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Sheep Nutrition

All Sheep Nutrition Content

Two Saxon Merino rams grazing pasture.

Boosting Ram Nutrition for Optimal Breeding Success

Around breeding time, nutritional considerations tend to lean towards the ewes, but what about rams?

small group of sheep standing in a pasture

Sheep & Goats

South Dakota ranks sixth nationally in sheep and wool production. And the industry is growing.

Sheep producer moving a flock at pasture.

Will Your Summer Pastures Meet Your Flock’s Needs?

Sheep can readily thrive on pasture in the summer. However, monitoring forage quality and meeting mineral requirements on range is important to optimize production.

Sheep at a freshly cleaned watering station.

Sheep Water Requirements and Quality Testing

Water intake is critical for ensuring flock health, performance and heat stress mitigation. Learn some key considerations for water quality and intake requirements.

A mother sheep cleaning its newborn lamb in a pen.

Colostrum for Lambs

Fact sheet about the importance of colostrum for lambs

Four sheep feeding at a sheep feeder.

Nutritional Considerations for Flocks During Breeding Season

Optimizing flock nutrition throughout the breeding season can help improve conception rates, lambing percentages and ram longevity.

Flock of newborn lambs in a barn.

Creep Feeding Lambs

Creep feeding, when combined with access to fresh water, can support early growth and weaning in young lambs. Learn some expert tips for creating an ideal creep feeding environment to get your lambs off to a great start this season.

Several red angus cattle feeding at a feed bunk.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations training to be held March 29

March 06, 2023

South Dakota State University Extension, the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service are offering an environmental training session for operators of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) on March 29 at the Crossroads Convention Center, 100 Fourth St. S.W., in Huron.

Field pennycress

Toxic Plants in Dormant Pasture and Hay: Field Pennycress

Toxic plants negatively impact livestock by decreasing reproductive performance (breeding and calving rate), reducing weight gains, and causing animal health issues and death. Assessing and treating animals experiencing toxicity may increase operation costs through either veterinary intervention or death loss.

Small flock of sheep grazing in a pasture.

Multispecies Grazing: Benefits of Sheep Integration on Rangelands

Fact sheet about diversifying your operation to benefit your rangeland.