SMALL RUMINANTS


Sheep and Goat Management

Sheep Management

  • Terms & Definitions:

    • Newborn Types:

    • Immature female: Ewe Lamb

    • Mature female: Ewe

    • Immature male: Lamb (less than 14 months)

    • Castrated male: Wether

    • Mature male: Ram

    • Meat Classification:

    • Lamb: younger sheep meat

    • Mutton: meat from sheep older than 14 months

  • Commercial Operations:

    1. Meat production: Lamb and mutton

    2. Fine wool: high-quality clothing

    3. Long wool: rugs, heavy clothing, and furniture

    4. Dairy operations

    5. Combination farms

  • Types of Farms:

    1. Purebred operations

    2. Hobby farms or entertainment ventures

    3. Biotechnology-focused farms

Goat Management

  • Terms & Definitions:

    • Commercial operations:

    • Meat: Young goat meat (Cabrito) and adult goat meat (Chevon)

    • Dairy: Milk and cheese production (especially chèvre)

    • Fiber and hair: Angora and Cashmere

    • Combination farms

  • Types of Goat Farms:

    1. Purebred operations

    2. Hobby farms

    3. Biotechnology-focused farms

    4. Industrial farms

U.S. Small Ruminant Inventory Statistics

  • Population Trends:

    • 1867: 45 million

    • 1942: 56 million

    • 1965: 25 million

    • 2025: 2.5 million

    • 2026 (projected): 4.99 million

  • Economic Impact:

    • Small ruminants account for less than 1% of U.S. livestock industry receipts.

    • Source: USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Challenges to U.S. Small Ruminant Production

  1. Seasonal business with sporadic supply and demand.

  2. Low demand for wool, lamb, and mutton.

  3. Difficulty in obtaining and keeping reliable herders.

  4. Competition for public-owned rangeland with increasing government regulations.

  5. Issues with predation and parasitism.

  6. Lack of investment in slaughtering and marketing infrastructure.

  7. Decreased government support.

  8. Inadequate profitability.

  9. Farmer diversification into alternative enterprises.

Wool Production

  • Characteristics of Wool:

    • Composed of keratin-type protein fiber from sheep's skin follicles.

    • Most sheep are shorn annually, resulting in:

    • Greasy wool (freshly shorn fleece): Average 7.2 lb greasy wool/sheep.

    • Clean wool (washed and rinsed fleece).

  • Quality Grades: Based on fiber diameter, fineness, length, strength, uniformity, color, and contaminants.

    • Micron = 1/25,400 of an inch.

  • Production Statistics for 2025: 20.5 million lb shorn wool from 3 million sheep.

  • Top Countries by Wool Production:

    • 1. China

    • 2. Australia

    • 3. New Zealand.

Sheep and Goat Meat Production

  • Market Understanding: Knowing the target market and timing for marketing is crucial.

  • Demand for Goat Meat in the U.S.: Increased since the early 1990s driven by immigrant populations seeking ethnic foods.

  • Goat meat weight preferences for various cultural events:

    • Western/Roman Easter: Milk-fed kid - 30 lb

    • Eastern/Greek Easter: Milk-fed kid - 35 lb

    • Ramadan: Weaned kid - 45 to 120 lb

    • Eid al-Adha: Weaned kid - 60 lb

    • Caribbean holidays: Bucks - 60 to 80 lb.

    • Latino market: Milk-fed kid - 20 to 35 lb.

Marketing of Goat Meat

  1. Live goat sales to consumers.

  2. Direct sales including slaughter.

  3. Auction sales of live goats.

  4. Meat processing followed by sales.

U.S. Meat Processing Regulations

  • Governed by the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA):

    • Ensures all commercially sold meat is inspected and safe.

  • USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) Goals:

    • Ensure safe, truthfully labeled products and humane treatment of livestock during processing.

Humane Slaughter Act of 1958

  • Voluntary for meat packers not selling to federal government.

  • Mandates: Livestock must be rendered insensible to pain prior to processing.

Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act of 1978

  • Requires that all food animals in USDA inspected facilities be rendered insensible to pain on the first attempt before slaughter procedures.

  • Approaches include:

    1. Stunning via various methods.

    2. Instant severance of carotid arteries.

Custom Exemption: Cut & Wrap Processing

  • Allows farmers to sell live animals weighed to consumers for processing at state-licensed facilities.

  • Key details:

    • Processed meat is uninspected and cannot be resold.

    • Only the owner and their immediate family may consume it.

    • Must be labeled not for sale.

Goat Fiber Production

  • Fibre Types:

    • Mohair and Cashmere produced by different goat breeds.

  • Angora Goats:

    • Originated in Turkey, characterized by long, droopy ears and horned/polled features.

    • Sheared twice a year, producing an average of 5.4 lb per clip.

Dairy Goat Production

  • Goat's milk is easier to digest than cow's milk and has a slightly higher fat content, making it ideal for cheese production.

  • Uses include:

    • Milk, cheese (chèvre), butter, ice cream, yogurt, candy, soap, and other body products.

Dairy Goat Breed Production Characteristics

Breed

Origin

Appearance

Milk Production (lbs)

Fat %

Protein %

Nubian

N/A

Multiple colors, long droopy ears

1,750

4-7

3

Alpine

France

Multiple colors, upright ears

2,100

3.3

3

LaMancha

U.S.

Multiple colors, very short ears

1,800

3.7

3.1

Phases of Small Ruminant Production

  1. Seasonal Breeding

  2. Gestation

  3. Lambing/Kidding

  4. Nursing/Lactating

  5. Weaning

  6. Growing & Finishing

Pre-Breeding Management (6 Weeks Prior)

  1. Acquire replacement females and quarantine as needed. Cull based on body condition score (BCS), udder health, dentition, lameness, etc.

  2. Acquire ram/buck; conduct breeding soundness exam (BSE).

  3. Vaccinate against infertility/pathogens:

    • Campylobacter (60 days pre-breeding)

    • Chlamydia (30 days pre-breeding)

  4. Trim hooves and check for parasites as needed.

Pre-Breeding Management (2 Weeks Prior)

  1. Flush females with high-quality pasture plus grain to improve lambing percentages by 10-15%.

  2. Tag ewes to remove wool from dock and vulva for easier breeding.

  3. Acclimate unfamiliar males together to reduce fighting behavior.

Estrous Cycle and Breeding Strategies

  • Ewe Cycle: Polyestrous, 17-day cycle duration.

  • Doe Cycle: 21-day cycle duration.

  • Estrus Duration:

    • Ewe: 24-36 hours

    • Doe: 24-48 hours.

  • Breeding Strategies:

    • Natural service:

    1. Pasture breeding (1 ram lamb for 25 ewes; 1 ram for 35-50 ewes).

    2. Hand mating with heat detection methods.

    3. Use of teaser males (vasectomized).

    • Artificial insemination (AI):

    • Proper placement ensures conception rates; requires advanced techniques such as Laparoscopic AI.

Breeding Management Goals

  1. Provide ample shade during breeding.

  2. Offer quality feed supplemented with minerals. Rams can lose up to 12% of body weight during the breeding period.

  3. Monitor cycling females using marking harnesses to assess reproduction success. Change color every 17-21 days for accurate tracking.

External Parasites

  • Types of External Parasites:

    • Lice (wingless), causing itching and wool damage.

    • Sheep Ked and Sheep Bot Fly, affecting nasal cavity and causing respiratory distress.

Internal Parasites

  • Types include roundworms, hookworms, tapeworms, lungworms, and liver flukes.

    • Treatment and prevention methods:

    • Drenched treatments, injectables, and topical applications.

    • Controlled scheduling and strategic treatment based on feeding and reproduction plans.

Anthelmintic Resistance

  • Resistance Development:

    • Pink worms indicate susceptibility to dewormers, whereas grey worms signify resistance.

    • The use of anti-parasitic treatments must consider the risk of developing drug-resistant strains.

Strategic Deworming Protocols

  1. FAMACHA: Use of eye mucosa color charts to assess anemia.

  2. Utilizing Body Condition Scores (BCS) for monitoring health.

  3. Conducting fecal egg counts to gauge parasite loads and manage accordingly.