Keeping Sheep Comfortable

How to assess and provide adequate shelter to sheep

Do sheep need a barn in the winter when it is cold? Do they need shelter when it rains? Should they have shade when it is hot? These are the typical questions I am receiving, especially from beginning farmers.

In assessing what sheep need to feel comfortable it is neither helpful to anthropomorphize nor to be indifferent to means and measures that could make a sheep’s life a lot more pleasant, even if it is not an absolute necessity or required by law.

Let’s start with the approaching winter: cold weather and windy days will arrive. With it comes cold rain, snow, and possibly ice. Do sheep need to be in the barn in such conditions? The answer is neither a clear cut yes nor a no. First of all, it depends on the age of the sheep. Adult, well-fed and well-fleshed sheep have a much higher cold tolerance than young lambs. I would keep young lamb in the barn during the cold winter months and would let them go outside only during the day on nice calm winter days. Ewes and rams, however, are likely to be fine outside if the following conditions are kept in mind: Cold itself is rarely an issue.

A cold day without wind will likely not require any shelter. Ulf Kintzel / White Clover Sheep Farm

Temperatures at or below zero degrees Fahrenheit can easily be tolerated by adult sheep, provided they have not just been shorn. This holds true for hair sheep breeds as well, which are far more cold-tolerant than people assume. I cannot speak to temperatures below minus 15 or minus 20 degrees since I haven’t experienced these temperatures. I leave it up to those who have to assess it. The problem arises when cold conditions are paired with wind. Windy conditions can make sheep feel uncomfortable even when temperatures are still in the teens or low twenties. They still wouldn’t need a barn to be housed in. A wind break, be it a thick hedgerow or woods large enough to break the wind, will be sufficient. The animals will tell you if they are cold or if they are not. Sheep that are not bothered by the cold will bed down, chew their cud, and even face in every which direction if they are comfortable when bedding staying behind a windbreak. Sheep that are cold will huddle together, face away from the wind, and are unlikely to bed down. So, “listen” to your flock and let them tell you if you met the burden of providing adequate shelter.

Snow in addition to the cold is not at all a concern. Snow insulates. Sheep snowed in overnight while bedding down behind a hedgerow are likely comfortable, each having its own iglu built around them. The situation changes entirely in cold rain around the freezing mark or ice. In such cases I let my sheep have access to a run-in shed to be able to avoid the precipitation from above.

A simple run-in shed is sufficient to protect adult sheep from the cold wind. Ulf Kintzel / White Clover Sheep Farm

They will seek it if they need it. One word of caution though: Although common wisdom is that sheep will seek shelter if they need it, I am aware of two notable exceptions:
1. When the weather turns unfavorable, windy conditions in cold weather may prevent the sheep from seeking shelter if it is quite far away and if it would require the flock to go against the wind first in order to find the shelter. They tend to move away from the wind, and this may prevent them from going to the shelter.
2. In cold or freezing rain, adult ewes may not at all seek shelter. If they have young lambs, these may need it but will stay close to their mothers. In such case I move all of them into the barn.

In the summer, when it is hot, I always provide shade. I purchased a farm with hedgerows and woods with shade for the sheep in mind. Those who don’t have any shade can provide it. Hay wagons for small bales work well to provide shade or you can build a laneway and allow the sheep to leave the pasture and go back to the barn when it gets hot. My rule of thumb is this: in low humidity, I don’t need to provide shade up to 80 degrees. When the humidity is high, I already provide it when the temperatures are in the 70s. Is it already needed in these relatively low temperatures? It is breed dependent – some breeds of sheep are far more heat tolerant (i.e. Katahdin or Barbados sheep) than others (i.e. Texel sheep) – but I would like you to look at it from different angle rather than a “need” for shade. A sheep that is kept comfortable and not just kept under essential conditions is also a sheep that will produce better for you. It will fatten better, it will produce more milk, it will have more lambs. Keeping sheep comfortable under various weather conditions certainly does not mean that they need to be pampered. It is a wise thing to do when you think of your bottom line.

Shade is essential on hot days. Ulf Kintzel / White Clover Sheep Farm

One common comment I have heard when sheep farmers were indifferent to providing shelter or shade was: “Wild animals like deer don’t have a barn either.” That is true. However, wild animals are not confined by your fences. Wild animals are not in your care. Your sheep are. Besides, the “wild animals don’t have shelter” argument will never work in the eyes of the law if you are caught breaking it. I always suggest knowing what the law requires as far as shelter and water and feed are concerned. Arguing with authorities about what sheep do or don’t need, if you haven’t provided it, will be a losing argument.

Lastly, after examining the needs sheep have, the economic impact sheep comfort has, and what the law requires, I would also like to address the ethical component: I chose to raise sheep. I am responsible. What I don’t provide, my “dependents” will not have. It is thus my responsibility to daily think about and provide for the needs of these animals. I am their shepherd.