Overview
You cannot sleep on night one without a Sheep, and sleeping is how you skip the night. Three wool plus three planks makes a bed, and shearing is how you get the wool without losing the animal: shears give 1 to 3 wool and the Sheep regrows its coat by eating grass, so four animals in a fenced field is a permanent supply rather than four kills. Killing one instead gives a single wool and 1 to 2 mutton, which is a waste of a renewable resource. Colour is where it gets interesting. Dye a Sheep and it keeps that colour permanently, including every coat it regrows, so one dyed animal supplies unlimited wool of that colour. Breed two dyed sheep and the lamb inherits a mixed colour following the dye-mixing rules, which lets you breed towards a shade rather than dyeing every block by hand. Natural spawns are mostly white, with roughly 5% grey, light grey, black or brown, and a 0.164% chance of a pink Sheep — rare enough that finding one is genuinely notable. They have 8 health and spawn in flocks of four on grass at light level 9 or above.
Wool, which every bed, banner, carpet and painting needs, plus mutton as food. A dyed Sheep produces its colour indefinitely, so one animal replaces a dye supply chain entirely.
Shear a sheep for one to three wool and it regrows the wool by eating grass, which makes it a renewable supply rather than a one-off kill. Dye a sheep and it stays that colour and keeps producing it; breed two dyed sheep and the lamb inherits a mixed colour following dye-mixing rules. Sheep eating grass turn the block to dirt. Wool is required for beds and every player needs one on night one.
In Minecraft, Sheep is classified as a passive mob. It has 8 health points, or 4 hearts. Expect 3 experience per kill.
Properties
Sheep has 8 health, which is 4 hearts. It drops up to 3 experience when a player kills it. Its hitbox is 0.9 blocks wide and 1.3 tall, which is what decides whether it fits through a gap or a one-block-high opening.
- Added in
- 1.0.0
- Breedable
- Yes
Spawns in
Spawns on grass in most temperate biomes in flocks of four. Roughly 5% are grey, light grey, black or brown, and 0.164% are pink.
It has no biome restriction, so anywhere in the Overworld that meets the light and space conditions is a valid spawn.
- Dimension
- Overworld
- Light level
- ≥ 9
- Added in
- 1.0.0
Dimension: Overworld · Added in 1.0.0
Drops
Killing Sheep drops Raw Mutton and White Wool, plus up to 3 experience. Looting raises the maximum on most of these by one per level.
- Raw Mutton: 1–2
- White Wool: 1 — Drops wool matching its colour; shearing gives 1-3 and is far more efficient.
How it behaves
The Sheep never attacks. The only reason to be careful around one is that killing it is often not what you want: breeding it is worth more than the drop.
Killed by a player it drops up to 3 experience; killed any other way it drops none.
Command
In a world with cheats on, this spawns one Sheep where you are standing.
Summon
/summon minecraft:sheep ~ ~ ~Guides and tools that cover this
Frequently asked questions
How do you get wool without killing a Sheep?
Use shears. You get 1 to 3 wool and the animal regrows its coat after eating grass.
Does dyeing a Sheep last?
Yes, permanently. Every coat it regrows comes out in the dyed colour.
How rare is a pink Sheep?
About 0.164% of natural spawns, which makes it the rarest sheep colour in the game.
What do sheep eat?
Grass, which regrows their wool, and wheat, which breeds them and leads them around.
How much health does the Sheep have in Minecraft?
The Sheep has 8 health points, which is 4 hearts.
What does the Sheep drop?
It drops Raw Mutton and White Wool, plus 3 experience when killed by a player.
Where does the Sheep spawn?
Spawns on grass in most temperate biomes in flocks of four. Roughly 5% are grey, light grey, black or brown, and 0.164% are pink.
Related pages
How to get it
Sheep spawn in flocks of 4 on grass across most temperate biomes at light level 9 or above. Shear an adult for 1 to 3 wool, which regrows after it eats grass; breed 2 adults with wheat for more.
Tips
- Shear rather than kill — a sheared Sheep regrows wool by eating grass, while a killed one gives just 1 wool.
- Dye a Sheep once and every future coat comes out the same colour, which saves dye on large builds.
- Breed two differently dyed sheep and the lamb takes the mixed colour, following the ordinary dye-mixing rules.
- Keep the pen on grass; a Sheep on dirt or stone cannot eat and will never regrow its wool. See how to make a bed.