With the ground now wet and unlikely to fully dry out until the spring, now is the time to consider saving soil structure and sward conditions by removing livestock and housing them.  The housing of sheep is not always as critical as housing cattle but there are many advantages to bringing sheep indoors.
Body Condition
A ewe lamb or barren ewe will survive outside during the winter with little effort on body condition as long as forage is available at all times but an in-lamb ewe is a different story, as gestation reaches the final trimester, 80% of foetus growth occurs.  This places considerable pressure on the ewe and a body condition score of 3.5 should be maintained at all times.  Bringing in lamb ewes indoors allows closer monitoring of body condition, poorer ewes can increase their score and better ewes can maintain or be kept on tighter rations.
Feet
Bringing ewes indoors can solve many problems but also cause a few others, namely feet!  Housing ewes on deep bedded straw is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria such as foot rot.  Infected ewes should be isolated at housing to reduce the risk of spreading and for ease of identification for treatment.  All ewes however should have access to hard standing to allow feet to dry out and for muck to be released from between hoofs.  Regular foot bathing is also recommended to remove straw from within the hoofs that can become compacted and cause abrasions and anaerobic conditions.
Nutrition
Bringing ewes indoors allows closer control over nutrition.  Feeding ewes in the field is not a precise science, the trough can be empty before all ewes have got there and trough feeding can also create a blind panic.  Indoors, groups can be treated individually and smaller numbers often reduce the panic and pushing seen in the field.  Often it is wise to have good quality forage on offer the whole time to help digest the concentrate food that compliments the diet, liquid feeds such as molasses can also be an effective source of energy.  Rations can be easily adjusted to the number of ewes in a group and the ewe’s stage in gestation.  Even once the lamb is born, it is important to remember the ewe’s nutrition, as that lamb grows it is demanding more and more from the ewe – the ewe’s milk yield peaks at 30 days additionally this is when the lamb will be drinking the most.  Good quality grass will provide a healthy, mature ewe with the nutrition needed for this milk but in early lambing systems, poor seasons and lower quality ewes may need a supplement particularly if they are feeding twins.

For more information on winter sheep management, contact Will Hyde at Chippenham, williamhyde@fcgagric.com