How to Breed Sheep

Breeding sheep is more than just pairing up a ram and a ewe—you also need to be prepared to care for the pregnant ewe through gestation and beyond. Luckily, we're here with all the tips you need for the best odds of success!

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Acquiring Your Breeding Sheep

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1
Buy a healthy ram with a good breeding history. The best way to purchase a good breeding ram is through a local livestock auction. Look over the rams in the pens, and check to make sure that rams you are interested in purchasing have large testicles, a good firm tail as that indicates a good sperm reserve, and no visible defects. Pick out 3-5 rams you’d like to bid on, so that you won’t go home empty handed if someone else buys your first-choice ram.^{[1]XResearch source}
- It’s perfectly normal to talk to the rams’ owners and ask a few questions regarding their breeding history. For example, find out the average size of the rams’ offspring (larger is better). Find out if the ram’s father and grandfather have produced healthy offspring.
- If you’re looking for a high-quality ram, ask the ram’s owner or breeder if you can look over the animal’s pedigree. When looking over the pedigree, confirm that the ram’s pedigree covers at least 3 or 4 generations and contains few (or no) instances of inbreeding.
2
Plan to spend $200-$600 USD on high-quality rams at an auction. Write down the number of the ram you’d like to buy, and watch for it to come on the auction block. Make sure you have a fixed highest price in your head, and don’t exceed that amount at the auction. If the first ram you’d like to purchase goes too high in price, move on to your second, third, or fourth choices.
- Once you’ve succeeded in buying a ram, speak to the former owner again. Ask if they offer any type of guarantee on the animal. For example, if the ram fails to produce offspring, reputable dealers may offer a partial refund.
- If you’re purchasing more than 1 ram, make sure your rams are the same age. If you pair an older ram together with a younger ram, the older may beat the younger when they’re competing for ewes.
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3
Purchase a healthy ewe with a good birthing history. When you’re looking at ewes to purchase, physically inspect their bodies before bidding. Check for firm, healthy udders and a full set of teeth. Ewes should be of average weight for their breed, so avoid ewes that are obese or that are only skin and bones.^{[2]XResearch source}
- Due to the large number of sheep breeds, the average weight of ewes can widely vary. Mature breeding ewes can weigh from 100–240 pounds (45–109 kg).^{[3]XResearch source}
- Talk to the breeder or owner before bidding on a ewe. Make sure that the ewe has never prolapsed when giving birth and has never rejected (refused to nurse) any of her previous lambs.
4
Expect to spend $200 USD on fertile ewes at an auction. Ewes are generally cheaper than rams, since rams can impregnate multiple ewes in a single breeding cycle. A good ewe may sell for only $200-300 USD.^{[4]XResearch source}
- Exercise caution if a breeder is willing to sell a ewe for under $200. This may indicate that the ewe is in poor health or has prolapsed during previous births.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Caring for and Feeding Your Breeding Sheep

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1
Feed your ram a good, nutritious hay diet. The ram will have been eating a grain diet in the auction feeding station, so you should transfer him to a healthy fresh grass and nutritious hay diet. Allow the ram to graze freely on healthy hays. A hay diet will increase the ram’s ability to breed well and to produce strong, healthy lambs.^{[5]XResearch source}
- Good hay choices include timothy, bermudagrass, bromegrass, Kentucky bluegrass, orchardgrass, and ryegrass.
2
Ask a vet to examine your ram 6-8 weeks before mating. Have the vet perform a “breeding soundness exam” to confirm that the ram is in good health. Ask your vet to provide a full clinical examination, a genital examination, and a semen sample. Breeding rams should have normal genital organs, normal libido, the ability to mount and mate ewes, and a good amount of sperm to ejaculate.^{[6]XResearch source}
- Beginning 2 months before the mating season, keep an extra careful watch over your ram to ensure it’s calm and in good health. Illness will cause an increase in testicular temperature and may decrease fertility.
- If you’re concerned about the ram’s health, the vet can inspect the semen sample through a microscope to make sure the ram has a healthy semen count.
3
Clip the fur around the ewes’ rear ends in early fall before mating. Clipping the area where the ram will mount will help the ewe conceive by giving the ram easier access and preventing vaginal contamination by hair and fecal matter. Use an ordinary pair of sheep shears to clip off about 12 square inches (77 cm²) on the ewes’ rear.^{[7]XResearch source}
- This process won’t hurt the ewes, so they should remain docile while you’re clipping.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Encouraging the Sheep to Mate

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1
Breed the sheep in the early fall. Ewes’ fertility is tied to the length of days, so the season in which you breed your ewes is important. Breeding is most successful in fall, when the length of the days decreases. Once the length of days has decreased, the ewes will enter heat every 16 or 17 days. Once the days begin to lengthen again, the sheep will enter heat less often and the breeding season will have passed.^{[8]XResearch source}
- So, if you live in the U.S. or Canada, breed your sheep in either October or November.
2
Watch for your ewe(s) to show signs of heat when around a ram. The signs of heat are difficult to discern, and typically only show up when a ewe is near a ram. In this situation, the ewe will seek out a ram and stand still near him in order to be mounted. A ewe in heat will also nuzzle at a ram’s belly and may wave her tail around vigorously.^{[9]XResearch source} Once the ewe(s) are in heat, you’re ready to begin mating the sheep.
- When the ewe urinates, the ram will sniff it, extend his leg, and curl his lip. When the ram curls his lip, this is called a “flehmen response.” It’s a sign that the ram has sniffed the female’s urine and is interested in mating.
- If you have multiple ewes, many of them will come into heat at the same time. Make sure you separate the ewes in heat from the ones that aren't.
3
Divide your ewes into 2 groups and put 1 ram with each group. If you have more than a single ram, separate the rams from one another. This is to prevent the rams from fighting in competition over the ewes. To prohibit fighting, you can separate the ewes into 2 groups and let 1 ram have each group. Once the ram and ewes have been introduced, they’ll begin to exhibit mating behaviors.^{[10]XResearch source}
- If you don’t have enough ewes to divide, it’s alright to leave the sheep all in a single group. Likewise, if you only have 1 ram, leave all of the sheep in 1 group.
4
Give the rams and ewes a few weeks together to mate. Mating doesn’t always occur in the first couple of days that the rams and ewes are together. Eventually, the rams will start to mount the ewes because the ewes are in heat and will be exuding a mating hormone. If the ewe is receptive, she will stand for mating. In most cases, a ewe will become pregnant after she’s mated 2 or 3 times.^{[11]XResearch source}
- A ram may find a single ewe that he prefers and will mate her exclusively.
5
Inspect the ewe’s belly for signs of growth once a ram and ewe have mated. Usually during the first 4 months of pregnancy, you’ll notice the ewe’s belly expanding to a large size. You’ll also notice that her udders become larger as they begin to fill with milk. You can ask a veterinarian to give your ewes ultrasounds to confirm whether or not they are pregnant.^{[12]XResearch source}
- Also pay attention to the ewe’s appetite. If she begins to eat an increasing amount of food, she’s most likely pregnant.
- Depending on the breed of sheep, the udder size will vary.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Altering the Diet of Pregnant and Lactating Ewes

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1
Give the pregnant ewe(s) a healthy diet of high-quality hay grass. Keep your pregnant ewes on hay grass in the early and middle portions of their gestation period. Each day, give every ewe 3.5–4 pounds (1.6–1.8 kg) of hay grass.^{[13]XResearch source} This grass will contain plenty of nutrients to sustain the developing lambs. Good hay grasses include orchardgrass, reed canary-grass, and tall fescue.^{[14]XResearch source}
- You can purchase both hay grasses and legumes at a local feed store. On average, hay bales cost between $1-10 USD.
- The average gestation period last from 142-152 days. So plan on roughly a 5-month pregnancy.^{[15]XResearch source}
2
Introduce legumes to your pregnant ewes’ diet for the final 2 months of gestation. After your ewes have been pregnant for 3 months, begin feeding them a blend of hay grasses and legumes. For the final months of their pregnancy, ewes will need a high-quality, high-protein diet to develop healthy lambs. Since legumes are higher in proteins than grasses, blend grass and legumes at about a 1:1 ratio.^{[16]XResearch source}
- High-protein legumes include cowpeas, vetch, soybean, and red clover.
- As with the high-quality hay grass, give each pregnant ewe a total of 3.5–4 pounds (1.6–1.8 kg) of hay grass and legumes each day.^{[17]XResearch source} For example, you could give a ewe 2 pounds (0.91 kg) of a legume and 2 pounds (0.91 kg) of a hay grass.
3
Feed your lactating ewe(s) only legume hays. These hays have a higher content of protein and calcium and will enrich the ewes’ milk while their lambs are nursing. The protein-rich hays will help develop strong lambs and keep the ewes in good health as they nurse and recover from the birthing process. Give each ewe 4–5 pounds (1.8–2.3 kg) of legume hay each day.^{[18]XResearch source}
- Types of legumes include alfalfa, white clover, and birdsfoot trefoil.

Community Q&A

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Question
How do you know if a sheep is pregnant? And what age should I breed them?
Zoe Bullock
Community Answer
The ewe’s belly will expand, and you will notice that the utters will get bigger. The best age would be around a year or two, and the best age to let them retire would be around four to six.
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Question
At what age should I start giving a ewe a ram?
Zoe Bullock
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A good age is around one or two. But a little older is fine too.
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Tips

It can be difficult to see which ram is mounting a specific ewe. Try applying raddle paint to the bellies and chests of the rams with different colors so you know which ram mounted which ewe. The raddle paint from the ram’s chest will rub off on the ewe’s rump.^{[19]XResearch source}
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Warnings

If the ram still has his horns, you must be very careful when interacting with the animal. Even if it is de-butted, the ram can be very dangerous. With one head-butt, a fully grown ram can break an adult’s leg.
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