Sheep

Sheep are raised primarily for meat, with limited markets for fleece and milk. Lamb is a flavourful and versatile meat. Organic lamb is primarily sold as freezer lamb or wholesale to restaurants, but some health food and grocery stores are starting to carry organic lamb cuts. Also, although many conventional sheep producers find that their wool has little or no value, the market for certified organic wool is growing. The coloured, fine and more exotic fleeces can be sold to handspinners, and the white fleeces can be sold to mills or through cooperatives. Sheep dairies are possible, using high yielding milkers such as the East Friesan and Rideau Arcotts to produce gourmet cheeses and rich yogurt.

Feeding lambs

Lambs require 120-180 ml (4-6 oz.) of colostrum within the first eighteen hours after life, starting within a half hour after birth. Milk provides the main source of nutrients for the first month of lifespan. After that, the lambs use nutrients from hay and grain, but continue to nurse until weaned, usually at 3-4 months of age.

Creep feeding for fast growth

Creep feeding helps with the rumen development of the growing lambs and increases weight gain. Creep fed lambs can gain up to 115 g (0.25 lb.) more per day than lambs that are not creep fed, and the creep fed ones can be marketed 1-2 months earlier.

The creep feeder should be a warm and well-ventilated place, lit by sunlight or electric lights with free access for the lambs but not the ewes. If feed consumption is low, a light over the feeder will stimulate the lambs to eat more. When lambs are in the creep feeder, they should still be able to see and hear their mothers. Water should be either in the creep feeder, or just outside of it.

Lamb/kid starter is a ground, fairly high protein (16%) feed. Provide both lamb/kid starter and fine, rather than coarse, hay in the creep area. Start creep feeding when lambs are a week old and continue until they are four months old. At first the lambs will simply nibble small amounts of feed. At three weeks of age, lambs will eat about 70 g (0.15 lb.) of lamb/kid starter per day. At six to seven weeks old, the lambs will eat 500-700 g (1-1.5 lb.) and at four month old lambs (on pasture) will eat up to 1 kg (2.2 lb.) daily.

Flushing for multiple births

Flushing is the practice of supplementing the ewe’s diet before and after breeding to increase the ovulation rate; this can increase the lambing rate by 10-20%. If the ewe is already very well conditioned (condition score of 3.5 or above), flushing is not needed. Extremely overweight ewes may not ovulate at all, and their feed should be restricted until they achieve an acceptable body weight.

Ewes in poor and moderate condition will benefit from flushing. Start flushing two weeks before putting the ram with the ewes, and continue for 1-3 weeks after breeding. In addition to having access to high quality forage, start feeding these ewes 110 g (0.25 lb.) of ewe ration (13% protein) per day during flushing. Over a period of one week, gradually increase the feed up to 500 g (1.1 lb.) per day for ewes in fairly poor condition (score 2.5) and up to 220 g (0.5 lb.) for ewes in good condition (score of 3.0). Gradually taper off the feed.

Feeding ewes

Conscientious feeding throughout gestation is needed for both healthy ewes and healthy lambs. Lamb mortality rates can be quite high and are often blamed on cold weather. However, most lamb deaths that occur shortly after birth are due to poor nutrition during gestation. Poor nutrition affects placental development, udder development and the general health of the ewe. On the other hand, overly generous feeding in early to mid-gestation can lead to excessively large lambs and labour difficulties.

Early to mid-gestation

During the first three months of gestation, the fetus is growing very slowly and does not require much nutrition from the ewe. Hay or pasture is usually sufficient, along with access to trace mineral salt, minerals and kelp.

Late gestation

Late gestation (week 14-20) is the most critical time in ewe nutrition, with over 70% of fetal growth occurring during this period. Poor nutrition affects both the ewes and the lambs. If ewes are underfed, the lambs may have low birth weights, uneven weights (for multiple lambs), poor wool follicle development (which will affect their lifetime output of wool), and poor energy reserves (which can lead to deaths of newborns, especially during cold weather). Ewes need adequate nutrition to have the energy for labour and maternal care, and for adequate milk production. Most of the udder development occurs during the last month before lambing; underfed ewes will have lower milk production.

Ewes carrying twins and triplets need more feed than ewes carrying single lambs. Farmers must assess the likelihood of multiple births, based on the ewe’s past performance, her size and, if possible, the results from an ultrasound. If multiple lambs are expected, farmers can start feeding ewe ration during the last 4-6 weeks of gestation, starting with 250-500 g (0.5-1 lb.) and increasing to up to 700 g (1.5 lb.) of ewe ration with 1.4-1.8 kg (3-4 lb.) of hay per day. Ewes expecting single lambs usually need only hay and 250 g (0.5 lb.) of ewe ration for the last 2-3 weeks of gestation. Farmers must adjust the amount of feed according to the condition of the ewes and the quality of the forage.

Lambing

After lambing, particularly after difficult labours, many organic farmers give the ewes raspberry leaves as dried leaves, ‘tea’, or tincture, with a half cup of molasses mixed in warm water. The molasses gives the ewes strength and helps to reduce the risk of ketosis. Provide good forage immediately after lambing, and start giving small amounts of ewe ration 12-24 hrs after lambing. This will give the ewes energy, but not stimulate their milk flow excessively, which could increase the risk of mastitis.

Lactation

After lambing, gradually increase the amount of ewe ration fed. By a week to ten days after lambing, ewes should receive about 2 kg (4-5 lb.) of good hay and up to 900 g (2 lb.) of ewe ration per day if they are raising twins or triplets. Plump ewes (condition 4.0) need only 250 g (0.55 lb.) of ewe ration per day, or may simply need good forage. This rate of feeding can continue throughout lactation, or taper off when the ewes go on pasture and lambs are eating both lamb/kid starter and pasture.

Drying off

Begin reducing the ewe ration two weeks before weaning in order to dry up the ewes’ milk. Ensure that ewes have not had grain for a week before weaning and are eating poor quality hay for the last few days. A week after weaning, the ewes can return to high quality hay but will not need grain.

Feeding for wool production

If sheep are being raised for wool production, it is essential that the animals be well fed. Poor nutrition can lead to short staple fleece, low yields and weak wool. Poor nutrition during late gestation affects both the wool production of the ewes and the future wool production of the lambs. The level of nutrition before birth determines the number of wool follicles in the lambs. Supplements of molasses and kelp are considered helpful to keep the colour in the fleece of black ewes. The micronutrients in these supplements may delay the onset of the fleece turning grey.

Feeding dairy sheep

Dairy sheep are prone to feeding disorders, due to the stress of a long lactation. It is sometimes difficult to find the balance between under and overfeeding with dairy sheep. Excessive protein intake can lead to mastitis, ketosis, milk fever, acidosis and enterotoxemia. Under-nutrition can lead to ketosis, milk fat depression and low milk yields. A general recommendation is to feed milking ewes the same as ewes nursing triplets, approximately 2 kg (4-5 lb.) of good hay and up to 900 g (2 lb.) of ewe ration per day. Dairy sheep are usually dried off when the milk yield drops below 185 g (0.4 lb.) per day.

Avoiding and treating health problems

Many health problems can be avoided through good management and nutrition. Clean housing, no overcrowding and good pasture management all lead to healthy flocks and herds. Healthy diets are essential for healthy animals; well-balanced nutritious feed strengthens the immune system and improves an animal’s ability to resist disease and parasitic infections.

The suggestions given here are for general purposes only. For specific advice, please contact your veterinarian.

Worms (internal parasites) are a major challenge for organic sheep farmers. Worm problems can be reduced by rotating pastures, good manger design and using feed supplements such as diatomaceous earth and herbal dewormer. Both of these products are allowed to be used on certified organic farms, and no withdrawal period is needed. Hoegger’s Worm Compound for Goats is a mix of medicinal herbs which discourage worms in goats, sheep, cows and horses. The dose is 5 ml (1 tsp.) per 45 kg (100 lb.) of body weight. To help eradicate worms, give the dose twice a day for three consecutive days. To maintain worm control, provide one dose per week.

Scours (diarrhea) can indicate disease, poisoning, worms or an upset in the microbial community of the rumen. Bottle-fed animals can develop scours if the milk is fed at the wrong temperature. To treat scours, try to identify the underlying cause of the problem. To treat the symptoms, provide the animal with dry hay, clean water and no grain. The animal can be drenched with charcoal mixed in water. Some organic farmers treat adult sheep 7.5 ml (1/2 Tbsp.) of vitamin C and 7.5 ml (1/2 Tbsp.) of dolomite. Electrolytes can be given twice a day (follow the instructions on the package). Probiotics are often used to prevent scours, or used during and after an episode in order to help restore the microbial balance.

Ticks, lice and fleas can be controlled using sulphur (internally or externally) and/or diatomaceous earth (DE). The sulphur and/or DE can be rubbed into the skin of the animal to control the pests. Adding sulphur to the feed (at a rate of less than 2% of feed) can improve the animal’s resistance to external parasites.

Mastitis can often be prevented by good management and good nutrition. Mastitis is much less common in animals that are given feed with moderately low protein levels (such as organic feed). If an animal develops mastitis, the grain ration should be cut to 1/3 the previous level and the animal milked gently several times a day. A clay poultice can be made by mixing bentonite clay with warm oil, water or a mixture of the two; this can be applied to the udder after milking and left on for 3-4 hours.

Bloat is almost always caused by overeating grain or lush pasture, particularly legume pastures. Bloated animals should be kept on their feet and exercising. A common remedy is to drench with vegetable oil, 30 ml (2 Tbsp.) for lambs or 60 ml (¼ cup) for adult sheep. Before putting the animal out on new pasture, give the animals dry hay. Some farmers drench animals with dolomite mixed with water (at a rate of 15 ml (1 Tbsp.) per cow). Baking soda is also used. Some animals will eat it dry; others will need to be drenched with just small amounts, such as 10 ml (2 teaspoons) for adult sheep.

Poisoning can occur from livestock eating poisonous plants, mouldy hay or other toxic substances. Activated charcoal can bind to the toxins and can be used to treat frothy bloat. Mix the charcoal with water and drench the animal. Several hours later, drench the animal with vegetable oil to coat the gut. There must be an interval of a few hours between the charcoal and oil drenches because if the oil drench immediately follows the charcoal drench, the oil will prevent the charcoal from working.

White muscle disease, also called stiff lamb disease, is caused by a selenium deficiency. The condition causes paralysis in lambs and sheep, and is fatal if left untreated. In regions with low selenium levels in the soil, such as in much of Eastern Canada and North East United States, ewes benefit from eating a ewe ration with added selenium during mid- to late gestation. Many sheep farmers give newborn lambs a subcutaneous injection of BO-SE, a mixture of vitamin E and selenium, immediately after birth. Some producers give the ewes an intramuscular shot of BO-SE during the last month of gestation. Follow the directions on the bottle; overdoses are
fatal.