Animal Health & Welfare

Some low-cost suggestions are given below which can improve handling efficiency, the rate of injuries and animal welfare when handling sheep.

 

• Aim to move sheep slowly, quietly and calmly at all times - let the animals move at a steady pace and give them time to negotiate difficult terrain. Schedule plenty of time to get management actions done so you are not rushing.
• Avoid shouting, arm or stick waving, dogs barking, and loud noises - these don't help to move the animals and can slow down the whole process
• Give sheep plenty of time if they need to find their way through a narrow opening. Make it as inviting as possible and don't try to hurry them through - panicking them will take longer and they are more likely to injure themselves.
• Ensure that all dogs are well-trained and suitable for the jobs you require of them. A badly trained dog is a liability to itself and your sheep.
• Don't drag or pull sheep by the wool - this is painful for them and can cause carcass downgrades through bruising.
• Where possible make use of the natural following behaviour to encourage free movement, avoid blind corners where they can't see what is coming, or may lose sight of the animal they are following.
• Sheep prefer to move from darker areas into well-lit areas so aim to avoid situations where they are required to move into dark pens.
• Sheep can be encouraged to move into pens by food rewards. Some will be gathered more readily by being encouraged to follow a bag of feed or a bucket than they will by the use of force.

Some of the principles on handling discussed under the beef cattle health and welfare section on this site and under a specific KT initiative on the design of beef cattle handling facilities are also relevant for sheep.  The links to the right will take you to the relevant pages.