Prepare Sheep and Goats for Breeding and Birth

Prepare sheep and goats for breeding and birth

Tap the picture to watch the source discussion for this guide.

Sound familiar?

A ewe or doe carrying twins is exciting — it's more lambs or kids at weaning, more income at the end of the season. But carrying twins or triplets is also a much bigger nutritional demand on an animal with shrinking stomach space as pregnancy advances. Farmers often feed for "a pregnant ewe" instead of feeding for the actual number she's carrying.

Quick answer

Aim for good body condition before mating, then protect it right through late pregnancy and early lactation. Use feed and minerals registered for the species you're actually feeding — sheep can be harmed by copper levels that cattle or goats tolerate perfectly well.

Who this is for

Ewes and does ahead of breeding, animals carrying twins or triplets, late-pregnant dams, and anything nursing young. Young or thin dams often need separate access so they're not out-competed at the trough.

The practical plan

Before breeding

Condition-score females early enough to actually make changes gradually — not the week before mating starts. Check rams and bucks too: feet, teeth, testicles, general condition. Record which groups were mated and when.

During pregnancy

Keep forage adequate and watch condition regularly. If you can scan or otherwise identify multiple pregnancies, manage those females as their own group. In late pregnancy, the growing lambs or kids take up more and more abdominal space just as demand is highest — get advice before introducing a concentrated ewe or doe feed at this stage.

After birth

Confirm every newborn breathes, stands and gets colostrum promptly. Check the dam's udder and milk supply. Keep the birthing area dry, and record dam, offspring, sex, birth date and litter size.

Mistakes that show up every season

• Trying to fix months of poor condition in the two weeks before mating.
• Feeding cattle mineral to sheep.
• Making sudden ration changes late in pregnancy.
• Managing single- and multiple-bearing dams exactly the same way.
• Recording births, but never following up on survival or weaning weight.

Measure whether the extra feed actually paid off

Track conception, litter size, birth weight where you can, survival, dam condition, and weaning weight. Extra feed only creates value when it turns into more healthy offspring weaned per female exposed — not just more feed cost.

When to call for help

A pregnant animal that separates from the group, stops eating, seems disoriented, can't rise, strains without progress, or produces weak newborns needs a vet, not a wait-and-see approach.

🎥 Watch and learn more

You already have the practical steps above. If you would like to hear the explanation and examples behind them:

• ▶️ Watch the relevant part of the discussion
• 🎧 Open the full livestock-nutrition conversation

Reference: Growth Well Podcast discussion with animal nutritionist Lubbe Jacobs.