Sheep and goats

Featured resources

Livestock Evacuation during Wildfires (in English)

Learn about the development of an Ag Pass Program in California to improve farmer and rancher access to properties to take care of livestock during wildfires. Mathew Shapero, University of California Extension Livestock and Range ...

Mar 2022 | Video

How to get ewes to adopt orphan lambs

Getting ewes to adopt orphan lambs requires the orphans to smell like the ewe's own brood. There are several ways to transfer the ewe's smell to the orphan and pull off a successful adoption. Here's how to do it.

Cassie Bouska | Jan 2022 | Article

How to meet the mineral needs of livestock in mixed pastures

Minerals are critically important for the health and well-being of livestock. Cattle, sheep and goats are frequently pastured together, but sheep can be harmed by copper, which cattle and goats need. Options to get animals the ...

Shelby Filley | Sep 2021 | Article

Tips for livestock care in high temperatures

When a heat wave hits, don't forget that livestock need help to cope with the high temperatures too. Here are five things you can do to help livestock stay cool.

Jenifer Cruickshank | Jun 2021 | Article

Living on the Land: Getting Started with Sheep and Goats: Nutrition and Feeding

By Susan Kerr , Ashley Conway , Brian Tuck , Ellen Hammond and Shilah Olson

Sheep and goats require five essential nutrients: water, energy (carbohydrates and fat), protein, vitamins, and minerals. A deficiency in any of these can cause illness, poor growth or performance, and even death. This publication describes ruminant digestion and nutrition.

View Catalog Here

Photo by Daniel Robison (Cropped from original)

Photo: Candi Bothum

Livestock auction, scales, and marketing services

A collection of items concerning livestock auctions, scales, and marketing.

View Collection Here

Latest resources

Livestock & Wildfire Resource Hub (in English)

Wildfire, via smoke and flames, can endanger the health and productivity of livestock. We are investigating the effects of wildfire—particularly smoke—on cattle. With a more thorough understanding of how wildfire smoke changes animal physiology, we can develop better strategies to alleviate that stress. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about this hazard and our research and outreach projects. Feel free to contact project members at Oregon State University or the University of Idaho with questions.

Jul 2023 | Online resource

Living on The Land: Getting Started with Sheep and Goats — Building a Flock or Herd

Learn how to get started building a flock or herd with sheep and goats.

Susan Kerr, Brian Tuck, Shilah Olson, Ellen Hammond | Oct 2016 | Extension Catalog publication

Browse all resources

Living on The Land: Getting Started with Sheep and Goats—Building a Flock or Herd

By Susan Kerr , Brian Tuck , Shilah Olson and Ellen Hammond

This is a second publication in the Living on The Land series on how to make a good start with sheep and goats. It gives more detail on how to choose healthy, high-quality animals, including specific signs of good health; tips on choosing a reputable seller; the diseases to ask a veterinarian to screen for; and managing new animals’ entry into your existing flock.

View publication

Photo: Betsy Hartley (Cropped from original)

Sheep

How to navigate poor marketing conditions for lambs

Selling lambs during a down market can be a challenge. If you decide to hold your lambs until the market improves, here are some strategies for feeding and maintaining their health.

Shelby Filley | Aug 2019 | Article

Good choices on rams now translate to good flock production later

There is no room for snap judgments when selecting breeding sheep. Next year’s lamb crop depends on careful choices. Taking the time to look closely at prospects will pay off with an improved flock down the road.

James Thompson | Aug 2018 | Article

More sheep resources

Goats

Price of goats (in English)

What's the price of goats? This USDA Ag. Marketing Service website has prices for goats across the US. Use these as a guide to prices for goats in Oregon.

USDA | Jul 2020 | Online resource

Footrot in sheep and goats (in English)

This publication from Purdue University Extension describes footrot and other foot disorders so that you can make a proper diagnosis of the problem. It also covers treartment and preventive measures such as hoof trimming, foot baths, and culling of animals not responsive to treatments.

Dec 2020 | Online resource

Goat Meat Quality (in English)

This short article from Michigan State University Extension has information on goat meat quality.

Jeannine P. Schweihofer | Jun 2020 | Online resource

More goat resources

Related news

Livestock producers embrace progressive tactics for dealing with wolves

Extension’s efforts have allowed members and organizations from the cattle industry to work with other organizations they traditionally avoided.

Ian McGregor | Apr 2021 | Impact story

OSU Extension assists with livestock rescue efforts as Oregonians flee fires

When the fires started raging on Tuesday, OSU Extension employees started preparing barns and other buildings for animals, in addition to sorting through donations of food and water. Since then, they’ve been working day and night.

Chris Branam | Sep 11, 2020 | News story

New Extension resource focuses on processing meat animals at home

The new curated collection on the OSU Extension website runs the gamut for processing meat at home, from purchasing and slaughtering to storing and cooking.

Chris Branam | Aug 28, 2020 | News story

Browse all news

Explore more resources

Agritourism

Pasture and forages

Irrigation

Upcoming Events

Sep 30

Get Yer Goat - Goat Education Day

9:00 am - 4:00 pm Central Point, OR

Oct 1

Regional Farm Tour and Networking at Goodfoot Farm

2:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Oct 2

Small Farm Social 2023

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Salem, OR

Meet Our Experts

Diane Choplin

Small Farms Education Program Assistant 2

Shelby Filley

Regional Livestock & Forages

Rebecca Thistlethwaite

NMPAN Director

Contact for meat sales, science, & processing questions.

¿Tienes una pregunta? Pregúntale a Extensión

“Pregúntale a Extensión” es una forma de obtener respuestas del Servicio de Extensión de Oregon State University. Contamos con expertos en familia y salud, desarrollo comunitario, alimentación y agricultura, temas costeros, silvicultura, programas para jóvenes y jardinería.

Haganos una pregunta

How to manage Tansy Ragwort?

P: We have wheat planted and along our fence line we have an infestation of tansy ragwort. Is it a good time to cut the flowers off, bag them, and leave the plant; or should I spray it? The neighbor across the road has...

R: View answer | View all featured questions

See More Questions