Sheep Fun Facts!
Sheep Fun Facts!
- There are more than one billion sheep in the world.
- Adult sheep average between 150 and 200 pounds.
- Sheep protect the environment. They graze on lands, eating clover, alfalfa, grasses, and brush. This reduces the risk of brush fires.
- Sheep have four sections in their stomachs. This allows them to digest plants and grasses that humans and most animals cannot.
- Rambouillet, Columbia, Suffolk, and Hampshire are all breeds of sheep.
- Sheep have poor eyesight but have an excellent sense of smell and hearing.
- Sheep have their wool clipped off each spring and new wool immediately begins to grow in its place. By winter, sheep will have a new coat to keep them warm.
- Different types of sheep grow different types of wool.
- A single sheet of wool is called a fleece.
- Wool is durable, or long-lasting.
- Wool is renewable resource.
- A female sheep is called ewe.
- Ewes are pregnant for 145 days.
- Ewe will have one or two baby lambs at a time.
- Lamb meat, called mutton, provides vitamins, proteins, and minerals and helps build strong bones.
- A male sheep is called a ram.
- A group of sheep is called a flock.
*From the Illinois Agriculture in the Classroom SM Calendar for Teachers