A fleece defeats the eye. A sheep can lose significant condition under a full coat while looking round and well from the gate, so a regular flock screen has to be hands-on. Work through three parts in a fixed order for every animal: condition felt by hand, feet lifted and inspected, then fleece parted to reach the skin. A race or a calm pen, a consistent order, and a written score per sheep turn the screen into flock data rather than an impression.
First Part: Condition by Hand
Place a flat hand over the back and loin and press through the fleece to feel the spine and the short ribs beneath. In a sheep in sound condition the bones are detectable with gentle pressure yet cushioned, neither sharp under your palm nor buried beyond finding. Work the same landmarks on every sheep, because consistency of touch is what makes scores comparable across the flock and across the season. Score each animal as you go, using the scale your farm vet prefers, and write the figure down before you move to the next sheep. Note ewes in late pregnancy and recently lambed ewes separately, since their condition carries different expectations and their scores matter greatly for feeding decisions in the weeks around lambing.
Second Part: Feet
Lift each foot in turn where the sheep is restrained safely, and inspect the hoof and the skin between the toes. Look for overgrown or curling horn, cracks, damage, soft or inflamed skin, and any foul smell from the foot. Feel for heat and watch the sheep's reaction as you handle each foot, since flinching localises soreness your eyes might miss. Set the sheep loose and watch it walk a few steps on firm ground before you record the foot as clear. Lameness sometimes shows clearly only in movement, and a sheep that walks sound after handling closes the foot check more convincingly than inspection alone. Note any foot you treat or trim with the date, the foot involved, and what you found, because recurring trouble in the same foot tells a different story from a one-off stone bruise.
Third Part: Fleece and Skin
Part the fleece with your fingers down to the skin at several sites: over the neck and shoulders, along the back, and at the belly. Healthy skin beneath looks clean and calm. Look for parasites moving in the fleece, eggs or debris at the skin surface, scabs, crusty patches, sores, or areas where wool has broken or fallen away. Judge the fleece itself during the same pass, noting a fleece that is open, matted, discoloured, or lifting away from the skin. A sheep rubbing persistently against fences or posts between your checks is reporting skin irritation, and that behaviour belongs in the record beside what your hands found.
Recording the Flock Picture
Individual findings matter, and the flock pattern matters alongside them. Several sheep dropping condition together points toward grazing, feeding, or a flock-level health question, while one sheep falling away from a thriving group points toward that animal. Several sore feet in wet ground tell a management story, while one repeatedly lame foot tells an individual one. Writing scores and findings per animal, dated, lets you see both pictures at once. Share the record with your farm vet at routine visits, since a season of scores supports better advice on feeding groups, parasite control planning, and which animals to watch as winter closes in.
When a Finding Needs the Farm Vet
Contact your farm vet about a sheep that loses condition sharply between checks, stops eating, separates from the flock, or breathes with effort. Lameness that does not improve promptly, a foul-smelling foot, spreading skin lesions, or several animals showing the same new sign also warrant a call rather than flock-level watchfulness. Farm vets would rather discuss a trend early, while options are simple, than meet a problem after it has worked through the group.
Per-animal scores, foot notes, and fleece findings gathered in KinsLe's Pet Passport give each sheep a dated health history, so the animal you flag next month arrives at the vet with its whole season attached.