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Sheep Housing

1.9K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  nobrabbit  
#1 ·
I have recently gotten into raising hair sheep, specifically Katahdins. I was told by a friend that use to raise Suffolk for 4H shows that sheep will need some type of shelter. We live in TN and it does not get terribly cold here and only snows or ices 3-6 times a winter, if that. Due to her advice I built a small hoop shelter for the sheep to get into when it rains; however, I have rarely ever seen them get into the shelter. We had a cold spell in November and it got to 16*F here and windy. The sheep were lying in the wet grass chewing their cud and seemed unimpressed with the temperature, even when it rained that evening.

A few months ago I bought an Anatolian from a family that raises Painted Desert Hair Sheep on their farm in KY. They said that their sheep stay on pasture 12 months a year with no shelter, even during lambing.

So my question is how necessary is shelter for Katahdins? Seeing as how they are a breed developed in Maine I presume that they are hardier than needed for our mild southern winters.

Thoughts?
 
#3 ·
I'm pretty new to this too, and I have barbados, which are pretty similar to Katahdins. They have a three sided structure to go in, but rarely do. It's been in the single digits lately so sometimes they'll sleep in it. But otherwise they choose to stay in the pasture all day. If the hoop structure you have is closed on one end and they can get out of the wind on the real cold nights, I'd say you're fine. But again, I'm only about 6 months into this myself.
 
#4 ·
Shelters come in handy during lambing season. Can be pretty hard on people, if you have to attend ewes in the cold pouring rain or other bad weather.

Right now, since I am starting all over yet again.. they have a low roofed and ugly... what'ya-ma-thingy... they can get under to get out of the driving rain. Trees near by add a little wind protection.

You can do something as simple as a Cattle panel hoop house with a tarp over it or even a metal car port.

Though I have to admit,,, would like a three sided shed set up like I had at the first place. It made things a lot easier for me.
 
#5 ·
My Katahdins rarely go into the hoop house. The coldest days so far (teens) they sleep in the open field. Sometimes in a heavy rain, they will go into the shelter, but other times they will continue to graze. The only other times they go in the hoop house will be in the hottest part of a 90+ Summer day. They seem to be hardy, but they are in rotational grazing and frequently do not have access to trees to provide cover, so I roll the hoop house to each new paddock.
 
#6 ·
We're pretty new to sheep, only have 5 Barbados. I've found they're not fond of enclosed spaces. I lure them into their 12x12 barn each night for security, and to get them used to the barn when lambing time comes.

We've got a Great Pyr for security, but then again, I sometimes wear a belt and suspenders.
 
#7 ·
I have been around sheep all of my life(wool sheep). We have always had shelters of some sort or the other. We now have a very large barn with an inside arena which we close them in at night for security and great horse/now lambing stalls inside. Honestly I think the inside stalls excite me more than they do the sheep because it will be so nice to be in a good shelter while waiting and observing the ewes during lambing season. I'm also able to have a small refrigerator for medicines and a little propane heater in the tack room ( oh and a little coffee pot). I admit I am excited about lambing season..The thing is sheep are pretty resilient to the weather but I am not.
 
#10 ·
I noticed that... when I lived in the NW the summer sun... what there was of it, didn't bother the sheep. They rarely used the sheds for shade there.

Here, they pant very hard during the summer, even in shade... and they use the shade a lot.
Heat just about kills me too.

Though my sheep use their little shelter any time it rains... or it is too hot and they need the shade.
 
#11 ·
My ewes will often go into their little shelter when they're ready to lamb. I guess they like the privacy. It becomes a lamb jug for a little while every spring. Otherwise, unless it's really pouring rain/sleet, they almost never use it. In really cold weather, they stay outside. On really hot days, they seem to prefer natural shade.
I use the sheep shed mostly as housing for broody hens and new chicks.
 
#13 ·
We raise Kats and dorpers, both hair sheep, and we do not have barns for them to go in. We have a couple open faced sheds, but they hardly use them. They just bed down outside on their leftover hay/straw, and do great. It gets to -35 to -40 for several weeks every winter, and they could care less. Up here they grow a serious coat though, and maybe down there, cold wet rain is harder on them than snowy cold?

Sheep IMO, do not NEED to ever be indoors. having them outside at all times alleviates disease, parasites, manure issues, and fertilizes your pastures well. I just feed them in a new spot on fresh snow every day, and they work their magic.

Again, we don't have cold damp rains in winter, which may well be worse than snowy -40 conditions...
 
#14 ·
We raise Kats and dorpers, both hair sheep, and we do not have barns for them to go in. We have a couple open faced sheds, but they hardly use them. They just bed down outside on their leftover hay/straw, and do great. It gets to -35 to -40 for several weeks every winter, and they could care less. Up here they grow a serious coat though, and maybe down there, cold wet rain is harder on them than snowy cold?

Sheep IMO, do not NEED to ever be indoors. having them outside at all times alleviates disease, parasites, manure issues, and fertilizes your pastures well. I just feed them in a new spot on fresh snow every day, and they work their magic.

Again, we don't have cold damp rains in winter, which may well be worse than snowy -40 conditions...

I am not judging at all but do have questions as this intrigues me. What is % of live lambs within a few days of birth if they are born in those conditions or is the lambing season at a different time? Here it is usually Jan-April give or take a bit.
 
#16 ·
We have Katahdins and have a run-in shed for them to use it at will. They use it alot! They go in every night, during the day if it's a windy rainy day and during the summer they go in to lay on the concrete to stay cool. There's a security light by the shed and with our coyote pop. I've always felt that they feel safer by the light and in the shed at night.