Sheep Handling and Production

Large operations own ___ % of sheep. These operations are primarily in these 6 states

80%

•Colorado, Idaho, Texas, California, South Dakota, Wyoming

Oregon is ranked #__ in the country for sheep production

#9

What products do we get from sheep?

Wool, Lanolin (used in moisturizing creams)

Meat

Yarn

Lamb prices are broken down according to these 2 things

USDA top quality grades

Yield Grades

Ethnic Holidays

What are the quality grades for sheep?

What age do we want to slaughter lambs by?

1.Prime , Choice and Good

•Lambs generally <14 months old the most valuable

A yield grad of 1 is the ______ and a yield grade of 5 is the ______ yield

1 is highest yield

5 is lowest yield

How often is wool harvest?

Wool harvested once a year

Is wool a primary or byproduct of the production system?

Can be both

Name the 5 factors affecting quality. Briefly describe them

–Fiber diameter (thickness ) :measured in microns

–Crimp : Natural waviness or bend of wool fiber

–Yield: amount of wool left after scouring (washing)

–Color

–Length and strength

•Sheep grazing grass seed fields stimulate ________ and increases overall ________ production.

•Sheep grazing grass seed fields stimulate tillering and increases overall seed production.

•Sheep benefits from high-quality forage at time when forages are generally _______

scarce

What are some of the main challenges faced with raising sheep?

Predation

Non predator:

Parasites

Lambing Problems

Name the 2 main hair breeds

Dorper and Katahdin

What is a common club lamb breed?

What breed is a superior meat breed?

1.Suffolk (left picture)

2. Hampshire (right picture)

What is the oldest breed of sheep?

What are they typically used for?

Southdown

Market Lamb production

What breed has the ability to breed out of season, can be horned or polled, and is often crossbred with fine-wool ewes?

Dorsets

Ram

uncastrated male ovine

Ewe

Female ovine

Wether

male ovine castrated when young

Lamb

Immature ovine, •< 14 mo., not cut its 1st pair of permanent incisors

Yearling

•an ovine, 1-2 yr., with first pair of permanent incisor teeth but not second pair

Sheep

an ovine, > 24 months of age, cut its 2nd pair of permanent incisors

Sheep have an _______ sense of hearing

excellent

Do sheep have a narrow or wide field of binocular vision?

Narrow

Do sheep have a narrow or wide field of monocular vision?

Wide

When does the sheep have a blind spot behind them?

When can the sheep see in all directions?

-Area in back of sheep "blind spot" usually when head raised. If head down animal can see in all directions.

When are 80% of lambs born?

80% of lambs born during first 5 months of the year

What is the weaning age? (its a range)

What is the slaughter age and approximate weight?

-Weaning age: 30-90 days .

-Lamb slaughter: 8-14 moths (120-160 lb body weight)

What is flushing?

•Common management practice of increasing protein and energy content of the diet of the ewes 3 weeks prior and 3 weeks post breeding. It increases BCS and may increase ovulation rate

What are the 3 general phases of the sheep production cycle?

Lactation

Maintenance

Gestation (144 to 152 days)

What are the general guidelines for catching & restraining sheep?

- if possible have sheep in small catching pen

-try to corner the animal

-Grab sheep under the chin

-don't grab wool

-Keep animal's head up

-Stand sheep against fence if possible

Describe the general positioning of castration or tail docking

What are the 5 things we look to observe before getting hands on?

-Attitude

-Respiratory pattern and frequency

-Posture

-Urination/defecation

-Locomotion

Normal TPR

•Temperature: 101.5 - 104 F

•Pulse: 70 - 90

•Respiratory rate: 12 - 20

What are measure parameters to take into consideration when taking TPR?

-Level of fleece in animal

-Outside temperature

-Level of "excitement" / transportation

Do you need to touch the animal to evaluate BCS?

YES- must touch lumbar region, feel for transverse processes

When examining integument, what are we looking for

Ectoparasites

-Lice (chewing/bloodsucking)

-Mange (chorioptes)

-Fly strike (cutaneous myiasis- black blowfly)

Hair loss ( generalized / localized)

In sheep do we palpate lymph nodes?

Yes

What is the standard BCS range?

1-5

What should the BCS be at the following stages:

a. Breeding

b. Late Gestation

c. Early Lactation-Late Lactation

a.3

b. 3-3.5

c.2-2.5 (2 is not ideal but also not abnormal)

When examining the Head and Neck, what 6 things do we evaluate?

1. Asymmetry

2.Position of the eyes and presence of ocular discharge

3. Color of mucous membranes (very important!)

4. Nasal discharge

5. Presence of "swellings" or nodules"

6. Dental exam (age)

When does incisor 1 erupt?

1-1.5 yrs

When does incisor 2 erupt?

1.5-2 yrs

When does incisor 3 erupt?

2.5-3 yrs

When does incisor 4 erupt?

3.5-4 yrs

What system is commonly used to evaluate Mucous membranes?

What does this system potentially help indicate the presence of?

FAMACHA system

-haemonchus contortus "barber pole worms"

What is the Technique to check the mucous membranes in the eye?

-Cover

-Push

-Pull

-Pop

What should normal mucous membranes look like?

What do abnormal mucous membranes indicate?

Normal: Pink, moist

Abnormal: Pale, could indicate extensive parasites, anemia

What is contagious Ecthyma?

Who does it affect?

Symptoms?

Contagious, zoonotic disease affecting goats and sheep - parapoxvirus

Usually affects young animals (<1 year)

Proliferative, crusting lesions:

-Mouth

-Eyes

-Nose

What is Caseous Lymphadenitis?

What are the symptoms?

•Chronic contagious disease affecting sheep and goats

•Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis

•Swelling of superficial and internal lymph nodes

Is auscultation of the lungs indicative of severity of respiratory disease? Why?

Often not indicative of severity of respiratory disease. Difficult and extremely subjective in small ruminant.

What do we look for that is more indicative of respiratory disease?

Respiratory pattern and effort, nasal discharge, temperature

What locations do we auscultate?

Heart

Lungs

Rumen

In females, what do we need to examine? Be specific in how you examine the location

•Examine the Udder

-Visual inspection - symmetry, swelling, skin changes

-Palpation

-Milk evaluation

What is the animal positioning for hoof trimming in sheep?

Goats?

Sheep: sitting or standing

Goats: standing

Hoof Trimming

Begin trimming around the ________ of the hoof

Avoid cutting large portions at a ______ ________

Preserve the ______.

Stop as horn looks "_____"

Foot should have a parallelogram "_______" shape

•Begin trimming around the perimeter of the hoof

•Avoid cutting large portions at a single point

•Preserve the heels.

•Stop as horn looks "pink"

•Foot should have a parallelogram "boxy" shape

What is the gestation length?

When can we do a transabdominal ultrasound?

avg 147 (144-152)

- ultrasound day 35-50 after breeding

What are some signs of pregnancy at ultrasound?

•Presence of amniotic vesicle

•Placentomes

•Fetus