?

Hello all,

I have 29 acres and plan to get 6-12 sheep in order to qualify for an open space tax exemption.  The perimeter of the place is fenced.  There is a house right in the middle of the property on about 3-4 acres with a wild grass yard and established live oak trees.  There is also a swimming pool.  The rest of the property is cedar and pretty scrubby with some wild grass here and there.

My question is do you think I need another fence that would surround the 3-4 acres where the house is to keep the sheep out?  I am worried that since there is more grass up near the house the sheep would be attracted to that area.  What is the likelihood of damage to the house or trees, or that a sheep would fall in the pool and drown?

In order to exempt all the land I need the sheep to have free access to most of the acreage.  So fencing in a smaller portion, say 5 acres in one corner of the land, is not an option.

You really should. Sheep may/may not drown in the pool, but they are incredibly destructive from scratching so I would keep them away from the house. They are also very curious and can get into trouble pretty quick.

Think about paddocks and/or rotational grazing.  That should allow full exemption on taxes but you could limit them in that area to maybe 1 day a month.

The sheep dont need a fence  but I think you do .
Sheep can be quite destructive . Build four paddocks in quarter shape ish and rotate every couple of months or so