Grow Guides · April 28, 2026
Sheep Health 101: What We Learned the Hard Way
Prevention beats treatment every time
The Expensive Education
Year one, we lost three lambs to coccidiosis. Year two, five to pneumonia. Year three, we stopped losing animals. Not because we got lucky, but because we learned the rules.
The Big Three: Coccidiosis, Pneumonia, Parasites
Every sheep farm deals with these. Here's how we prevent them:
Coccidiosis Prevention
Coccidia live in damp, crowded conditions. Prevention: dry bedding (change weekly), pasture rotation (don't let lambs graze the same spot twice in four weeks), and amprolium at the first sign of diarrhea.
We learned this lesson by watching a lamb die from dehydration in eighteen hours. Now we treat proactively.
Pneumonia Prevention
Pneumonia is stress and cold combined. Prevention: good ventilation (not drafty, but moving air), dry shelters, vaccination before breeding season, and isolation of sick animals immediately.
A lamb born in a damp shelter with poor air flow will get pneumonia. Once it has it, antibiotics are a long shot.
Internal Parasites
Utah's soil is parasite heaven. Deworm lambs at 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and again at 12 weeks. Rotate pastures to break the parasite cycle. Use the FAMACHA method (eye-color scoring) to identify high-parasite-load animals before they get sick.
The Vaccination Schedule
Ewes (Pre-breeding)
CD&T vaccine (6 weeks before breeding). Booster annually. This protects lambs passively through colostrum.
Lambs (Birth to 12 weeks)
First vaccine: 6 weeks. Booster: 10 weeks. This is non-negotiable. We haven't lost a vaccinated lamb to clostridial diseases in three years.
Vaccination costs $2 per lamb. Treating a sick lamb costs $50-200 and usually fails. Prevention is not just moral, it's economic.
Utah State University Extension Sheep Health — Dr. Brent Black (2024)
The Monitoring System
Every day, I check:
• Body condition (Are ribs visible? Is the lamb growing?)
• Fecal consistency (Diarrhea = early sign of coccidiosis)
• Breathing (Fast breathing = pneumonia risk)
• Eyes (Pale membranes = anemia from parasites)
• Behavior (Lethargy is the universal sick signal)
Health is maintained daily. Sickness is treated in crisis. Stay in the first mode.
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