| If not handled regular when young these sheep will not prefer human contact and will be more on the wild side. |
| The Painted Desert Sheep is known for it's resistance to disease, heat, and cold and extreme conditions. The flock owners should make sure that his sheep receive regular immunizations, hoof trimmings and dewormings as with any other animal. But managing a herd is very easy with the hardiness of this breed. A three sided shelter that provides shade during the summer, a dry place to lay on cold wet nights, and protection from cold drafts and driving rain is usually sufficient for this breed. |
| The size of these sheep can vary a good deal, due to the influence of other breeds. There is no strict standard of this breed at this time. Average Ewes can weight from 60-120 lbs and may have heights from 21"-25" at the shoulders. Average Rams can weigh 75-200 lbs and may be 30" or more at the shoulders... |
| Ram taking a nap, he has his own built in head rest |
| Limping Duck Farm |
| Cheyenne Farm |
| MoonDust Ranch |
| JJ's Desert |
| JJ's Desert |
| Cheyenne Farm |
| Lazy JV Ranch |
| Lazy JV Ranch |
| When undisturbed the Painted Desert Sheep will tend to seperate in a pasture, but at the first sign of a disturbance they will quickly flock together for group protection. The flocking instinct is very strong in this breed. |
| Normally a regular mesh type four foot fence will hold a flock of painted desert sheep as long as they are comfortable with their surroundings. But they can clear this height easily if panicked or frightened by something. Make sure your fence is predator proof so predators or dogs can not enter and panic sheep so they are not forced to find a safer place to be, like on the other side of the fence. Some type of guardian animal can also help to keep predators from entering your pastures. |
| Confining your sheep in a small stall or area with a 6ft fence is best when working on them, to vaccinate, worm, etc., to prevent them from escaping. They can easily be cornered for easy catching. The smaller the area the better for easy catching. |
Lazy JV Ranch
| Even though naturally these sheep are considered "flighty or wild" they can be very docile if handled from birth. Bottle feeding or daily handling is a good way to have very docile sheep and highly recommend for the ewe lambs if people want them as pets. But even when bottle fed if not handled regularly the lambs can revert back to their wild side like the sheep they are running with once they are weaned. Bottle lambs tend to be one person animals, preferring the person that raised them or people they are around regular, but sometimes will not be as friendly with other strange people. Bottle feeding or extreme taming of ram lambs can cause problems later in life because they have no fear of humans and can become aggressive much earlier. If you want a ram to keep as a pet that is bottle fed or handled a lot, castration is the best option for a good temperament, although this will prevent the horn growth in males. |
| Lazy JV Ranch |
| JJ's Desert |
| Lazy JV Ranch |
| Lazy JV Ranch |
| Lazy JV Ranch |
| Temperament |
Painted Desert Sheep
This breed has a good jumping ability and are a lot like deer in this
aspect. Many breeders have nick named them "Flying Sheep"
because of their ability to 'fly' through the air with ease.
aspect. Many breeders have nick named them "Flying Sheep"
because of their ability to 'fly' through the air with ease.
But even older sheep can be tamed down and taught to lead if
trained properly and worked with correctly. Many PDSS members
have taken mother raised wild sheep not handled when young and
trained them to perform in the show ring with great success even
after they reached adulthood. Proper training techniques can work
on almost any animal to tame them down for ease of handling and
controlling them if need be.
trained properly and worked with correctly. Many PDSS members
have taken mother raised wild sheep not handled when young and
trained them to perform in the show ring with great success even
after they reached adulthood. Proper training techniques can work
on almost any animal to tame them down for ease of handling and
controlling them if need be.
