a guide to raising healthy sheep
TRANSCRIPT
Since the end of World War II, thenumber of sheep in the United Stateshas declined from an all-time high of
56 million in 1942 to 6.2 million in 2007.Several factors have contributed to thissharp decline, including competition fromoverseas producers and from other meatand fiber industries.
However, the sheep industry is changing.An increasing number of sheep are beingraised on small farms instead of on largeranches.The decline in the number ofsheep is slowing, and new and emergingspecialty markets, such as “locally grown”food, high-quality sheep cheese, and spe-cialty wools, offer new possibilities for theindustry.
FacilitiesWaterWater is the most important nutrient inany diet, so it is essential that you provideplenty of fresh, clean water for your sheep.
The mostcommonwatering appara-tus are automaticbowls (with andwithout heaters)and galvanized orpoly tanks. Besure the appara-tus providesadequate waterand space for theanimals (table 1).If wateringanimals from atank, the tankperimeter must
be carefully considered. Be sure to use atank with sides low enough for your lambsto drink without choking themselves.
Snow can replace water in winter months,but ewes must have fresh water daily for 6weeks prior to lambing.To prevent waterin the tank from freezing in the winter,install a simple tank heater from a localfarm supply store.
PastureSheep require little shelter, because theyhave wool to insulate them.They tend totake advantage of natural windbreaks suchas trees, shrubs, and hills. If sheep arehoused in an open field with no naturalwindbreaks, it is advisable to constructsome. Simple windbreaks such as largeroundbales or hay feeders work well.Another option is to install permanentwindbreaks, such as sheets of plywood orsheet metal anchored in the ground.
Lambing barnIt is a good idea to supply a covered, draft-free area for lambing. A typical ewerequires a pen approximately 4.5’ X 4.5’ X 3’for lambing.You may want to install awarming lamp to help dry off lambs, butonly use it sparingly. Excessive use ofwarming lamps may create respiratoryproblems in the lambs.Warming lamps area potential fire hazard, so be sure to followthe mounting instructions and keep themaway from hay, straw, and excessive dust.
Table 1.Number of sheep watered by apparatus
AutomaticType of sheep bowl Tank
Ewes (with orwithout lambs) 40–50 15–25
Weanedfeeder lambs 50–75 25–40
Feeding/Loafing lotsIn some facilities, sheep may be housed inwinter loafing lots or barns. Since manyewes are pregnant during winter monthswhen animals would typically be housedindoors, it is important to supply themwith adequate space to reduce injury orstress (table 2).
Feeding spaceBunk feeding space is crucial for theproper growth and nutrition of youranimals. In a group-fed or self-fed situa-tion, ewes require 8–20 inches of space peranimal, depending on the type of feed.Feeding hay requires 8–10 inches peranimal, while feeding silage requires 12–20inches. Lambs fed in the same mannerrequire 3–4 inches per animal. Creep-fedlambs require 1–1.5 inches of bunk spaceper animal.
FenceFencing for sheep keeps the animals in adefined area and keeps predators out.Ahigh-tensile electric fence is effective forsheep.Use at least five strands of wire,withspacings of approximately 6, 5, 5, 8, and 10inches, starting from the ground.Althoughit is usually cost prohibitive,woven wire issometimes used.A combination of wovenwire with off-set electric fence is yetanother option.A perimeter electric wirecan be installed 6–10 inches above theground. If choosing this option, you mustkeep grass clear of the fence to preventgrounding out. Similarly, check for andremove wool that gets wrapped around theelectric fence.
ReproductionDepending on your goals with your flock,breeding programs will vary. If you areraising lambs for meat,“commercial ewes”are commonly found in flocks. Such ewesare typically not registered and arecommonly crossbred.A good commercialewe will have a pedigree of maternal traitssuch as large litter size and milking ability.Generally in a program that strives to raisemarket lambs, a“terminal sire”will be usedon the commercial ewes.A terminal sire isgenerally a purebred,meat-type sheep (seelist of meat breeds). If your desire is to raisesheep for wool, purebred and crossbredwool breed sheep would be the bestchoice. Commercial and purebred sheepcan be sourced through state or nationalsheep breeders’ associations.
Being knowledgeable about sheepbreeding cycles is important if you are tohave a productive flock. Listed below arekey points to sheep reproduction:
� A ewe lamb will enter into pubertywhen she exhibits her first estrus (heat).
� The age of a lamb at puberty variesdepending on breed, nutrition, and theseason in which she was born.
� A typical ewe lamb will reach pubertybetween 5 months and 1 year of age.
� A ewe lamb should not be bred untilshe reaches at least 70% of her matureweight.This percentage will varydepending on breed.
� The estrus cycle ranges from 13 to 19days and averages 17 days (a ewe willcome into heat about every 17 days).
� A sheep’s gestation period is approxi-mately 147 days, but this will varydepending on breed.
� The generation interval is the averageage of parents when their offspring areborn, which, in sheep, is approximately4–5 years.
� Most ewes will have one to three lambsper litter (per year). Some ewes mayhave four or five depending on breed.
NutritionGeneralDepending on your operation style, feedand nutrient requirements for your sheepwill vary. Operations that manage sheep atbasic levels can manage and maintainanimals with minimal input by incorporat-ing pasture, dry hay for winter feeding, andsome supplemental grains.More inten-sively managed sheep, such as marketlambs, are often fed for production. Suchmanagement practices include feedinghigh-quality haylage, corn silage, andgrains. However you manage your sheep,the key to any operation is to providequality forage and clean, fresh water. Asheep’s water requirements vary depend-ing on stage of production, sex, weight,and environmental conditions such astemperature.These factors change con-stantly, and the sheep’s diet must beadjusted accordingly.
Ewe nutritionEwes have specific nutritional needsdepending on the season and stage ofproduction. Ewe nutrition can be dividedinto the following phases of gestation:
� “flushing”or breeding season
� early gestation and maintenance
� late gestation (the last 4–6 weeksbefore lambing)
� lactation (the 6 weeks after lambing)
Simply supplying a ewe with fresh pastureor supplementing her with 0.5–1.0 poundof grain per day 2 weeks prior to breedingseason and continuing 2–4 weeks intobreeding season can improve conception.During early gestation and maintenance,when ewes do not lactate, they can be fedmedium-to-low quality forage with somesalt and mineral and plenty of water. Atthis time it is also essential that you treatfor internal parasites. During late gestation,mineral feeding is critical. Forage qualityshould be increased and supplementalgrains may be added to the diet to helpwith adequate fetal growth. Ewes shouldbe gaining 0.3–0.5 pounds per day duringlate gestation. Inadequate nutrition leadsto weakened ewes that produce low milkand give birth to weak lambs.
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Table 2.Minimum space requirements
Indoors LoafingType of sheep (ft2) lot (ft2)
Ewe 10–12 25–40
Ewe with lambs(as a group) 12–16 25–40
Weanedfeeder lambs 6–8 15–20
Subsequently, this may lead to the deathof the lambs and even the ewe. During lac-tation, ewes can be fed a diet similar tothat administered during late gestation. Itis important to supply a ewe withadequate nutrition depending on howmany lambs she is raising.
BreedsCommon breeds raised primarily for meatare Suffolk, Hampshire, Texel, Dorset, andShouthdown. Common breeds raised pri-marily for wool are Lincoln, Romney,Merino, and Rambouillet. Breeds that excelin both meat and wool are Columbia,Finnsheep, Polypay, and Targhee. If you areplanning to start a milking sheep opera-tion, the best breeds for milk are EastFresian and Lacaune. Another sheepvariety is hair sheep, the most commonbreeds being Barbados Blackbelly,Katahdin, and St. Croix.
Healthand biosecurityDockingSheep have unique health requirementswhen compared to other typical farmanimals. Sheep must have their tails dockedfor several reasons, the most important ofwhich is to prevent fly-strike.When asheep’s tail is not docked, heavy build-up ofwool and manure is literally a breedingground for flies. Fly-strike occurs whenblowflies lay their eggs in the manure andwool of a sheep’s dock area.Maggots hatchfrom the eggs and feed on the sheep’sflesh. By simply docking a lamb at an earlyage, fly-strike can usually be prevented.Lambs should be docked by 2 weeks ofage.The earlier the lamb is docked, the lessstressful it is on theanimal. Be sure toleave the dockedtail long enough tocover the ewelamb’s vulva.Dockthe tail the samelength on males.
While there are various methods ofdocking lambs, the most common and safeare an elastrator and a docker knife (similarto scissors). The elastrator simply stretchesa very small rubber band over the tail. Theband eventually cuts off circulation in thetail, causing it to die and fall off. A dockerknife is used in a similar manner asscissors, whereby you simply cut the tail atthe point at which you want it docked.Electric docker knives cauterize the tailand seal the open wound. Both the elastra-tor and docker knife can also be used forcastrating ram lambs. Castration should bedone before 2 weeks of age.
ShearingSheep must be shorn at least once a year.A common time to shear is shortly beforeewes lamb. It is important to note, though,if you choose to shear at this time youmust provide ewes with enough shelter tostay warm.There are electric and manualshearers. As shearing sheep takes a lot ofskill, it is best to rely on a professional untilyou learn the skills to shear a sheep onyour own. Professional sheep shearers areavailable to come to your farm to shear.
Hoof trimmingHoof maintenance is very important forsheep. Depending on the particularanimal, hooves may require trimming twoor more times each year. Although somesheep will wear down their hooves justfrom everyday walking, some will needregular trimming.Trimming hooves is anacquired skill and must be done correctly.Do not attempt to trim a hoof unless youhave taken a class or been shown by anexpert. Incorrectly trimming a hoof can bevery painful to a sheep and may causethem to become lame. Hoof trimming
tools are ratherinexpensive andcan be pur-chased at yourlocal farmsupply store.
Disease/biosecurityBiosecurity involves taking measures toprevent the introduction of disease agentsand their spread to and from animal popu-lations or their proximity.
Biosecurity has three main components:
• isolation, or the confinement of animalsaway from other animals
• traffic control, or controlling themovement of people, animals, andequipment
• sanitation/husbandry, involving thecleanliness and care of animals andtheir environment
The most common way in which newdiseases are introduced into a flock isthrough new animal additions. In order toprevent transmission of new diseases, workwith your veterinarian to design a biosecu-rity protocol.
One health concern for sheep is parasitecontrol. The most serious parasites residein the forages that sheep graze on. Areasreceiving significant rainfall have higheroccurrences of excessive parasiteproblems. In order to disrupt the life cycleof the parasites, use anthelmintics(dewormers) in combination with pasturemanagement strategies. It is mostcommon to worm sheep every 6 months,usually in the spring and fall. Lambs onpasture should be wormed once eachmonth.
Another major health concern is scrapie, afatal, degenerative disease affecting thecentral nervous system of sheep andgoats. Scrapie damages nerve cells andcauses behavioral changes. Indicatorsinclude hopping like a rabbit, steppinghigh of forelegs, swaying of hind end,tremmoring, rubbing on fences or build-ings, and gait abnormalities. If you suspectscrapie in your flock, contact your veteri-narian immediately. State departments ofagriculture, trade, and consumer protec-tion have programs available to identifysheep with a special scrapie tag. Contactyour local state office to obtain free tags.
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ManuremanagementAll livestock producers are responsible forproperly and safely disposing of manure.Because many sheep spend most of theirlife on pasture, sheep act as“natural manurespreaders,”meaning build-up of manure isminimal.However, there are certain situa-tions in which sheep are confined andmanure may build up, such as when sheepare penned for handling, lambing, or winterfeeding.Generally, spreading this solidmanure does not require special permits orrules for proper disposal.When you dospread solid manure, avoid spreading nearknown sink holes, during rain, near perma-nent and intermittent bodies of water, andon steep land grades. Contact your countyLand andWater Conservation office formore information.
Behavior/handling� Sheep have a “flocking” instinct and
tend to move as one large group.
� Sheep do not like to be separated outfrom the group and will try very hard toreturn to the flock.
� Keep movement of animals quiet andcalm.Do not yell at or hit sheep.
� Never use an electric prod on sheep.
� If a dog is used to herd sheep, be sure itis well-trained and does not bite them.
� To reduce animals’ stress and confusion,perform“test-runs”of handlingequipment.
� Gradually funnel animals into loadingchutes to reduce bunching andjamming.
� Keep facilities and loading chutes well-lit and free from shadows.This helpsreduce balking caused by reflectionsand bright spots.
� Single-file pathways prevent sheepfrom attempting to turn around orbunch up.
� As sheep prefer to move uphill inraceways, inclines should be gradual.
� When in handling pathways, sheep willfollow other sheep in front of them.Curved pathways allow sheep to moveforward without seeing working areasor chutes until they are upon them.Curves in pathways should be gradualso they do not appear blind ended.
� Sheep instinctively move into the wind.When determining where to locatewatering facilities and working areas,keep in mind that sheep prefer to moveaccording to natural instincts.
