We get a lot of questions about our sheep, so today I would like to answer a few! Like, is a lamb a baby sheep, what type of sheep do we have, and why do we keep them on our homestead.

Is a Lamb a Baby Sheep?

A lot of people ask if a lamb is a baby sheep. We get a lot of questions in general about the correct terminology, so let’s start there. Yes, they are. A female sheep is known as a ewe, and a male sheep is known as a ram. Their offspring are called lambs. Odd as it sounds, sheep is both the plural and singular form of the word. I know we all want to know what name to call our baby sheep so we want to get it right.

It’s springtime so we just had some spring lambs, and baby sheep on the homestead are always exciting! Our baby sheep are Katahdin sheep. We have tried Barbados sheep in the past but find the Katahdin work best on the homestead. Whichever kind you chose or if you say lamb or baby sheep – we all agree on how cute baby sheep are.

Katahdin Hair Sheep

We chose to raise Katahdin sheep for a few different reasons. They are hardy, strong, and parisite, and bacteria resistant. They are also really good meat sheep. As short-hair sheep, you don’t have to shear them when it gets warm, their hair just kind of falls off.

We have 4 ewes, or momma sheep, that we keep for breeding. They age to about 10 or 12 years old. All of our ewes have been great mothers to their baby sheep so far. This is their 3rd year of giving us baby sheep. Typically they have singletons, but sometimes they have twins. The only thing cuter than one baby sheep is two!

Baby Sheep For Sale

People ask, do sheep make good pets? We think they do! We have an older ewe named Dori, who we keep even though she is not built to take care of baby sheep. She is sweet and so friendly she became part of the family.

We do keep sheep, though, for breeding. Katahdin sheep are really easy to keep. They just need a little heart worm medicine and their hooves trimmed every few months. As I said, they are a short hair breed so there is no need to shear them. If you are looking for a meat sheep these are the best in our opinion.

It’s always so exciting to have new baby animals on the homestead. These baby sheep bring us so much joy and we love watching them interact with our babies! If you were on the fence about caring for sheep, we hope this helped you and we hope you love your new pets just as much as we do.

Please keep asking us questions. We love providing you with answers and learning ourselves!

Hugs,

Christina & Trevor