# Sheep, Fences & Shelter



## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Can you kind, experienced shepherds and shepherdesses tell me a little more about sheep and fences? You hear a lot of rumbling about how goats are with fences but very little about sheep. I'm hoping this, combined with the fact that the sheep farms around here tend to have pretty basic fences that work effectively means that sheep are gentle (at least in comparison) on their enclosures. 

We're considering picking up a market lamb or two to feed out for freezer here in the next few weeks 1) for the meat and 2) to test the waters of sheep owning to see if we enjoy the species. I have a paddock that's not in immediate use that I was planning to put them on. It's electric fenced -- 3 & 4 strands. I also have livestock panel/wood post pens if needed. 

My other question has to do with shelter. Should we put them on the paddock they would have access to a three-sided shelter bedded with straw. Seems as though, being covered with wool, their shelter requirements would be basic, but I wanted to make sure this would be sufficient. 

Of course any other advice is welcome as well.


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## ONG2 (Sep 22, 2010)

Our sheep (American Black Belly) will stick their heads through the fence and clean up the weeds about a foot on the outside of the fence. This was a benefit that we had not considered NO WEED EATING around the fence. 

In our experience the only time they use the shelters is when it is raining or snowing. Is it necessary in the summer time? Most of the time we have a shelter for them, but on some of our lots they have to get wet.


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

We have different types of fencing. Some white picket fence, some barbed wire some cattle fence, and one electric. Depending on where the sheep are.
It depends on the breed how flighty they are but compared to goats they are calm. We have Jacob sheep and they have never tested our perimeter fence. We did have it broken down when a tree fell, and two rams got out 2 yrs ago, but our neighbors got them back in with little trouble. They should respect the electric. Make sure the lower strand is as low to the ground as you can get it, then put some every foot above it. 4ft high is plenty. Make it hot. 

As for shelter. We have a huge barn that sits there empty almost year round  We have lambing jugs in 1/4 of it and get the ewes in there when it is near their time. Even in rain or snow, they will often shelter in the woodland, or be out grazing through the snow. We buy tons of hay, yet their need is much less as the forage all winter. 

Another consideration is with the Jacobs we trim their feet only once a year at shearing when we give them their yearly CD&T shot. They hardly need doing. Never long.
Make sure you do not give them copper. Goats need it, it can kill sheep. 

Please don't get just 1 lamb. Sheep are flock animals and do well with other sheep. Please get 2 or more.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I have always had properly tighten woven field fence and hot wire. I like to keep the sheep off the fence and I have to keep the predators away from my livestock.
And the sheep I have, have learned to keep off the fence.

The new lambs I have, have learned, hot wire bites and stays away from it, only took them a day with little wet noses. 

I have a run in shed, they do use it and it is nice to have an enclosed area so you can get ahold of your sheep when you need too. 
Shelter is also nice during lambing time or if you have sick sheep.
But since you are just getting market lambs, the three sided shelter you have would be fine.

Like Little Farm said, make sure you only use loose mineral/salts for sheep, same with any feed you might want to feed them.
Goat grains/mixed feed have too much copper, as does all cattle and horse feed.

Other than that, sheep are fun to have around! Look forward to photos when you get them.


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## kabri (May 14, 2002)

Our sheep stick their heads thru the areas where we have field fence also. I love the fact that they keep the fence line clean, but they can also rip out ear tags that way. 2x4 fencing is better in that regard. Sheep do appreciate shelter in the rain/snow. Hot wire works well too. Enjoy your new lambs!


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> It's electric fenced -- *3 & 4 strands*.


 I would add some wires to fill in the gaps, both to help keep the sheep in , but more to keep predators out.

They don't necessarily have to be hot wires

It's hard to shock a sheep through a thick layer of wool, so keeping the spaces small can help a lot


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## houndlover (Feb 20, 2009)

My sheep are very easy on fences, but my goats dictate what I have. I have field fence topped with barbed wire, but honestly, the sheep will stay in an area with step in posts/one string of hot wire. The goats test the hot wire, decide they can stand the shock, and go through or over it. Beasts. At night I toss a little grain on the ground in a very secure 1 acre paddock with 6' fence and a run in shelter. With sheep, I worry more about things getting IN than the sheep getting OUT.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Thank you all. Seems what we've got will work for a couple of market lambs for now at least and then we'll go from there if we decide we like them enough to keep more of them around. 

I will never say never, but don't anticipate predators to be much of an issue here unless Racoons are sheep eaters and I just don't know it. (We wouldn't put teeny baby lambs out of course.) We do have coyotes here, but food is plentiful for them in the wild and we're not in a densely populated area so they keep to themselves as much as possible. They tend to be a very shy strain in our area.

Of course I think our dogs help encourage them to stay away, too. 

At any rate our fencer does put out a good poke. It's rated for high brush impedance, large stock, etc.

Well, now to see what kind of lambs and prices I can find...


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## PNP Katahdins (Oct 28, 2008)

Stray dogs can be one of the biggest predator problems anywhere, or wandering neighbor dogs, or the owner's own dogs at times. Doesn't have to be wild animals, or two-legged thieves.

I bet you will enjoy your new lambs so much you will want more. They're not goats or cattle or hogs. The little shelter should be fine. They may not use it much but will appreciate it when they do use it.

I always recommend three lambs for new owners no matter who they're buying from. If you get two and lose one, that lonely survivor will be pretty unhappy. 

Good luck!

Peg


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## lilachill (Apr 2, 2006)

We had a 4 wire hi-tensile which contained our 1st wethers until a new sassy sheep "retrained them.
Last year we added 2 more low wires and it keeps them in.
When I am rotating the sheep through the fields I use electric netting successfully. I train them to the net inside their usual , secure paddock and I keep a trained goat with them until they inderstand the procedure of moving from paddock to paddock. Having 2 lengths of netting has made this possible. Before I had the second piece of netting I made a paddock with 4 lengths of hog panels, wired together at the corners. I do move them daily so they do not run low on pasture.
Last summer's meat lamb's had the shelter of our fruit trees or we made a little A-frame, pull behind shelter when they want. We used metal roofing over a wood frame and attached a rope so I can be pulled.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

I have 2x4 welded wire, 4x4 woven and elec. They have never gotten out. I did have a ram put his head through the gap in a cattle panel and had to cut the fence to get him out. :grumble: I am going to try to use six strands of elec this year for them so I can rotate their pasture a bit and maybe invest in the electro-netting - but only if the regular elec doesn't work. I noticed last year that my electric fence sagged between posts (20 ft apart) so I am in the process of adding a post inbetween and hopefully tighten it more like high tensile fencing

Mine didn't use their shelters all winter - I had calf hutches out for them. The only day they went in was when it was sleeting. I noticed that mine use their shelters more for shade than for warmth. If you are doing market lambs, you won't need to hold it over the winter anyway. Make sure the shelter gives them shade. This year they are getting arched cattle panels covered with a tarp for summer.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> I noticed last year that my electric fence sagged between posts (20 ft apart)


Do you have rachet tensioners?

I have my posts 50 ft apart with no noticible sag


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Bearfootfarm said:


> Do you have rachet tensioners?
> 
> I have my posts 50 ft apart with no noticible sag


No, it's just electric on the insulators - for cows, not sheep. I want to move the sheep there to keep the parasite problems to a minimum. I'd LOVE to have my posts 50 feet apart. I have some ratchet things - metal ones - and some plastic thing with a handle in the middle. I never could figure out how to get them on the fence and usable. It's on my list this year. When it quits snowing.


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## sheepish (Dec 9, 2006)

If the electric wires are not close enough to shock them as they are starting through, sheep may get shocked and then pull back, tangling their wool, more shocks, lots of jumping, more shocks...

Add more wires.

We had a small flock (under 10) Corriedales stay home for a couple of years with no fences. But then we got bad dogs in the neighbourhood.

There are 2 purposes 2 fences. Keeping in and keeping out. Generally with sheep you need both. 3 wire electric won't do either very well. 5 wire might do it but I wouldn't bank on it. 5 wires did not work for us even to keep sheep out of fresh pasture next door. We installed page wire and shut off the electric.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

what's page wire? I was hoping six strands will do it...RATS. I'd hope to tension it down tight with six strands and the posts 10 ft apart.


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## Fowler (Jul 8, 2008)

I dont have an electric fence...would love to have some...however...my 2 paddocks are 1/2 acre lots...and the people on the other side of the fence do not mow...leaving the grass over 7 ft tall....I am surrounded by it.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Thank you all for your responses. I located a couple of ram lambs locally that'll be ready to go in a few weeks. In the meantime, I had a couple of other questions and thought I'd just bump this so the whole story is in one place.  

For feed I was planning on ample (mostly grass) pasture, free-choice sheep mineral and fresh water. They will be here only during the summer/early fall months and I see in reading other posts a number of you don't grain during those months, is there any reason that would not be feasible here? We're in MI, land of water and green during the summer. Grass in the paddocks they'll be frequenting is pretty thick. 

And on age and size. I was planning to process them out in the fall when the grass usually starts slowing down. Probably late Oct. or early Nov. At that point they will be 7-8 months old. They are cross breeds -- Sire is mostly Rambouillet, Ewes are Suffolk/Dorset (or was it Dorper? Hmmm...) with a touch of others in there. Would the usual market lamb estimates for that age be reasonable to guesstimate on -- 125 - 150 lbs live weight ... ish?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> what's page wire?


It's the same as "field fence"

[ame]http://www.google.com/search?complete=1&hl=en&source=hp&biw=999&bih=522&q=field+fencing&aq=5&aqi=g10&aql=&oq=field+f[/ame]


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> They will be here only during the summer/early fall months and I see in reading other posts a number of *you don't grain during those months*, is there any reason that would not be feasible here?





> I was planning to process them out in the fall when the grass usually starts slowing down


To me, that applies more to adult sheep you intend on keeping.

In your situation, the advantage to feeding grain would be to put on extra weight before slaughter.

They don't HAVE to have it to maintain their condition, but it does help with growth.

It wouldn't take a lot of grain in any case


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## Looking4ewes (Apr 30, 2006)

As for fencing, I use HT woven wire and also electric netting. 3 to 4 strands MAY keep them in but may not, depends on the sheep and stock pressure. I use no shelter for my sheep year round. Sheep do best outside. A little run-in shed won't hurt them, but it is not necessary. 

My sheep are grass-fed only, rotated through very lush paddocks, which keeps the sheep and the grass growing well. Your pasture may or may not be good. IMO, people think their pasture is better than it really is. Only you can be the judge. 

As for finish weight, it depends on the breed and the feed. At the age of 6 months, on grass only, my lambs will be about 110 lbs. live weight. They are a dorset/dorper mix. The pure dorsets will finish at higher weights than the hair breed mixes. I'm not familiar with Rambouillet, but Suffolks will finish best with grain. 

If you are purchasing lambs now, I assume they must be weaned, say about 2-3 months of age, about 50 lbs already? If so, you may get to your desired weight by November.


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

They're just over a month old now, will be just over two months and weaned when I pick them up. They'll be 7-8 mo at butcher time.


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## Looking4ewes (Apr 30, 2006)

I would make sure that they've made the switch to grass before you pick them up. Lambs can fall apart at weaning and 8 weeks is still quite young. Personally, I wean at 100 days, though 90 days could be done without pushing them. Are they being creep fed now. Will you be feeding them grain?


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## olivehill (Aug 17, 2009)

Yes, they're getting creep feed and hay. The pickup date isn't set in stone. "When they're weaned, in a few weeks" is the plan. I will probably grain them lightly.


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