What to look for when buying sheep

Why are they for sale?

Before buying sheep, it's crucial to understand why the seller is parting with them. Knowing the reason can reveal important details about the animals' health, temperament, and overall suitability for your needs. For instance, a seller might be downsizing a healthy flock, but they could also be selling off sheep with chronic health issues or behavioral problems. Asking these questions upfront can help you avoid future surprises and ensure you're making a sound investment.

Which breed is best for you?

Choosing the right breed of sheep is essential for a lifestyle block, as different breeds have varying needs and characteristics. A breed's suitability depends on factors like your local climate, available grazing, and your personal goals - whether you're interested in meat, wool, or milk production. Selecting a breed that thrives in your environment and aligns with your management style will lead to a healthier, more productive flock and a more rewarding farming experience.

On lifestyle blocks we are often focusing on low maintenance, disease resistant, and easy handling, rather than high productivity (which often comes at the expense of the “low maintenance” goal). For example, if you’re limited in skill, experience or handling facilities, don’t be opting for a Finnish Landrace, which can have up to 5 lambs to a ewe! The lambing issues and high risk pregnancies are simply not worth it. Instead opt for a Wiltshire, which sheds its own wool and has a bald underside to the tail so is often not tail docked either. This hardy, low maintenance breed has 1-2 lambs, with few issues.

Keep size and handlability in mind. Sheep require regular checking and hoof maintenance. If you’re worried about your ability to “flip” a mature 90kg Suffolk ewe on its bum for foot trimming, maybe opt for a little Gotland instead. This curious, calm, little breed comes in multicoloured fleece, is disease resistant, and has a naturally short tail, eliminating the need to tail dock.

Conformation

Buying sheep with good conformation is crucial for a number of reasons. Proper conformation, which refers to the animal's skeletal structure and overall physical build, directly impacts their longevity, health, and productivity. Sheep with sound legs, well-formed feet, and a strong jaw are better able to graze, move, and withstand the rigors of farm life, which in turn reduces the likelihood of expensive vet bills and labor-intensive care. Ultimately, selecting sheep with good conformation ensures you are investing in healthy, resilient animals that will thrive on your lifestyle block for years to come.

Examples of important structures to check

Jaw

The lower incisors of a sheep should line up with the hard dental pad on the top. If the sheep has an over or underbite, they will struggle to nibble grass as efficiently as they should, and this can lead to issues later in life, during times of stress or grass scarcity.

Joint deformity

Abnormal joint angles are not uncommon, and will often occur within the womb. While a young animal may bounce around easily, you’ll usually find that arthritis develops down the track.

Tail length

A tail docked too short (higher than the end of the caudal folds), will have a weaker pelvic floor, as these muscles attach to the first 3 coccygeal vertebrae of the tail. This will predispose her to vaginal and rectal prolapses, which usually manifest during pregnancy and lambing. While short docking has historically been common, so is certainly not a guarantee of prolpasing, it certainly does increase her risk.

Pelvis size

Pelvis size can be difficult to detect outwardly, but an important question to ask to get a gauge on this is how old was she when she had her first lamb? If she was impregnated as a lamb in her first season (around 6 months old), then the extra strain and energy requirements on her body will commonly come at the expense of her own body growth. This results in a smaller ewe, with a smaller pelvis, who may experience lambing difficulties for life.

Udder conformation

If intended for breeding, be sure to check the udder of the ewe. Ruptured suspensory ligaments result in a weakened udder for life, and she should be bred and asked to produce milk, on welfare grounds. Lumps in the udder are often (not always) a sign of previous, sometimes chronic, mastitis. This can increase her risk of continuing issues if asked to breed again.

Colostrum lambs

A lamb's first few hours of life are critical, and the colostrum it receives from its mother is the most important factor in its long-term health. Colostrum, the ewe's first milk, is packed with essential antibodies that a lamb needs to build its initial immune system, as lambs are born with no natural immunity. Without adequate colostrum intake, a lamb is significantly more susceptible to disease, can struggle to maintain its body temperature, and is less likely to thrive. The reality is lifestylers often acquire lambs as orphans for exactly this reason; they require hand-rearing- a noble and highly rewarding experience. These lambs will usually have a history of no (or poor) colostrum intake; often abandoned by the mother, sickly and weak in the early days, or the smallest triplet unable to compete for a teat.

If this is the case, all is not lost. Just be aware that your lamb will need close monitoring and immediate treatment if and when infection crops up, for the first 10-12 weeks of life. You’ll also want to vaccinate from an early age, rather than waiting until the standard 6-8 weeks of age. If you’re lucky enough to have a dedicated and skilled lifestyle block vet nearby, a plasma transfusion from a healthy ewe is also an option, to inject an immune system directly into the lamb.

Common diseases

When bringing new sheep onto your block, it's essential to screen for a number of common diseases to protect your existing flock, or kick things off on the right foot. The key is to obtain as much information as possible from the seller and, ideally, consult with a veterinarian for some testing.

Some of the most critical diseases to be aware of include

• Footrot: This highly contagious bacterial infection can cause lameness and is almost impossible to eradicate once it's on your property. Inspecting the feet of all sheep for signs of lameness or lesions is crucial.

• Johne's Disease: This is a chronic, incurable wasting disease that leads to severe weight loss and death. While a sheep may look healthy, it can be a carrier and spread the bacteria through its faeces. Unfortunately definitive testing is difficult, as young animals and those very late in the disease may test negative despite being infected. If the previous owner implements a Johnes eradication program, and performs regular testing, this is gold.

• Caseous Lymphadenitis (CLA): This bacterial infection causes abscesses in the lymph nodes and other organs. It can be a chronic problem that reduces productivity and can be spread through pus from burst abscesses, which remain in the environment for a long time. These may be seen on the outside of the body, which are easily identified. Unfortunately they may be harboured in internal lymph nodes and the blood stream, before testing positive on a blood test. Just as with Johne's, the aim is simply to do our best, and ask questions of the previous owner.

• External Parasites: Lice are common and can cause severe skin irritation, fleece damage, and poor condition. Lice jump easily from one animal to another, and can live for many months in lumps of wool stuck to fences. You’ll want to wipe out the lice burden before introducing these new sheep to your flock. Rams can also carry mites on their scrotum. Check for scabs and lesions.

A good biosecurity plan, including a quarantine period for new sheep, is the best way to prevent the introduction of these and other diseases to your farm.