Sheep

Updated: January 26, 2026

Montana remains one of the country's important sheep states, though its exact rank has shifted slightly in recent years as flocks have grown or shrunk in other Western states. As of January 1, 2025, Montana's inventory of all sheep and lambs was estimated at about 185,000 head, down from the roughly 225,000 head reported in 2018 but still placing the state in the upper group of U.S. sheep-producing states.

Sheep numbers and where they are raised

Sheep in Montana are still raised primarily east of the Rocky Mountains, where large open rangelands provide extensive grazing. USDA's 2025 overview shows 185,000 sheep and lambs on January 1, 2025, compared with 225,000 animals reported for 2018, reflecting a gradual long-term decline in flock size that mirrors national trends. Recent national rankings put Montana near the top ten states for total sheep and lamb numbers (around 142,000-185,000 head in various 2024-2025 tallies), a step or two lower than its earlier 7th-place ranking as other states such as Texas and Utah have expanded or maintained larger flocks. With about 1.1 million people in the state, the current inventory works out to roughly one sheep for every six Montanans, rather than one sheep for every four people as in 2018.

Breeds, products, and grazing behavior

Sheep remain very versatile animals, providing wool, meat (lamb and mutton), and, in some systems, milk for specialty cheeses such as feta, manchego-style cheeses, and other artisan products. More than 20 recognized sheep breeds are raised in the United States; in Montana, commonly reported breeds include Rambouillet, Targhee, Columbia, Hampshire, Suffolk, Finnsheep, and Polypay, along with crossbred animals designed to combine good maternal traits, meat quality, and wool production. Some breeds, such as Rambouillet and Targhee, are especially valued for fine wool and adaptability to Western range, while others like Suffolk and Hampshire are often used as terminal sires to improve lamb growth and carcass traits.

Sheep were domesticated thousands of years ago from wild sheep that lived in central and western Asia and, at first, looked more like modern wild sheep and goats than today's wool breeds. Compared with goats, sheep are typically wool-bearing animals (they grow a fleece that must be shorn), while most goats grow hair; many goat breeds also have prominent horns, whereas many domestic sheep breeds are polled (naturally hornless). Sheep and goats both browse and graze, eating grass as well as forbs and shrubs, though sheep generally graze more closely than goats and can be used in targeted grazing programs to manage weeds and brush alongside cattle.

Shearing, wool, and lanolin

Most Montana sheep are shorn once a year in late winter or spring, before hot weather and often before or around lambing to improve cleanliness and make it easier for lambs to find the udder. Shearing is a skilled, labor-intensive job: the goal is to remove the fleece in one piece using electric clippers or hand shears, creating a blanket of wool that can be skirted (cleaned of dirty edges) and packed. Individual fleeces are bundled into bales and shipped to wool warehouses or processing plants, where they are graded and later spun into yarn and fabric for sweaters, blankets, outdoor clothing, and other wool products. Lanolin, the natural oil found in raw wool, is still refined and used as an ingredient in lotions, cosmetics, and some industrial products because of its protective and moisturizing properties.

Nutrition and lambing

Sheep, like cattle, goats, and deer, are ruminants, meaning they have a four-compartment stomach that allows them to ferment and digest grasses and coarse feeds that humans cannot eat, turning them into meat, wool, and milk. A male sheep is called a ram and a female is called a ewe; ewes typically give birth to one to three lambs at a time, with twins being common in many Western flocks. In Montana, lambing usually takes place in late winter or early spring so that lambs can grow on green grass as pastures begin to grow, although some flocks use sheltered barns or sheds to protect newborn lambs from storms and cold. During lambing, ranchers monitor ewes frequently?often around the clock?to help with difficult births, foster orphaned lambs onto ewes that have extra milk, and protect newborns from weather and predators.

Guard animals and herding dogs continue to play a key role in protecting lambs and managing flocks. Border Collies and related herding breeds are commonly used to move and gather sheep, working primarily by controlling the sheep's movement from the front and sides rather than nipping at heels. Livestock guardian dogs such as Great Pyrenees, Akbash, and Anatolian Shepherds bond with sheep and stay with them, deterring coyotes and other predators; research shows that well-managed guardian dogs can significantly reduce lamb losses. Llamas are also widely used as guard animals; studies and producer surveys indicate that 80 percent or more of guard llamas are rated effective or very effective at reducing coyote predation, and many operations report dramatic drops in lamb losses after adding a guard llama.

Sheepherders, range use, and flocking behavior

Historically, Montana range sheep outfits relied on full-time sheepherders who stayed with bands of sheep year-round, living in canvas-topped sheepwagons or modern camp trailers and seeing other people mainly when supplies were delivered. These herders managed grazing on large tracts of public and private rangeland, moved camps as forage was used, and depended heavily on dogs and horses for daily work. While some large range operations still use camp tenders and herders (often with motorized vehicles and improved communications), many smaller flocks are now managed from ranch headquarters with more frequent truck and trailer moves.

Sheep have a strong flocking instinct and prefer to stay together; they are reluctant to travel alone but will readily follow a lead animal or the main group. When threatened, sheep often bunch tightly and face the disturbance before eventually fleeing as a group, behavior that herders and dogs use to their advantage when moving or penning the flock. This flocking behavior, combined with careful management, allows Montana ranchers to use sheep to graze rugged rangelands efficiently while helping to control weeds and improve plant communities, all while producing lamb and wool for regional, national, and export markets.

• USDA 2024 STATE AGRICULTURE OVERVIEW MONTANA
• USDA 2024 Montana Sheep Production
• USDA Montana AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS 2024
• American Sheep Industry Association FAST FACTS ABOUT SHEEP PRODUCTION
• Buck Hollow Llamas

Updated: January 26, 2026