Cold and Ice Impacting Sheep

For a sheep producer, this winter has been challenging for more than just the occasional road or school closure.

WSU’s Sarah Smith said sheep are pretty hardy and can handle the cold due to their coats, but that can also be a negative.

“Sometimes it masks what their true body condition is, so if people aren’t putting their hands on them and making sure that they have enough body condition, not only for their pregnancy but also this extra energy it’s going to take. They can start using energy up pretty quickly and then even the wool can’t protect them.”

Smith said livestock producers should be out with their sheep in these conditions and feeling for ribs or backbones and making sure they are not prominent.

For pregnant sheep, the danger is even more so because they are using body fats and energies to grow their young in addition to remaining warm, which is why Smith said it’s important to be on top of feed.

“Oftentimes we have, what we call, flushed these ewes to have them super ovulating so that they have twins and triplets, but we got to feed them now so that we can twins and triplets to sell in June and July.”

Smith said sheep are used to be prey and so they will often hide their symptoms which is why it’s so important to be handling them regularly.

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