If you have looked at a pasture with cattle and sheep together, you’ve probably seen the cattle ignoring the sheep. That is what happens most of the time. Occasionally, when sheep and cattle are kept together you may see what looks like the cattle bullying or being overly pushy with the sheep. Why is it…
When you are getting into sheep, you may have come across tips or suggestions of things that you should be doing when you are around the flock, which is important information, of course. Equally important are the things you should not do when handling sheep. What are the things to avoid doing when working with…
When you take a closer look at a sheep, you notice that she really does not have a lot of ability to defend herself. Sheep are fairly small, they don’t have sharp teeth or claws and they are not well camouflaged. So what exactly do sheep have to defend themselves against predation? Sheep group together…
Sheep can be stressed for a number of reasons including weather, isolation, immediate threat (like a predator) or something specific to the individual sheep, such as a health. So, how do you know? If your sheep are stressed, what does that look like? Stressed sheep may pace, pant, repeatedly call to other sheep, bunch up…
I’m sure you’ve seen it, sheep in a face off charge towards each other and wham, headbutt! You can even hear the smack when they connect! What are those crazy sheep doing headbutting each other and why do they sometimes headbutt a lot and other times hardly at all? Sheep headbutt to show or establish…
It can be hard to tell when your sheep are happy, especially when you are new to raising sheep! What are some of the things that you’ll see sheep and lambs doing that show they are happy? Happy sheep are contentedly grazing Happy sheep will graze until they are full. When sheep are happy, they…
Whether you are new to raising sheep or regularly hike or bike by a flock, it’s important to know a little bit about how to act around the sheep to keep both you and the sheep safe and happy. Since sheep react to things differently than we do, it can be confusing to understand what…
Getting a few new sheep to add to your flock is a great opportunity to grow or improve your sheep, Yes! In order to have the new sheep seamlessly blend into your operation, there are a few steps you need to take to ensure success. When adding new sheep to your existing flock, you need…
You’ve got sheep and you’ve got grass that you want mowed down in your new orchard. Is this a match made in heaven or a disaster in the making? Sheep will eat the bark off of young fruit trees, which will kill the trees. Older fruit trees are not as attractive to sheep, but can…
There are many times in the life of a sheep owner when you would need to move your flock, but how to do it? Herding sheep on foot involves moving the sheep as a group to or from an area by stepping into their flight zone which causes them to move away from you. A…