Pasture grass should be the foundation of a sheep’s diet for most of the year, supplemented with hay when grazing is limited, grain during high-demand periods like late pregnancy, and a sheep-specific mineral supplement year-round. Getting the balance right depends on the season, the sheep’s life stage, and what’s growing in your fields.
Pasture Comes First
Permanent pasture is the single most important feed source for sheep. During the grazing season, a mix of grass and clover provides enough nutrition for most adult sheep without any additional feed beyond salt and minerals. Alfalfa, small grains like oats or wheat, and turnips also make excellent pasture options, especially for growing lambs that need more protein and energy.
In winter, stockpiled fescue or small grain pastures can still supply up to half of a ewe’s feed requirements, reducing your hay bill significantly. The key is planning ahead: rotating pastures during the growing season so you have enough forage banked for colder months.
When and How to Feed Hay
Hay fills the gap when pasture runs short, whether that’s winter, drought, or overgrazed fields. Good-quality grass hay works well for maintenance, but alfalfa hay is the better choice during lactation because of its higher protein content. Ewes nursing twins need roughly 15.5% crude protein in their diet, nearly double the 7.5% needed for basic maintenance, and alfalfa helps bridge that gap without requiring as much grain.
If you use silage instead of or alongside hay, it should be finely chopped to roughly a quarter to half inch. Corn, grass, and small grain silages all work for sheep as long as the quality is high and there’s no mold. Moldy feed is a serious health risk, particularly for pregnant ewes.
Grain: A Supplement, Not a Staple
Grain isn’t necessary for every sheep at every stage of life. It becomes important during late pregnancy, early lactation, and for finishing lambs. Corn, barley, and oats are the most common options, and a typical concentrate mix might be around 60% cereal grains combined with soybean meal for protein, soy hulls for digestible fiber, and molasses for palatability.
The risk of overfeeding grain is real. Too much concentrate and too little forage can cause acidosis, a painful and sometimes fatal condition where the rumen becomes dangerously acidic. Lambs finished on high-concentrate diets also put on significantly more carcass fat compared to those raised with a forage component in their ration. A good rule of thumb is to always keep forage as the majority of the diet and introduce grain gradually over a week or two so the rumen microbes can adjust.
Feeding by Life Stage
A sheep’s nutritional needs shift dramatically depending on what her body is doing. Based on National Research Council guidelines for a 154-pound ewe, here’s what changes:
- Maintenance (not pregnant, not nursing): About 2.6 pounds of dry matter per day, with modest protein requirements around 7.5% of the diet. Decent pasture or average hay handles this easily.
- Late pregnancy, single lamb: Dry matter intake rises to about 4 pounds per day, with protein needs climbing to 8.6%. A small amount of grain may help, especially if hay quality is mediocre.
- Late pregnancy, twins: Energy demands jump sharply. The ewe needs about 4 pounds of dry matter but at a much higher energy density (66% TDN compared to 52% at maintenance). This is where grain supplementation becomes essential.
- Early lactation, twins: The most demanding period. Protein needs hit 15.5% of the diet and energy stays high. Alfalfa hay plus grain concentrate is the standard approach here.
Rams and wethers on maintenance are the easiest to feed. They do fine on pasture or moderate-quality hay with minerals and rarely need grain unless they’re losing condition.
Feeding Orphan or Bottle Lambs
Lambs that can’t nurse need milk replacer on a specific schedule. For the first two days, offer 2 to 3 ounces six times daily. By days three and four, increase to 3 to 5 ounces, still six times a day. From days five through fourteen, you can drop to four feedings of 4 to 6 ounces each, and this is the time to start offering a lamb starter grain so they begin learning to eat solid food.
By the third week, feedings shift to 6 to 8 ounces four times daily. From weeks three to five, you can consolidate to three feedings of 16 ounces each. Most lambs can be weaned off milk after four weeks of age, provided they weigh at least 35 to 40 pounds and are eating starter consistently. The transition to solid feed should be gradual, not abrupt.
Minerals: Get Sheep-Specific Products
Sheep need a range of minerals that pasture and hay alone may not provide in sufficient quantities. The major ones include calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur. Trace minerals like selenium, iodine, cobalt, zinc, and manganese are equally important in smaller amounts. Selenium deficiency, for example, causes white muscle disease in lambs, and iodine deficiency leads to thyroid problems and weak newborns.
The critical safety issue with sheep minerals is copper. Sheep are far more sensitive to copper than cattle or goats. Feed with copper levels above 25 parts per million, or with a copper-to-molybdenum ratio greater than 10:1, is considered potentially toxic. Copper accumulates in the liver over time, so the damage can build silently for weeks or months before a sudden, often fatal crisis. Never use cattle mineral mixes, horse feeds, or goat minerals for sheep. Always check the label for copper content and buy products specifically formulated for sheep.
Water Requirements
Sheep drink 1 to 1.5 gallons of water for every 4 pounds of dry matter they eat. For a ewe on maintenance weighing around 160 pounds, that works out to roughly 0.7 to 1 gallon per day. But a lactating ewe of the same weight needs about 2.4 gallons daily, and ewes raising twins need roughly double their maintenance water intake to support milk production.
Hot weather, dry feeds like hay (versus lush pasture, which contains moisture), and late pregnancy all push water needs higher. Clean, unfrozen water should be available at all times. Dehydration reduces feed intake quickly, which creates a cascade of nutritional problems, especially in pregnant or nursing ewes.
Plants and Foods to Avoid
Sheep are particularly vulnerable to several common plants. Lupine is a frequent cause of poisoning in western grazing areas. Bitterweed is a major problem in the Southwest. Horsebrush species in the Great Basin, sneezeweed in mountain ranges, and kochia on rangelands all pose serious risks. Potato vines and any tubers that have turned green from sun exposure contain solanine and are toxic to sheep.
Beyond pasture plants, avoid feeding sheep anything meant for other livestock species without checking the label. As noted above, cattle and horse feeds often contain copper levels that are safe for those animals but lethal for sheep. Lawn clippings are another hidden danger, not because grass itself is harmful, but because clippings ferment rapidly and can cause bloat, and they may contain herbicide or fertilizer residue.
Checking if Your Feeding Plan Is Working
The most practical way to evaluate whether your sheep are eating enough (or too much) is body condition scoring. This uses a 1-to-5 scale assessed by feeling the spine and loin area with your hands, since wool hides body shape. At a score of 1, the spine is sharp and prominent and you can easily slide your fingers under the horizontal bony projections along the back. At a score of 3, which is the target for most of the year, the spine feels smooth and rounded, and you need firm pressure to feel the ends of those bony projections under well-covered muscle and fat.
A score of 2 means the sheep is thin and likely needs more feed or deworming. A score of 4 or 5 means the sheep is carrying excess fat, which increases the risk of pregnancy complications. Ideally, ewes should be at a 3 to 3.5 heading into breeding season and maintain that through mid-pregnancy, with a slight increase in condition acceptable during late gestation when the nutritional demands are highest.