Couple newb questions...

just getting into sheep and have some questions about things I've noticed.

1) my pasture has a couple small spots of shade...plenty for the few sheep I have but it is spotty in the afternoon. Great shade til noon. Today I noticed the sheep standing in the sun by the gate and panting like they were hot. I grabbed some feed and they followed me to a shady spot where I fed them. They'd eat in the shade and then walk back to the gate in the sun to stand and pant. They have plenty of fresh water by the gate. It's like they are tryin to get in the tiny strip of shade from the fence posts when they have available shade in other places. Surely if they were overly hot they'd stay in the available shade???? I did construct them a temporary shade area by the gate with a tarp to try to help for tomorrow afternoon.

2) noticed a couple of the sheep at times holding their head low like they were feeding but they weren't eating. they'd pick up and walk around at times but when standing still they'd drop their head unless somethin in particular caught their attention.

These two things could be just regular ol sheep stuff but both struck me as somewhat odd. Any advice is appreciated.

Greetings and welcome to BYH from NE TX! So glad you joined us. I've seen questions like this before and I believe the answer came back something along the lines of: "they're sheep... and not all that intelligent". As for the head hanging... Maybe they're just dozing on their feet? I'll tag a few Sheeple from here and hopefully they'll be able to provide some comments. @Mike CHS @Sheepshape @mysunwolf @Baymule and there are quite a few others... There's a wealth of info, knowledge and experience shared in the multitude of threads. Browse around and see what interesting stuff you can find. By all means post away when the desire strikes you, especially if you have questions (provide as much detail/info as possible and pictures truly help)... With all the great folks here, generally someone will respond in no time at all. Please make yourself at home!

PLEASE put at least your general location in your profile. It could be very important if/when you ask for or offer help or advice. You know, climate issues and such. I recommend at least your state as most folks won't be able to figure out where if you put anything more specific (county, town, street, etc) by itself. Old folks like me will never remember & look there first. To add it, mouse hover over Account top right and a drop down will appear. Click on Personal Details and scan down. You'll see the spot for Location. Then go to the bottom and save changes. Thanks! Hope you enjoy the site!

kstring.....welcome. I hope you enjoy your sheep.

Generally sheep who are hot will go for any bit of shade they can find. If they were uncomfortably hot by the gate, it's pretty unlikely they'd stay there. I'd guess they know it's the place to get out and are waiting for the opportunity! Whereas sheep tend to behave appropriately in the heat, they don't always pay so much heed to cold, and may take young lambs into exposed places.

What sort of sheep are they? If they have thick fleeces shearing will help. However, sheep wool is pretty unique stuff. It has a coil-like structure which can become tighter or looser depending on the temperature allowing variable amounts of air (a very poor heat conductor) to be trapped near the skin. So even thick-fleeced sheep can control their temperature to a certain extent.

Standing with their heads down....looking a bit 'dopey'.....entirely normal. Whereas sheep sleep lying down, either curled up or flat out on their sides (looking dead!), they doze whilst standing.

Oh, and they're a lot smarter than you may think. Flock behaviour?....crazy. Individual behaviour?....pretty bright. Sheep can remember over 40 faces (sheep or people), and have a good memory for an individual and how they have been treated by them. their brains are wired similarly to ours, they're sentient , and they can be taught to do quite a few tasks that a dog can do (with appropriate food reward!).

Sheep have a great tendency to follow. Locally there is a road with a cattle grid which has a metal strip only a few inches wide at the edge. I saw a flock of about 25 follow, one after the other, across that small strip to get to the field on the other side. Or as the story goes...Teacher to boy "You have 50 sheep in a field and one gets through the fence. How many sheep are left?" Boy.... "None, sir". Teacher..... "Don't you know anything about maths, boy?" Boy...."Don't you know anything about sheep, sir?"

Try to provide your sheep with all that they'll need....water, food, shade, shelter, company etc......then try to sit back and enjoy them.

Sheepshape said:

Teacher to boy "You have 50 sheep in a field and one gets through the fence. How many sheep are left?" Boy.... "None, sir". Teacher..... "Don't you know anything about maths, boy?" Boy...."Don't you know anything about sheep, sir?"

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I'm in the Deep South...MS. and these are hair sheep. I figured this was prolly normal goings on but being inexperienced I wanted to make sure.

my kids love farm animals which is why we are trying the sheep.

I have nothing to add to the good info already posted but wanted to welcome you and to say I hope you enjoy it.

I have sheep in multiple paddocks and they will spend a lot of time by the gates closest to the house since that's where their human food provider comes from.

Nothing to add here either. Welcome. My sheep do the same thing. I have shade for them at ALL times during the day. They still wait next to the barn door waiting for it to magically open.... Smart? Maybe. Common sense? Nope

Maybe that's what I meant rather than a lack of intelligence... I know my goats sometimes seem like geniuses, and other times, ummm not so much.