Sheep sounds

[secuono]

Can anyone give me a list of sounds and calls sheep make and what they mean?
I've only heard two from my sheep. A very low burp like noise when they loose contact and a much louder 'beeh' noise that I don't know what it means. That one I've only heard 3 times.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm not really sure of what they mean, but I've only heard my gals make a few different sounds.

One is the low "chuckle" of ewe to lamb...I LOVE this one! The other is the high pitched baaaaaah they call if they are missing one of their own and are calling to them. This I've heard when the flock is separated from one another or feeling in danger.

My sheep were on pasture and self-feeding hay setups, so I didn't have to listen to them calling for food, like I've heard elsewhere~that baaaaahing seems to be more rhythmic and insistent.

 

[RustyDHart]

When I need my sheep to come up to the barn or into another pasture...I just give a loud, sharp whistle with my fingers and they all come running...(not spoiled at all)......when they're jogging up to me they make a certain sound....and it's pretty much the same sound the ewes make when they are calling their lambs over to them from across the field to nurse....I think the sound they make in these two situations means: FOOD!!!!!!!!!! My brother does sometimes call me "Dr. Doolittle".....but I don't quite have all of the sheep vocabulary down yet...... I've studied different languages...but I'm still working on "Sheep 101".... Very interesting topic.....

 

[Beekissed]

I used a sound too....I'd call, "Sookey-sookey!!!" and they'd come running and make that sound you described! My girls now live at their original home and have done so for almost a year now, but I can still call out those words when I visit them and they will turn, run a few feet in my direction and watch me closely.

 

[RustyDHart]

That's too funny!.....I thought I was the only one.... I sometimes call out to them...WOOLERS!......SHEEPERS!..... I think they come to pretty much anything if they see me and think they are going to get some treats..... I do recognize some of them by their voices..... I also like the little growl that they use sometimes when another sheep is too close to them when they want their space to eat. Right now their thing is Apples....I have an orchard loaded......and they act like spoiled kids when I don't pay attention to them and throw a few over the fence to them......the sounds they make are like a babie's tantrum.......ooooooo...waaaaaaah.....!!!! You'd think they were starving to death.....:/. I would rather have them friendly and wanting me...than stand offish and running away from me scared to death. Like children...I think it's the way they are raised....... My two cents for the day...... Keep talking to those sheep....they know what you're saying!!! Rusty

 

[secuono]

I call them Sheepies and they always look up. When I go down the isle of the barn, one sheep will come up behind me. I scoop up some grain and another shows up and when I turn around the last is there smiling at me for their share.

But these aren't sounds the sheep make, you guys!

 

[RustyDHart]

I guess it's kinda hard to replicate the actual sounds that they make......we have the "Yay... food" sound....the "keep away from me" growl....and the "I want more food" cry. The "Help me...I'm caught...or something is wrong" cry... The motherly little grunts the moms make to their newborn lambs are unique. And there are several others as well.....I guess we could record their sounds...but then how would we share them?:/ And the rams have certain sounds too.....it could be quite a list. I do know when I hear certain sheep sounds...I pretty much know what they mean....and I think most experienced shepherds do as well.... Sometimes the sheep just talk to make noise for no reason at all......like some people I know. I hope this does help.....(?) Rusty This is "Irish Acres Highland Miracle"......and when I talk to her....I can see she is listening......sometimes I'll call out to the flock and she'll yell back......."yeeeeeaaaaahhhh....I hear you"....

 

[SheepGirl]

As time goes on, you will hear all sorts of sheep noises, and you will learn to differentiate between them primarily because of the different tones and pitches. You can learn your sheep's voices, just like you know your dog's bark or you know your mom's voice (though of course sometimes I have a hard time because my mom is a twin and she and her twin sister sound exactly alike ). After five years of owning sheep, I know the difference between a lamb crying out for it's mother, a sheep wanting some feed, a ram "seducing" a ewe, a ewe bleating to her new lambs, lambs playing with each other, and a stressed sheep. I'm sure there are more I know, I just can't think of any right now You can also learn the expressions on a sheep's face...curiosity, annoyance, contentness, stress, etc.

ETA: Some sheep, as you will find out, have very obnoxious baas...usually they are the baas that are very "vibrate-y" or they sound like someone puking. And usually these sheep are the mouthier ones. Sheep with nice-sounding baas tend to be the quiet, more reserved sheep in the flock. I have Montadale/Babydoll Southdown crosses and they are very quiet...I rarely hear them say anything. It's usually the lambs that make noise, but they quiet down as they mature. I did have one ewe, though, "Lily" (she's in the BYH 2012 calendar), who had a vibrate-y baa and would bleat anytime she heard or name or saw me. I'm suprised she never lost her voice because it was pretty much constant bleating with her. Whereas, my friend's sheep (she has Suffolks and Shropshires) are a mouthy bunch of sheep. I went over to her house (she keeps all hers in a barn/garage and a couple of outdoor pens) and they were sooo loud.

 

[RustyDHart]

You can see on "Miracle's" face that she's happy and content.....and that I'm her protector and friend. They learn.....and know. And as "Sheep girl" mentioned.....there are so many different sounds...many that she'd mentioned..I'd foregotten about.....I'm picking up new sounds every year......and I've been raising sheep for 16 years.....hoping to learn some more "Sheep" words.

 

[Queen Mum]

RustDHart, you are SO right! Goats do the same thing. And each one has a distinct voice. We have ONE sheep. An American Blackbelly Hair Sheep. He has a Nursing home voice. Baaaaaaaaaaa, all day long. It means,

Hey, come here, Hey, come here, I'm hungry, feed me, NOW, I want attention, NOW!

His voice is deep and resonant and beautiful.