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Birth Management for Sheep and Goats 2026

Jan. 6-27, 2026
Online with optional 1 Day Hands-On Experience - Jan. 31, 2026

Are you interested in learning how to improve birth management of your herd or flock?

The MSU Small Ruminant Extension team is offering a 4-part webinar series on birth management that will lead you through a host of topics aimed to improve birth management of sheep and goats. Each weekly session will last approximately 90 min and sessions will be recorded to allow future viewing.

Participants will learn preventative approaches, assessment skills, and treatment procedures. Both novice and veteran producers alike will find this program valuable. Because of the amount and depth of information presented, students have found attending this program more than once to be valuable.

Topics will include: nutritional management, use of ultrasound, facility design, newborn care, hypothermia treatment, grafting, vaccination protocols, mortality diagnoses, health and feeding program assessment.

Each session will feature seminars, specialized instructional videos and question and answer sessions with an expert panel to cover each of these topics (live sessions are 7-9 p.m. ET each Tuesday evening):

  • Jan 6: Webinar - Nutritional management to optimize birth outcomes in sheep and goats.
  • Jan 13: Webinar - Optimizing maternal and newborn health: parasite control, vaccination schedules, treating complications at birth, providing a healthy environment.
  • Jan 20: Webinar - The normal birth process, birth assistance and newborn care.
  • Jan 27: Webinar - Identifying challenges on your farm and creating an improvement plan addressing health management, nutrition and facility improvements.
  • Jan 31: OPTIONAL: Hands on Experience - noon-4 p.m. -Sheep Angle Barn, 5526 Bennett Rd, Lansing, MI 48910 
    • A late registration option is also available if you wish to sign up at a later date as well.
    • The program will have light refreshments available.

Instructors:

  • Richard Ehrhardt Ph.D., Senior Extension specialist
  • Mike Metzger M.S., Extension educator
  • Erin Recktenwald Ph.D., Extension and research associate
  • Barbara Makela, Research technician

Cost:

  • $40/farm or family and includes a 90+ page manual, a laminated lamb hypothermia/starvation treatment poster and access to all recorded sessions
  • $20/farm or family with no manual or hypothermia/starvation poster
  • Additional members of the same farm/ family may receive additional manuals and posters for $20 per set.
  • The optional hands-on program is $10 per person.
  • Materials will be mailed after January 7. Participants outside the United States will be charged additional postage.

No refunds for cancellations after Jan. 2, 2026.

Download Event Flyer

Registration for Birth Management for Sheep and Goats 2026 is open.

Registration closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on January 5, 2026.

Click Here to Register

Earlybird registration for Birth Management for Sheep and Goats 2026 - Optional Hands-On Education Day starts January 2, 2026

Normal registration starts January 7, 2026

The last day for registration is 11:59 p.m. ET on January 28, 2026

Accommodations

Michigan State University Extension programs, services events, and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, religion, age, height, weight, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, or veteran status. Accommodations for persons with disabilities may be requested by contacting the event contact two weeks prior to the start of the event. Requests received after this date will be honored whenever possible.  

Contact Information

For more information, contact Mike Metzger at 517-788-4292 or metzgerm@msu.edu.