The Complete Sheep Owner's Guide

Your comprehensive veterinary guide to raising healthy, productive sheep. Written by Dr. Rosemary Stolzer-Bolton, DVM, this guide covers every aspect of sheep keeping — from selecting the right breed for your climate and goals to managing lambing, dairy production, parasite control with FAMACHA scoring, and emergency care. What's inside: • Breed selection — Merino, Rambouillet, Dorper, Katahdin, Suffolk, East Friesian, Lacaune & Babydoll Southdown • Ruminant anatomy & physiology — four-compartment stomach, rumination, seasonal reproduction & wool biology • Sheep behavior & flocking instinct — prey animal psychology, flight zone, low-stress handling & guardian animals • Acquiring your flock — FAMACHA scoring at purchase, quarantine protocol & biosecurity • Fencing & housing — predator-proof perimeter, shelter design, lambing jug pens & water systems • Nutrition & pasture management — forage-first feeding, urinary calculi prevention in males & flushing for breeding • Body condition scoring — BCS 1-5 assessment, wool grades, micron count & fiber marketing • Shearing & wool care — timing, technique, crutching, wool blindness & fly strike prevention • Hoof care & foot health — trimming technique, foot rot, foot scald, CODD & zinc foot bath protocols • Breeding & reproductive management — ram effect, estrus detection, flushing & gestation management • Lambing & neonatal care — labor stages, dystocia assistance, colostrum protocol & bummer lamb care • Dairy production — East Friesian & Lacaune milking, mastitis prevention, SCC & cheese making • Common diseases — CL, Johne's disease, OPP/Maedi-Visna, enterotoxemia, listeriosis & pregnancy toxemia • Internal parasites — Haemonchus contortus (barber pole worm), FAMACHA scoring, targeted selective treatment & refugia • External parasites — keds, lice, nasal bot fly, blowfly strike (myiasis) & mange • Preventive health care — CDT vaccination, copper sensitivity warning, selenium deficiency & FAMACHA training • Meat & lamb production — market lamb finishing, grass vs. grain, dressing percentage & direct marketing • Emergency & first aid — bloat, pregnancy toxemia, hypocalcemia, polioencephalomalacia & prolapse • Record keeping — FAMACHA logs, lambing records, scrapie ID compliance & breeding data Evidence-based. Veterinarian-written. No fluff — just the clinical knowledge you need to keep your flock thriving for 10–14 years.