Sheep are fluffy farm animals famous for their soft, warm wool. They say 'baa,' stick together in flocks and have lived alongside people for thousands of years. Let's baa into some fun sheep facts!
🐑 Sheep quick facts
- Animal type
- Mammal
- Home
- Farms and grassy hills all over the world
- Food
- Grass, clover, hay and other plants
- Size
- About 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 m) long
- Life span
- About 10 to 12 years
25 Sheep Facts for Kids
- A female sheep is called a ewe, a male sheep is called a ram, and a baby is called a lamb.
- The word sheep is the same whether you mean one sheep or many sheep.
- A group of sheep is called a flock.
- There are more than 1,000 breeds of sheep.
- People have raised sheep for about 10,000 years.
- Sheep's wool keeps growing, so most farm sheep need a haircut called shearing once a year.
- One sheep's wool can be made into several sweaters!
- Wool is made of keratin, like your hair and nails.
- Wool is naturally waterproof because of an oily substance called lanolin.
- Lanolin is used to make some soaps and lotions.
- Sheep are herbivores and eat grass, clover, hay and other plants.
- Sheep have four parts to their stomachs, which helps them digest grass.
- Sheep chew their food twice! They bring it back up and chew it again. This is called chewing the cud.
- Sheep have rectangle-shaped pupils that help them see almost all the way around without turning their heads.
- Sheep can recognize the faces of many other sheep and even people.
- Sheep feel safer in a flock and follow each other closely.
- Lambs can stand and walk within minutes of being born.
- A mother sheep knows her lamb by its voice and smell.
- Rams of some breeds have big, curly horns.
- Bighorn sheep live wild in the mountains of North America and are great climbers.
- Sheepdogs help farmers move flocks of sheep from place to place.
- Sheep don't have top front teeth, just a hard pad on top.
- Some sheep are raised for milk, which can be made into cheese like feta.
- Sheep can be black, brown, white or spotted.
- Sheep are stars of nursery rhymes, like Baa Baa Black Sheep and Mary Had a Little Lamb!
Questions kids ask about sheep
What is a baby sheep called?
A baby sheep is called a lamb. A mother sheep is a ewe and a father sheep is a ram.
Why do sheep need to be sheared?
Most farm sheep grow wool all year and can't shed it on their own, so farmers give them a haircut called shearing to keep them cool and comfortable.
What do sheep eat?
Sheep are herbivores. They graze on grass and clover and eat hay in winter.
Are sheep smart?
Yes! Sheep can recognize dozens of faces, remember them for years and learn their way around.
🎵 Sing Baa Baa Black Sheep🦁 Play the Animal Quiz
