Old style barn
Modern barn
Open-sided barn
Hoop house
Shed
Carport shelter
Polydome
Calf hutches
Port-a-huts
Shade structure
Shade structure
Slatted floors
Housing for sheep
Housing needs for sheep vary by climate, lambing season, and
preferences of the shepherd. If lambing will occur during periods
of inclement weather, more elaborate housing is generally required.
If lambing will occur on pasture during periods of mild weather,
simple shelters may be all that is needed. Lambing percentages are higher when shed lambing is practiced. Housed sheep have lower nutritional requirements. Sheep raised outside have fewer respiratory problems.
Storage
Most operations need facilities where they can store feed, bedding, and equipment. Hay stored in a barn or shed will maintain its quality better than hay that is stored outside, even if the hay is covered. Equipment will last longer if it is housed under roof. There are many different types of housing that can be used for sheep. Traditional bank barns, pole buildings, and metal buildings are usually the most expensive, but they provide the best protection for the shepherd, sheep, feed, and equipment.
A lower-cost alternative to traditional housing is a greenhouse-type structure called a "hoop house." A hoop house has an arched metal frame that is covered with a heavy fabric. Fabrics last for approximately 15 years.
Sheep facilities do not need to be built new. Old dairy, swine,
and poultry barns make good sheep-raising facilities. Many facilities
can be remodeled to accommodate sheep raising.
Site location
Facilities should be located on elevated, well-drained sites.
When designing a three-sided shelter, the open side should face
south away from the prevailing wind. The barn should be easily
accessible for deliveries and manure handling. The site should
allow for installation of water and electricity.
Space requirements
When confined to a building, a bred ewe requires 12 to 16 square feet of space. Lambing pens should be 16 to 25 square feet in size. In group housing, a ewe with her lambs needs 16 to 20 square feet. Feeder lambs need 8 to 10 square feet.
Less space is required if sheep are raised on slatted floors or if they have access to an exercise area or pasture. Shearing before housing will allow stocking rates in the barn to be increased by up to 20%.
Recommended housing space for sheep and lambs
|
. |
Dirt lot |
Open shed |
Confinement (dirt floor) |
Confinement (slatted floors) |
| Bred ewe |
20 |
8 |
12-16 |
8-10 |
| Ewe with lambs |
25 |
12 |
16-20 |
10-12 |
| Ram |
20 |
8 |
20-30 |
14-20 |
| Feeder lamb |
15-20 |
6 |
8-10 |
4-6 |
Ventilation
Barns should not be heated or closed up. Good ventilation is an absolute must. Respiratory problems (e.g. pneumonia and bronchitis) often result from poor ventilation. If ammonia can be smelled in the barn, ventilation is probably inadequate. Ventilation can be accomplished by either natural or mechanical means, but usually naturally-ventilated cold housing is satisfactory for sheep. It is better to over-ventilate than under-ventilate. The only requirement is that sheep have a dry, draft-free area for lambing.
Bedding
Bedding provides warmth, insulation, and comfort to housed animals. Various materials can be used for bedding for sheep, depending upon their cost and availability: straw, hay, dried corn stalks, corn cobs, peanut hulls, cottonseed hulls, oat hulls, sawdust, wood shavings, wood chips, pine shavings, sand, paper products, peat, hemp, and leaves. Each type of bedding has advantages and disadvantages.
Straw is the traditional bedding for livestock. It comes from the stems of small grains: oats, wheat, rye or barley. Since straw has many uses other than livestock bedding sometimes it costs more than alfalfa hay. As a result, hay is often a cheaper alternative than straw. Sawdust is not good bedding for wooled sheep because it gets in their fleeces, but works fine for hair sheep. Wood chips or peanut shells are less absorbent than other materials, but can be used as bedding.
Shredded paper (or newsprint) is more absorbent than straw, but is more difficult to handle and may look offensive when spread on fields. Sand has been used by dairy farms to reduce mastitis and improve cow comfort. No matter what material is used for bedding, it needs to be clean and dry.
Livestock bedding alternatives
|
Bedding material |
Absorption
factor* |
|
Wheat straw |
2.1 |
|
Barley straw |
2.0 |
|
Oat straw |
2.4 to 2.5 |
|
Hay |
3.0 |
|
Sawdust |
1.5 to 2.5 |
|
Shavings |
1.5 to 2.0 |
|
Corn stover |
2.5 |
|
Sand |
0.3 |
|
Peat moss |
10.0 |
|
* Weight of water held
per unit of try material. Assumes initial moisture content of bedding < 10%. |
|
Keeping Sheep Outside Year-round
Some producers keep their sheep outside year-round. It is more natural. Sheep kept outside benefit from better ventilation and more exercise. Their fleeces stay cleaner. Winter grazing can result in considerable feed savings. Tall fescue is best forage for stockpiled grazing.
Sheep can graze through approximately 12 inches of snow. If the snow is not hard or crusted, the sheep can usually eat enough snow to meet their water requirements; otherwise they need to be watered at least once per day. Lactating ewes should have access to water at all times.
It is common to temporarily house sheep after shearing and/or during lambing. Adult sheep can handle cold and wet weather rather well, but newborn lambs cannot. The combination of cold and wet can kill even a two week old lamb, if there is not sufficient shelter. Emergency shelter is needed for bad storms. Nutrition is the key to keeping sheep outside in the winter. If they have enough to eat, they will stay warm.
Not having to clean the barn is a major benefit to keeping
sheep outside.
Shelter and Shade
There is disagreement as to whether sheep require shelter while they are on summer pasture, though sheep will usually choose shelter if it is available to them. Protection from heat is probably more important than protection from rain, though hair sheep are more likely to seek shelter from rain than wooled sheep and less likely to seek shade during the heat of the day.
In many cases, trees or a windbreak is all the shelter that sheep need. In open fields without sufficient tree coverage, simple run-in sheds or shade structures can be constructed or purchased. Port-a-huts, calf hutches, polydomes, and carports are useful for small flocks.
Total Confinement
Sheep can easily adapt to a complete confinement system of production. Confinement enables
a producer to raise sheep or increase flock size in situations where land is a limiting factor due to availability or cost. Confinement can vary from open, dry (dirt) lots to buildings with expanded metal floors and automated manure handling. Confinement requires intensive, year-round management. Because it tends to have a higher cost of production, higher levels of performance are usually required.
There are numerous advantages to raising sheep and/or lambs in total confinement. Predator problems can be eliminated by keeping sheep in confinement. Internal parasite problems can be practically eliminated. It is easier to control foot rot and foot scald in confinement. Confinement lends itself well to automated feeding systems. It is common to fatten (feed) lambs in confinement. Less space is needed if slatted floors are used.
In fragile environments, confinement can prevent overgrazing or other environmental impacts caused by poor grazing management.
<== SHEEP 201 INDEX
Late updated
08-Feb-2010
by Susan Schoenian.
Copyright© 2010. Sheep 101 and 201.
Copyright© 2010. Sheep 101 and 201.