A basic guide to raising sheep.

If you enjoy eating lamb, are interested in working with wool, or just want an easy-to-raise meat animal, here's how to get started

Sheep fill an important niche on many homesteads. If you want wool for fiber arts, or if you like spring lamb but can't find (or afford) it in local markets, you don't have to be convinced. But if you have a little extra pasture land that's not enough for a beef cow, or if you'd rather raise and butcher several smaller meat animals than one large one, sheep certainly deserve consideration.

Buying

A common way to get started with sheep is to buy grade ewes and a purebred ram. But whatever you buy, there are certain things to look for.

In the ram, be especially conscious of the condition of the animal's feet and legs. A ram without good legs and feet will not do his job.

Avoid buying rams with questionable semen quality. A major contributing factor to poor reproductive performance is epididymitis, an infectious disease affecting the epididymis adherent to the testicle. There are no noticeable visual symptoms. The scrotum must be palpated to detect the swelling and lesions occurring on the epididymis. There should be two testicles in the scrotum, and neither should be grossly enlarged. The normal testicle has some firmness, but it is not hard. Check the ram's sheath for lesions of any kind.

Examine the ewe's udder to make sure there are no signs of mastitis, lumps or hard swelling. The normal udder should be soft and pliable and have two functional halves. Each half should have a teat.

In general, the sheep should be neither over- nor underweight. They should move freely, without limping, on well-trimmed feet. They should have sound mouths. (See illustrations.)

Before buying a sheep, observe the eyes and gums for sign of anemia. A healthy sheep will have blood-red gums, and the arteries and membranes around the eye will be red. Sheep with lots of parasites will be anemic, so the gums and blood vessels in the eye will be pale. Severely parasitized sheep may also exhibit bottlejaw -- lumps or swelling under the chin.

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The above sketch is a front view of the incisors -- the temporary teeth -- of a 90-day-old lamb. These eight incisors are much smaller than the permanent teeth.

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This sketch shows the incisors of a ewe 18 months old. As the animal has aged, the temporary teeth progressively appear longer and narrower. The jaw has grown in size so that there is more space between the teeth. (In one study, six percent of the ewes still had all their lamb teeth when they were 18 months old.)

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Now the first pair of permanent teeth have erupted, flanked on either side by three lamb teeth. This was the dental appearance for 10 percent of the 18-month-old ewes.

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For 18-month-old ewes, this is the tooth structure for 84 percent of them. The two permanents here are much larger.

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In this dental structure there are four permanents along with the lamb teeth. This was the mouth of 37 percent of the ewes at 2-1/2 years of age.

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In the same 2-1/2-year-old ewes, 57 percent had incisors like these in six permanents and two lamb teeth (not all shown). Twenty-eight percent of the ewes 3-1/2 years old had similar incisors. And there were even some 4-1/2-year-old ewes -- five percent of them -- that still had this "three-year-old mouth."

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Now here is the full mouth -- eight permanent incisors. This mouth was observed in 50 percent of the ewes 3-1/2 years old. This was the mouth in 88 percent of the 4-1/2-year-olds, but curiously, 12 percent of these older ewes had "younger" mouths.

Estimating age beyond this four-year-old mouth is even more of a guessing game. Ewes sold as solid-mouthed have all eight incisors, all close together. Now the condition of the teeth becomes more important is gauging the animal's usefulness.

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Incisors like these are called "spreaders" -- the teeth have worn from the top and they are narrower than in the full mouth.

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This is a "broken mouth" -- one or several incisors entirely missing.

When all the incisors are gone the ewe is called a "gummer."

Because sheep with aged mouths do not do well on the range, Western sheepmen remove these older ewes from their breeding flocks. In more productive regions, where feed is plentiful, these older Western ewes may produce for a year or two longer. Broken-mouth or gummer ewes require the care of an excellent shepherd it they are to raise another crop of lambs successfully.

Feeding

Raising sheep and conservation-minded land use go hand-in-hand. Lambs are the only farm animals that can be put into choice market grade on pasture alone. But high quality pasture is needed.

A good pasture will carry five ewes and eight lambs per acre for the season (in more northerly regions). Experienced shepherds advise adding 25-50 percent more acreage to allow management flexibility.

Legume-grass mixtures are recommended for pastures. Normal regrowth periods of alfalfa-grass and trefoil-grass mixtures are 15-20 days. Use this as a guide for rotating your pastures.

Adjust your fenced areas so that your flock will graze in each one for a week or less. Ten ewes and 16 lambs need half an acre for seven days of grazing when forage is 10 inches high. Sheep produce the most pounds per acre on forage that is six inches high. Electric fences can be used to divide pastures into sections.

Eight of the 15 minerals sheep require are supplied when trace mineralized salt is offered free choice.

Keep in mind that sheep are more susceptible to copper toxicity than other livestock are. Check with your local extension agent for recommendations on supplementation in your area. Salt should be offered in loose form rather than blocks. Outside, make sure it's covered.

In some areas, such as Wisconsin, there is a soil selenium deficiency, and it is advised that lambs receive an injection of selenium and vitamin E at 2-4 days of age.

Following are alternative rations, per day, for ewes in the first four months of pregnancy:

* Good quality alfalfa or clover hay, 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 pounds.

* Good quality alfalfa or clover hay, 3-4 pounds; shredded corn stover or straw, 1 to 1-1/2 pounds.

* Clover or alfalfa hay, 3-4 pounds; corn silage, 1-2 pounds.

* Mixed legume and grass hay, 4-5 pounds.

* Alfalfa or clover hay, 1-2 pounds; grass silage, 4-8 pounds.

* Good quality low moisture legume grass silage, 5-8 pounds.

* With low protein hay such as grass fed with shredded corn stover or with straw, add a quarter to a half pound of 16 percent protein dairy mixture during the entire gestation period. Do the same for old or thin ewes, regardless of hay quality.

For ewes in the last month of pregnancy, some grain should be added, with the forage kept at least one-half legumes. Feed one-half to one pound of grain daily per ewe, keeping in mind that the forage should be of sufficient quality to supply the needed protein.

A sample grain ration, with good quality, half-legume hay, would be either shelled corn or whole oats alone or a 50-50 mix of ground ear corn to whole oats.

Rams generally do not need grain except before or during the breeding season when they may be fed about one pound of grain mixture daily. They should not be allowed to become fat or sluggish.

Sheep need one to 1-1/2 gallons of fresh water daily. Water should be kept clean, as water contaminated with sheep manure is a common source of parasite infection.

A popular mix for creep feeding young lambs, starting at two weeks of age even if they are to be finished on pasture, is as follows:

Corn, no cob, 68.5 pounds, oats, 20 pounds; linseed or soybean meal, 10 pounds; trace mineralized salt, 0.5 pound; bonemeal or dicalcium phosphate, 1 pound. Feed high quality alfalfa hay in a separate rack. Grind the feed at first and feed whole later.

For feeding ewes after lambing, about one pound of grain per head should be fed to those with one lamb and 1-1/2 to two pounds per day to those with twins. After two months of lactation, the ration should be reduced to the ration fed in the month before lambing. Then, when lambs are weaned, the ewe ration should be reduced abruptly. (Sheep experts at the University of Wisconsin advised withholding feed and water for 48 hours, while a COUNTRYSIDE veterinary columnist cautioned against withholding water for more than 24 hours.) After the withdrawal period, feed only a little hay for a week to aid in drying up the ewes.

For artificial rearing of orphan lambs, a number of commercial milk replacers are available. (If you have goat milk, by all means use that.) Those designed specifically for lambs have a higher fat and protein and a lower lactose content than calf milk replacers, which lambs often do not do well on. Choose one that contains approximately 30 percent fat, 20-24 percent protein, less than 25 percent lactose, and that will stay suspended in both warm and cold water.

Feeding time is the time for the shepherd to check the flock, observing not only whether the animals are eating well, but also their general condition. Feeders should be cleaned before each feeding. Provide 1-1/2 feet of rack space for each ewe.

One last feeding item: Flushing is the process of feeding extra food for several weeks before breeding to get the ewes in prime condition. Recommendations of flushing vary considerably, with some farmers feeding some grain, putting the animals on lush pasture, or providing top-quality hay.

Management

General rules of thumb about housing are to allow 15 square feet per ewe with about 300 square feet of lot space. Housing should be ventilated well because excess moisture contributes to sanitation and health problems. You should have enough single panels to build lambing pens for about 10 percent of your flock.

Some other general guidelines: Fifteen to 25 ewes can be watered for every foot of perimeter on a tank. A ram lamb can handle 15-25 ewes. A mature ram can handle 35-50 ewes.

Keep records on your sheep. A good record card includes that name, sex, birth date, ear tag number, comments on the birth (single, twin, etc.), the names of the sire and dam, body weights, the date bred, birth weights and sex of lambs, and a space for other comments. There should be a disease record, including a space for symptoms and the treatment used. When the animal is removed from the flock, the reason should be noted.

A monthly schedule for shepherds (Based on conditions in Iowa and an early lambing program)

Some of these chores might not apply to homesteaders with very small flocks ... but it never hurts to know more than you need to know.

January

Worm ewes, if they were treated in November or if there is evidence of unthriftiness.

Examine several ewes for ticks. If heavily infested, shear and treat entire flock with Co-Ral, Delnav, malathion, Korlan or toxaphene.

Observe condition of all ewes daily, checking especially for such health problems as footrot, abortion, or respiratory infection.

Vaccinate ewes with Clostridium perfringens Type C and D or Type D toxoid. Vaccination with the above and in combination with tetanus toxoid is recommended.

Shear ewes early in the month during a week of moderate weather. An alternative would be to shear face, udder and crotch in preparation for lambing. Trim feet during the handling.

Pregnancy check all ewes during the latter part of the month (70-100 days post-breeding).

February

This is the peak of the lambing season for many shepherds, so most of the recommendations for the month concern lambing and the practices that follow.

Treat navels of all newborn lambs with antiseptic from a pressure can, dip navels in a seven percent iodine solution, or use plastic umbilical clamps immediately after birth.

Keep lambing quarters clean and well bedded. Watch the ewes for indications of mastiffs. Treat within 12 hours and keep a record of baduddered ewes to be culled.

Watch for humped backs and stiffness in lambs. Suspect white muscle disease: inject a combination of vitamin E and selenium.

Open teats on all ewes after lambing and see that all lambs nurse for the first time within one hour. Warm chilled lambs and use a "lamb reviver" if necessary to get warmed colostrum fed to chilled, weak lambs.

Either ear tag or paint-brand ewes and lambs. Develop a plan to save extra lambs.

Group small numbers of ewes and their lambs together for 7-10 days before turning them in with large numbers. Separate ewes with singles from those with twins.

Dock all lambs at 2-3 days of age. Castrate ram lambs. Some shepherds recommend a tetanus antitoxin be administered at docking and castration.

March

Treat ewes and lambs for ticks and lice 4-7 days after shearing, if infested. Vaccinate lambs with Clostridium perfringens type D toxoid, two injections 10-15 days apart.

April

Drench ewes 5-10 days before turning them on pasture. (Change from the product used in the previous treatment.)

Wean lambs about one week before turning ewes to pasture. Take ewes away from lambs, leaving lambs in familiar surroundings.

Sort and market obvious cull ewes.

The Sheepman's Production Handbook recommends that where problems exist, sheep should be vaccinated as follows: vibriosis (ewes); tetanus (ewes); Type C enterotoxemia (ewes); sore mouth (lambs); and bluetongue (ewes, at least three weeks before breeding).

May

Watch for footrot in both ewes and lambs. Foot rot is a serious disease of sheep. There is no vaccine. Isolate infected animals from the flock and soak their feet in a copper sulfate foot bath daily for one week. Badly infected animals should be culled.

Weigh lambs when oldest lamb is about 120 days of age for selection purposes. Select oldest, heaviest twin ewe lambs as replacements. Separate replacement ewe lambs from market lambs.

June

Observe lambs for indications of coccidiosis, rectal proplapse or enterotoxemia. Treat unthrifty market lambs for worms. Treat the selected replacement ewe lambs. Begin selling lambs that average about 100 pounds. Single ewe and single ram lambs should be marketed first.

July

Rotate pastures. Purchase growthy ram or rams based on records as well as visual inspection. Shear all rams and replacement ewe lambs early in month. Sell balance of lamb crop. Check ram(s) for epididymitis.

August

Drench all ewes and rams for worms in the second week of the month. Examine feet on all animals in the flock for footrot. Trim feet as needed. Isolate purchased animals for 3-4 weeks before turning in with the flock. (This applies at any time of the year.) Consider shearing ewes completely if shorn in December or January. Otherwise, shear crotch and dock area. If possible, put rams in close proximity to ewes about August 20.

September

Fertility test ram by semen collection and evaluation. Observe rams closely for lameness, swollen testicles or anything that would hamper breeding performance. Shear ram(s) September 1, leaving brisket wool unshorn for paint marking of ewes. Turn ram(s) in with ewes about September 1, nights only. Provide ram(s) with feed and shade away from the ewes in the daytime. Mark rams each evening and use a new color after 15-16 days. Keep breeding records.

October

Complete breeding season by October 20; simply keep ram away from ewes. Breed ewe lambs starting about mid-October.

November

Drench for worms at time of drylotting for the winter. Use a different product than used at the last treatment. Check condition of ewes. Repair or replace equipment and fences. Cull open older ewes or expose to rams for late lambs.

December

Observe flock closely for indications of health problems. Plan for lambing.

Health

Following good nutritional practices, providing the necessary immunizations, observing good sanitation, and controlling internal and external parasites will go a long way toward keeping your flock healthy. But a preventive health program requires constant vigilance by the shepherd. Particular care must be taken following periods of stress such as storms, after transporting sheep, or following an abrupt change of feed.

Watch for signs such as labored breathing, a dull, listless condition, a sheep refusing to eat or one that lies down a lot and goes off by itself.

The rectal thermometer is one tool that should be in your barn's medicine chest. The sheep's normal temperature ranges from 100.9 [degrees] 103.8 [degrees], with the average normal rectal temperature of 102.3 [degrees].

Lambing

Before lambing time, it's a good idea to line up a veterinarian or someone you know who has had lambing experience, so when you run into a problem you can't handle you can get help in a hurry.

If a ewe has broken water and has been straining hard for more than 20-30 minutes and no lamb has appeared, you may have to intervene. Try to notice whether the ewe is tiring to time your intervention.

When you decide to help with the birth, clean the ewe and your hands and arms thoroughly with warm, soapy water, and apply an antiseptic lubricant. Consider using the clean, sterile plastic obstetrical sleeves used by inseminators.

Clean the ewe thoroughly, clipping dirty or excess wool from the area surrounding the external portion of the birth canal before thoroughly washing it.

Enter the ewe and try to determine the problem. The normal presentation for a lamb is head and front feet first. The head and feet you find in the canal may not necessarily belong to the same lamb, however. Don't just start pulling -- follow the legs back to the body or bodies to find out which parts go together.

Also, be cautious that the legs are both front legs, not one rear and one front leg. If twins are present, deliver the easiest presentation first.

Large-headed lambs may need lots of lubricant around the head. A lamb that's stuck at the shoulders may be extracted by gently pulling alternatively on the front legs to reduce the shoulder width. Rotating the lamb about a quarter turn to make full use of the pelvic width usually helps move lambs stuck at the shoulder or locked by the hips.

In all cases, pull down and between the hind legs of the ewe, never straight out. That's because the lamb is born naturally in a C-shaped arc.

If the legs and head are both back, buttocks presented first, and twins, call a vet. But if no vet is available try this:

If only the lamb's tail is felt, it is possible a breech presentation exists. With assistance, the ewe is held up by the hind legs and the lamb pushed forward. The gloved hand is carefully introduced, pulling the flexed hind leg back, then the other leg is positioned similarly. Care should be exercised in not penetrating the lamb bed.

In births where the lamb comes out backward, once the delivery is started it should be completed as quickly as possible because the lamb will try to breath as soon as the navel cord is pinched or broken. It could suffocate if it takes too long. The lamb's nostrils should be cleared as soon as it comes out.

Orphans raise goats

On Jan. 9, 1998, the Institute in Basic Life Principles purchased the former County Health Center South from the city of Indianapolis for $1. The facility is now being used to house more than 20 Russian orphans.

IBLP is a Christian ministry that specializes in family issues. Part of the education that will be provided includes raising and milking goats. The orphanage's herd is a mix of Nigerian dwarf goats, Nubians and Saanens. The varied herd allows children of different ages to milk and care for the animals.

Diseases of feedlot lambs

Disease               Cause                         Signs

Coccidiosis           Three to four types of        Diarrhea
                      coccidia peculiar to sheep    Bloody feces

Salmonellosis         Salmonella organisms          Depression
                                                    Diarrhea
                                                    Elevated
                                                    temperature

Pasteurellosis        Several organisms             Forced breathing
(Pneumonia)           including pasteurella         Nasal discharge
                                                    Elevated
                                                    temperature

Enterotoxemia         Clostridium perfringens       Sudden death
(Overeating)          Type D                        Depression
                                                    Convulsion

Contagious Ecthyma    Virus                         Lesions on lips,
                                                    muzzle, udder,
                                                    foot, head

Polioencephalamocia   Acute thiamine deficiency     Blindness
                                                    Circling
                                                    Depression
                                                    Watery eyes

Listeriosis           L. monocytogenes              Circling; facial
                                                    paralysis;
                                                    death,
                                                    Associated with
                                                    silage

Pinkeye               Chlamydia                     Watery eyes
(Follicular                                         Hemorrhage
conjectivitis)                                      appearing
                                                    on surface

Urinary calculi       Excess dietary phosphate      Distended abdo-
                                                    men, straining,
                                                    dribbling urine

Parasitism            Occurs in all lambs           Diarrhea
                                                    Anemia
                                                    "Poor doers"
                                                    Sudden deaths

Disease               Prevention                    Treatment

Coccidiosis           Lack of sanitation is         Amprolium for
                      always the trigger            both
                      mechanism                     prevention
                                                    & treatment

Salmonellosis         Sanitation is key             Furocen
                                                    Tetracycline

Pasteurellosis        Reduced stress                Sulfas
(Pneumonia)           Comfortable environment       Antibiotics
                                                    Furocen in
                                                    feed & water

Enterotoxemia         Start out on feed slowly.     Antibiotics
(Overeating)          Vaccinate immediately
                      when entering lot. Repeat
                      two weeks later.

Contagious Ecthyma    Vaccination                   None

Polioencephalamocia                                 Thiamine

Listeriosis           Remove poorly                 High level of
                      cured silage                  antibiotics

Pinkeye               None                          Antibiotic
(Follicular                                         ointments
conjectivitis)                                      High level

Urinary calculi       Balance mineral               Increase salt
                      intake                        content to
                                                    2% level
                                                    of ration

Parasitism            Worm all lambs when they      L. tetramazole
                      enter feedlot                 Thiabendazole

Disease               Comments

Coccidiosis           May
                      accompany
                      heavy worm
                      parasite load

Salmonellosis         Needs lab
                      diagnosis for
                      confirmation

Pasteurellosis        Can occur in
(Pneumonia)           summer as
                      well as winter

Enterotoxemia         Often
(Overeating)          accompanies
                      other diseases

Contagious Ecthyma    Can spread
                      to man

Polioencephalamocia   Not due to thi-
                      amine defic-
                      iency in ration
                      but to improp-
                      er assimila-
                      tion

Listeriosis           No vaccine
                      available

Pinkeye               Occurs in
(Follicular           sheep of
conjectivitis)        all ages

Urinary calculi       Usually
                      associated
                      with cold
                      weather

Parasitism            Worm

Prepared by John B. Herrick, Iowa extension veterinarian; Reprinted from Countryside, 1981 Tax-deductible donations of goats and supplies are being accepted. Contact Jennifer Walsh, c/o South Campus, 11850 Brookville Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46239. The telephone number is [phone]. E-mail should be addressed to [e-mail]3