The nice thing about having a barn with stalls is that you can separate sick or pregnant sheep from the rest of the flock. A shaded area outside is a good idea, so that the sheep can be outside in the warm weather, but have somewhere cool to graze. This could be anything from an overhang off the barn, or a clump of trees.

You shouldn’t use sawdust for wool sheep as this will ruin their wool. Some people consider pine shavings to be better than hay, because of its absorbency, but that simply depends on your personal preference. Pine shavings do cling to a sheep’s coat, which can make it more difficult come shearing time. You can sprinkle PDZ in each stall and under the overhang outside about once a month to neutralize urine.

Pasture sizes vary based on locale, climate, maintenance, type of planting, and rainfall. For example: dry rocky conditions will need more pastureland to provide more grass.

A fan and open doors will cool the shelter on hot days, as well as keep the flies away from the sheep.

Make sure you have portable panels to enclose sick sheep, especially if you’re also got stalls. You’ll need to keep them away from the healthy sheep. You can also electrify your fence. Even with a tall seven foot (2 m) tall fence, predators can dig under the fence and attack your sheep. Electrifying your fence will deter predators as soon as they touch the fence. Don’t count on it keeping your sheep in, though. With heavy coats, sheep are less likely to feel the bolts of electricity.

The amount of hay needed will depend on the quality of the hay, use of pasture, condition  of sheep (pregnant ewes, or with lambs) and amount of grain being feed. A reasonable estimate for feeding strictly hay is about 3. 5 percent body weight per day. Hay is basically cut, dried, and baled forage. It tends to be a grass or legume (like alfalfa or clover). The later the cutting the better the feed quality of the hay, typically. Alfalfa and clover hays tend to be more nutritious and preferred by most animals. They are more expensive, though, and aren’t imperative for sheep. Keep in mind that some clovers may contain a substance similar to estrogen which can work as birth-control in sheep, so avoid that if you’re trying to breed your ewes.

Eating too much grain can also cause your sheep to bloat, and potentially die. So really avoid over-feeding grain. A basic mix with corn/soy/oats, or specially formulated sheep/goat chow from your local feed mill should work if they need a little extra supplement. Ones that may need some grain added to their diet typically are young, lactating, or elderly sheep. Goat or cow mixes are better than horse mixes if you can’t find one that is formulated specially for sheep. Again, sheep are sensitive to copper, so avoid all-purpose mixes.

Salt blocks can be good, but they also don’t last all that long and might not get enough minerals just from licking it. Loose mineral salt tends to be less expensive than salt blocks and you can place it in a feeder in the shelter.

You can use an automatic waterer if you don’t want to have to carry a bunch of buckets every day. The tub automatically fills when the animals drink. All you have to do is scrub it clean once a week.

Make sure that when you do cut at the dead horn that you don’t cut deep into sensitive tissue. This can cause bleeding and infection in the sheep. In dry weather you want to trim their hooves every six weeks or so, more in wet weather. Start by digging out dirt from the toes. Trim away excess nail parallel to the lines of hoof growth. Pare the heels to the same level as the soles of the toes. Take away excess nail tissue around each toe. With a wood rasp, make the hoof flat from the sole of the foot forward. Foot rot is a problem specific to sheep and goats. It’s more frequent with animals who walk on damp or wet ground. Their hooves soften which makes it easier for bacteria to get in. Foot rot can cause severe pain and lameness and usually stays in the pasture around 12 days. Separate infected sheep from the flock (you’ll notice a foul smell). Pare the hoof to remove excess horn, and apply antiseptic agents.

You want your sheep to be comfortable during the shearing, so keep your sheep off the pasture for at least ten hours before shearing. This will allow their stomachs to empty out. Shearing wet sheep can cause health problems, so avoid doing that. Not shearing sheep and allowing their fleece to get waterlogged can make them more prone to flystrike.

Crutching means trimming the wool around the crutch of the sheep (the area immediately around and below the tail, down the hind legs and halfway to the underside of the body). Urine and feces can soil this area, so keeping it clean can prevent things like flystrike. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/4/48/Care-for-Sheep-Step-13Bullet1. jpg/v4-460px-Care-for-Sheep-Step-13Bullet1. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/4/48/Care-for-Sheep-Step-13Bullet1. jpg/aid1455377-v4-728px-Care-for-Sheep-Step-13Bullet1. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

License: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3. 0/">Creative Commons</a>
\n</p>

<br />\n</p></div>"} Dagging removes all the dirty wool around the rear end and belly of your sheep. Dags are basically the clumps of soft or hard fecal (or mud) material that’s become bound into the wool of the sheep. Dags can attract blowflies, so try to remove the dags as soon as possible while they’re still soft and the blowflies haven’t found them yet. Use hand shears or digging shears. {“smallUrl”:“https://www. wikihow. com/images/thumb/b/b3/Care-for-Sheep-Step-13Bullet2. jpg/v4-460px-Care-for-Sheep-Step-13Bullet2. jpg”,“bigUrl”:"/images/thumb/b/b3/Care-for-Sheep-Step-13Bullet2. jpg/aid1455377-v4-728px-Care-for-Sheep-Step-13Bullet2. jpg",“smallWidth”:460,“smallHeight”:345,“bigWidth”:728,“bigHeight”:546,“licensing”:"<div class="mw-parser-output">

License: <a target="_blank" rel="nofollow noreferrer noopener" class="external text" href="https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3. 0/">Creative Commons</a>
\n</p>

<br />\n</p></div>"}

A nasal discharge may be one of the first signs of a respiratory infection. Diarrhea in sheep is about the consistency of dog stool. Diarrhea can be caused by all manner of issues, so it’s a good thing to get a veterinarian in quickly. Check the coat frequently for any external parasites such as mites or lice. They’ll need to be treated immediately.

Medication (dewormers) come in types: bolus (large pill), paste, liquid, pour on, and injectable. There is no one type that works most effectively. Paste or liquid forms tend to be the easiest to use, but otherwise are no more effective than any other type.