Sheep Behavior
Sheep Behavior
Instinctual Behaviors: - Sheep are very social animals. - When grazing, sheep need to have sight of other sheep. - It takes a group of five sheep to show normal feeding behavior. - Ensuring sheep have visual contact with other sheep prevents excess stress. - Flocking is instinct, and helps prevent against predators. - Thousands of years of domestication have made sheep more docile. - Most ewes reaching maturity at 5-12 months, usually happens around their first fall. - Non-human mammals reproduction is regulated by an estrus cycle. - The length of sheeps estrus cycle is 13-19 days, usually 17. - Pregnancy usually lasts 142-152 days. - Shearing, vaccinating, working, or changing ewes feeding habits during the first 30 days of pregnancy should be avoided. - Early in life the lambs cannot digest anything but milk. - A ewes milk production peaks at 3-4 weeks. - The most common time of weaning is 60 days, or when they reach of 45 pounds. - Natural weaning occurs at about 6 months of age. - Barley, clover, grass, hay, and commercial protein supplements are the most common food for sheep. - Extra nutrients are required for pregnant ewes and young lambs. - Sheep normally drink 1-4 gallons a day. - Sheep have a natural follow the leader trait they learn early in life. -They rely mainly on their vision, and have an excellent sense hearing and smell. -The lambs are very playful. - Rams are normally very aggressive and do not like to be messed with.
Learned behaviors: - Ewes that have just given birth imprint upon their lambs, allowing them to distinguish their young from other ewes’ young. - Sheep can identify human faces and actually remember them. - They can differentiate human emotions in through facial characteristics.
Safe Handling and Restraint Procedures: - Sheep can see behind themselves without turning their head. - They cannot see directly in front of their noses. - Sheep can direct
Instinctual Behaviors: - Sheep are very social animals. - When grazing, sheep need to have sight of other sheep. - It takes a group of five sheep to show normal feeding behavior. - Ensuring sheep have visual contact with other sheep prevents excess stress. - Flocking is instinct, and helps prevent against predators. - Thousands of years of domestication have made sheep more docile. - Most ewes reaching maturity at 5-12 months, usually happens around their first fall. - Non-human mammals reproduction is regulated by an estrus cycle. - The length of sheeps estrus cycle is 13-19 days, usually 17. - Pregnancy usually lasts 142-152 days. - Shearing, vaccinating, working, or changing ewes feeding habits during the first 30 days of pregnancy should be avoided. - Early in life the lambs cannot digest anything but milk. - A ewes milk production peaks at 3-4 weeks. - The most common time of weaning is 60 days, or when they reach of 45 pounds. - Natural weaning occurs at about 6 months of age. - Barley, clover, grass, hay, and commercial protein supplements are the most common food for sheep. - Extra nutrients are required for pregnant ewes and young lambs. - Sheep normally drink 1-4 gallons a day. - Sheep have a natural follow the leader trait they learn early in life. -They rely mainly on their vision, and have an excellent sense hearing and smell. -The lambs are very playful. - Rams are normally very aggressive and do not like to be messed with.
Learned behaviors: - Ewes that have just given birth imprint upon their lambs, allowing them to distinguish their young from other ewes’ young. - Sheep can identify human faces and actually remember them. - They can differentiate human emotions in through facial characteristics.
Safe Handling and Restraint Procedures: - Sheep can see behind themselves without turning their head. - They cannot see directly in front of their noses. - Sheep can direct