Biology of Animal Production

Small Ruminants Exam 1

Boer Meat Goat

Originated in South Africa

Characteristics: muscular and thick frame, long, floppy ears, red and white coat, horns grow back

Advantages: most popular meat breed, highly selected for strength and muscles

Disadvantages: less hardy, less parasite resistance, harder to raise on pasture and forage 

Kiko Meat Goat

Originated in New Zealand

Characteristics: medium to large frame, thick and outward curving horns

Advantages: very low maintenance, mature quickly, parasite resistant and hardy, good mothers

Disadvantages: less uniformity in carcass meat, hard to handle for unexpected people

Savanna Meat Goat

Originated in South Africa

Characteristics: large and muscular frame, long and floppy ears, short and white coat with black skin

Advantages: relatively parasite resistant, heat and drought resistant, good mothers, docile and mild temperaments

Disadvantages: less common, small genetic pool

Myotonic Meat Goat

Fainting Goat

Originated in North America

Characteristics: medium sized and muscular, typically black and white, horned or polled

Advantages: docile temperament, good mothers, thrive in poor forage environments, high quality and tender meat.

Disadvantages: faint when startled, slower to mature, on the smaller side.

Spanish Meat Goat

Originated in Spain

Characteristics: rangy look, long and large horns, variety of coat colors

Advantages: very hardy, eat brush and good weed control, good parasite resistance

Disadvantages: smaller body size, not as muscular/meaty as Boer, very alert and sometimes flighty

TexMaster Meat Goat

Originated in US (Texas)

Characteristics: Boer crossed with Myotonic (fainting), medium sized, various colors

Advantages: low maintenance, high feed efficiency, rapid growth, good mothers

Disadvantages: “newer” breed, some muscle stiffening but not fully fainting

Why are sheep and goats prone to health problems?

1. Constant parasite exposure
2. Nutritional variability
3. Environmental extremes
4. Hoof and foot exposure
5. Herd dynamics
6. Predator stress

Barber Pole Worm

Blood-sucking internal parasite that attaches to and feeds on abomasal blood
• MOST IMPORTANT GI PARASITE IN SMALL RUMINANTS!!!

Barber Pole Worm

Clinical Signs: Bottle jaw, Anemia (pale gums & eyelids), Weakness, Death
Prevention: Rotational grazing, FAMACHA scoring, Targeted deworming

Coccidiosis

Clinical signs: Reduce appetite, Diarrhea!, Weight loss
Prevention: Rotational grazing, Coccidiostat’s

Coccidiosis

Targets intestinal lining

Copper Toxicity

Too much copper accumulation in liver

Copper Toxicity

Clinical Signs: Jaundice, red/brown urine
Prevention: Use sheep-specific minerals
Do NOT use pig/cattle products

When/who to watch?: Plants & soil high in copper

White Muscle Disease

Selenium deficiency

White Muscle Disease

Clinical Signs: Stiff gait, muscle weakness, inability to stand
Prevention: Selenium supplements

When/who to watch?: Selenium-deficient soils, Young lambs

Overeating Disease (aka: Enterotoxemia)

Clostridium perfringens type C & D

Overeating Disease (aka: Enterotoxemia)

Clinical Signs: Diarrhea, bloating, sudden death
Prevention: Vaccinate ewes and lambs (8-way), Limit grain access

When/who to watch?: Lambs on high grain diet, Sudden diet change

Foot Scald

Fusobacterium necrophorum (Common in dirt and mature)

Pathogenesis: Skin in between toes becomes infected. Sore, raw, inflamed skin

Foot Scald

Clinical Signs: Mild/moderate lameness, Discomfort when walking, Foul smell
• Prevention & Treatment: Eliminate muddy pastures, Regular hoof trimming & monitoring, Foot baths

Foot/Hoof Rot

Fusbocaterium necrophorum + Dichelobacter nodosus
Pathogenesis: Infection invades hoof and tissue, causing separation

Foot/Hoof Rot

Clinical Signs: Severe lameness & refusal to walk, Visible damage & foul odor
Prevention & Treatment: Quarantine & cull chronic carriers, Trim & remove infected hoof, Treat with antibiotics, Footbaths

HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS!

Vibrio

Ingestion of contaminated feed, water, aborted material

Late-term abortion storms

Vaccination

Chlamydia abortus

Contact w/aborted material
Late-term abortion storms
Vaccination

Toxoplasmosis

Water/feed contaminated with oocyts in cat feces
Mummified fetuses
Control cats

Johne’s Disease (“yo-knees”)

Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP)

Johne’s Disease (“yo-knees”)

Clinical Signs: Drop in milk production, Weight loss despite good appetite, chronic diarrhea
Prevention: Test incoming animals, Test & cull

When/who to watch?: MILKING HERD, Adults (2+ years)
Treatment: NONE!

Ovine Progressive Pneumonia (OPP)

Clinical Signs
Adults → chronic weight loss, poor milk production, hard bag, respiratory distress
Lambs → labored breathing

Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis (CAE)

Clinical Signs
Adults → arthritis, swollen joints
Kids → encephalitis (brain swelling)

Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL)

Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

Caseous Lymphadenitis (CL)

Clinical Signs: Abscesses on face/neck, Weight loss
Prevention: New(ish) vaccine, Closed flock

When/who to watch?: Any age, Enters via wounds (shearing, needles, etc.)

Scrapie

Build-up of abnormal cellular protein in the neurologic tissue (prion)
Central nervous system starts to degenerate

ALWAYS FATAL. NO CURE

Scrapie

Disease Transmission

Sheep/goat must be susceptible AND exposed to develop disease
Routes of infection:

• Contact or ingestion of infected birth material

• Contact or ingestion of infected urine, feces, saliva, nasal secretions

• Ingesting colostrum or milk from infected ewes

Scrapie

Clinical Signs:

• Progressive weight loss with normal appetite
• Behavioral changes (e.g., suddenly becoming aggressive)
• Incoordination, head tremors, itchiness
• Biting at or pulling wool out of their sides or legs
• Muscle wasting and weakness
• Going down and cannot get up
• Blindness

Scrapie

Genetics & Genotyping
• Genotyping- DNA test to identify genes for disease susceptibility or resistance
• Codon 171
• QQ = highly susceptible
• QR = rarely susceptible
• RR = resistant
• Remember: an animal needs to be susceptible AND exposed to become infected!

Scrapie

Proper Identification
• By federal and state law, most sheep & goats must be officially identified before being moved for sale, exhibition, slaughter, or change of ownership
• If unsure → TAG THEM!
• Free applicator pliers and tags are available from USDA
• Traceability is key!

Core Vaccination

• CD&T
• Clostridium perfringens types C & D PLUS
• Prevents sudden death from overeating disease and tetanus from wounds or basic procedures
• Castration, shearing, etc.

Optional Vaccines

• CL
• Orf (soremouth)
• Campy & Chlamydia (abortions)

Over-use

causes resistance against dewormers

Targeted Deworming

Fecal Eggs Counts (FECs)
FAMACHA Scoring (next slide)

Drug Classes

• Benzimidazoles (white drenches) → Valbazen
• Macrocyclic Lactones → Ivermectin, Moxidectin
• Cholinergic Agonists → Prohibit, Rumatel

Combo Treatments

First drug kills 50% of worms
Second drug kills 80% of remaining worms

Rules for Combo Treatments

• Still need FULL dose of each drug!
• Need to be from separate drug classes
• Need to administer each separately- NO MIXING!
• Do one right after the other (do not wait until next day)
• Do not treat everyone (creates “superbugs”)

FAMACHA Scoring

Indirectly measures severity of anemia caused by barber pole worm by comparing color or lower eyelid to standardized car

Why do we use FAMACHA Scoring

• Easy

• Quick

• Reliable

FAMACHA Scoring

• 1 (red) = not anemic
• 2 (red-pink) = acceptable
• 3 (pink)= borderline
• 4 (pink-white) = dangerous
• 5 (white) = severely anemic

Body Condition Scoring

Hands-on evaluation of fat and muscle cover on the spine, ribs, and other key areas

Body condition scoring

• 1 = emaciated
• 2 = thin
• 3 = average - where you want them
• 4 = fat
• 5 = obese

Hoof Trimming & Care

Foot scald vs. foot rot
• Trimming schedule: ~6-12 weeks
• Look for:
• Overgrowth
• Cracks or pockets
• Lameness, foul odor, etc.
• Good drainage on pasture
• Quarantine/check new additions
• Foot Baths
• Zinc sulfate
• Copper sulfate

Fly Control Strategies - Environmental Management

Remove manure & standing water

Fly Control Strategies - Shearing/Crutching

Less wool = less attractive for flies

Fly control strategies - chemical control

• Pour-on/spray insecticides
• Wound sprays

Monogastric

Animal with single-chambered, simple stomach

monogastric

use uses glucose/glycogen as main energy

Ruminant

Animal with four chambers in stomach

Rumen

largest chamber; fermentation

Reticulum

collects debris

Omasum

absorbs volatile fatty acids and water

Abomasum

true stomach - HCl and digestive enzymes

4 R’s of Rumination

Regurgitation, Resalivation, Remastication, Redeglutition

Microbes

Fungi, Bacteria, Protozoa, Methanogenic archea

Volatile Fatty Acids (VFA)

Acetate, Propionate, and Butyrate
Transported to liver and converted to useful products

Rumen Microbial Stratification Diagram

Gases → Microbes attachted to mat → Microbes in solution → microbes attached to wall

~9,000 BC

Sheep were domesticated in…

Purpose of Sheep

Multi-purpose
• Meat
• Milk
• Hides
• Wool (~6,000 BC)

8,000 BC

Goats were domesticated in…

Purpose of goats

Meat & Milk

Top 3 Global Sheep Inventories

1. China

2. India

3. Australia

Global Goat Inventories

1. India

2. China

3. Nigeria

U.S. Sheep Inventories

1. Texas

2. California

3. Colorado

4. Wyoming

5. Utah

US MILK goat inventory - top 5 states

1. Wisconsin

2. California

3. Texas

4. Iowa

5. New England

U.S. Meat Goat Inventory – Top 10 States

1. Texas

2. Missouri

3. Oklahoma

4. Tennessee

5. California

Wool

What is the #1 product or good that you think of when you hear the word sheep?

Meat

What is the PRIMARY reason people raise sheep?

Lanolin, Inside of baseballs, uggs (etc.)

What are some other products or services we get from sheep?

25%

What percentage of goat milk is used as fluid milk consumption?

Meat Goats

Bone-in Cubes: stews curries, kabobs

Ground goat meat: burgers, tacos, meatballs

Processed meats: sausages, snack sticks

Other Uses for Goats

• Fiber
• Angora = mohair
• Cashmere
• Hides & Leather
• Pack goats
• Brush control
• Yoga?

Misconceptions about lamb

• Tastes “gamey”
• Difficult to cook
• Too expensive
• Special occasions
• Baby animal meat

Current Consumers who eat lamb

People who raise lamb eat lamb

Foodies

Farmers Market Buyers

International Markets: New Zealand & Australia

• Similar breeds
• Uniform product
• Long history of sheep production
• Consistent climate & terrain
• High-volume processing plants for export
• Good marketing campaigns

International Markets: United States

• Many different breeds
• Inconsistent products
• Meat production focuses on beef, pork, and chicken
• Less land & higher feed costs
• Few lamb-specific processing facilities
• “Lower quality” product

• Introduction to Synthetic Fibers
• Fewer Sheep
• Australia- fine wool breeds
• New Zealand- coarse wool breeds
• Collapse in Wool Prices
• Limited Processing Facilities
• Bollman Industries- Texas
• Chargeurs Wool USA- South Carolina

Reason for decline in wool markets

Mountain Meadow Wool Mill

• Full-service mill in Buffalo, WY
• Scour → Spin → Yarn → Clothing
• Work directly with WY producers
• 100% USA Made
• 100% Traceable to Ranch
• “Mountain Merino” Brand
• Dye-free Wools

• Easy to manage (No shearing, heat tolerant, parasite resistant)

• Change in market demands ( meat prices rival wool breeds)

• Change in producer preference (hobby farmers, less intimidating to start)

Why do we utilize and own Hair sheep

Hair sheep

27% of all sheep in the US

• fastest growing livestock industry in the US (high quality and lean meat)

• Ethnic Consumers (hispanic, middle eastern, southeast asian, Caribbean)

• Niche Markets

• Nutritional Benefits (Less calories, less fat, less cholesterol, more iron, more potassium)

Why do we own meat goats

• # of goats increased (4% increase since 2024)
• # of goat dairies increased (27,500 → 35,700 (2007 to 2017)
• Health Trends (Lactose-free alternative)
• New Products (Lotions, soaps, etc.)
• Global Demand (Exported products)

Why we own dairy goats

flock

group of sheep

herd

group of goats

caprine

official term for a goat

ovine

official term for a sheep

ewe

female sheep

doe

female goat

ram

male intact sheep

buck

male intact goat

whether

castrated male goat/sheep

lamb

baby sheep

kid

baby goat

lambing

sheep giving birth