Feeding Sheep and Goats Through the Seasons
Keeping livestock healthy starts with good nutrition. Throughout the year, the needs of our sheep and goats change based on weather, pasture availability, and their life stages (like pregnancy or growing out kids and lambs). Feeding them well — without relying too heavily on expensive supplements — is all about understanding seasonal needs and working with what your land can provide.
Here’s a look at how we feed our flock and herd through the seasons.
Spring
Spring is one of the easiest times for feed management. With mild weather and plenty of fresh pasture growth, our sheep and goats mainly graze. Our focus is on:
Rotational grazing: Moving stock regularly to fresh paddocks to keep pasture growth strong and prevent overgrazing.
Minimal supplementation: Only very young or late-born kids and lambs might need a little extra access to creep feed.
Monitoring body condition: We still keep an eye on weight and coat condition, as rapid spring grass can sometimes lack enough fiber for goats especially.
Summer
As things dry off heading into summer, pasture quality naturally drops.
Hay feeding: We start offering good quality hay (barley or oaten hay) to supplement grazing.
Vegetable scraps: Summer is a great time to supplement diets with excess homegrown vegetables or vegetable scraps. Since most summer forage is dry and low in greens, introducing fresh vegetables can help — but we do it slowly to avoid digestive upsets like scours while the rumen adjusts.
Minerals: Salt blocks and mineral supplements are available year-round but become especially important in summer when forage might be lower in nutrients.
Autumn
Autumn can be a bit of a juggling act depending on rainfall.
Pasture transition: If autumn rains are good, we get a fresh flush of feed. If not, we continue relying heavily on hay.
Preparing for breeding and kidding/lambing: Animals coming into breeding season need to be in good condition. We adjust feed as needed to ensure they aren't too fat or too lean.
Sowing new pastures: Autumn is when we sow our pasture mixes (read more about what we plant here) to set ourselves up for winter.
Winter
Winter is when our pastures are at their best thanks to regular rainfall and cooler temperatures.
Grazing fresh pasture: Our livestock are mostly able to meet their nutritional needs from the abundant green feed available.
Dry feed as a supplement: We still offer hay or dry feed, mainly to balance the lush, wet pasture and provide extra fiber.
Rotational grazing is critical: With wet ground and heavy pasture growth, parasite levels (especially worms) can rise quickly. Rotational grazing (learn why it matters here) helps break parasite cycles and protects pasture health.
Maintaining condition: We monitor animals closely to make sure they maintain good body condition through colder weather, especially heavily pregnant or lactating does and ewes.
Special Focus: Pregnancy and Nutrition
Meeting the nutritional needs of pregnant does and ewes is critical to healthy births and strong offspring. In the final weeks before kidding and lambing, we adjust our feeding program carefully:
Lucerne hay: We feed high-quality lucerne hay to pregnant animals for extra protein, calcium, and energy as they approach birthing.
Grain supplementation: About two weeks before kidding or lambing, we introduce a small amount of grain:
For sheep, we use commercial sheep nuts, specially formulated to meet their needs without risking copper toxicity.
For goats, we feed a goat-specific grain mix that provides the right balance of energy, protein, and minerals.
Monitoring body condition: It's important not to let animals become too fat or too thin during late pregnancy, so we tailor feed amounts individually where needed.
A Note on Water
Fresh, clean water is just as important as feed. We check water regularly year-round, but especially in the heat of summer.
Copper sulfate blocks: We use copper blocks in our goat troughs to help control algae. However, we’re careful not to use copper where sheep are drinking, as sheep are very sensitive to copper toxicity and even small amounts can be dangerous.
Good water hygiene is essential to keeping livestock healthy in all seasons.
Tailoring to Your Farm
Feeding strategies will always vary based on your property, your animals, and your climate. Our goal is to maximize the use of pasture, hay we produce ourselves, and minimal purchased feed.
Healthy livestock is not just about full bellies — it's about balanced nutrition all year round.