ANS 150 Final

When were goats domesticated?

Around 7000 BC (8500-9000 BC)

What were sheeps and goats domesticated for?

Food, milk, and clothing

Who were the wild ancestors of goats?

• Bezoar goat

• Lived in an area from Persia to Crete

Who were the wild ancestors of sheep?

• European Mouflon and Asiatic Urial

• Ranged from Western Europe to China

What is a difference between modern sheep and their ancestors?

• Ancestors had mainly hari instead of wool

• Grew and matured slowly

What’s happened to sheep as a result of domestication?

• Faster growth

• Multiple births

• Increased wool quality

Why is the goat industry more dominant in North Carolina than the sheep industry?

The state government set aside special funds in 1995 to develop a meat goat industry

What is gregariousness?

The desire to flock or stick together

What is the difference in the gregariousness of sheep vs goats?

Goats tend to be less gregarious than sheep

How do sheep establish peck orders?

• Oldest ewen is usually the most dominant

• Dominant sheep push subordinate ones out of the way

• Sheep will not let a new animal join the flock

How do goats establish peck orders?

Horn size usually shows dominance

What is the main difference between sheep and goat peck orders?

Goats strictly enforce their peck orders while sheep put little energy into enforcing it

What are the auditions a sheep and goat make?

• Bleat

• Rumble

• Snort

What are the characteristics of sheep and goat peck orders?

• Dominant animals will lower their heads and pretend to rush subordinates

• Subordinate animals run away

• Animals that want to challenge lower their heads and have a jousting match

What does a bleat mean?

Distress

What does a rumble mean?

Low murmuring sound to the young

What does a snort mean?

Aggressive sound

What is the submissive posture in small ruminants?

Lowered head with a head shake

What do aggressive and defensive behaviors look like in small ruminants?

Stomping one front leg or twisting a horn at an object

What are the types of sheep production?

• Farm flocks

• Intensively managed

• Range Production

• Minimal Management Practices

What is a farm flock?

Small number of ewes held on a small acreage of land

What is an intensively managed operation?

• Rotation of rams

• Lambing facilities

• Daily and weekly activites

What is range production?

Large number of ewes on large acreage

What are minimal management practices?

Move sheep from range to range and handle them only a few times per year

When does puberty occur in sheep?

Between 5 and 12 months of age

What influences when a sheep reaches puberty?

The breed and season of birth

When do seasonal breeders reach puberty?

Only during the breeding season

What’s different between large and small sheep puberty?

Larger breeds are older at puberty

What sheep are goat breeds are not seasonal breeders?

The Polled Dorset and Boer

Are small ruminants long or short day breeders?

Short day breeders

What hormone stimulates reproductive activity in sheep?

Melatonin

How long is the estrous cycle of sheep?

16-18 days

How long is estrus in sheep and goats?

24-36 hours

How long is the estrous cycle in goats?

21 days

When can ovulation occur in small ruminants?

Any time during estrus

What are the male to female ratios of small ruminants

• Farm Conditions- 1:40

• Range Conditions- 1:30

How often should rams be rotated?

• Every 4 days

• Different rams should breed ewes at each estrus

How long is gestation in sheep?

147-150 days (5 months)

What do most operations do before lambing?

Shear the ewes

Why are ewes sheared before lambing?

• Creates a cleaner environment for nursing lambs and lambing if it occurs in a barn or shed

• Shorn ewes seek shelter more actively in bad weather

What is the biggest problem with lambing and kidding?

Getting ewes to accept lambs, especially when twins and triplets are born

What is the environment for lambing or kidding?

• They give birth in pastures then after a few hours move to claiming pens

• This is to facilitate bonding between the mother and child

What is the care for newborn lambs/kids?

• Colostrum

• Trim and dip umbilicus

• Bonding with ewe

• Dock tails for wool breeds

• Castrate male rams

• Identification

• Medications and vaccinations

What is grafting?

The same thing as cross fostering

Why would grafting be done?

If an ewe doesn’t accept a lab or a lamb isn’t getting enough milk

What is Slime Grafting?

Take fetal fluids from the lambing ewe and rub in on the lamb that will be feeding off of it

What is Wet Grafting?

Immerse lamb to be grafted and ewe’s own lamb in the same solution (smell the same)

How long do small ruminants lactate for?

• 3-5 months (3-4 for meat)

What is crop feeding?

A section where only lambs can enter so they can get supplemental feed

When is crop feeding most important?

• For lambs weaned early

• Flocks that that a high percentage of twins and triplets

When is the sheep breeding season?

September-November

When do sheep experience Anestrus?

February-July

When are sheep weaned?

As early as 40 days or as late as 5-6 months

What is the goal of a weaned market lamb?

It weighs 90-120 lbs when it’s between 90 and 120 days of age

How soon can ewes and does be rebred after lambing?

30 days

What is the normal interval between lambing and rebreeding?

50 to 70 days

When does lactation normally occur in sheep?

During increasing and peak pasture quality

What can happen to sheep during anestrus?

They can put on weight and become over conditioned

What are the main challenges with sheep and goats and their solutions)

• Predators (Good fencing and guard dogs)

• Foot rot (trimming feet and foot baths)

• Parasites (Only deworming when needed and rotation of dewormers)

What happens if a ewe lambs in the non-breeding season

They won’t begin to resume breeding again until the next breeding season

When were horses domesticated?

Around 4000 BC (5000-6000 years ago)

What were horses domesticated for?

Transportation and food

What two wild horses are seen in modern horses?

• Przewalski Horse

• Tarpan

Where was the Przewalski Horse found?

In modern day Mongolia

Where was the Tarpan found?

Ukraine

What changes were seen with horse domestication?

• Horses had massive changes in their cultural domestication

• The way humans use horses has changed drastically over time

Which animal has the oldest recorded use of Artificial Insemination?

Horses

What is the cause of the differences between the USDA and AHC economic differences?

The AHC included income sources other than the sale of horses while the USDA only looks at gross income from sale of horses

What are the types of auditions a horse makes?

• Neigh

• Nicker

• Snort

• Squeal

• Roar

What is a neigh?

• A greeting or seperation call that appears to be important in maintaining herd cohesion

• Used by horses to call to their owners when seperated or as a greeting

• Horses expect a response to this call

What is a nicker?

• Soft nicker is a caregiving or care soliciting call

• Horses may nicker to the person feeding them

• Horses expect a response to this call

What is different about a snort, squeal, and roar?

Horses do not expect a reply or response to them

What is a squeal in horses?

• Defensive greeting

• Response to pain

Describe a snort in horses?

• Sharp, short one = alarm call

• Repeated = frustration

Describe a roar in horses?

• Stallion directed towards mare

• Probably a dominance all

What is the best indicator of a horses mental state?

The position of the ears

‘

They are interested and attentive

What does it mean if a horse’s ears are pinned back against the head?

It’s a sign of aggression or irritability

What does it mean if a horse’s ears are rolled outward?

They are submissive

How does a submissive horse approach a dominant horse

With their lips retracted and teeth exposed sometimes clicking their teeth

What is the Flehmen Response

Behavior where a horse curls back its upper lip, extends its neck, and raises its head to inhale and analyze chemical signals

When do light horse breeds reach puberty?

Between 12 and 24 months (15 month average)

When do draft horse breeds reach puberty?

Between 18 and 24 months (20 month average)

When is the equine breeding season?

April to December

Are horses long or short day breeders?

Long day breeders

How many hours of daylight is needed to stimulate ovarian activity in horses?

15-16 hours of continuous light

What happens if a horse gets less than 10 hours of daylight?

Ovarian activity is inhibited

When do horses begin to cycle?

When serotonin/melatonin is high

What is the estrous cycle length in horses?

21 days

How long do mares exhibit estrus?

5-7 days

When do mares ovulate?

1-2 days before the end of estrus

What is foal heat?

When a mare exhibits estrus during the first 2 weeks after foaling

What is teasing in mares?

The detection of estrus or exposing mares to stallions

What behaviors do mares in estrus exhibit?

• Wink

• Urinate large amounts and frequently

• Squeal

• Break

What is winking in mares?

Rhythmic opening and closing of the vulva

What is breaking in mares?

A mare assuming the breeding posture or stance

What behaviors would a mare in estrus show when teased?

Breaking and winking

What are the breeding methods with equine?

• Pasture breeding

• Pen breeding

• In-hand breeding

• Artificial Insemination

What is Pasture Breeding?

1 stallion in a field with 15-20 mares

What is done before pasture breeding?

The mares are placed in the field 2 weeks before the stallion to establish a hierarchy