Ruminants - Sheep (Cram)

Term that describes how ruminants are born at an advanced stage of developement

Precocial

What does the Latin word "ruminare" mean?

"To chew over again"

Process of bringing up food from the stomach to the mouth for further break down

Rumination

What order, family, subfamily, genus, and species are sheep?

Order: Artiodactyla

Family: Bovidae

Subfamily: Caprinae

Genus: Ovis

Species: aries

Young sheep

Lamb

Giving birth to sheep

Lambing

Intact male sheep

Ram

Intact female sheep

Ewe

Castrated male sheep

Wether

1–2 year old sheep

Yearling

Group of sheep

Flock

Adult sheep meat

Mutton

How long is sheep gestation?

5 months

When do sheep hit puberty?

5–8 months

How long do lambs sleep in a day?

8–12 hours

How many times an hour does a lamb drink milk for the first few weeks?

1–2 times per hour

For the first two weeks with whom does a lamb spend all of its time?

With its mother

At one month of age who does a lamb spend 60% of its time with?

With its peers

When is playing well developed in lambs?

1 month

When are lambs weaned by farms?

50–60 days

When are lambs weaned naturally?

About 6 months

When should you start the weaning process?

2 weeks prior to weaning

What is the size of a naturally formed flock?

6 sheep

How can you tell which ewe is dominant?

Old ewe furthest away when you enter a pen, ready to lead the flock away from you

How do sheep find their peer subgroups when split up?

Vocalize, can recognize each other's bleating

What sound will a sheep make when it is excited about food, warning the flock, stressed, fearful, or in pain?

High pitched bleat

What sound will a ewe make to her lamb?

Low pitched bleat

Term that describes how many colours a sheep can see

Dichromatic

Why are the nose, lips, mouth, and ears of a sheep more responsive to touch?

No wool in these areas

How many hours a day do sheep spend grazing and ruminating

8–10 hours, same amount of time ruminating

How many hours a day do sheep sleep?

3.8–4.5 hours

What is a sheep's primary form of aggression?

Head bunting

What is a visual aggressive sign sheep make?

Stomping feet

Why do sheep win fights with goats?

Goats rear onto their back legs to head bunt, sheep don't and will win by bunting the goat's belly

When is sexual aggression among rams at its highest?

During the rutting season, before ewes go into estrus

Where should you never pet a ram, why?

On the head, they may see it as a challenge

Why do 2 rams often breed less ewes than one ram?

Because the 2 rams will spend more time fighting than breeding

What are the ten abnormal behaviours that could be a sign of illness in sheep?

1. Vocalization

2. Anxiety

3. Pica

4. Excessive time lying down

5. Rapid breathing

6. Isolation

7. Disinterest in feed/water

8. Depression

9. Lagging behind

10. Excrement

Why should you not use electric fencing with sheep (or use multiple wires instead)?

Their wool insulates them from shocks

Can sheep be trained with operant and classical conditioning?

Yes