Sheep thrive during mild winter in the Southeast

The 325 sheep at Seine River Shepherds ranch in the Rural Municipality of Ste. Anne are faring well with the mostly mild winter. 

“We winter our sheep outdoors, they’ve got those big, wooly coats and as long as they’re sheltered from the wind, they do quite fine,” says Randy Eros. “When it gets below –20, they will want to eat noticeably more."

With help from computer programs, Eros says they are able to figure out exactly what the sheep need to be eating during cold spells, like the one in mid-January. 

He notes the mild weather has been good for the feed bill and the animals are in great condition.

“We’re certainly not done winter,” Eros points out. “I worry more at this point in time about the come-and-go spring (weather) where it gets wet and the freezes and then wet and then freezes. That just makes it a little more uncomfortable for everyone. We tend to not like much.”  

Seine River Shepherds lamb and wool farm. (Photo Credit: Sheep Canada Magazine)

Eros expects they will be putting down a lot more straw, so the sheep have dry bedding during the warm weather this month. 

Come spring, Eros and his son will be busy cleaning up all the straw and getting ready for a large herd. 

When it comes to grazing season, he expects to have around 1,000 head with many little ones. 

(Photo Credit for all images: Sheep Canada Magazine)