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The University of Maine Cooperative Extension Sheep and Goat Livestock Team offers research-based resources on small ruminant health, nutrition, housing, pasture management, and farm business planning.

Learn about USDA regulations, farm taxes, and recordkeeping to support your sheep or goat operation. Connect with local organizations, knowledgeable UMaine Extension staff, and explore opportunities through the 4-H Youth Development Program.

Sheep and Goats Contact Person:

Colt Knight
Assistant Professor of Extension, State Livestock Specialist
5735 Hitchner Hall, Room 133, Orono, Maine 04469
Email: colt.knight@maine.edu
Phone: 207.581.2953 or in Maine 1.800.287.0274

State Agencies

Vacant
State Veterinarian, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Tel: 207.287.7615.

Carol Delaney
State Livestock Specialist, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Tel: 207.215.4968. Email: carol.delaney@maine.gov.

Celeste Poulin
Director, Maine Department of Agriculture’s Division of Quality Assurance and Regulation. Tel: 207.287.3841. Email: celeste.poulin@maine.gov.

Explore by Category:

Bulletin#1064 Standard Operating Procedures and Their Use on Farms
Bulletin #1049, When to Call the Veterinarian — Tips for Producers of Small Ruminants in Maine
Bulletin #1032, Tips for Detecting Disease or Injury in Sheep and Goats
Bulletin #1033, Setting Up for Sheep Foot Inspection and Trimming
Bulletin #1039, The Shearer’s Role in Reducing Disease
Bulletin #1046, Biosecurity Precautionary Measures for Sheep and Goat Show Persons
Maine Animal Disease Traceability Program: (DACF) includes information on tagging and record-keeping
Eliminating Chronic Disease Using a Farm-based Approach: Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL)
FAQ: Meningeal Worm in Maine Sheep
Generic Abortion Prevention Program: Sheep and Goats
Sheep Foot Health
Fecal Testing for Parasites: How to do the modified McMaster Fecal Egg Count Test (PDF), SARE and University of Rhode Island

Care of Young Stock Purchased Off Farm

Buildings and Equipment for Sheep / Goats

Sheep Housing and Equipment Handbook. This informative handbook includes Planning considerations; Barn types, placement, and layout; Manure management; Feed storage and handling; Treating and handling facilities; Equipment for raising orphan lambs; Needed utilities and construction materials. Also featured are a summary data chart, 19 tables, 110 figures, a glossary, references, and a conversion chart for areas and volumes. 96 pp, 1994.
Hoop Structures for Other Livestock
Dr. Temple Grandin’s website, Livestock Behavior, Design of Facilities, and Humane Slaughter

Bulletin #2186, Are You Thinking of Raising Sheep?
Bulletin #1210, Farmer Skill and Knowledge Checklist: Goat Producers
Bulletin #1040, Farmer Skills and Knowledge List: Sustainable Sheep Production
Bulletin #1045, Getting Ready for the Shearer: A Checklist for Maine Sheep and Wool Producers
Sheep Shearers List for Maine, 2022
Sheep Best Management Practices
Sustainable Sheep Production Skills and Knowledge List
A Guide to Starting a Commercial Goat Dairy (PDF), UVM
Sheep 101.info The purpose of Sheep 101 is to teach 4-H and FFA members, students, teachers, beginning shepherds, and the general public about sheep, their products, how they are raised, and their contributions to mankind. (University of Maryland)
Sheep 201 is a Beginner’s Guide to Raising Sheep. The information should be useful to people raising different kinds of sheep and utilizing different production systems. (University of Maryland)
Lambing and Kidding Preparation Series: Facility Setup and Lamb Processing (YouTube)
University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Rachel White, Assistant Extension Professor and Livestock Educator, explores how shepherd Tom Hodgman of Waldowview Farm prepares his facility and ewes before lambs arrive, and how he keeps organized once lambing season starts. The concepts in this video can apply to goats and kidding preparation, too.
Lambing and Kidding Preparation Series: Birthing Kit Essentials and When to Use Them (YouTube)
University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s Rachel White, Assistant Extension Professor and Livestock Educator, and shepherd Tom Hodgman of Waldowview Farm go over important items to have in a birthing kit and provide detailed explanations on when and how to use them.
Biosecurity for Sheep Producers

Pasture and Crops for Sheep/ Goats

Bulletin #7129, Watering Systems for Livestock
Grazing Guide, Northeast Pasture Consortium
Maine Hay Directory, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Maine Pasture Management Course, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Maine Straw Directory, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
UMaine Analytical Lab, Soil and Manure Testing, University of Maine
Dairy One, Forage and Feed Analysis

Marketing

Bulletin #1220, Cheese Maker Self-Assessment Tool for Occupational Health, Safety, and Ergonomics
Bulletin # 1030, Raw Milk Production: Guidelines for Maine Licensed Dealers
Butchering Poultry, Rabbit, Lamb, Goat, and Pork: The Comprehensive Photographic Guide to Humane Slaughtering and Butchering by Adam Danforth | Goodreads
Resource Guide to Direct Marketing Livestock and Poultry, Small Farms Program, Cornell University, a 155-page guide available for free online or $3 for CD or $8 for hard copy
Direct Marketing Lamb — A Pathway. Loading your lambs up and hauling them to the sale ring is one way to market four seasons of devoted labor. It could, however, be debated whether you are really marketing at all — after all, you’re simply choosing a date and delivering your lambs to the sale ring on that day. Often, that date is determined not by market savvy, but by when you happen to run out of pasture. With today’s uncertain lamb markets, you may have no inkling of what lamb prices will be by the time your lambs are ready to sell. With this comes the frustration of trying to meet your financial obligations. 20 pages Free download from ATTRA.
ATTRA Lambulator is the perfect tool to help you answer these questions. A cut-yield pricing calculator is an essential part of a direct marketing lamb business. Excel spreadsheet. Free. ATTRA.

USDA News and Standards

Farm Taxes and Recordkeeping

Maine Sales Tax Forms, Maine Revenue Services site with tax-exempt applications, affidavits and refund forms for agriculture producers
Current Land Use Programs, Maine Farmland Tax Law Information, Marketing Information
Federal Income Tax, Publication 225: Farmer’s Tax Guide

Sheep, Goats, and More Publications

4-H Youth Program

Maine 4-H Goat Projects and Programs, University of Maine Cooperative Extension
Maine 4-H Sheep Projects and Programs, University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Sheep / Goat Related Organizations

Maine Sheep Breeders Association (MSBA)
Heart of Maine Dairy Goat Association (HMDGA)
Southern Maine Dairy Goat Association (SMDGA) – Changing Maine Directory
Boar Goat Breeders of Maine (BGBM)
American Sheep Industry Association (ASID)
About the American Lamb Checkoff Program — American Lamb Board

Sheep / Goat Quality Assurance Program

Sheep Safety and Quality Assurance Program
Goat Quality Assurance, eXtension.org

State Agencies

Vacant, State Veterinarian, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Tel: 207.287.7615.
Carol Delaney, State Livestock Specialist, Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Tel: 207.215.4968. Email: carol.delaney@maine.gov.
Celeste Poulin, Director, Maine Department of Agriculture’s Division of Quality Assurance and Regulation. Tel: 207.287.3841. Email: celeste.poulin@maine.gov.

Note: Where trade names or company names are noted in this document, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension is implied.

Note: Where trade names or company names are noted in this document, no discrimination is intended and no endorsement by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension is implied.

UMaine Extension Publications Catalog

Sheep and Goats

Got Questions?

Call 207.581.2788 for more information about sheep and goats.

In complying with the letter and spirit of applicable laws and pursuing its own goals of diversity, the University of Maine System does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, transgender status, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, familial status, ancestry, age, disability physical or mental, genetic information, or veterans or military status in employment, education, and all other programs and activities. The University provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities upon request. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Director of Institutional Equity and Title IX Services, 5713 Chadbourne Hall, Room 412, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5713, 207.581.1226, TTY 711 (Maine Relay System).