ANS 120 Sheep and Goat Production

How do you tell sheep and goats apart in terms of hair coat?

Goats - hair
Sheep - wool

How do you tell sheep and goats apart in terms of tails?

Goats - tail stands up
Sheep - tail hangs down/docked

Why are sheep tail commonly docked?

to prevent buildup of feces and maggots

How to tell sheep and goats apart in terms of horns?

Goat - narrow and curving
Sheep - broad and curling

How to tell sheep and goats apart in terms of upper lip?

Goats - continuous lobe (1)
Sheep - separate lobes for R and L (2)

What are the four ways to tell sheep and goats apart?

hair coat
tails
horns
upper lip

What is the current trend with sheep consumption/production in US?

declining

Where is lamb mostly consumed? (2 countries)

Australia and Kazakhstan

What are the top four lamb producing countries?

1. China
2. Australia
3. Nigeria
4. Iran

What countries are the four main importers of sheep/lamb?

France, UK, China, US

What countries are the two main exporters of sheep/lamb?

New Zealand, Australia

Roughly how many sheep operations are there in the US?

~79,500 total operations

Roughly how many head of sheep are there in the US?

~5.17 million head of sheep

What are the top 6 states in terms of sheep production?

Texas, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, South Dakota, California

What is the purpose of purebred sheep farms? (4 purposes)

-show sheep
-club lambs
-trading among purebred breeders/collectors
-seedstock for commercial producers to enhance flocks

What is the purpose of commercial sheep farms? (2)

-lamb/meat = majority of income
-wool = secondary income in WUS; break even in EUS

What is the current trend of wool production? Why?

declining; wool is being replaced by synthetic fibers due to more benefits and cheaper cost

What is the purpose of dairy sheep farms?

CHEESE!! - growing industry in Great Lakes Region

What are the 6 types of sheep?

fine wool, meat breeds, multi-purpose, long wool, hair breeds, color breeds

How are fine wool sheep in terms of wool and meat?

best wool quality
low meat quality

What is significant about the wool of fine wool sheep?

each fiber has a thin diameter (17-20 microns)
(human hair is 40-300 microns)

What is the average weight of a fine wool sheep?

150 - 300 lbs

How many lambs per gestation does a fine wool sheep have?

2-3 lambs

Where are fine wool sheep generally found?

range flocks in Western US

What are breeds of fine wool sheep?

Ramouillet, Delanie Merino, Booroola Merino

Rambouillet - fine wool

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Delanie Merino - fine wool

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Booroola Merino - fine wool

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Suffolk - meat breed

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Hampshire - meat breed

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Southdown

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

What are the two biggest qualities of meat sheep?

carcass
growth characteristics - grow quickly and strong muscle production

How are meat breed sheep in terms of wool and meat?

high meat quality
limited value in wool

What is meat breed sheep wool commonly used for?

Insulation and felt

What is the average weight of a meat sheep?

250-400 lbs

How many offspring are generally produced per meat sheep per gestation?

1-2 lambs

How old are market lambs? Weight?

5-7 months; 120 lbs

Where are meat sheep breeds usually found?

farm flocks in the midwest and northeast

What are the three main meat sheep breeds?

suffolk, hampshire, southdown

Columbia - dual purpose (lincoln x rambouillet)

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Dorset - dual purpose

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Corriedale - dual purpose

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

How are dual purpose sheep breeds in terms of meat and wool?

medium quality meat
medium quality wool
profitable, but nothing spectacular

What is the average weight of a dual purpose sheep breed?

200-300 lbs

What is a key characteristic about dual purpose sheep breeds?

able to handle rough and challenging terrain

What are the three main dual purpose sheep breeds?

Columbia, Dorset, Corriedale

How are long wool sheep in terms of meat and wool production?

meat - not the best quality
wool - very course; not the best quality

What is the average size of a long wool sheep?

175-300 lbs

What is a key feature about long wool sheep breeds?

able to handle harsh weather conditions (cold/wet)

Where are long wool sheep breeds from?

nordic countries such as Finland and Iceland

What are the top four long wool sheep breeds?

Lincoln, Ramney, Scottish Blackface Highlander, Karakul Icelandic

Lincoln - Long wool

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Romney - long wool

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Scottish Blackface Highlander - long wool

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Karakul Icelandic - long wool

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

What are the four key things when determining meat quality in sheep?

color
liquid released
amount of fat vs amount of muscle
% of marbling (fat in between muscle fibers)

What are the two things when determining wool quality in sheep?

fiber diameter
crimps per inch (many crimps are easier to make thread)

Barbados Blackbelly - hair breed

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Dorper - hair breed

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

Katahdin - hair breed

What type of sheep is this? (breed and type)

What are the two main products of sheep hair breeds?

meat
leather

What are the two key factors of hair sheep breeds?

-adapted to hot humid environment in subtropics/tropics
-resistant to parasites and diseases

What is flushing in sheep?

increasing feed during breeding to increase number of lambs produced per ewe

What is the general feeding care for ewes?

pasture/roughage
may supplement with grain, but not usually needed

What is the general feeding care for rams?

pasture is usually sufficient - only job is to breed
supplement with grain during breeding

What is important to remember when feeding rams?

do not allow them to get overly fat or overly thin because they may not be able to perform their job of breeding as well

Why is it important to supplement rams with grain during breeding?

they may forget to eat

What is the feeding care for lambs?

milk until weaning (kept with mom)
commonly creep fed
fed high amounts of grain from weaning to market

What is creep feeding?

supplying supplemental feed to a nursing calf without allowing its dam access to the feed by using bars or small 'doorways' that only the lambs fit through

What is a dietary restriction to keep in mind when feeding sheep?

they are very sensitive to copper toxicity

What type of breeders are sheep?

short day breeders/seasonal breeders
breed in fall and lamb in spring - some breeds are less seasonal

When do sheep usually reach puberty?

around 6 months old

When are sheep first bred?

first bred around 6 months of age (females)

How many ewes does a 2 year old ram generally breed?

15-35 ewes

How many ewes does a 3+ year old ram generally breed?

50+ ewes

What is a potential downfall in sheep healthcare in terms of helping them fight off diseases/infection?

very few drugs/vaccines in US

What is the best method for maintaining healthy sheep?

keeping a clean environment with adequate nutrition

What is a big problem for sheep in the south?

internal parasites

What is required for sheep in terms of housing/environment?

shelter from severe weather
smaller pen to crowd and catch sheep

What is needed to prevent predators from attacking sheep?

fencing, guard animals (dogs, llamas, donkeys), trapping, hunting

What are 8 common predators of sheep?

coyotes, dogs, wolves, mountain lions, bears, foxes, eagles, bobcats

Why is shearing necessary in sheep?

to harvest wool and for overall cleanliness

How often are sheep sheared?

once per year

What type of sheep do not require shearing?

hair sheep

What are the three production systems of sheep?

farm flock, range flock, and lamb feedlots

What sex of sheep are usually in farm flocks? Why?

mature females; to produce meat babies

What sex of sheep are usually in a range flock?

mature females

What sex of sheep are generally in a lamb feedlot?

either gender, but rams are more common

Where are farm flocks generally found?

east of Mississippi river

How many sheep are generally in a farm flock?

smaller herds; less than 1000 head

When is lambing time for farm flocks?

-Winter lambing or even fall lambing IF and animal isn't big enough for first breeding
-Spring lambing - most common

What is accelerated lambing?

lambing more often than once every 12 months

What is the living arrangements of a farm flock?

confined to a smaller space or even kept solely in a barn

What is the purpose of range flocks?

wool production (some meat, but mostly for wool)

Where are sheep range flocks typically found?

West of Mississippi River

How many sheep are generally in a range flock?

large herds; 1000+ head

What does the lambing process look like for range flocks?

may lamb in a barn, but are pushed out in 2-3 days
Spring lambing through May

What is the general feed for range flocks?

range forage based; not grained

What is the general feed for lamb feedlots?

lots of grains, not as much roughages (goal is to bulk fast)

What is the intended weight of a sheep at a feedlot?

120-150 lbs