Our backyard farm’s most fun, exciting animal is our sheep. When we purchased her, we asked, “What do we do in the winter?” Luckily, sheep have an amazing coat of wool that protects them from the harsh weather. The flock we purchased her from is said to not even go in their shelters and instead brave the wind, rain, and snow. Here we are in winter, and Susan is the easiest animal to care for on our backyard farm.
When considering animals for our backyard farm, we always consider friendliness, ease of care, and the commitment they will require. Considering that, we felt confident that a Babydoll Southdown Sheep was our best next option.
Here’s what we do:
Food and Water
All our animal’s water is stored in 50-gallon barrels that are light-proof to help prevent algae and other nasty things from growing inside. We also equip those 50-gallon barrels with a stock tank heater so that the water does not freeze in winter. This is so important! Animals still need water in winter. Yes, they can get some liquid from snow, but water needs to be easily available.
Susan is not nursing or planning to become pregnant, so her food is simple. We give her a fleck of hay that lasts her two days, and she gets grain as a treat or as a “get in your pen!” mechanism. She comes running for that treat pail! If you’ve never seen a sheep do their excited run where they kick their legs out, it’s a must-see.
She also has a loose sheep mineral that is always available in her shelter. It’s important to ensure that your sheep have minerals. Giving your sheep minerals helps prevent deficiencies. Just ensure it’s a sheep mineral because too much copper can kill sheep.
Shelter/Bedding
Sheep Shelter DIY Plans are COMING SOON!
Our lovely sheep farmers, whom we purchased Susan from, told us they need a shelter to hide from severe weather, but the caveat is that they probably won’t use it. They didn’t keep their sheep hay or mineral/grain under a shelter; it was out in the open. But when we built our little livestock lean-to, we wanted Susan to use her shelter so we didn’t waste our time and money on a nice shelter for her. Guess what? She uses it! She loves it, lays down in it, eats in it, and will sleep in it.
Straw/Supplemental Heat
We put down straw for bedding in the shelter, and if our ducks and goose sneak into her enclosure, you can find them cozying up in the straw. It’s important to have a shelter for your sheep, even if they don’t use it, just in case they need it one night. You want them to feel safe, and if they have nowhere to hide, that causes unneeded stress.
Sheep do not need supplemental heat because they wear a huge wool coat all winter. They stay plenty warm with that wool coat, and when you put your fingers in that wool, you will feel an oily substance called lanolin that keeps the water from soaking in and onto their skin. It’s pretty amazing. I suggest keeping their shelter as dry as possible. Whenever Susan’s bedding needs a little sprucing, I throw some more straw on top.
Attention
We love our Susan. Sadly, she was born alone and then orphaned by her mom. So, she was bottle-fed from day one. Luckily, the farmers who owned her were very confident that she would do well in the environment of our backyard. Since we have multiple different animals, she could bond and interact with our other animals. For this reason, we give her lots of attention. When we allow her to roam our half-acre free, she will come on our porch to say hi through the slider door. I usually open the slider door, squat down, and give her a kiss on the nose. She loves to be nose-to-nose with me.
Babydoll Southdown Sheep have great temperaments, are easy to care for, love their shepherd, and do not need much space. Our dogs and Susan get along great, and in the snow, Susan doesn’t seem to mind that she gets snowballs stuck to her wool. They are easy keepers, and I am grateful for that. I’m grateful for her.
More LoDown in these posts:
How to Care for Ducks in Winter