We all know that we need to calculate how much hay to put out for our sheep to make sure that they have adequate nutrition over the winter. But, remember that sheep like to do things at the same time, so make sure you put out hay in a manner that allows everyone to eat at the same time. Our flock of 160 ewes requires two 4×5 round bales of hay per day to meet their nutritional needs, We put out eight bales at a time though, and only feed every four days. This way everyone has access to feed all the time and there is not too much pushing and shoving when all the ewes want to be the first to get fresh hay. This is especially important because we breed our ewe lambs and do not feed them separately, so they need to be able to access feed without too much competition from the big girls.

Sheep on pasture do not require a lot of water but you will notice that their water needs increase when they start eating hay. You might have to change to a larger water container or refill water more frequently than when you are on pasture. Be mindful of where you place your waterers in the barn. How will you empty it if one of the sheep steps in it, or deposit a few manure pellets in the water? You cannot dump the water out in the middle of the barn.

In areas with continued below freezing temperatures watering your animals can be challenging. Automatic waterers with the water supply buried below the frost line is a sleek solution but expensive to add. For those of us without this luxury, there are a few things you can do.

• In general, the larger the water tank, the longer it will take to freeze, so one larger container will be easier to keep defrosted when compared to multiple smaller tanks. Ideally your tank is sized so that the sheep almost empty it twice a day, so you do not have a lot of ice building up in the tank. Share a water container between animals in adjacent pens, if possible.
• Use plastic tanks rather than metal.
• Remove sheets of ice on the surface, rather than just breaking the ice to add more water. Just like your drink stays cooler with added ice, your water will freeze sooner the more ice you leave in the container. My dogs love to play with the pieces of ice we throw out of the barn.
• Water tank placement: Ideally your tank is close to a door (for ease of removing ice or emptying the tank), gets direct sunshine at least part of the day and is out of the wind.
• Place a sheet of foam insulation or a rubber mat underneath your tank to add some insulation between the ground and the tank.
• You can build an insulated box that your water tank sits in.
• Heated buckets might be a solution for small flocks if electricity is available.
• If the above does not keep your water in liquid form, then add a tank heater, but….
  • They are expensive to run and you need electricity.
  • Make sure that your heater will switch off if it gets too hot (remember the idea is to keep the water from freezing, not make warm water) and use a caged heater in plastic tanks.
  • Beware of stray voltage if you have an energizer running nearby. You will see sheep going to the water, but pulling away as soon as their lips touch the water.

Click here for additional information on keeping water from freezing

By: Isabel Richards, EAPK Communications Committee