Ore Sheep Mechanics & Behavior

Ore Sheep function similarly to vanilla sheep but with several key differences in their 'grazing' and 'shearing' cycles.

Eating and Regrowth

Instead of eating grass to regrow wool, Ore Sheep eat the block they are standing on.

• Stone Consumption: To regrow their resource, an Ore Sheep must eat a 'stone-related' block (Stone, Cobblestone, Mossy Cobblestone, Stone Bricks, etc.)
• Block Transformation: When a sheep eats a block of Stone, it may turn into Gravel. If it eats the Gravel, the block is destroyed. This allows sheep to slowly 'mine' through the floor
• Type Changing: If an Ore Sheep eats a block of a different ore type than its current one, it will transform into that new variety

Shearing (Mining)

Standard Shears do not work on Ore Sheep. Because their 'wool' is made of solid rock or metal, players must use a Pickaxe.

• How to Harvest: Right-click the sheep with any Pickaxe to 'shear' the ore block from its back
• Tool Requirements: In later versions, the pickaxe tier must match the ore (e.g., an Iron Pickaxe or better is required to shear a Gold Sheep)
• Creative Mode: In Creative mode, using Bonemeal on a sheared Ore Sheep will instantly regrow its resource