18

Following on from this question on dyed sheep the thought occurs "Do shorn sheep regrow their wool".

  • I know that shorn sheep stay that way for a while - I see them around and about.
  • I know that mobs disappear and then respawn when you leave and return to an area.

So if you have a shorn sheep will it regrow it's wool if you stay in vicinity for long enough?

I'm guessing that sheep that disappear and then respawn come back with a full coat.

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20

Sheep can regrow wool by eating a grass block (converting it to dirt). In addition, if you dye the sheep and then shear it, the wool grows back coloured. So this way you can generate flocks of rainbow sheep.

History: In early versions, after eating three grass blocks, they would regrow their wool(source). This disappeared (sheep would no longer eat grass), and then was added again in Minecraft 1.1.

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  • According to the Minecraft Wiki that was only in Survival Test. Is it still true in Beta? – ChrisF Jan 23 '11 at 22:57
  • Did some more digging and found evidence that seems to suggest that they no longer do. Edited my answer and included a link to Minecraft Wiki. I can't confirm directly myself as the few times I've bothered to harvest wool recently have been by walking until I saw more sheep. I'm impatient. :) – Shaun Jan 23 '11 at 23:08
  • @KevinReid I will admit that I don't play Minecraft any longer. Did some quick research and it seems they still regrow their wool and do so as the color they were dyed. Is this now incorrect? – Shaun Apr 17 '12 at 18:33
  • Oops, my eyes skipped right over the strikethrough on the “No.” Sorry for the trouble! Perhaps I'll edit for clarity. – Kevin Reid Apr 17 '12 at 18:38
2

No.

Sheep don't eat grass anymore, and cannot regrow their wool.

Most of the time, you will not see any more sheared sheep because they have gotten out of your render range and "disappear."

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  • 1
    This is no longer correct, since sheep again eat grass to regrow wool. – gnovice Apr 17 '12 at 13:37

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