CARING FOR YOUR SHEEP

The following are my suggestions for caring for your sheep. I am not a vet,
or a scientist, or any kind of specialist – this information is based on my
experience and research. Every situation is different so you should always do
your own research and absolutely consult a competent veterinarian
concerning health issues.

Also, just like people, every sheep is different. Every farm is

different. Every sheep owner's personality is different. There are no cookie
cutter approches.

SHELTER

You don’t need a full size barn although it sure is nice. A three-sided
shelter is fine. If you have a regular barn with stalls then you should also have
an area outside that’s shaded. An overhang off the barn works great (see
pictures below).

This is a picture of the ewe stalls - I say stalls because I have two 10 x 12 stalls connected
with a door that can be opened and secured to all them free access to both sides or close
it off if I need a sick room or an extra lambing jug.

This is a picture of the overhang we built across the back of the main barn. You can see
the stalls open up and allow the sheep to go in and out.

In hot climates (is there anywhere in the US that doesn’t get hot at least
once in a while? Okay Alaska maybe) it is a good idea to have a fan in each
stall and cross ventilation fans in the barn (see pictures). A fan not only gets
the air moving but it keeps flies at bay. On very hot days my sheep all line up
in front of the fans – it’s a hoot!
The top picture if of the type of fan we put in each stall. The bottom picture is the barn
fan we use. There is one mounted on each side.
 I use pine shavings in my stalls. Way better than straw. Yes it does stick
to their wool a little but so what? I muck out all the stalls 2x a year and
replace all bedding. Once a month I sprinkle PDZ in each stall and under the
overhang outside. This neutralizes urine. (www.sweetpdz.com.) Hopefully
your feed store carries it or can get it for you. Occasionally State Line Tack has
free shipping and they sell PDZ at a great price.
I do not lock my sheep up at night.

PASTURE

Mostly sheep eat grass, clover, forbs, and other pasture plants. They
especially love forbs. It is usually their first choice of food in a pasture. A forb
is a broad-leaf plant other than grass. Sheep are very selective in their grazing
habits. Sheep have a split in their upper lip; with this they are able to pick the
preferred leaves off the plant.

Sheep will graze for an average of seven hours per day, mostly in the
hours around dawn and in the late afternoon, near sunset.

The amount of pasture or range land that it takes to feed a sheep

depends upon the quality of the land (soil), the amount and distribution of
rainfall, and the management of the pasture. In dry climates, an acre of
pasture or rangeland cannot feed as many sheep as an acre of pasture in a
moist climate. An acre of pasture in the wet season (spring and fall) can
obviously feed more sheep than an acre in the dry season (usually summer)

There are many published guidelines for how many sheep one acre of
pasture can support. The real answer is: “it depends.” If you want to
maintain good grass growth you will have to rotate pastures by either dividing
up one larger pasture or creating 2 or more adjacent pastures. Pasture
Management is a big topic – too big for this little article. Check out The
Stockman Grass Farmer (www.stockmangrassfarmer.net). It’s a great place to
start educating yourself on the various pasture management theories.
FENCING

Fences serve two purposes – keep animals in and keep predators

out. Coyotes and dogs are smart - they can dig under, jump over and risk
getting shocked by climbing between wires. The type of fence you choose can
make the difference between raising your sheep successfully or losing them all
to predators. Never say it can’t happen to me.
 Any pasture where you will have lambs will require a woven wire
fence. Check them out at either Premier1 (www.premier1supplies.com) or Stay-
Tuff (www.staytuff.com.)

This is a picture of the woven wire fence for the ewes and lambs. It's a little hard to see I'm afraid.

If you do not plan to have lambs in a particular pasture you can use a
high tensile wire fence that you electrify. I use a 7 wire fence as I found
anything less allows escapes. You only need to electrify every other wire.
This is our 7 wire high tensile fence for the rams and we use the same thing for our horse and donkeys.

It is a good idea to have portable panels that can be configured into pens
for sick animals, new animals, or for use as lambing jugs. I use panels from
North East Gate Mfg (www.northeastgatemfg.com.) Check out Lazy J Ranch
web site for pictures and ideas using these panels (www.lazyjranch.com.) I
purchased extra wall brackets and put them up where I might need temporary
pens. I put the brackets on the outside of the stalls under the overhang area
and I put 2 sets of brackets in my hay stall. During lambing season I clear out
the hay on one side and set up two lambing jugs.

PREDATORS

In 2004, it was estimated that 224,200 sheep and lambs were killed by
predators in the United States (USDA, 2007). Predation accounted for 37.3
percent of sheep and lamb death losses for the year. Coyotes were responsible
for 51.7 percent of the total losses. However, in terms of number of sheep
operations affected, free-ranging or wild dogs may be the most common
predator problem.

Each predator species has traits peculiar to it. Coyotes typically attack
sheep at the throat. Dogs are usually indiscriminate in how and where they
attack. Regardless of the predator or the method of attack, your any attacked
sheep will be dead. Most predators go for lambs (for obvious reasons).

A livestock guardian dog (LGD) will pay for itself 10x over. Some of the
more common breeds used in the U.S. include Great Pyrenees (France),
Akbash and Anatolian Shepherd (Turkey), Komondor and Kuvasz (Hungary),
Maremma (Italy), Polish Tatra (Poland), and Tibetan Mastiff (Tibet). Many of
the breeds are related.

Unless you can wait for protection and have lots of time to devote to
training –do not get a pup. An LGD is born with its guarding instincts but it
doesn’t become fully effective until about 2 years old. It’s easy to find LGD’s
who need new homes. One group to join to learn more or look for a dog is the
Yahoo Group WorkingLGDs.
I found that having one dog is not sufficient. A coyote could easily use a
decoy to distract the dog while another coyote circles around and attacks.
Other animals are sometimes used as guardians, i.e. llamas, and
donkeys. Donkeys and llamas have an inherent dislike for dogs. In fact, any
animal that displays aggressive behavior to intruding predators may be a
deterrent.

This is Bongo and Golda. They live with the ewes and lambs.
This is Elka. She lives with the rams.

Running sheep and cattle together has been shown to reduce predator
losses, but in order for mixed species grazing to be an effective deterrent to
predators, the sheep and cattle must "bond" together. Young lambs can be
bonded with cattle by penning them in confinement close to the cattle. When
bonded lambs and cattle are turned out to pasture, the lambs will follow the
cattle. When they are threatened by a predator, the lambs will run and huddle
among the cattle. A mixed group of cattle and sheep is called a "flerd."

FOOD

Hay
If you’ve got a good stand of grass – there is no need to supplement with
hay. In summer and in cases where the pasture is not sufficient – you’ll need a
good source for hay. I prefer grass hay – alfalfa is too rich (and too
expensive). We are lucky here in Virginia – the hay season has been
great. We pay about $4 for a 50# bale. That’s a far cry from the $22 for a
100# bale we paid in California.

Again, opinions vary, but I use the guideline of 1.5# of hay per 100# of
body weight. I estimate the weight of each sheep – add it up and divide by
100# then multiply by 1.5. I split that into two feedings – am/pm. You may
already be wondering how you ensure that each sheep gets its share of the hay
– short answer – you don’t. Unless you were to feed each sheep separately
there is no way to make sure that a 100# ewe gets 1.5# and a 50# ewe only
gets .75#. You just put it out and hope for the best.

Hay racks that have something underneath to catch the droppings are
best. Less waste. Otherwise hay racks that hang on a fence are
great. Throwing hay on the ground is not a good idea because sheep are not
too bright and they will urinate and poop on the hay. Sheep have the
wonderful ability to eat and pee or poop at the same time.

Grains
Grain is often fed to sheep with higher nutritional needs, such as
pregnant ewes during late gestation, and nursing ewes. Sheep love the taste of
grain and can get sick if they eat too much grain too fast. They can die if the
bloat is severe. Grain consumption needs to be regulated, introduced slowly
and gradually increased.

Grains are unnecessary during normal conditions. Hay, water and

minerals are all your sheep need.

Minerals
There are a wide variety of minerals on the market. Many minerals are
especially for goats or sheep or horses etc. Since I have horses, donkeys, goats
and sheep, I buy a general-purpose loose mineral from Tractor Supply. In
order to use a mineral for sheep it must say on the bag that it is safe for
sheep. Sheep need copper but too much will kill them. Goats can tolerate
much higher degrees of copper.

I keep a mineral feeder in every stall. The animals take what they
want. I do not use mineral blocks because they don’t last very long and they
don’t get enough of what they need each day by just licking a solid block. You
will save money by using the loose minerals.

I also provide free choice baking soda. When they get an upset stomach
(all 4 of them and 3 are actually rumens) – they will automatically go to the
baking soda.

Water
 Fresh water is a must. A typical sheep will consumer a couple of gallons
of water each day. For that reason, and because I hate schlepping buckets of
water – I use automatic waterers. I bought the heavy black tubs from Tractor
Supply and separate float valves that are attached to the tub and a water
source. The tub automatically fills itself as the animals drink. Once a week I
scrub the tub as it tends to grow algae and I keep a small strainer with a
handle nearby to scoop out leaves and bugs.

This is one of the automatic waterers we have set up. Below is a picture of the kind of water outlets we had
installed all over the place.
 Winter is a bit tricky. The water does freeze – so we have to shut off the
water when we know the temp will drop below freezing lest you have burst
pipes. So each morning I remove the layer of ice and then schlep buckets of
warm water to each water tub. I have a hot water heater in my barn office so if
I’m lucky and the lines are not frozen I can get my hot water from the barn. If
they are frozen – you guessed it – schlepping buckets from the house to the
barn. I carry two 3 gallon buckets at a time and make about 3 trips (I have 5
water tubs.) I repeat the process in the evening. If you are lucky and only
have one or two water tubs you can buy a heating device which will keep the
water from freezing – I don’t think it actually heats the water though and ice
cold water – just like hot water is not high on a sheep’s list of favorites. You
will also need an electrical source.

Treats
Sheep seem to love most all fruit as well as carrots. I also keep a large
container of animal crackers around – yup – animal crackers. They love
them. So do the horses, donkeys, goats and dogs. They are easy to use for
training. I use grain sparingly as a treat. Mainly to herd them from one place
to another.

GROOMING
 Shearing
Sheep are usually sheared once per year, usually before lambing or in the
spring before the onset of warm weather. Sheep with long fleeces are
sometimes sheared twice a year.

Sheep grow wool continuously. If they are not sheared at least once a
year, they become very stressed and uncomfortable, especially when it is hot
and humid. Eventually, the wool will become matted and more difficult to
remove.
Hair sheep do not require shearing because they lack sufficient wool fibers or
because their coats naturally shed. However, crosses between hair sheep and
wooled breeds need to be sheared. Therefore the Barbado Dolls do need to be
sheared. Their fleece is not good for spinning.

A professional shearer can shear a sheep in less than 2 minutes and will
remove the fleece in one piece. The world record for shearing sheep is 839
lambs in 9 hours by Rodney Sutton of New Zealand (2000) and 720 ewes in 9
hours by Darin Forde of New Zealand. The most sheep shorn in an 8 hour
period using hand blades is 50 by Janos Marton of Hungary (2003).

Most shearers travel around. A good source for finding a shearer by state
is at www.nebraskasheep.com. You’ll pay around $8 or so per sheep just for
shearing. It’s well worth the price.
This is a picture of Zach being sheared this year.

Nail Trimming
Hoof growth is affected by the breed and genetics of the sheep, soil
moisture and soil characteristics. Sheep grazed on rocky, dry soil may not
require the extent of hoof care needed for sheep on soil that is free of rocks
and higher in moisture content. Sheep in high rainfall areas will need to have
their hooves inspected more regularly than those on dry ground. How often
will depend on the specific conditions.

A good pair of shears is important. You can find them on line at almost
all livestock supply stores.

I have the shearer trim hooves at the same time he shears. He charges a
couple of dollars per animal. Again – well worth the price. I keep an eye on
their feet and if I notice overgrowth I trim. Any time I have to handle a sheep
for any reason I use the opportunity to check feet. The rate at which hooves
will grow out varies with the type of ground they are on and genetics. I know
breeders who trim monthly. I think that the more you trim the more the
hooves grow – just my own philosophy. Twice a year has been sufficient for
my flock and I have not any foot problems.

Crutching
Crutching is a process of shearing or trimming only the area around the
anus and also the teats. It is a good idea to do this before lambing starts. I
generally have my sheep sheared in Mid-March which is prior to lambing so I
don’ t need to trim them again. But if I see their fleece getting dirty around
the butt – I trim it down. I also sometimes trim the fleece around the eyes on
my Babydolls in order to prevent wool blindness.

HEALTH ISSUES

Parasites
Gastro-intestinal parasites (i.e. worms) are usually the primary disease
affecting sheep and lambs. Sheep are more susceptible to internal parasites
than most other types of farm livestock for several reasons. Their small fecal
pellets disintegrate very easily thus releasing the worm larvae onto
pastures. There’s a lot to learn about the different worms. The best place to
learn all you need to know iswww.wormboss.com. It’s an Australian site. The
Aussies have been at the bleeding edge of all sorts of research involving
sheep. I would take their recommendations without any reservations.
 Sheep graze close to the soil surface and to their feces. They are slow to
acquire immunity. It takes 10 to 12 months for most lambs to develop
immunity to parasites. Sheep also suffer a loss of immunity at the time of
lambing, which does not restore itself until approximately four weeks after
lambing.

Heavy stocking rates and insufficient pasture rest periods further

contribute to the incidence of parasitic disease in sheep and lambs. Internal
parasites tend to be much less of a problem under range-type conditions
where sheep do not graze the same pasture twice in the same grazing season.
They are also less of a problem in arid regions, because parasites require
moisture for their development.

In the past, most breeders relied heavily on anti-parasitic drugs, called

"anthelmintics" to control internal parasites in their flocks. But the long-time
use and in some cases misuse of these drugs has resulted in parasites that have
become increasingly resistant to anthelmintics. Drug resistance has been
documented in all three-drug families and is most commonly reported with
ivermectin and the benzimidazoles.

In the U.S., few anthelmintics are FDA-approved for use in sheep and
lambs, and no new drugs are likely to be developed. As a result, we all must
develop more integrated programs for controlling parasites, which do not rely
exclusively on drug therapy.

The current recommendations are to only use drugs when worms are
found at a sufficient load to be harmful to the animal. How do you know that
– you have to have a fecal egg count done. No getting around it.

You can either do your own test or send out samples to a local lab which
you can find through your extension office. The labs charge around $8 per
sample. To do your own fecal analysis, you need a microscope, flotation
solution, mixing vials, strainer, stirring rod, slides, and cover slips. You do not
need an elaborate microscope. 100X power is sufficient. You can purchase
flotation solution from veterinary supply companies or make your own by
mixing a saturated salt or sugar solution. Your mixing vials can be jars, pill
bottles, film canisters, test tubes, or something similar. You can use a tea
strainer or cheesecloth to strain the feces. The stirring rod can be a pencil or
popsicle stick.
 If you want to count eggs, you want to get a McMaster Egg Counting
slide available HERE. The McMaster slide has chambers that making egg
counting easier. The Paracount-EPG™ Fecal Analysis Kit with McMaster-Type
Counting Slides is available for $40 from the Chalex Corporation.

Since fecal counts only estimate the parasite load, there is no clear-cut
level at which worming is indicated. As a general guide, a level of about 500
eggs per gram of feces would indicate that worming is needed for sheep. A
more effective way of deciding when to treat would be to monitor fecals every
4-8 weeks and deworm when there is a dramatic rise in egg counts.

The FAMACHA© system was developed in South Africa due to the

emergence of drug-resistant worms. The system utilizes an eye anemia guide
to evaluate the eyelid color of a sheep (or goat) to determine the severity of
parasite infection (as evidenced by anemia) and the need for deworming. The
test is only valid for Barber Pole worms and you cannot get a chart unless you
take one of the classes on how to use it.

The best way to manage parasites is to remove the breeding ground

which is animal manure. That’s why I clean my pastures every day. I have a
great compost pile going. Should be able to provide compost for the entire
state of Virginia in another year….

One note here about cleaning pastures. The 2 hours I spend cleaning the
sheep pasture and “lounging area,” allows me to observe a lot of things. First,
I can observe the overall health of the sheep and the LGDs. I take time to
scratch and feel both dogs – looking for lumps etc. I also observe how the
sheep walk – does anyone need a pedicure. I check out the manure of the
sheep and the dogs looking for anything unusual. I also check out the
condition of the fence – looking for breaks or holes. And finally I look for
anything in the pasture that the sheep could hurt themselves on. I’m always
amazed at what seems to bubble up from under the earth. Glass, pieces of
metal, a hairbrush. So I like to walk the pastures regularly.

Tail Docking
Tails are a natural part of sheep. Almost all lambs are born with tails.
The length of a lamb's tail is halfway between the length of its mother's tail
and its father's tail. In fact, tail length is a highly heritable trait. Eighty-four
percent of the differences in sheep tail length are due to genetics.
 The purpose of the sheep's tail is to protect the anus, vulva, and udder
from weather extremes. Sheep lift their tails when they defecate and use their
tails, to some extent, to scatter their feces. The tail does not interfere with
breeding or lambing.

Under modern sheep production systems, tails are usually docked

(shortened) to prevent fecal matter from accumulating on the backside of the
sheep, which can result in fly strike (wool maggots).

I DO NOT DOCK TAILS. FLY STRIKE IS NOT A MAJOR PROBLEM IN

THE U.S. – IT IS A PROBLEM IS THE U.K., IRELAND AND SCOTLAND.

This is what a real tail looks like - not docked. You can see it comes to about the hocks which is within the
recommendations I have read on Australian web sites.

Scours
Scours is the sheep version of diarrhea. Lots of things can cause it –
from what they eat to disease. A good self-help book on how to diagnose and
treat is important. Most times the problem clears itself but sometimes there is
something more serious going on. Pepto Bismal works in sheep as well as
people.
 You will know your sheep has scours two ways. First by looking at its
poop! It’s one of the reasons I clean the pasture – so I can get a good look at
what’s coming out the other end of my sheep. The other way to look at their
butts which you should do regularly. If they have “poopy butt” (if you have a
dog you’ll understand what that is) – then you have a problem. In addition to
dealing with the scours you need to get the butt cleaned off because the mess
will attract green bottle flies (fly strike).

Vaccines
This is another area of great controversy. There are a number of
recommended vaccines for a variety of problems. I don’t do it. I have a closed
flock and I don’t take them to shows or petting zoos or to Starbucks. Second,
they don’t come in contact with rabid critters unless it’s my LGDs and they are
only rabid at dinnertime…..

There is no vaccine for the really deadly diseases like Scrapies. Every
sheep owner must do what they feel is best after doing their own
research. Most vets will tell you that your sheep need all the vaccines.

Flies
If you have any animal, you have flies. Flies love animals and they love
animal poop. As you might already suspect, I do not use any chemicals to deal
with flies. There are several good alternatives however – some less painful
than others (to you that is.) First, I use fly predators. These are tiny little
creatures that love fly larvae. There are several companies that sell these. I
use Spaldings (www.spalding-labs.com) but there are others. The principal is
the same. You spread them around before fly season gets started and then
monthly thereafter through the summer. They do work somewhat.

The other product I’ve found is called Cedarcide

(www.cedarcide.com.) It’s a cedar oil product and you can use it to spray the
barn stalls and the sheep in fact. I do not go out to the pastures without first
spraying myself. You will smell like a cedar closet but there are worse things
to smell like…. It seems to work reasonably well – not a miracle product as
touted on its web site but good enough. I spray the stalls once a month.

The real trick to getting rid of most of the flies is to get rid of the
manure. I have a small enough area (1.5 acres for the sheep plus their
veranda) that I can and do clean it every day. I get a muck bucket full of
manure each day and I know I don’t get it all. I also clean my horse and
donkey pasture every day. Call me crazy but it helps and I’ve lost 15 pounds
since moving to the farm.

Teeth
This really isn’t an issue. But its helpful to know how to estimate the age
of your sheep if it is one you did not breed yourself.

Telling Age With Teeth

Lamb 4 pair of Incisors

1 year middle pair of Incisors
2 years 2nd pair of permanent Incisors
3 years 3rd pair of permanent Incisors
4 years 4th pair of permanent Incisors
5 years all permanent Incisors close together
6 years Incisors begin spreading apart
7-8 years some Incisors broken
10-12 years all Incisors missing

LAMBING

So you think you want to breed your own lambs? Okay but be prepared
because in spite of what is often said about Babydolls being “easy lambers” –
problems do, and will, come up. You may have to deliver the lamb. Babydolls
usually mate in the fall and after a 5-month pregnancy (lucky girls) – they
deliver in the Spring.

Ewes usually give birth to 1 to 3 lambs. Twins are common in well-fed

flocks and with most breeds of sheep. First-time moms, especially yearlings,
are more likely to have single births. Ewes produce their largest litters of
lambs when they are between the ages of 3 and 6. Having more than 2 lambs
is not a good idea since the mother is only capable of easily feeding 2 and any
others may have to be bottle fed (think feedings every 2-4 hours round the
clock). In Babydolls, the lambs can weigh anywhere from 4 to 10
pounds. Large lambs are not a good idea.

Under ideal circumstances, the lamb is perfectly positioned and the ewe
can easily deliver with no problem. Often you will find the mom and lamb(s)
when you go down to feed in the morning. However, if the lamb is not
positioned right you may have to assist. I strongly recommend that if you plan
to breed you make arrangements to assist a goat or sheep breeder during
lambing/kidding season to get some hands on experience.

HELPFUL INFO

Definitions
Ruminant : An animal with a multiple-compartment stomach
containing microbes (bugs) that are able to digest forages

Ram: male of breeding age

Wether: castrated male
Ram lamb: immature male
Ewe lamb: immature female
Lamb: newborn
Flock : group (3 or more)
Tupping : act of breeding
Lambing: act of parturition (giving birth)

Biological Traits
Birth weight 5 - 8 lb.
Weaning age 2 - 3 months
Life span 6 -14 years (well kept sheep have lived
more than 20 years)
Chromosome number 54
Average Temperature 102.5
Average Respiration Rate 16 breaths per minute
Average Pulse Rate 75 beats per minute
Urine 10 - 40 ml/kg body weight
Teeth Mature sheep have 32 teeth, including
4 pairs of lower incisors, but none in their upper front jaws; a hard dental
paid replaces the absent upper incisors

RESOURCES

The key to being successful is knowing where to look for information and
get help quickly. There was a time when I knew nothing about sheep other
than you got lamb chops from them (which I no longer eat…)

There are a number of good books to help you muddle through the
learning curve and help you in an emergency. Here are my favorites:
 Storey’s Barn Guide To Sheep: This is my favorite. It has step-by-step
instructions with pictures for doing such things as giving injections, hoof
trimming and catching a sheep. I keep this at the barn at all times. If you get
nothing else – get this.
Natural Sheep Care by Pat Coleby: If you don’t think much of
homeopathic remedies – don’t buy this book. Hers is a common sense and
natural approach to caring for sheep.
Storey’s Guide to Raising Sheep: A basic book that should be on the shelf
of anyone raising sheep.
Hobby Farms Sheep – Small-Scale Sheep Keeping for Pleasure and Profit by
Sue Weaver: A great introduction – easy to read, gives a good overview of what
sheep are and how to care for them.
Sheep – A Complete Owners Manual by Hans Alfred Muller: This is far
from a complete owners manual but brief and to the point. It was actually
originally written in German.
Homeopathy in Veterinary Practice by K.J. Biddis MRCVS : I love this very
small pocket book. The author is British – and the Brits know sheep. It’s an
easy to read and understand quick reference for the most common illnesses. I
keep a homeopathy kit with all the basic remedies on hand.
The Pocket Manual of Homeopathic Veterinary Medicine by Edwd. H.
Ruddock, M.D. : Another Brit – and this little gem was published in New Dehli
of all places. I guess they have sheep there. Anyway – I use this in
conjunction with one by Dr. Biddis.