Sheep and Goat Production

Describe the main differences between sheep and goats.
List, describe, and compare the different types of sheep and goats.
Describe the main production systems and care procedures in sheep and outline their life cycle.
Describe challenges and opportunities in the industry (mostly sheep).

Coat Type:
- Sheep: Wool (soft and insulating)
- Goats: Hair (narrow curving versus broad curling)
Tail Structure:
- Sheep: Upward tail that is often docked.
- Goats: Tail hangs down.
Upper Lip Structure:
- Sheep: Continuous upper lip.
- Goats: Separate lobes.

Sheep:
- Species: Ovis aries.
- Domestication Date: Approximately 9,000 BC.
- Origin: Derived from Mouflon in Eurasia.
Goats:
- Species: Capra hircus.
- Domestication Date: Approximately 8,000 BC.
- Origin: Originates from wild goats in Eurasia and the Middle East.
Reasons for Domestication:
- Size, sociability (gregarious), ability to utilize diverse feed resources, and production of various products (meat, milk, leather, fiber).

Population Data (as of 2022):
- Total Sheep and Lambs: 5.02 million.
- Number of Sheep Operations: 79,500 (as of 2019).
Per Capita Consumption (US vs. World):
- US: 0.88 lb
- World Average: 3.97 lb
- Australia: 12.79 lb
- Kazakhstan: 19.18 lb
  (Source: OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2021)

Purebred (Seedstock Producers): Used for breeding commercial stock or showing lambs.
Commercial Operations: Focused on lamb/meat production, with wool as a secondary source of income.
Dairy Operations: Focus on cheese production with an emerging industry in the Great Lakes region.

Thin Wool Breeds:
- Micron Range: 17-20 microns.
- Offspring: 2-3 lambs.
- Examples: Rambouillet, Merino.
Meat Breeds:
- Characteristics: Good carcass quality and growth rates.
- Offspring: 1-2 lambs.
- Examples: Hampshire, Southdown.
Dual Purpose Breeds:
- Characteristics: Medium size (200-300 lbs), adequate wool and meat production.
- Examples: Columbia, Dorset.
Long Wool Breeds:
- Characteristics: Coarse wool with good hardiness.
- Examples: Lincoln, Romney, Scottish Blackface.
Hair Breeds:
- Adaptations for hot, humid climates with good resistance to diseases.
- Examples: Katahdin, Dorper.

Types of Operations:
- Stock Sheep Production Operations.
- Farm Flocks: Generally smaller farms.
- Range Flocks: Operate in extensive pastoral lands.
- Lamb Feeding Operations: Specialized in feeding lambs for market.

Ewes:
- Diet: Pasture or roughage supplemented with grain.
- Flushing: Increase feed during breeding to enhance lamb birth rates.
Rams:
- Diet: Sufficient pasture, supplemented with grain during breeding.
Lambs:
- Feed: Milk until weaning; common to creep feed.
- Post-Weaning: High amounts of grain until market weight.
Copper Sensitivity: Sheep are very sensitive to copper toxicity.

Breeding Cycle:
- Seasonal breeders (breed in fall, lamb in spring).
- Puberty can occur as early as 6 months, but breeding typically occurs at 60% of adult weight.
- Breeding Ratio: 1 ram per 15-35 ewes for younger rams; up to 50 for older rams.
Health Maintenance:
- Clean and provide adequate nutrition to avoid diseases.
- Internal parasites pose significant risk, especially in southern regions.
- Tail Docking: Reduces manure build-up and maggot proliferation.

Key Challenges:
- Haemonchus contortus (internal parasite).
FAMACHAO System:
- Clinical categories based on eye lid color and packed cell volume (PCV):
- 1 (Red): ≥ 28 PCV - No treatment required.
- 2 (Red-Pink): 23-27 PCV - No treatment required.
- 3 (Pink): 18-22 PCV - Treatment advised.
- 4 (Pink-White): 13-17 PCV - Treatment required.
- 5 (White): <12 PCV - Treatment required.

Housing Requirements:
- Adequate shelter from severe weather.
- Design of pens to facilitate handling of sheep.
Predator Control Methods:
- Use of fencing and guard animals (dogs, llamas, donkeys).
- Implementation of trapping and hunting strategies.

Shearing Requirements:
- Annual shearing is necessary for wool production.
- Hair sheep do not require shearing.

Wool:
- Characteristics measured in microns (MU), crimps per inch (C.P.I.), and clean wool yield percentage after processing.
Meat Products:
- Lamb: Meat from young sheep; generally more tender.
- Mutton: Meat from older sheep; tends to be tougher.
- Seasonal demand peaks during holidays and celebrations.
- Primal cuts include shoulder, breast, rib, leg, loin, flank, shank, and neck.

Wool Industry Challenges:
- Competition with synthetic fibers.
- Issues related to isolation of range flock production.
- Threats from predator attacks.

Population Data:
- Total Goats: 2.58 million.
- Number of Goat Operations: 149,000.
Products from Goats:
- Meat: Known as "chevon" or "cabrito", a growing industry in the U.S.
- Milk: Primarily used for cheese, especially beneficial for individuals with cow milk intolerance.
- Fiber: Cashmere and mohair derived from Angora goats.

Dairy Breeds:
- Characterized by stylized, angular bodies.
- Selected for udder health and milk production.
- Examples: Saanen, Nubian, Alpine.
Meat Breeds:
- Characteristics include smaller size and greater muscle conformation.
- Examples: Kiko, Boer.
Fiber Breeds:
- Cashmere and Angora goats are specifically cultivated for fiber production.

Production Growth:
- Current meat production in the U.S. does not meet demand.
- Goat cheese gaining popularity among consumers.
Feeding Preferences:
- Goats prefer browse over pasture but will eat grass when necessary.
- Generally, goats are smaller and more resilient than sheep.

Contract Grazing:
- Goats can be utilized for contract grazing in various settings.