Sheep are cute animals that many people love taking care of. If you’re caring for sheep on your farm, then you likely already know that these animals can be a joy to have around.
Those who are new to caring for sheep might not be used to everything that they do, though. Sheep can be a bit noisy sometimes, but it’s usually not too bad overall.
Sheep will baa and communicate with each other throughout the day. What if you’re hearing sheep making a racket at night, though?
Why do sheep baa at night and is there any reason for you to be worried? Keep reading to learn more about sheep and why they might be making noises during the night.
1 – Sheep Are Usually Communicating When They Make Noise
The first thing to know is that sheep are usually communicating when they make noise. Sheep don’t just make “baa” sounds for no reason at all.
There are actually many variations of bleating sounds that they can make to communicate different things. People who have been taking care of sheep for a long time can learn to differentiate the sounds a bit, but what’s important to remember is that sheep communicate with each other.
When a sheep starts calling out, it’s likely that it’s trying to communicate something to the other sheep. Therefore, the noise that the sheep are making during the night is generally going to have a purpose.
It’s really interesting to see all of the different ways that sheep can communicate with each other. Their “baa” noises always have a purpose, and they aren’t just calling out for no reason.
If you’re hearing a sheep call out at night, then it definitely means something. It’s something that you might need to pay attention to depending on what’s going on.
Of course, it isn’t typical for sheep to make a lot of noise at night. Generally, sheep are going to be quiet during the night, but there could be some exceptions to consider.
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2 – Sheep That Are Unfamiliar with a Field Might Be Noisier During the Night
It’s possible that the sheep that you’re hearing during the night are unfamiliar with the field. If they’re your sheep, then did you just recently move the sheep to this farm/field?
Sheep usually baa at each other as a way to communicate and sheep might just be trying to find each other. If they aren’t as familiar with where they’re staying, then it’ll be easier for them to get lost.
When you hear sheep call out at night like this, then they might just be trying to find each other after getting a bit lost. This is pretty normal, and the noises shouldn’t continue for long periods of time.
Also, once the sheep have grown accustomed to the field, they should stop making noise during the night. Most sheep are relatively quiet during the night, and it’d be unusual to hear sheep making too much noise outside of communicating from time to time.
3 – Sheep Getting Separated From Family Members
Another possibility to consider is that the sheep that are making noise could have been separated from their family members. Sometimes sheep owners will keep the lambs and ewes together while placing the sheep somewhere else.
It isn’t too unusual for lambs and ewes to cry out looking for their missing family members. If you’re hearing sheep making noise at night, then this could have something to do with it.
Of course, if you own the sheep, then you should know whether you recently separated sheep in some way. It’s just good to know that usually when sheep cry out like this they’re trying to find other sheep or communicate something to them.
After a few days, the sheep should stop making noises like this when it’s apparent that the other sheep they’re looking for isn’t coming back. You might just have to put up with the noise for a few nights.
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4 – Lambs Trying to Find Ewes
When lambs are very young, they’re going to need to be taken care of by ewes. The ewes will act as nannies for the young lambs, but the lambs might cry out when they can’t find the ewes.
There might be times during the night when the lambs will struggle to find where the ewes are. This could lead to the lambs making baa noises to try to figure out where the ewes are.
As mentioned earlier, the “baa” noises that you hear the sheep making are actually for communication. The lambs are going to call out for their moms, so to speak.
Sheep aren’t going to be making noises like this for no reason or just to annoy you. They’re just trying to communicate with each other when it’s necessary to do so.
5 – Predators
Finally, you might need to consider whether the sheep are trying to alert each other to the presence of predators. If sheep sense that there are predators nearby, then they might call out to try to warn the group.
If you’re hearing sheep call out at an unusual time of the night, then there’s a chance that they could be reacting to some type of danger. It might be a good idea to go out and check the area for signs of predators.
It could even be something as simple as a neighbor’s dog getting too close to the area where your sheep are at. Sheep see dogs and many other types of animals as predators.
There could also be animals nearby that could pose a danger to the sheep. Hopefully, you have some protection in place to try to keep the sheep away from the predatory animals.
When you aren’t seeing anything that indicates predators, then you’ll just have to assume that the sheep were communicating with each other for some unknown reason. It could be related to some of the information above, but it could be for another purpose that is unclear.
Sheep that are being cared for do rely on humans for protection from predators, though. Do your best to keep your sheep in a secure place where they will be safe from predators during the night.
Final Thoughts
You now know that sheep baa to communicate with each other. Sheep are actually very smart animals in many ways and they can communicate many different things through variations in the way that they call out.
It’s interesting to observe sheep communicating with each other like this. As you continue to care for sheep, it’s going to be more likely that you’ll come to recognize the types of noises that they’re making.
You probably won’t hear sheep being overly noisy during the night when everything is okay. Sometimes lambs might call out for their mothers or there might be some other type of communication going on, though.
When you’ve taken steps to protect the herd from predators, it should be unlikely that you’ll need to deal with issues that are putting the sheep in danger. Even so, it’s good to be proactive and check things out if you know that your sheep don’t usually make a lot of noise during the night.
Keep caring for your sheep properly and you should have a good experience moving forward. Your sheep likely won’t be keeping you up at night with too much noise once they get used to things.
I have a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When I’m not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, I’m at home with my wife, two daughters and a dog. Outside of family, I love grilling and barbequing on my Big Green Egg and working on projects around the house. Growing up, I had pet dogs, cats, deer, sugar gliders, chinchillas, a bird, chickens, fish, and a goat.