Intensive indoor sheep production is expanding in some markets, raising welfare concerns about behavioral restriction, flooring quality, and respiratory disease in a species adapted for outdoor life.
Sheep have evolved for extensive outdoor grazing and show strong behavioral motivation for horizontal movement across varied terrain. Indoor intensive systems that restrict movement, provide inadequate flooring, and maintain poor air quality cause lameness, respiratory disease, and behavioral frustration. Where indoor production is practiced, welfare requires high-quality flooring, excellent ventilation, and sufficient space to allow natural social interactions.