Sheep & Goat Production Systems

Survey of the Animal Industry

What are the types of flocks of sheep/goats?

Range flocks & farm flocks

What are the main production practices?

Docking, castration, & crutching

What is docking?

Happens to males & females; removing part of the tail; prevents infection & bug infestation due to overgrown wool on excretion areas; elastrator tool is uses

What is castration?

Happens to males only; removal of testes; elastrator tool used

What is crutching?

Happens to pregnant females; prior to lambing, shear vulva & around utters for cleanliness

What is a sheep/goats diet (farm flock)?

Supplements, salts & minerals

Are sheep/goats susceptible to parasites?

Yes, therefore they have a highly managed deworming schedule

What is the easiest technique used to determine if one has worms?

Pull down on sheep’s third eyelid if pink, no worms. If white, huge parasite infection. The worms in the intestinal tract are consuming so much of the sheep’s blood that the sheep is becoming anemic.

What are the characteristics of guardian dogs for farm flocks?

Big dogs, nocturnal, mark their territory constantly, loud bark, raised with animals they are protecting

What are common guard dog breeds?

Great Pyrenees (deterrent for predators) & anatolians (aggressive towards predators)

What are common guard animals for farm flocks?

Dogs, llamas, & jenny’s (female donkey)

What are characteristics of llamas?

Aggressive, don’t have a lot of anatomical weapons to fight predators, long necks freak out wild animals, are vaccinated & have a highly managed deworming schedule

What are the characteristics of a Jenny?

Aggressive

How can dogs be used differently in sheep/goat flocks?

They can a predator, a guard dog, or a herding dog. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE BREED OF DOG

How long is a sheep & goats gestation period?

147 days

When do sheep cycle?

Seasonal breeders (photoperiod) - cycle in the fall, pregnant in the winter, lamb in the spring, which is good b/c there is new grass to feed ewe for lactation

What is the birthing process called in sheep?

Lambing

What is the birthing process call in goats?

Kidding

When are sheep weaned?

60 days

What are common predators for farm flocks?

Coyotes, dogs, eagles, bobcats, foxes

What are the characteristics of a coyote attack of a farm flock?

Most common predator, kill from jugular, rest of herd may be unaware of attack

What are the characteristics of a dog attack of a farm flock?

Whole herd will be upset (dogs like the chase), broken bonds, snapped necks from running into fence, lacerations on body, won’t eat carcass

What are lambs diet at the feedlot?

High concentrate diets - 90% whole corn

Which state in the U.S. is #1 in lamb feeding?

California followed by Texas & Colorado

What is the weight at which lambs enter the feedlot?

70-90 lbs

What is the weight at which lambs leave the feedlot?

120-150 lbs

How long are lambs in the feedlot for?

4-10 months

What are the major diseases within sheep/goats?

Overeating & urinary calculi

What is overeating?

When they eat too much leading to a deadly metabolic & bacterial disease know as enterotoxemia

What is urinary calculi?

Like kidney stones, calcium: phosphorous ratio in feeds needs to be in order, occurs mostly in wethers (intact & castrated males)

How does copper impact sheep vs. goats?

Sheep are extremely toxic to copper, goats are not, they need it to survive

How many times a year are sheep shorn?

Once

How is the quality of wool determined?

Crimp & diameter

What does it mean scour mean?

Washing wool

What is lanolin?

Byproduct oil of scouring wool

What breed of sheep produces the finest wool?

Merino

What did King Edward do within the wool market in the 1600s in England?

Brought technology & workers over to England from Belgium, taxed unprocessed wool coming in & out, took taxes off of English linen produced leaving the country

What did King Edwards actions result in?

Made it so England’s wool & linen products more advantageous

Wool made England rise to power because…

Spain had the sheep breed Merino, the best wool breed in the world, & England had an inferior breed, but when they got their hands on a Merino ram they crossbred it and created the Rambouillet

What products do goats produce?

Meat, milk, mohair

What is mohair?

Very soft fiber, like cashmere, that is produced by the goat breed Angora

MOHAIR = ANGORA

What is the primary goat meat breed?

Boer

In terms of goat meat, what is cabrito?

Meat from a young, milk fed goat (usually 4-8 weeks of age)

In terms of goat meat, what is chevon?

Meat from a older, weaned goat (usually 6-9 months of age)