Sheep Facts for Kids
Ovis aries · OH-vis AIR-eez
A woolly farm animal whose thick coat is made into warm clothes.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 90 to 450 lb41 to 204 kg1
- 📏 size: not yet checked
- 🎂 6 to 11 years6 to 11 years1
- 🍽️ plants
- Not on the Red List (Not assessed)
A sheep is a farm animal with a fluffy coat called wool. Sheep say baa. A baby sheep is a lamb.
A sheep's wool keeps growing, so once a year a farmer gives it a haircut called shearing. It doesn't hurt, just like a haircut doesn't hurt you. The wool is washed, spun into yarn and knitted into sweaters, hats and socks.
Sheep like to stay together in a group called a flock, which helps keep them safe. They can remember the faces of other sheep and of people they know. A sheep's eyes are on the sides of its head, so it can see almost all the way around without turning. Farm sheep came from wild sheep called mouflon long ago; some kinds are kept for their wool and some for their milk.
How big is a sheep?
Sheep: no checked size yet, so there is nothing to draw. We only draw what a source says.
Sheep in numbers
| Length | no checked number yet |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 90 to 450 lb41 to 204 kg1grown ewes and rams: 90 to 450 pounds |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 6 to 11 years6 to 11 years1 |
| What it eats | grass, clover and hay |
| Where it lives | farms and hillsides all over the world |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Not on the Red List (Not assessed) |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- Sheep can remember the faces of other sheep and of people.
- A sheep's wool keeps growing until it gets a haircut.
- A sheep can see almost all the way around without turning.
Compare the sheep
Friends and neighbours
Goat
Cow
DogThree questions
Books about the sheep, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the sheep for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- NC State Extension, sheep facts, checked 6 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Sheep (Q7368), checked 30 October 2026.