1. Basic Sheep and
Goat Husbandry
for Land Managers

2. Topics for today’s presentation
 Sheep vs. goats
 Reproductive basics
 Nutrition basics
 Health care and
diseases
 Predator control
 Additional resources

3. Sheep vs. goats:
There are differences: choose the right animals for your goals.
SHEEP GOATS
 Grazers  Intermediate grazers
 Prefer forbs, grass  Prefer browse
 Easier to contain (fencing)  Harder to contain
 Usually no horns (fencing)
 Aloof, reserved, gregarious
 Usually horns
 Better adapted to climate
 Curious, independent
 Less adapted to climate
 Easier to handle, manage

4. What about shearing?
 Hair sheep do not require
shearing, crutching, or
docking.
 Other sheep require annual
shearing and the tails of their
lambs should be docked.
 Hair sheep crosses may
require shearing and their
fleeces should be discarded.
 Most goats do not require
shearing (exceptions: Angora
and Cashmere goats and
their crosses).

5. Advantage of crossbred animals
Regardless of species, crossbred animals are preferable to purebreds.
 More available
 Less expensive
 Less valuable
 Hardier
 Healthier
 More disease-resistant
 More productive

6. Reproductive basics
Landscape management can be combined with production.
SHEEP GOATS
 Puberty at 5-12 months  Puberty at 3-7 months
 Seasonally polyestrous  Seasonally polyestrous
 Short-day breeders  Short-day breeders
 17-day estrus cycle  21-day estrus cycle
 24-36 hour estrus  24-48 hour estrus
 5 month gestation  5 month gestation
 1 to 3 offspring  1-3 offspring
 1 ram: 35 ewes  1 buck: 35 does

7. Nutrition basics
 Sheep and goats are
ruminants: a majority of their
diet should be composed of
forage:
grass, forbs, browse, hay, etc.
 Supplements may be
required to meet nutritional
requirements not met by
forage diet.
 Late gestation
 Lactation
 Growth
 Poor quality forage
 Rumen is adaptable to
different feeds, but it needs
time to adjust; always make
changes to diet gradually.

8. Free choice minerals
 To meet nutritional
deficiencies in forage diet.
 As a behavior modifier.
 Loose minerals preferred to
mineral blocks.
 Feed appropriate mineral
mix to sheep and
goats, due to differences in
copper requirements and
sensitivities.
 Goats - goat minerals
 Sheep - sheep minerals

9. Health care of sheep and goats
Routine management Common diseases
 Vaccinations  Internal parasites
 Parasitecontrol  Foot rot and scald
 Hoof care  Respiratory
 Biosecurity  Digestive

10. Vaccinations for sheep and goats
 There are numerous
diseases for which sheep
and goats can be
vaccinated.
 In production situations, it
is common to vaccinate
for specific clostridial
diseases (CD-T).
 Ewes/does 3-4 weeks before parturition
 Lambs/kids at 6-8 and 10-12 weeks of age
 In certain
circumstances, rabies
vaccination may be
warranted.
 There is a rabies vaccine for sheep.

11. Parasite control
 Sheep and goats can
be affected by
numerous internal and
external parasites.
 External (ecto) parasites
include flies, ticks,
lice, and mites.
 Internal(endo) parasites
include helminths
(worms) and single-cell
protozoa.

12. External parasite control
 Some dewormers (macrocylic
lactones, e.g. Ivomec®) have
efficacy against some (biting)
external parasites.
 Many insecticides are labeled
for external parasite control in
small ruminants. They are
administered as
sprays, dusts, or pour-ons.
 Some external parasites can
be vectors for other diseases.

13. Internal parasites
 Sheep and goats can be
infected with numerous
gastro-intestinal parasites.
 It is normal for sheep and
goats to have parasites in
their guts and parasite eggs
in their feces.
 The two parasites of primary
concern are the barber pole
worm and coccidia.

14. The barber pole worm
 The barber worm is a blood-
sucking round worm.
 The primary symptom is
anemia (paleness of mucous
membranes) and sometimes
edema or “bottle jaw”
(accumulation of fluid under jaw).
 Diarrhea is not a common
symptom of the barber pole
worm.
 Effect of parasitism may be hyper-
acute (sudden death), acute
(clinical and treatable), or chronic
(sub-clinical)

15. Internal parasite control
 Routine deworming is NOT
recommended.
 The worms have developed
varying degrees of resistance
to ALL dewormers.
 Sheep and goats should be
dewormed on an as-needed
basis, based on the
observation of clinical signs
(e.g. FAMACHA© scores).
 By itself, a fecal test is not diagnostic!

16. Internal parasite control
 Sheep and goats should always be
dewormed with oral formulations of
dewormers (called drenches).
 All dewormers should be administered by
mouth using a syringe with a long metal
nozzle (deposit drug over tongue).
 Dosage should be based on an
accurate weight; under-dosing
should be avoided.
 Goats metabolize dewormers more
quickly and require 1.5-2x the sheep
dose.
 Using a dewormer that is in any way
inconsistent with the product label
requires extra-label drug use and a
veterinary prescription (Rx).

17. Integrated parasite control (IPM)
 Pasture-rest and rotation
 Zero grazing
 Protein supplementation
 Browsing
 Alternative forages
 Minimum grazing height
 Resistant breeds
 Resistant genetics
 Copper oxide wire
particles

18. Control of coccidia
 Coccidia are single-cell protozoa
that typically cause diarrhea in young
lambs and kids.
 Mature animals are largely immune
to coccidia, but serve as a reservoir
of infection.
 Coccidia control starts with good
sanitation and management.
 Coccidiostats
(Bovatec®, Rumensin®, Deccox®, or
Corid) in the feed, mineral, or water
can help to prevent outbreaks of
clinical coccidiosis.
 Coccidiosis is treated with amprolium
(Corid) or sulfa drugs (Rx).

19. Hoof care
 Hoof care is an important
aspect of sheep and goat
management and welfare.
 Lameness can be a sign of
disease.
 Hooves should be
inspected regularly for
disease and excess growth.
 Sheep and goats are
susceptible to numerous
hoof diseases.

20. Hoof trimming
 The need for hoof trimming varies
by
species, breed, genetics, nutrition,
and environment (soil texture and
moisture).
From every few months to less than once per year.
 Proper hoof trimming
requires proper
restraint, equipment,
and technique.

21. Common hoof diseases
Foot rot Foot scald
Infection in horny tissue of hoof Infection in skin between claws.
Strong odor

22. Common hoof diseases
Foot rot Foot scald
 Caused by interaction  Caused by bacteria
of two bacteria; the that is present wherever
second bacteria that there are sheep and
causes disease must be goats; lives in soil.
introduced to the farm  Environmental: not
or herd. contagious.
 Bacteria that causes  Is a precursor to footrot
foot rot can only live and other hoof
outside the animal for diseases.
14 days.
 Highly contagious

23. Treating hoof diseases
 Trim and inspect feet
 Isolate infected
animals
 Foot bathing with
zinc sulfate
 Antibiotic treatments
(sprays and injections)
 Vaccinate
 CULLchronically-
infected animals.

24. Preventing hoof diseases
 Do not introduce the bacteria that
causes foot rot to your farm via:
a) Contaminated animals
b) Contaminated transport
c) Contaminated equipment
d) Contaminated footwear
 Do not buy animals from farms that
have lameness or footrot.
 Do not buy animals from sale barns or
other places with questionable
animal health.
 Quarantine all newly-purchased
sheep and goats and assume they
have footrot (trim feet and treat).
 Can use dry chemicals and
absorptive pads to help prevent
disease outbreaks.

25. Biosecurity
Biosecurity is the steps taken to prevent the introduction or spread
of disease(s) on a farm. University of Maine and Maryland Extension
have collaborated to develop an online template for creating
biosecurity plans for sheep and goat farms.
http://www.sheepandgoat.com/biosecurity/
1) Breeding stock
2) Quarantine
3) Disease management
4) General management
5) Other

26. Respiratory problems
 Symptoms
 Nasal discharge, though
not all nasal discharges are
problematic (e.g. clear
mucous discharge).
 Fever, usually over 104°F.
 Raspy breathing.
 General ill thrift
 Isolate and treat
 Anti-inflammatory drugs (Rx)
 Antibiotics (OTC and Rx)
 Supportive therapy

27. Common digestive problems
 (Froth) bloat can be caused
by the sudden intake of
leguminous or succulent
pastures.
 Acidosis is caused by the
sudden intake of readily
digestible
carbohydrates, usually grain
or by-product feeds.
 Polio is a thiamine (vitamin B1
deficiency) caused by the
consumption of feeds with
thiaminase inhibitor.

28. Common digestive problems
 Pregnancy toxemia is
caused by an inadequate
intake of energy by the
pregnant female.
 Milk fever (low blood Ca)
can be cause by both in
adequate and excess Ca in
the late gestation diet.
 Diarrhea (scours) is not a
disease; it is a symptom with
both infectious and non-
infectious causes.

29. Common digestive problems
 Copper toxicity can occur
(sheep) if diets contain toxic
levels of copper.
 Acidic soils
 Pasture fertilized with pig or swine mature
 Copper in supplements fed to sheep
 Copper deficiency can
occur (goats) if diets contain
inadequate copper.
 Copper deficient soils
 Excess Mo or sulfur
 Sheep supplements fed to goats
 Plant poisonings can cause
many symptoms. Clinical signs
vary with toxin and can be
non-specific.

30. Sick sheep or goat: what to look for
 Temperature
Normal is 102-103ºF
 Body condition
Normal is 2-4 (5)
 FAMACHA© scores
Normal is 3 or better (5)
 Appetite
Healthy sheep and goats are always hungry!
 Coat condition
 Pain
Teeth grinding can be a sign of pain
 Dags (scours)

31. Predator control
An important aspect of sheep and goat husbandry.
 All sheep and goats are
vulnerable to predators of
many types: domestic
dogs, wild
dogs, coyotes, foxes, bears,
vultures, eagles, etc.
 Horns do not protect goats
from predators.
 All sheep and goat owners
should consider predation to
be a significant risk to their
operation and implement a
program to prevent and/or
minimize predation.

32. Predator control
 Starts with a good fence
 Multi-strand high tensile electric
 Woven wire with electric off-set wires
 Electric netting
 Polywire
 Electric wire

33. Livestock guardians
1) Livestock guardian dogs
Great Pyrenees, Akbash, Maremma, Anatolian
Shepherd, Komondor, Polish Tatra, Tibetan Mastiff
(and their crosses).
2) Other livestock guardians
a) Donkeys (miniature ?)
b) Llamas (alpacas ?)
Each guardian animal has pros and cons.

34. Other methods of predator control
1) “Flerds” (catte + sheep/goats)
2) Night penning
3) Indoor lambing and kidding
4) Good neighbor relations
5) Lethal methods

35. Additional (web) resources
 Maryland Small Ruminant Page
www.sheepandgoat.com
 Sheep 201: A Beginner’s Guide to Raising Sheep
www.sheep101.info/201/
 UME Small Ruminant Program on Facebook
www.facebook.com/MDSmallRuminant
 UME Shepherd’s Notebook blog
mdsheepgoat.blogspot.com
 Meat goat test blog
mdgoattest.blogspot.com
 Other PowerPoint presentations
www.slideshare.net/Schoenian or .../SusanSchoenian

36. Questions?
Thank you for
your attention.