This resource has been fully reviewed and updatedA member of The Open Sanctuary Project’s staff has given this resource a full review and provided updates where necessary. by a member of The Open Sanctuary Project team as of August 29, 2025. It was originally published under a different name on December 3, 2018.

Lisez en français ici! (traduction d’une ressource antérieure)

If you plan to welcome a sheep resident to your sanctuary or into your life, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the care they require. Ideally, you should learn as much as you can before you take on the responsibility of their care, but we realize life doesn’t always go according to plan. We offer numerous resources dedicated to the topic of sheep care, as well as additional resources focused on general animal care topics that can help you begin to learn more about how to responsibly care for sheep. With so many offerings on our website, we know it can be tricky to figure out where exactly to start, so this resource serves as an introduction to sheep care, providing an overview of important topics and directing you to additional resources for more information.

We Also Offer Free Courses On Sheep Care!
If you’d like to learn more about the topics below, head over to our Compassionate Care Classroom, where you’ll find our Basic Sheep and Goat Care courses!

Background

To best care for sheep, it’s important to understand who they are and where they came from. Sheep were among the first animals to be domesticatedAdapted over time (as by selective breeding) from a wild or natural state to life in close association with and to the benefit of humans 11,000 years ago and are believed to be descended from Asiatic mouflon. While most people may think of wool when they think of sheep, those thick, heavy wool coats some sheep grow are not natural and are instead the result of selective breeding. Whereas woolen domesticated sheep do not shed their coats and need to be shorn to keep them comfortable, their wild cousins grow two coats that shed annually. In addition to being selectively bred for wool production, domesticated sheep have also been bred for their flesh and milk. The breeding of sheep for specific human-desired traits has led to the diverse world of domesticated sheep breeds we know today. You can read more about the domestication of sheep and how they are typically treated in agricultural settings here.

Lambs Have Unique Care Needs!
Below, we’ll talk about important care needs of sheep, but be aware that lambs have very different needs when it comes to things like nutrition, housing, and general care. You can read more about caring for lambs here.

Diet

The compassionate lifelong care of sheep at animal sanctuaries starts with the food they’re provided. Sheep are ruminants, and their complex digestive system allows them to efficiently digest and utilize high-fiber foods that are primarily composed of cellulose. The best diet for healthy, mature sheep is one consisting primarily (often exclusively) of appropriate forages (plants/plant materials) plus mineral supplementation. The specific types of forages you offer will not only depend on what is appropriate and preferred by your residents, but also on what is available in your area. Forages can be fresh, in the form of pasture vegetation, or dried, in the form of hay. 

In a sanctuary setting, grasses should typically make up a large percentage of pasture vegetation, with a smaller percentage of legumes and other forbs. Similarly, if feeding hay, grass hay (versus something like alfalfa) will be best for most sheep residents. Legumes are usually higher in calcium and protein than necessary and can also cause bloat, so legumes should be incorporated thoughtfully. If you care for male sheep, it’s also important to consider how their diet can increase their risk of urinary calculi (stones or crystals). Struvite and apatite stones are most commonly seen in sheep eating diets high in grain concentrates, while calcium carbonate stones are more common in sheep who are eating diets containing lots of legumes. There are other types of stones that can be caused by eating plants containing high levels of certain compounds (such as silica).

More On The Dietary Causes Of Urinary Calculi
Urolithiasis (the formation of urinary calculi in the urinary tract) can affect both males and females but is especially common in males and can result in a life-threatening urinary blockage. One of the more common causes of urinary calculi is an imbalance of calcium-to-phosphorus in the diet. Generally, you should strive for a 2:1 calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. To help prevent urinary calculi, avoid feeding cereal grains (for example, oats and corn), legumes (alfalfa and clover), and grain concentrates as much as possible. While some sources suggest that male sheep can have grain as long as there is ammonium chloride added, long-term supplementation of ammonium chloride puts them at risk of developing metabolic acidosis and decreased bone density. Overall, it’s better to avoid feeding grain unless there is a medical reason for a resident to receive it (and that’s true for females, too).

Providing a free-choice mineral supplement will help ensure your residents get the minerals (and in some cases, vitamins) they require, but depending on your residents’ needs, other methods of supplementation may be necessary on top of this. We recommend talking to your veterinarian or an experienced nutritionist when choosing a commercial mineralized salt formulation for your residents, taking into account your resident population, their diet, and regional factors (such as soil deficiencies). Your veterinarian can also make recommendations if additional supplementation is necessary. Please note that sheep must only be offered minerals formulated for sheep because other minerals may be too high in copper, putting them at risk of toxicity.

Supplemental Food
As mentioned above, despite being widely available, “sheep pellets” or “sheep feed” are not necessary for healthy, mature sheep who are not pregnant or lactating. However, some individuals may require these foods in specific quantities to supplement their forage-based diet. Supplemental food should only be provided on an as-needed basis and at the recommendation of your veterinarian to avoid health complications. As with mineralized salt, sheep should only be provided with supplemental food formulas made specifically for sheep. Those formulated for goats or other species may be too high in copper to be safe for sheep.

Always defer to your veterinarian’s instructions, but keep in mind that abrupt diet changes can affect the complex web of rumen microbes, and large amounts of soluble carbohydrates (such as concentrates) can cause rumen pH to drop, destroying many microbial species, slowing motility, and causing serious issues. Therefore, any changes in their diet, including the introduction of new foods, should be made gradually. Additionally, all supplemental food should be securely stored in an area where residents cannot access it!

You can read more about providing a healthy diet to sheep here.

Living Spaces

Sheep need an indoor shelter to keep them safe and comfortable, as well as ample outdoor space in which to roam, graze, and socialize. When designing resident living spaces, caregivers must make sure the spaces meet the basic needs of both the residents and the human caregivers, but we also encourage them to take an animal-centered design approach, which entails thinking about what the residents need to thrive and what type of space they would design for themselves if they could. You can read more about animal-centered design here. 

Indoor living spaces for sheep must provide enough space and proper traction for sheep residents to move around comfortably and safely. The space must protect residents from the elements year-round and be set up so that you can maintain it at a safe and comfortable temperature while still providing proper ventilation. Depending on where you are located, sheep residents may need to be closed indoors overnight to protect them from predators, in which case, you must ensure the space can comfortably accommodate this.

Outdoor living spaces must provide residents with enough space and opportunities to perform natural behaviors and must be enclosed by appropriate fencing. You can read more about fencing for sheep here. If you are hoping your residents will be able to get most or all of their food through foraging in their outdoor spaces, this will be important to factor in when considering how much space your residents need and what type of space they need. Not every acre of land is going to provide the same amount of forage (and even on the same acre of land, there will likely be some variation in terms of the amount and quality of forage available at different times of year). You’ll also need to account for the fact that vegetation will need time to rest and regenerate, which means that in addition to thinking about the total amount of space your residents need while outdoors, you’ll also have to think about how many different spaces they must have in order to allow for vegetation to regenerate (and in areas where parasites are a concern, you’ll also have to factor in ways to lower your residents’ risk of exposure to parasites). To learn more about creating living spaces for sheep residents, check out our resource here.

Providing your residents with appropriate living spaces is just one part of the equation. You also need to keep it clean and properly maintained to ensure their continued comfort, safety, and health! You can read more about how to do this here.

Social Needs

Sheep are social animals who have evolved to live in flocks with other sheep. Living in flocks can help provide protection from predators, and even in settings where individuals are not at risk of predation, living with other sheep can offer a sense of security. Living in isolationIn medical and health-related circumstances, isolation represents the act or policy of separating an individual with a contagious health condition from other residents in order to prevent the spread of disease.  In non-medical circumstances, isolation represents the act of preventing an individual from being near their companions due to forced separation. Forcibly isolating an individual to live alone and apart from their companions can result in boredom, loneliness, anxiety, and distress. or being separated from individuals they are bonded with can cause significant distress. You can learn about introducing sheep to each other here. 

Because they have similar (though not identical) care needs and, depending on the breeds, can be similar in size, it is not uncommon for sheep and goats to be housed together. This is an arrangement that can work depending on the individuals involved, but it should not be assumed that sheep and goats can always live safely with one another. While some sheep and goats have become the closest of friends and others have peacefully coexisted even if they didn’t become pals, some sheep and goats simply can’t live together safely. Some goats may be too rough, rambunctious, or confrontationalBehaviors such as chasing, cornering, biting, kicking, problematic mounting, or otherwise engaging in consistent behavior that may cause mental or physical discomfort or injury to another individual, or using these behaviors to block an individual's access to resources such as food, water, shade, shelter, or other residents. to live with sheep, and those with horns could cause serious injury to sheep, even inadvertently. There have been reports of goats, particularly horned goats, causing deep wounds and leg injuries to sheep. Even if injury is not a concern, if your sheep residents seem stressed by living with particular goats, you’ll need to find another living arrangement that keeps everyone safe and happy. It’s also possible that a particular sheep resident may be too rough or confrontational for a particular goat. 

Because of the potential risks involved, we recommend that sanctuaries be prepared to house sheep and goats separately rather than relying on the notion that they can always live together safely, as there is absolutely no guarantee that they can. Additionally, it’s important to recognize where their care needs differ and ensure you can responsibly meet both their needs. If you are considering introducing a sheep resident to goats or any other species, this must be done with careful thought to determine if it can be done safely. You can read more about this topic here.

Enrichment

It is easy to think that food, water, shelter, and veterinary care make up all of a resident’s basic needs, but enrichment is also an important aspect of basic care. It can be difficult to think of enrichment if you have many residents to care for or an endless list of tasks to finish, but enrichment can completely change the mental, emotional, and physical lives of residents for the better! You can read more about why enrichment is so important here, and you can find sheep-specific enrichment ideas here. These are just two of the many enrichment resources we offer, so be sure to browse our other offerings as well!

Health Care

A critical component of animal care consists of establishing practices and protocols that help keep residents healthy. Below, we’ll highlight some important health care practices for sheep residents.

Veterinary Care

Regardless of the species you care for, you must establish a relationship with a veterinarian who is comfortable working with that species and is experienced in their care. When it comes to sheep specifically, it’s important to find someone who at least has experience working with ruminants. It’s also ideal if they have experience caring for individuals with caseous lymphadenitis (CL) and small ruminant lentiviruses (ovine progressive pneumonia and caprine arthritis encephalitis)–common diseases that affect sheep. 

Your veterinarian will play a crucial role in providing care to residents who are injured or ill, and if residents require treatments, they can properly train you to administer them. Your veterinarian can also assist you in establishing appropriate care practices for your residents that are tailored to their specific needs, which may include helping your sanctuary establish a biosecurity plan, intake procedures, parasite screening and management strategies (more on this below), and a vaccination program for your sheep residents. As residents grow old, they can also make specific recommendations to address their changing needs and any health challenges they face.

The Critical Role Parasite Screening And Management Play In Sheep Care
While parasites are a concern for any species of farmed animal sanctuaryAn animal sanctuary that primarily cares for rescued animals that were farmed by humans. resident, they can be a major concern for small ruminants like sheep. In many areas, the gastrointestinal roundworm Haemonchus contortus (sometimes called barber pole worm or wireworm) is a serious, but unavoidable, threat. These parasites can cause life-threatening anemiaAnemia is a condition in which you don't have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to the body's tissues., and, to further complicate things, the growing issue of drug resistance may limit a sanctuary’s treatment options. Because of this, it is imperative that you work with a veterinarian who can help you create parasite screening protocols (such as using The FAMACHA© system) and who can help you make appropriate dewormingThe act of medicating an animal to reduce or eliminate internal parasites, either prophylactically or in response to illness. decisions to avoid accelerating the rate of developing resistance. You can read more about the threat of Haemonchus contortus, the issue of anthelmintic resistance (resistance to dewormers), how to reduce your residents’ exposure to these parasites, and how to monitor them for clinical disease here.

You can read more about finding appropriate veterinary care for your resident here. 

Daily Observation 

While your veterinarian plays an essential role in your sheep residents’ health care, it’s also important to familiarize yourself with signs of health and signs of concern in sheep so you can closely observe your residents for potential issues. This will increase the chances of catching and addressing health issues early. Of particular note, it’s imperative that you be able to recognize signs of more common emergencies in sheep, such as urinary calculi and subsequent blockage (which, as mentioned above, most often affects males) and bloat (which can affect both males and females). To learn more about using daily observation to monitor your residents’ health and well-being, check out our resource here.

Routine Health Checks 

In addition to regular veterinary care and daily observation, it’s important to perform routine health checks on your residents. By thoroughly checking each resident regularly, you’ll learn what’s normal for them and will be better able to catch health concerns early. We recommend performing sheep health checks every 6-8 weeks. You can read more about what this entails here.

Hoof Trimming

Hoof care is an important part of sheep care. While hoof trimming may be part of your routine health checkThe Open Sanctuary Project uses the term "health check" to describe health evaluations performed by caregivers who are not licensed veterinarians. While regular health checks are an important part of animal care, they are not meant to be a replacement for a physical exam performed by a licensed veterinarian. process, it’s important to understand that some residents may need their hooves trimmed more frequently. Overgrown and improperly trimmed hooves can cause issues, so be sure to learn how to recognize overgrown hooves and how to trim them correctly. You can read more about this topic here. 

Shearing Of Woolen Residents

If you care for woolen sheep (or individuals who have a mix of hair and wool), you’ll need to incorporate shearing into your care practices, because these individuals will not naturally shed their coats. While shearing in agricultural settings is most often based on human desires for sheep or goat fibers, shearing in a compassionate care setting is all about what the individual needs to remain healthy and comfortable. If left in heavy wool coats, woolen residents are at risk of overheating during the warmer months. Additionally, depending on the individual’s breed and the amount of wool they’re carrying, excess wool is also heavy and can make individuals uncomfortable if twigs or other debris become lodged in their wool or if it makes it difficult to reach an itchy spot! An individual’s wool can even become matted (or felted) over time, which can be uncomfortable for the individual and can make the shearing process more difficult.

To learn more about the importance of shearing and how to accomplish this for your residents, check out our resource here.

Human Safety Considerations

Caring for sheep residents means you’ll need to enter their living spaces and be in close proximity to residents. Not only will you need to interact with your residents while providing necessary care, but you’ll also want to interact with them to build trust and establish a positive relationship with them. However, to interact with sheep residents (or any resident) safely, it’s important to recognize when they are telling you they need space and when they welcome your presence. It’s also important to understand how they typically respond to perceived threats. With this understanding, you’ll not only be better able to keep yourself and other humans safe, but you’ll also be able to avoid unnecessarily stressing out or agitating your residents. To learn more about safely being around sheep, check out our resource here. 

Because there may be times when it is necessary to gently restrain a sheep resident (for example, to have them evaluated by a veterinarian or to trim their hooves), it’s important to learn how to do this safely. You can read more about gentle restraint methods for sheep here.

Recordkeeping

With all of the very important aspects of sheep care, it can be easy to think of record keeping as being less of a priority, and when things are busy (which may be all the time!), record keeping may be the first thing to slip. However, consistently maintained records kept in a safe, well-organized location are critical for resident health and safety, as well as the safety and success of your sanctuary. Documenting resident health histories can help inform decisions for each individual and can also be used to benefit others. To learn more about the many benefits of regular health documentation, check out our resource here. You can also read about different record-keeping systems here.

---

While this resource just provides a brief overview of important sheep care topics, hopefully, it has given you a better idea of the care they require! Be sure to check out the links throughout this resource (or consider enrolling in Basic Sheep And Goat Care) to learn more about caring for sheep and providing them with the best life possible!