Sheep Farming

Do you think that sheep need a special home made for them by the farmer? Before you find out about sheep farming make a small KLW chart like the one you see here. 

Fill in everything you know about sheep. When you have finished this unit you can add more information.

Sheep and lambs

This photograph shows some sheep and their lambs grazing in a field.

Matthew Ronan Collection, Wexford County Libraries Local Studies

Sheep and lambs
Matthew Ronan Collection, Wexford County Libraries Local Studies

Sheep and lambs

This photograph shows some sheep and their lambs grazing in a field.

Matthew Ronan Collection, Wexford County Libraries Local Studies

Enlarge image

Have you ever seen sheep in fields or on mountains? Even though these sheep may look as if they are free to roam anywhere, they are owned by a farmer who puts them on his land or rents land for them to graze on. Sheep don't like to live alone. They live in large groups called flocks. A female sheep is a ewe, the male is called a ram and the young is a lamb. Often there are twin lambs born and sometimes there are triplets. Occasionally, there are quads, that is four lambs born together. When that happens, one or two of them would have to be fed by the farmer using a bottle.

Some sheep are bred for their wool. In Australia, Merino sheep are reared for their long wool. Some countries have huge numbers of sheep. For example, it has been estimated that Australia has over 155 million, China has about 94 million and New Zealand has 71 million