Housing

[WolfeMomma]

Our sheep have a big box stall to them selves , they come in every night for their food and hay and we keep them in there over night, we just feel it safer that way even in the summer. they have nice windows and ventilation so they get a breeze. I hear the coyotes howling like crazy at night so I am thankful that they are secure in the barn. My question is , do you bring your sheep in at night? Just curious to see how others do it

 

[mysunwolf]

When we first bought our property we had a 10x12 barn built and brought the sheep up every single night, kind of like putting up our chickens and ducks. We finally got a LGD and it's made things a lot easier on us in many ways. The sheep often prefer to graze from 5-8am and after dark in the summertime, and there was no way I was getting up that early or staying up that late. So now they get more graze time in. But putting them up every night worked for us for years, and we never lost a sheep!

 

[Baymule]

When I first got sheep in November 2015, we only had a small fenced pasture for them. Of course they wanted to stay out close to the road where the coyotes would have easy access....... We had two LGD's, but they had never laid eyes on sheep and wanted to bulldoze them. I got a quick small lot put up for them, followed by a shelter for them to get out of the rain.

The LGD's became awesome guards. I currently have them in their night lot, attached by temporary fence that goes to the back yard. My other pastures are seeded in winter grass, so the sheep are dry lotted. I don't close them up in the night lot now.

If it makes you feel better to close up your sheep at night, by all means do so. I think it's the smart thing to do.

 

[Sheepshape]

Ours are out all the time, even those who are expecting single lambs. However, our worst predators are foxes, minks and ravens. Also we have 75 sheep and that's too many to clean up from unless absolutely necessary.

We recently had over a foot of snow and that meant my Blue Faced Leicesters came in for 4 days/nights. Ewes expecting 2 or more lambs also come in around their delivery time, too.

However, if we had the predators that some of you have, i'd probably stay out in the fires with them myself!

 

[WolfeMomma]

Our LGD isn't old enough yet he is only 7months maybe this summer we will have to give it a try. Our girls are spoiled and expect their grain and a fresh stall every night quite demanding they are ahaha, and with all the snow we have already i don't blame them, I would want to be inside too!

 

[mystang89]

We do the same thing. Every night they go in the barn and every morning the go back in the pasture. Works well for us so far. We have many cayotes here and haven't lost one yet..... though I've only raised them for a bit over a year....i think it's been that long anyway.