This document provides guidelines for the housing, care, and management of sheep in agricultural research and teaching settings. It outlines recommendations for facilities, including shelter from weather, ventilation, flooring, and space requirements. Proper nutrition, social environments, husbandry practices like shearing and hoof trimming, and standard agricultural procedures are also covered. Transportation and euthanasia methods conclude the document.

1. Sheep husbandry module
Adapted from the “Guide for care
and use of agricultural animals in
agricultural research and
teaching”, Federation of Animal
Sciences, First revised edition,
January 1999

2. Facilities and environment
 Shelter
– shade, warmth, protection from wind, precipitation
 Adequate ventilation
– dust, ammonia gas
 Clean, dry surroundings
– drainage
 Manure handling/disposal
 Range conditions vary

3. Facilities and environment
 Flooring surfaces
– well-drained compacted soil, concrete, composition
mats, wood, expanded metal
 Lambs
– observation for hypothermia (low body
temperature), hyperthermia (elevated body
temperature) and sunburn
 Adequate feed and water for environmental
conditions

4. Intensive laboratory environments
 Prolonged restraint, frequent sampling,
collection of urine/feces
 Pens, metabolism stalls, stanchions,
respiration chambers, environmental chambers
 Do not house alone
 Uniform light intensity/photoperiod
 Shearing for cleanliness
 sanitation

5. Intensive laboratory environments
 Close observation
 Opportunities for exercise
 Monitor appetite, fecal and urinary output
 Monitor soundness of feet and legs

6. Fencing
 42 inch high board or wire fence
 Can use boards, planks, high tensile wire,
chain-link, woven wire
 Plastic net or snow fence for temporary pens
 Be attentive to tangling of legs in wire
 Separation of bucks from does during breeding
season

7. Lighting
 Photoperiod and light intensity adequate for
inspection and maintenance of activity patterns
and physiological control of reproductive cycles
 May need supplemental light during lambing
for observation
 Outside lights can deter predators

8. Feed and water
 Make changes in roughage and concentrate
rations gradually
– acidosis (fatty acid building up in GI tract)
– polio (brain degeneration)
– enterotoxemia (intestinal infection)
 Feeding and watering devices positioned so as
to minimize injury and contamination with feces

9. Social environment
 Maintain in groups to avoid stress
 Introduction of new males to a group can lead
to fighting
 Sufficient space to avoid domination of feeding
and watering places
 Use of lambing pens to increase lamb
survivability and enhance development of bond
between dam and offspring

10. Husbandry
 Ear-notching
 Ear-tattooing
 Tail web-tattooing
 Ear-tagging
 Shearing
 Hoof-trimming

11. Husbandry
 Immunization
– diseases deemed appropriate by herdsman and
veterinarian
 Colostrum
– adequate intake of “first milk”
 Parasite control
– abomasal worms
 Fly strike

12. Shearing
 Shearing lambs during hot weather stimulates
feed intake and improves performance
 Shear ewes around lambing – easier for lambs
to suckle
– crutching
 Disinfect shearing equipment
– spread of caseous lymphadenitis (infection of the
lymph nodes and internal organs)

13. Shearing
 Hold off feed for 6 to 12 hours before shearing
 Shear when dry
 Need access to shelter following shearing

14. Additional husbandry practices
 Advanced
– artificial insemination
– electroejaculation
– pregnancy detection
– ultrasound evaluation
– embryo flushing and transfer
– venipuncture

15. Standard agricultural practices
 Tail-docking
– reduces perianal soiling and incidence of fly strike
– rubber rings, hot iron cautery, surgical removal,
emasculator
– docking too short contributes to rectal and vaginal
prolapses
– dock lambs before two weeks of age

16. Standard agricultural practices
 Castration
– rubber rings
– emasculator
– surgical removal
– castrate prior to 2 months of age
– anesthesia, monitor hemorrhage, monitor infection

17. Handling,
transportation
 Utilize tendency to flock
 Avoid transporting in times of extreme
temperature or humidity
 Avoid transportation during late gestation
 Gate into smaller groups to avoid piling up
 Give adequate nutrients before transporting to
avoid pregnancy toxemia and transport tetany

18. Euthanasia
 Euthanasia solution
 Penetrating captive bolt
 Gunshot to the head
 Should be performed by a trained individual