Keeping sheep in New Zealand

Why keep sheep

Sheep keep grass down, and give meat, wool, and lambs to sell. They are cautious animals that run from surprises, but they are easily trained to come for food and can recognise dozens of other sheep by face.

They are also very social: being separated from the flock is very stressful for a sheep. SPCA suggests a group of about 4–5 as ideal on a lifestyle block. Overstocking is the most common welfare problem on lifestyle blocks, so start small. A block that carries plenty of sheep in spring may carry only a tenth as many in winter.

Feed, water, shelter, and fences

A 50 kg sheep needs about 1 kg of dry matter a day, mostly from pasture, with hay or sheep nuts when grass runs short. Keep adult sheep in body condition score 3–4 out of 5. A sheep drinks about 3–4 litres of water a day, and much more when feeding lambs.

Sheep need shelter from cold, a way to escape heat, and protection at lambing. Newly shorn sheep need extra shelter for several weeks if cold, wet weather is likely.

Fences must be sturdy enough to hold lambs, and checked regularly. Electric fencing is widely used, but it works poorly on sheep in full wool and doesn’t suit horned sheep. A small set of yards, about a metre high, makes shearing, drenching, and foot care much easier.

Names for sheep

Sheep are often described by their teeth: a lamb’s first two permanent front teeth arrive at about 14–16 months, and more follow each year.

Ewe

An adult female.

Ram or tup

An uncastrated male kept for breeding. Tupping means mating.

Wether

A castrated male.

Lamb

A young sheep before weaning. For meat, a lamb is under 12 months or has no permanent front teeth in wear.

Ewe lamb and ram lamb

Female and male lambs.

Hogget

A young sheep from weaning, at about 4 months, until its first permanent teeth come through at about 14–16 months.

Two-tooth

A sheep with its two central permanent front teeth, usually between about 1 and 2 years old.

Four-tooth and six-tooth

Older sheep with four or six permanent front teeth, roughly 2–3 and 3–4 years old.

Full mouth

All eight permanent front teeth, at about 4 years or older.

Broken mouth

An older sheep with missing or broken front teeth, which makes grazing harder.

CFA ewe

Cast for age: an older ewe, usually over 5, culled from a breeding flock.

Mutton

Meat from an older sheep with more than two permanent front teeth.

Pet lamb

A lamb reared on a bottle, often an orphan. Also called a cade or poddy lamb.

Store

A sheep in fair condition but not fat, sold for someone else to finish.

Flock and mob

A flock is any group of sheep; a mob is a group managed together.

Tailing or docking

Shortening lambs’ tails, usually done with castration and ear tagging at lamb marking.

Crutching, dags, and dagging

Crutching is shearing the wool around the tail and back legs. Dags are clumps of dung-covered wool; dagging is cutting them off.

Cast sheep

A sheep stuck on its back, often when heavy in lamb or in a heavy fleece. Roll it back onto its feet.

Regular jobs

Shedding breeds such as Wiltshire drop their fleece from spring and need no shearing or crutching. Not every Dorper sheds fully, so ask to see a breeder’s flock before you buy.

Health problems to watch for

SPCA’s warning signs include a sheep standing apart from the flock, staggering or shivering, fast breathing or coughing, runny eyes or nose, rubbing against fences, diarrhoea, grazing on its knees, and overgrown or smelly feet.

• Flystrike: maggots in dirty or damp wool. The sheep may rub or nibble at the spot, then become lethargic, go off its feed, and go down. Treat it promptly.
• Worms, one of the most common problems vets see on lifestyle blocks.
• Facial eczema: droopy ears, a swollen face, and peeling skin, from January to May.
• Ryegrass staggers in summer and autumn: head tremors and a stiff walk. Move sheep to other pasture and handle them quietly; they usually recover within 1–2 weeks.
• Footrot and scald after long spells of wet weather: severe lameness and a hot, swollen foot.
• Clostridial diseases such as pulpy kidney and tetanus, which often cause sudden death. The 5-in-1 vaccine protects against them.
• Lice, and bloat (bulging on one side, and panting).

What a sheep costs to keep

Small flocks pay far more per head than commercial farms, where shearing averages $2–$3 a sheep; with only one sheep, the call-out fee alone makes shearing about $155. You also buy products by the pack: a litre of drench is $150–$175, a pack of zinc capsules about $172, and a bottle of fly treatment $130 or more. Some vaccines keep only 30 days once opened, so single-dose packs, or a shearer who vaccinates and drenches, can work out cheaper for a few sheep. Fly treatment, crutching, vet visits, and the sheep themselves are extra. Home kill of a lamb, killed, cut, and packed, costs about $90–$140.

New Zealand rules

• The Code of Welfare: Sheep and Beef Cattle requires shelter, enough water, and food and water soon after shearing. Owners must take all reasonable steps to prevent flystrike and treat struck sheep promptly. It recommends shearing as often as needed, usually at least once a year. A revised Code has been consulted on, so check MPI for the current version.
• Tail docking: lambs under six months may be docked with a hot iron or rubber ring, leaving the tail no shorter than the end of the caudal fold (the Code’s plain-language advice is long enough to cover the vulva on ewes). From six months old, only a vet may dock, with pain relief.
• Castration needs vet-authorised pain relief for sheep over six months old, or with a high-tension band at any age.
• An Animal Status Declaration (ASD) is needed whenever sheep move to another property, a saleyard, or a meat processor. Keep your copies for a year.
• NAIT tagging doesn’t currently apply to sheep. MPI consulted in 2026 on better sheep tracing, such as electronic ASDs, so this may change.
• Home kill: you may kill and process your own sheep on your property, or use an MPI-listed homekill service provider if you have cared for the sheep daily for at least 28 days. The meat is for your household and can’t be sold. MPI consulted on changes to the homekill rules in 2026, so check before booking.