Minecraft:Sheep

Template:For Template:Infobox entity A sheep is a common Minecraft:passive mob that supplies Minecraft:wool and Minecraft:raw mutton and is found in many of the grassy Minecraft:biomes.

Spawning

The sheep color is determined by the type of biome the sheep spawns in.

Biome	Common (81.836%)	Uncommon (15% or 5% for each color)	Rare (3%)	Epic (0.164%)
Temperate Template:Collapse	Template:EntitySprite White	Template:EntitySprite Light Gray Template:EntitySprite Gray Template:EntitySprite Black	Template:EntitySprite Brown	Template:EntitySprite Pink
Cold Template:Collapse	Template:EntitySprite Black	Template:EntitySprite White Template:EntitySprite Light Gray Template:EntitySprite Gray	Template:EntitySprite Brown	Template:EntitySprite Pink
Warm Template:Collapse	Template:EntitySprite Brown	Template:EntitySprite White Template:EntitySprite Light Gray Template:EntitySprite Gray	Template:EntitySprite Black	Template:EntitySprite Pink

If a Minecraft:monster spawner is set to spawn sheep, the sheep model spinning inside appears with one of Template:Tooltip. Independently from the displayed color, all six variants are able to spawn and the usual chances apply. To guarantee that sheep always spawn with the desired color, additional NBT tags can be applied to the monster spawner, utilizing the Color tag.

Natural generation

Template:IN, 4 sheep may spawn above grass blocks at a light level of 9 and higher, even in snowy taigas, but not in pale gardens.

Template:IN, 2 to 3 sheep spawn during the world generation on Minecraft:grass blocks at the surface with at least a 2 block space above at a light level of 7 and higher, except in Minecraft:pale gardens, Minecraft:snowy plains, Minecraft:ice spikes, or Minecraft:wooded badlands. They later spawn individually on grassy biomes.

Two sheep sometimes spawn in shepherd houses, butcher houses, and animal pens in Minecraft:villages.

Drops

On death

Template:Xp experience orbs if killed by a player or tamed Minecraft:wolf.

Killing a baby sheep yields no Minecraft:items nor Minecraft:experience.

Shearing

When Minecraft:sheared, sheep give 1–3 wool and do not take any damage. This is not affected by Minecraft:Fortune or Minecraft:Looting.

Breeding

Upon successful Minecraft:breeding, Template:Xp is dropped.

Behavior

Sheep wander aimlessly and individually or in small flocks of two to four. Sheep avoid cliffs and hazardous areas if it warrants Minecraft:damage. Sheep emit hoarse bleats in mostly random patterns and especially when attacked. If harmed, sheep flee for a few seconds, but make no special attempt to avoid Minecraft:wolves.

Sheep do not usually interact with players or other mobs, but follow a Minecraft:player holding Minecraft:wheat within a six blocks radius. Adult sheep cannot fit through a gap of the 90-degree intersection of two Minecraft:fences when the corner fence is removed, whereas the player and most other mobs can fit through easily (although mobs won't path-find through this gap).

File:Sheep eating grass.gif

A sheared sheep eating grass and regrowing its wool.

Sheep graze Minecraft:short grass, Minecraft:short dry grass, Minecraft:tall dry grass, and Minecraft:ferns (but not Minecraft:tall grass or Minecraft:large ferns), making them disappear, and Minecraft:grass blocks, changing them into Minecraft:dirt blocks. Baby sheep graze grass much more often than adults and mature 1 minute faster when grazing. Sheep can eat grass through blocks that are lower than a full block, including extremities such as Minecraft:honey blocks, as well as from inside Minecraft:minecarts. A sheared sheep regrows its wool after grazing. Therefore, if no grass is available, a sheep cannot regrow its wool after being sheared. If an adult sheep has the opportunity, the chance of eating grass is Template:Frac every other game Minecraft:tick (Template:Fraction for baby sheep). If Template:Cmd is set to Template:Code, grass blocks remain, but the sheep still regrow their wool.<ref>Template:Bug</ref>

Dyeing

width=660x660

A sheep's wool can be dyed by pressing the Template:Control key or the interact button while holding any Minecraft:dye. A sheared sheep cannot be dyed until its wool grows back after eating a grass block. Dyeing changes the color of the sheep's wool until the sheep is dyed again. The new wool colors are inherited by baby sheep.

If a sheep is dyed and then sheared, it retains its new dyed wool color after the wool regrows.

Breeding

File:SheepBreedingColor.png

An example of how a bred sheep inherits a mixture of its parents' colors when possible.

Sheep can be bred using Minecraft:wheat, after which they spawn a baby sheep. They cannot breed for five minutes after the baby sheep appears.

If the parents have compatible wool colors (meaning that the corresponding Minecraft:dye items could be combined into a third dye color), the resulting baby sheep inherits a mix of their colors (e.g., blue sheep + white sheep = light blue baby sheep). If the dye colors cannot normally be mixed, the baby sheep spawns with the same color as one of the parents, chosen randomly, regardless of whether one or both parents have been sheared.

The 20-minute growth of a baby sheep can be slightly accelerated using wheat. Each use takes 10% off the remaining time to grow up. A baby sheep can also accelerate its own growth by eating grass.

Color mixing from sheep breeding

Parents	Template:EntitySprite White	Template:EntitySprite Gray	Template:EntitySprite Black	Template:EntitySprite Red	Template:EntitySprite Yellow	Template:EntitySprite Green	Template:EntitySprite Blue	Template:EntitySprite Purple	Template:EntitySprite Pink	Other
Template:EntitySprite White	—	Template:EntitySprite Light Gray	Template:EntitySprite Gray	Template:EntitySprite Pink	—	Template:EntitySprite Lime	Template:EntitySprite Light Blue	—	—	—
Template:EntitySprite Gray	Template:EntitySprite Light Gray	—	—	—		—	—
Template:EntitySprite Black	Template:EntitySprite Gray
Template:EntitySprite Red	Template:EntitySprite Pink				Template:EntitySprite Orange		Template:EntitySprite Purple
Template:EntitySprite Yellow	—			Template:EntitySprite Orange	—		—
Template:EntitySprite Green	Template:EntitySprite Lime			—			Template:EntitySprite Cyan
Template:EntitySprite Blue	Template:EntitySprite Light Blue			Template:EntitySprite Purple		Template:EntitySprite Cyan	—
Template:EntitySprite Purple	—			—		—			Template:EntitySprite Magenta
Template:EntitySprite Pink								Template:EntitySprite Magenta	—
Other								—

Easter eggs

File:Evoker changing sheep wool color.gif

An evoker changing a sheep's wool color.

An Minecraft:evoker can change a sheep's wool color if the evoker isn't engaged in combat and Template:Cmd is set to true. If that condition is met, it can change the wool color of any blue sheep within 16 blocks to red. It signals the spell by producing orange color particles (Template:EffectSprite) and making a "wololo" sound. This is a reference to the priest unit of the 1997 game Age of Empires. This will still work if they are named jeb_.

File:Jeb Sheep JE3 BE3.webp

A sheep named "jeb_".

If a sheep is named jeb_, its wool cycles through all dye colors in order. This is purely a visual effect. A sheep named jeb_ can still be dyed without changing the rainbow effect, and any wool obtained from one of these sheep has the most recent color as if the sheep was not named. The name tag jeb_ is an easter egg toward one of the developers Minecraft:Jens Bergensten or “Jeb” as he is called online.

Jockey

File:Baby Zombie Riding Sheep.png

A white unsheared sheep ridden by a baby zombie

15% of nearby baby Minecraft:zombies, Minecraft:husks, or Minecraft:drowned may ride an adult sheep to form a Minecraft:jockey.

Sounds

Template:JE: Template:SoundTable

Template:BE: Template:SoundTable

Data values

ID

Template:Edition: Template:ID table

Template:Edition: Template:ID table

Entity data

Sheep have entity data associated with them that contain various properties.

Template:El:

See Minecraft:Bedrock Edition level format/Entity format.

Template:El: Template:Main

<section begin="entity data"/>

• Template:Nbt Entity data
  • Template:Nbt inherit/breedable
  • Template:Nbt inherit/entity
  • Template:Nbt inherit/mob
  • Template:Nbt: The color of the sheep. Default is 0. Represents the Template:DCL component.
  • Template:Nbt: 1 or 0 (true/false) - true if the sheep has been shorn.

Color	Data value
File:White Sheep.png White	0
File:Orange Sheep.png Orange	1
File:Magenta Sheep.png Magenta	2
File:Light Blue Sheep.png Light Blue	3
File:Yellow Sheep.png Yellow	4
File:Lime Sheep.png Lime	5
File:Pink Sheep.png Pink	6
File:Gray Sheep.png Gray	7
File:Light Gray Sheep.png Light Gray	8
File:Cyan Sheep.png Cyan	9
File:Purple Sheep.png Purple	10
File:Blue Sheep.png Blue	11
File:Brown Sheep.png Brown	12
File:Green Sheep.png Green	13
File:Red Sheep.png Red	14
File:Black Sheep.png Black	15

<section end="entity data"/>

Color values

Template:IN, non-white sheep colors are 25% darker as the respective dye color values; white is separately defined as Template:Color. Non-white sheep colors are applied to the sheep_wool.png and sheep_wool_undercoat.png textures, while white is applied exclusively to the sheep_wool.png texture (the wool undercoat texture is not rendered for white sheep).

Template:IN, sheep colors use the same values as the base dye colors. The wool textures of white sheep are not tinted.

Achievements

Achievements that apply to all mobs: Template:Collapse

Advancements

Advancements that apply to all mobs: Template:Collapse

History

Spawn rules before Spring to Life

The color of a sheep was determined by the values in the table below. One in every 500 white sheep (0.2%) was instead pink, making pink the rarest of the six naturally spawning colors. 5% of all sheep (regardless of color) spawned as baby sheep.

Sheep Colors

Color	Chance	Percentage	Adult	Baby
Total	-	100%	95%	5%
Template:EntitySprite White	Template:Sfrac × Template:Sfrac	81.836%	77.7442%	4.0918%
Template:EntitySprite Black	Template:Sfrac	5%	4.75%	0.25%
Template:EntitySprite Gray	Template:Sfrac	5%	4.75%	0.25%
Template:EntitySprite Light gray	Template:Sfrac	5%	4.75%	0.25%
Template:EntitySprite Brown	Template:Sfrac	3%	2.85%	0.15%
Template:EntitySprite Pink	Template:Sfrac × Template:Sfrac	0.164%	0.1558%	0.0082%

Gallery

Renders

Unsheared

• File:White Sheep.png
• File:Light Gray Sheep.png
• File:Gray Sheep.png
• File:Black Sheep.png
• File:Brown Sheep.png
• File:Red Sheep.png
• File:Orange Sheep.png
• File:Yellow Sheep.png
• File:Lime Sheep.png
• File:Green Sheep.png
• File:Cyan Sheep.png
• File:Light Blue Sheep.png
• File:Blue Sheep.png
• File:Purple Sheep.png
• File:Magenta Sheep.png
• File:Pink Sheep.png

Sheared

• File:Sheared White Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Light Gray Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Gray Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Black Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Brown Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Red Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Orange Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Yellow Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Lime Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Green Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Cyan Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Light Blue Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Blue Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Purple Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Magenta Sheep.png
• File:Sheared Pink Sheep.png

Baby

• File:Baby White Sheep JE4 BE7.png
• File:Baby Light Gray Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Gray Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Black Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Brown Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Red Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Orange Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Yellow Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Lime Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Green Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Cyan Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Light Blue Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Blue Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Purple Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Magenta Sheep JE6 BE6.png
• File:Baby Pink Sheep JE6 BE6.png

jeb_

• Adult
  Adult
• BabyTemplate:Until
  BabyTemplate:Until

Mojang screenshots

• The first screenshot on Minecraft:breeding released by Minecraft:Notch.
  The first screenshot on Minecraft:breeding released by Minecraft:Notch.
• A sheep and cow.
  A sheep and cow.
• Dyed sheep in separate pens.
  Dyed sheep in separate pens.
• A pink sheep in the wild.
  A pink sheep in the wild.
• An edited photo of sheep in the desert.
  An edited photo of sheep in the desert.
• Baby sheep grazing.
  Baby sheep grazing.
• A group of sheep.
  A group of sheep.
• Minecraft:Zuri shearing sheep.
  Minecraft:Zuri shearing sheep.
• Some sheep in a pasture.
  Some sheep in a pasture.
• Warm colored sheep in Minecraft:Java Edition 25w07a.
  Warm colored sheep in Minecraft:Java Edition 25w07a.
• Sheep variants in Minecraft:Java Edition 25w07a.
  Sheep variants in Minecraft:Java Edition 25w07a.
• Minecraft:Wandering trader and Minecraft:cartographer in front of the cold sheep variants in Minecraft:Bedrock Edition Preview 1.21.70.23.
  Minecraft:Wandering trader and Minecraft:cartographer in front of the cold sheep variants in Minecraft:Bedrock Edition Preview 1.21.70.23.
• Minecraft sheep staring at you
  A sheep staring at the player.
• A sheep through a peephole.
  A sheep through a peephole.
• File:Gray grey and brown.jpeg
• File:Magenta Sheep reinforcements 5.jpg

Screenshots

• A dying sheep.
  A dying sheep.
• White, brown, light gray, gray, pink, and black are 6 of the naturally spawning colors of a sheep.
  White, brown, light gray, gray, pink, and black are 6 of the naturally spawning colors of a sheep.
• A large flock of sheep, along with some chickens.
  A large flock of sheep, along with some chickens.
• A baby sheep and an adult sheep.
  A baby sheep and an adult sheep.
• The sheep grass-eating animation.
  The sheep grass-eating animation.
• The baby sheep grass-eating animation.
  The baby sheep grass-eating animation.
• Sheep that have been Minecraft:dyed by the Minecraft:player.
  Sheep that have been Minecraft:dyed by the Minecraft:player.
• The relative probabilities of naturally spawned sheep colors before Minecraft:Spring to Life.
  The relative probabilities of naturally spawned sheep colors before Minecraft:Spring to Life.
• All 16 colorations of sheep, from bottom-left to top-right: white, black, light gray, gray, brown, red, orange, yellow, lime, green, cyan, light blue, blue, purple, magenta, and pink.
  All 16 colorations of sheep, from bottom-left to top-right: white, black, light gray, gray, brown, red, orange, yellow, lime, green, cyan, light blue, blue, purple, magenta, and pink.
• A Minecraft:sheared baby sheep next to its parentTemplate:Until (sheared baby sheep are available only via Minecraft:commands).
  A Minecraft:sheared baby sheep next to its parentTemplate:Until (sheared baby sheep are available only via Minecraft:commands).
• Snowy grass next to a patch of Minecraft:dirt that a sheep has eaten.
  Snowy grass next to a patch of Minecraft:dirt that a sheep has eaten.
• A sheep with a blue head.
  A sheep with a blue head.
• Four different colors of naturally spawning sheep: light gray, gray, brown, and black.
  Four different colors of naturally spawning sheep: light gray, gray, brown, and black.
• Z-fighting in the sheep's legs while invisible, in Spectator mode.
  Z-fighting in the sheep's legs while invisible, in Spectator mode.
• Rare occurrence of a pink sheep.
  Rare occurrence of a pink sheep.
• Sheep bugged in a tree. This is on an old version of Minecraft.
  Sheep bugged in a tree. This is on an old version of Minecraft.
• Flock of sheep in a swamp biome.
  Flock of sheep in a swamp biome.
• The foot of a sheep.
  The foot of a sheep.
• The sheep's color around their face and overlay when sheared corresponds to their wool color.
  The sheep's color around their face and overlay when sheared corresponds to their wool color.
• A sheep before Minecraft:Pocket Edition Alpha 0.6.0.
  A sheep before Minecraft:Pocket Edition Alpha 0.6.0.
• Pink sheep before Minecraft:Pocket Edition Alpha 0.8.0.
  Pink sheep before Minecraft:Pocket Edition Alpha 0.8.0.
• All of the possible sheep wool colors (Minecraft:dyed by the Minecraft:player.) Sheep have dyed wool remnants.
  All of the possible sheep wool colors (Minecraft:dyed by the Minecraft:player.) Sheep have dyed wool remnants.
• A yellow sheep during Minecraft:Pocket Edition Alpha 0.7.1.
  A yellow sheep during Minecraft:Pocket Edition Alpha 0.7.1.
• A white baby sheep that has been shearedTemplate:Until (sheared baby sheep are available only via commands).
  A white baby sheep that has been shearedTemplate:Until (sheared baby sheep are available only via commands).
• A pink sheep seen in Minecraft:Java Edition Beta 1.7.3
  A pink sheep seen in Minecraft:Java Edition Beta 1.7.3
• Sheep Jockey. This is only in Minecraft:Bedrock Edition.
  Sheep Jockey. This is only in Minecraft:Bedrock Edition.

Textures

• A sheep's texture file.
  A sheep's texture file.
• Baby sheep texture file.
  Baby sheep texture file.
• A sheep's wool texture file.
  A sheep's wool texture file.
• A baby sheep's wool texture file.
  A baby sheep's wool texture file.
• A sheep's wool undercoat texture file.
  A sheep's wool undercoat texture file.

In other media

• Artwork of a sheep alongside Minecraft:Steve and a Minecraft:pig.
  Artwork of a sheep alongside Minecraft:Steve and a Minecraft:pig.
• Various dyed sheep as shown in the Minecraft:World of Color Update artwork.
  Various dyed sheep as shown in the Minecraft:World of Color Update artwork.
• Artwork of a sheep.
  Artwork of a sheep.
• A brown sheep in promotional artwork for the first Minecraft:Caves & Cliffs update.
  A brown sheep in promotional artwork for the first Minecraft:Caves & Cliffs update.
• A sheep in official artwork for the Minecraft:Education Edition.
  A sheep in official artwork for the Minecraft:Education Edition.
• Sheep pictured in the Mobestiary.
  Sheep pictured in the Mobestiary.
• Minecraft:LEGO minifigure of cyan sheep.
  Minecraft:LEGO minifigure of cyan sheep.
• LEGO minifigure of purple baby sheep.
  LEGO minifigure of purple baby sheep.
• A "Super Cute" Sheep from the 18th line of Minecraft Mini-Figures.
  A "Super Cute" Sheep from the 18th line of Minecraft Mini-Figures.
• Baby sheep plush made by JINX.
  Baby sheep plush made by JINX.
• "My Base is Your Base," an official T-Shirt design featuring a build of a red sheep.
  "My Base is Your Base," an official T-Shirt design featuring a build of a red sheep.
• The Secret Sheep, featured in the Minecraft:Trails & Tales Event.
  The Secret Sheep, featured in the Minecraft:Trails & Tales Event.
• The potato sheep from 24w14potato.
  The potato sheep from 24w14potato.
• The "Mummy Sheep," featured in the Halloween Edition Minecraft:mash-up pack and Minecraft:Minecraft Mini-Series.
  The "Mummy Sheep," featured in the Halloween Edition Minecraft:mash-up pack and Minecraft:Minecraft Mini-Series.
• Sheep Man, a skin included in the second Legacy Console Minecraft:skin pack.
  Sheep Man, a skin included in the second Legacy Console Minecraft:skin pack.
• A sheared version of Sheep Man from the same pack.
  A sheared version of Sheep Man from the same pack.
• Top Hat Sheep, a skin featured in the 1st Birthday Minecraft:skin pack.
  Top Hat Sheep, a skin featured in the 1st Birthday Minecraft:skin pack.
• A baby sheep looking upwards.
  A baby sheep looking upwards.
• Orange sheep Flippin' Figs figure
  Orange sheep Flippin' Figs figure
• Cyan sheep Flippin' Figs figure
  Cyan sheep Flippin' Figs figure
• Sad pink sheep with missing wool
  A reference to Template:AMCM.
• A sheep as seen in Template:AMCM
  A sheep as seen in Template:AMCM
• A papercraft sheep made with Minecraft: Papercraft Studio.
  A papercraft sheep made with Minecraft: Papercraft Studio.
• Two pixelated images of a gray sheep character from Minecraft, depicted in a library setting with bookshelves in the background. In the left image, the sheep holds and reads an open book with a brown cover and gold trim. In the right image, the sheep sits with a neutral expression, facing forward.
  A gray sheep in a library with bookshelves.
• File:Thoughts of a sheep.jpeg
• File:Michael is calling.jpg