Studied by 26 people
which small ruminant has a downward pointing tail?
sheep
which small ruminant has 54 diploid chromosomes?
sheep
which small ruminant has 60 diploid chromosomes?
goat
which small ruminant has an upward pointing tail?
goat
which small ruminant produces hair?
goat
which small ruminant produces wool? (usually)
sheep
classification of sheep
ovis aries
when and what from were sheep domesticated?
6,000 BC, descended from Mouflon
what is a castrated male sheep called?
a wether
what is an adult male sheep called?
ram
what is an adult female sheep called?
ewe
meat sheep breeds
cheviot- open face, dark fiber
dorset- permanent horns with full blood supply
suffolk-big, queen of the hill
hampshire, shropshire, southdown, texel, tunis
fine wool sheep breeds
delaine-merino- from spain, folded neck skin
ranbouillet- from france
long wool sheep breeds
romney- good temperment, from new zealand
lincoln, cotswold
dual purpose sheep breeds
colombia- meat and wool
corriedale- meat and wool
east friesian- dairy
finnsheep- breeding
polypay- breeding
targhee- meat and fiber
hair and double coated sheep breeds
katadhin- good temperment, no shearing, synthetic wool breed (developed by people)
romanov- double coated
st. croix- heat tolerant, rocky soil (leads to foot rot)
barbados blackbelly, dorper, pelibuey, santa inez
minor and exotic sheep breeds
gulf coast native- survival of the fittest, don’t need to get dewormed, most endangered sheep
navajo-churro- second most endangered in USA, survival of the fittest
shetland- endangered
awassi, icelandic sheep, jacob sheep, wiltshire horn
goat classification
capra hircus
young intact male goat
buckling
castrated male goat
wether
young female goat
doeling
adult male goat
buck/billy
adult female goat
doe/nanny
when and what were goats domesticated from?
7,000-6,000 BC, descended from bezoar goat
fiber goat breeds
angora- produces mohair, very valuable, from new zealand
cashmere
meat goat breeds
boer- snuck out of South Africa through embryo in Angora goat, sold for $80,000
spanish- US version of meat goat, spanish brought in 1500, survival of the fittest
myotonic- fainting goats, only purebred, imporper balance of sodium ion concentration in brain
kiko- feral new zealand goats
pigmy- difficulty in lambing
dairy goat breeds
anglo-nubian- used for meat before Boer, jersey of goat, high milk fat
saanen- holstein of goat, lots of milk production, high milk fat
alpine- moderate milk production
toggenburg- always the same color
lamancha- mutation developed in california
nigerian dwarf- tiny
minor and exotic goat breeds
oberhasli- not common
san clemente- survival of the fittest
where does pregastric fermentation occur?
rumen-reticulum
what does pregastric fermentation allow for?
VFA absorption
what is the function of the omasum?
water resorption
what is the function of the abomasum?
true stomach
3 parts of the small intestine
duodenum, jenunum, ileum
purpose of the cecum
postgastric fermentation, minimal
small ruminant stomach size
4.5 gallons
dairy cow stomach size
36 gallons
true or false, sheep and goats have more salivary glands than cows
true
what is antispiralis?
a method of water resorption that creates pellet droppings in animals like deer and sheep
major microorganism in rumen
bacteria
mid microoganisms in rumen
protozoa
minimal microorganisms in rumen
fungi
what is the environment in the rumen-reticulum like?
warm, moist, anaerobic
how to cattle eat?
bulk grazers, they have molars but no teeth in front so they have a dental pad
true or false, cows have a slower fermentation rate than small ruminants
true, because they need to break down cellulose
cattle liver size
small
cattle intestine size
20-30x body size
how do small ruminants eat?
concentrated grazers, with a high fermentation rate and short intestine and large liver
small ruminant interstine size
12-15x body size
what plant will kill small ruminants?
azalea
what causes milk fever?
imbalance of phosphorus and calcium
how many small ruminants can be placed with 1 cow calf unit?
1-2 small ruminants with each cow/calf unit or 5 small ruminants in replacement of each cow/calf unit
how many hours to sheep spend grazing?
7 hours
how many hours do cattle spend grazing?
8 hours
what is rotational grazing?
moving animals to new pasture every once in a while
benefits of rotational grazing
improves performance 20-30%, decreases chances of parasite infections, keeps pastures from being over worked
what is strategic supplementation?
providing supplemental feed only when required (ex winter time when pasture is low quality
how long does it take sperm to mature?
50-60 days
mixed species grazing
the use of 2 or more species of herbivores foraging a common field
what is graze?
Pure or mixed stands of native or planted forage crops
forbs
weeds
browse
brush/ trees
what do horses prefer?
grass
what do cows prefer?
70% grass, 20% forbs, 10% browse
what do sheep prefer?
60% grass, 30% forbs, 10% brush
what do goats prefer?
20% grass, 30% forbs, 60% browse
Haemonchus Contortus
deadly internal parasite that affects small ruminants, gastrointestinal roundworm, sucks blood
problems caused by H. Contortus
protein loss, blood pooling, diarrhea, weight loss, unthriftiness, loss of appetite, reduced reproductive capacity and performance, ANEMIA and EDEMA
life cycle of H. contortus
21 days, larvae in L3 stage are ingested, travel to abomasum, either further larval stages (L4) and develop into adults or go into hypobiosis (arrested developmental stage)
how much blood can H. contortus drink in a day?
1/10 an animal’s blood
how to treat H. contortus?
anthelmintics, issue arises because few are FDA approved and resistance is common
FAMACHA test
developed in south africa, uses mucous membranes near eyeball to determine the level of anemia
when are ewes bred?
7-9 months
what does seasonally polyestrous mean?
ewe’s breeding cycle is controlled by the photoperiod, breed in fall, lamb in spring. short day breeders
estrous cycle
17 days, full ovulation cycle
estrus
24 hours, actually being in heat “fertile period”
how many ewes can a mature ram breed?
35-50 ewes
when do rams reach sexual maturity?
7-8 months if they have reached approximately 50% of their mature size
when should you vaccinate ewes?
during late pregnancy to ensure that lambs get antibodies in the colostrum
true or false: a ewe’s natural immunity to internal parasites is weakened around the time of lambing
true, this is called periparturient egg rise
when does most fetal growth occur?
last month of pregnancy
what is pregnancy toxemia?
ketosis caused by inadequate intake of energy during late pregnancy, causes difficulty birthing
how long is a ewe’s gestation period?
142-152 days (5 months)
what is the most common lambing intervals?
once a year is most common, however every 8 months is also realistic
STAR lambing season
ewes have opportunity to produce lambs 5 times during a 3 year period
3 stages of parturition
dialation of cervix (3-4 hours), expulsion of fetus(es) (1 hr of less post water bag rupture), expulsion of placenta (passed 2-3 hours after delivery is finished
true or false: first time ewe moms are more likely to have twins
false, first time moms are more likely to have single births
when do ewes produce their largest litters?
between 3 to 6 years old
what are the most prolific breeds?
Romanov and Finnsheep. Hair sheep breeds and east friesan also have higher lambing rates
average lamb size at birth
between 5-12 lbs, usually 8-10 lbs
how fast can lambs stand?
30 minutes after birth
importance of colostrum
first milk, gives passive immunity through antibodies from mother to lamb to protect from infection for the first weeks of life
when is the best time to wean lambs?
there is no best time but the average is around 4 months
how do you wean the lamb?
take mom away from young
when can lambs begin to digest feed?
3 weeks old
how much milk is produced in the first 8 weeks of lactation?
74%
what are common health problems in newly weaned lambs?
coccidiosis (black leg disease), worm parasites, and enterotoxemia (over eating disease)
when are lambs vaccinated?
6-8 weeks of age, prior to weaning
when do does reach puberty?
4-12 months of age
true or false: goats are also seasonally polyestrous
true, breed in fall
average doe estrous cycle length?
18-24 days, average of 21
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