Sheep and Goat Production Test 3 Study Guide

What is wool most commonly used for?

1. Clothing

2. Fabric

3. Yarn

4. Felt

5. Carpet

6. Insulation

7. Rug Pads

8. Baseballs

9. Tennis Balls

What are the top 5 nations producing wool?

1. Australia

2. China

3. New Zealand

4. Argentina

5. Iran

How many pounds are produced annually in the U.S?

46.5 million lbs

What are some top wool producing states?

1. Texas

2. California

3. Wyoming

4. Colorado

5. Utah

What is the average fleece weight?

7.4 lbs

What are the 4 steps in wool harvesting?

1. Shearing

2. Cleaning

3. Pressed

4. Packaged

When shearing sheep, what are 2 ways its done?

1. Tying the feet (Mexican Style)

2. Sitting the sheep (Australian/Zealand Style)

Which part of the sheep is sheared first?

The stomach

What are 2 ways to sell wool?

1. Warehouse

2. Direct Marketing

How is wool sold in warehouses?

People sell wool to the warehouse. Then its processed and auctions are held to sell it off

How is wool sold through direct marketing?

Usually conducted by people selling a certain type of wool where its marketed and sold directly to the buyer without the warehouse serving as a third party

What is shearing?

The process of removing wool from the sheep. Most wool is shorn in April, May, and June

What is scouring?

The process of removing impurities and grease from wool. (Washing)

What is carding?

When wool goes through a system of wires that straighten the fiber and remove remaining material (hay, dirt,etc)

What is combing?

When wool fibers are placed in a machine that arranges the wool in a parallel configuration and makes it once piece

When does TTU shear their sheep and why?

February because it's easier to get a sheep shearer, lambs are more likely to be born in the barn, helps with lambing, and makes nursing easy

What is the worsted system?

Uses high quality wool

What is the woolen system?

A system that uses low quality wool that didn't meet the worsted system

What are 4 important characteristics of wool?

1. Weight

2. Yield

3. Staple Length

4. Average fiber diameter

What is yield?

The percentage of clean wool fiber

Finer wool yields lower or higher?

Lower yield

Coarse wool yields lower or higher?

Higher yield

What is the most important factor in wool quality?

Average fiber diameter

What is fiber diameter?

How fine or coarse a fleece is

What are 3 major grading systems?

1. American Blood System

2. Spinning Count

3. Micron Diameter System

What is the American Blood System?

Determining wool quality based on the breed. For example, 100% Rambouillet would be fine. 1/2 fine blood would coarser and therefore lower quality

What is the Spinning Count system?

A system that measures how many hanks (unit of measure) of yarn can be spun from one pound of wool top?

What is the Micron Diameter System?

A technology-based system that measures fiber diameter and separates it into microns. A micron is 1/25,400 of an inch. This is the newest and most accurate form of grading and is used by the most knowledgeable people in the industry

What is top wool?

The long fibers that are a semi-processed product of raw wool and are ready to be spun into yarn

What is staple length?

The length of the wool fibers

What are the 3 length categories?

1. Staple (Longest)

2. French Combing

3. Clothing (Shortest)

What is tender wool?

Wool that is weak and breaks during the combing process. Usually occurs as a result of sickness, nutrition deficiency, or environmental. Causes waste in the industry

What are 2 other small characteristics of determining wool quality?

1. Character

2. Uniformity

What is character?

Color (White and brightness), crimp (Correlates to fiber diameter), and condition (soft or harsh) of the wool

What is purity?

The freedom from black/brown fibers and kemp (Hollow fibers that don't accept dye)

What is uniformity?

The variation of wool from different areas of the sheep. Shoulder, sides/back, leg, and belly wool

What are the 5 nutrient requirements?

1. Water

2. Energy (Carbs and Fats)

3. Protein

4. Minerals

5. Vitamins

What is the feed to water ratio?

4lbs feed: 1gal of water

Increasing nitrogen intake does what to water intake?

Increases it

At what temperature does water intake start to increase?

70F and up

Excessive mineral intake does what to water intake?

Increases it

Gestation and lactation cause water intake to what?

Increase each month based on single, twins, etc.

What are some concerns with water intake?

1. Silage, lush pasture

2. Rain dew, snowfall

3. Poisonous plants due to water deficient

4. Water sources and utilization of pasture

5. Running water is better than still water

Energy is derived from what?

Carbs (main source) and fats (most limiting nutrient)

Energy deficient causes what?

Decreased growth, weight loss, reproductive failure, resistance to disease, and lamb death

When feeding protein prioritize what?

Quantity over quality

Protein is the most what nutrient?

Most expensive

What is urea?

A "synthetic" supplement that can be feed to off put protein intake. However, it can only provide 1/3 of total protein in the ration and ewe must have plentiful carbs

What mineral can be fed to increase water intake?

Salt

What is the importance of iodine in the diet?

Most animals get this from salt, but iodine deficiency can lead to lambs being born without wool

What is important of calcium in the diet?

Calcium comes from eating hay and pasture and must be fed in ratio with phosphorus

What is important of phosphorous in the diet?

Needs to be fed in a 2:1 ration with calcium or urinary calculi can develop

What is urinary calculi?

When stones build up in the bladder and the animal cannot pee. Causes death

What is important of selenium in the diet?

It's a mineral that when fed with vitamin E works to prevent white muscle disease

What is white muscle disease?

A degenerative muscle disease that's common in sheep

What vitamins are fat soluble?

A, D, E, K

Which vitamins is synthesized by ruminants?

Vitamin B

Where does vitamin A come from?

Green feedstuffs; convert carotene to vitamin A

Where does vitamin D come from?

Sun

Where does vitamin K come from?

Forage

When vitamins are lacking, they can be introduced into the diet how?

By using vitamin supplements in the form of lickits

Which yearly periods require good nutrition?

1. Breeding

2. Gestation

3. Lambing

4. Lactation

5. Dry period

2-3 weeks before breeding ewes should be what?

Flushed

What is flushing?

The process of increasing nutrition quality and adding weight to ewes so their reproduction efficiency increases

Throughout gestation how does a ewes diet change?

She will need more water and feed throughout

During the first two trimesters what is important regarding a ewe's weight?

Make sure she doesn't lose weight

During the last trimester, how much fetal growth is there?

70%

How much weight should ewes gain during pregnancy?

20-30lbs

How can mastitis be prevented?

Feed low levels of antibiotics

Inadequate nutrition can lead to what in terms of reproduction?

1. Pregnancy disease- twins and triplets

2. Lower birth weight

3. Weak lambs

4. Decreased gain

5. Decreased mothering instinct

6. Decreased milk production

7. Decreased fleece weights

When lambs are born what is restricted on the first day?

Feed

When does milk production peak?

2-3 weeks

During lactation, how much more feed is needed to help her maintain

2x what it takes to get her condition

How does lactation affect twins?

Singles get more milk than twins. Assuming the mother is in great condition twins will get 75%

What is the dry period?

4 months after lactation and lambing

Is dry period nutrition important?

Yes. They should still be gaining weight. It's just not as important as gestation and lactation.

Lambs should nurse how long after birth?

2-3 hours

Low blood sugar is called what?

Hypoglycemia

What is a leading cause of death in newborn lambs?

Starvation

What is colostrum?

The first milk produced by the ewe that contains antibodies to help shape the lambs immune system

When should lambs consume colostrum?

Within 12 hours of birth

If lambs aren't able to access colostrum from ewe what is another alternative?

It can be purchased in a powder form to be given

How can you feed a lamb if it wont nurse?

Placing a tube down the stomach and administering it that way

What is grafting?

The process of making an ewe raise an orphan

What are some steps to grafting?

1. Confuse ewe to think its her lamb (Rub placenta on lamb)

2. Keep the ewe from rejecting lamb by tying it up

What time period is considered early weaning?

60-90 days

Why would people wean early?

1. Better utilization of pasture

2. Predators

3. Poisonous plant

4. Rebreeding

5. Accelerated lambing program

How do you wean early? (Ewe)

1. 1 week before weaning remove grain and feed roughage only

2. 1 day before weaning remove all feed and water

3. Weaning day- no feed and water

4. 2-5 days- no feed, only water

5. After day 5- slowly increase hay intake

What is creep feeding?

When you introduce lambs to a feed diet

When should creep feeding happen?

1. Early weaned lambs

2. Fall and winter born lambs

3. Twin/triplet lambs

4. Late season

5. Drought

How early can creep feeding start?

1 week old

Which breeds eat faster?

Meat breeds

When creep feeding what kind of feed should be fed?

1. High palatability (pellets is best) (corn, soybean meal)

2. 18-20% crude protein

Post weaning diets should contain what percentage of protein?

Early (creep)- 18%

60-90 days- 16%

Older- 12-14%

What can be added to the diet to help urinary calculi?

Ammonium chloride or ammonium sulfate

How should replacement ewes be fed?

1. Energy- not as much as feedlot lambs

2. 13-15% crude protein

3. 50:50 concentrate to roughage

Don't fatten too fast