OBJECTIVES

 Terminology
 Breeds
 Management Practices
 Feeding and Nutrition
 Animal Behavior
 Animal Growth and Development
 Animal Health
 Evaluation
TERMINOLOGY
 Ram
• A male that is
sexually mature
• Young males are
called ram lambs
 Ewe
• Sexually mature
female
• Young females are
called ewe lambs
 Lamb
• Young female or
male
 LAMBING
 The act of giving birth
 FLEECE
 Wool of a sheep
 FLOCK
 Herd or group of sheep
 MUTTON
 Meat from sheep over
one year of age
 PROLIFICACY
 Ability to produce
multiple offspring
BREEDS
FINE WOOL
 MERINO
• Originated in Spain
• Most dominant breed in
the worldwide sheep
industry
• Typically smaller than
other wool breeds
• White faced breed
 RAMBOUILLET
• Originated in France
• Dominant range ewe in the
western United States
• White-faced breed that is
not extremely prolific
under range conditions
CROSSBRED WOOL
 BARBADO
 Developed in Texas
 Cross of Barbados
Blackbelly and
Rambouillet
 Tan, tan with a pale or
black belly, or pied
 Primarily used as trophy
game due to its large
curled horns
 COLUMBIA
• Developed in the United States
• Foundation of Lincoln rams on
Rambouillet ewes
• Largest of the crossbred breeds
• White faced, polled breed
MEDIUM WOOL (MEAT
BREEDS)
 DORSET
• Originated in England
• Horned and polled strains
• Ability to breed out of
season
• White-faced sheep that
produce a light shearing,
open fleece
 HAMPSHIRE
• Originated in England
• Rapid growth and
muscularity
• Dark brown to black face
and legs with a wool cap
on head
 FINNSHEEP
• Originated in Finland
• Most noted for their
incredible prolificacy (mature
ewes produce 3+ lambs)
• Very poor fleeces and are
slow growing and light
muscled
• Require intensive
management
 SOUTHDOWN
• Originated in England
• One of the oldest sheep
breeds
• Medium to small sized with
light brown face and legs
• Produce meaty, light
weight carcasses
• Low maintenance breed
 SUFFOLK
• Originated in England
• Black head and legs
which are free of wool
• Alert, active sheep that
grow very fast and
produce lean, muscular
carcasses
LONG WOOL
 LINCOLN
• Originated in England
• Heaviest breed in the
world
• Face, ears, and legs are
covered with wool
• White faced and polled
MANAGEMENT
PRACTICES
METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION
 Ear Tags
 Tattoos
 Ear notching
 Neck chains or straps
 Ear Tags
• Most common
identification method
• Come in many
different sizes and
designs
 Tattoo
• Best permanent form of
identification
• Does not harm the animal’s
appearance or reduce value in
any way
• Disadvantage: tattoos cannot
be read from a distance
 Ear notching
• Commonly used for simple
differentiation.
• Denotes birth type and/or
week of birth.
• Marks ewes for culling.
 Neck Chains or Straps
• Least used form of identification
• Have numbered tags that
correspond with animal
identification
• Disadvantages: choking, not
permanent, difficult to see in
groups
 DOCKING AND CASTRATION
 Best performed at the same time.
 All lambs should be docked before 2 weeks of age.
 Males that will not be used for breeding should be castrated
before 4 weeks of age.
 Docking methods: knife, elastrator, emasculator, Hot iron
 Castration methods: Knife, Elastrator, Burdizzo, All-in-one
Castrator
 CRUTCHING AND FACING
 Crutching: shearing of the reproductive area and mammary
system of ewes prior to parturition.
 Facing: shearing of wool on face to help with vision
 DRENCHING AND SPRAYING
 Drenching: administration of oral anthelmintic
(dewormer)
 Spraying: topical removal of external parasites
 Predator Control
• In addition to secure pens, some companion animals serve
as effective protection
• Flock dogs such as the Great Pyrenees, llamas, and
donkeys
 FACILITIES
 200 square feet per lamb recommended
 Overcrowding may cause lambs pick at each others wool
resulting in bald patches.
 Facilities should provide protection from extremes in
weather conditions
 EXERCISE
 Exercising a lamb provides multiple benefits:
 Development of muscle
 Condition or feel of muscle
 Stimulation of appetite
 Proper finish or fat cover
 EXERCISE
 Walking lambs on halter on level ground does not
give them enough exercise to tone muscle.
 If lambs have a large area for exercise during the
entire feeding program they may not need a forced
exercise program
 SHOW NEEDS
 Rake  Stiff brush for
 Shovel cleaning troughs
 Trimming table  Rope halter
measuring 45” long,  Hand shears
20” wide & 18” tall  Portable feed &
 Clippers water troughs
 Wool card  Lamb blankets
and/or socks
FEEDING AND NUTRITION
 FEEDING
 Elevate feeders to reduce
waste and improve cleanliness
 Feed to aid in the development
of leg and loin muscle.
 Feed good quality grass,
sorghum, or alfalfa hay
 FEEDING CONTINUED
 Start feeding grain in small amounts to allow the digestive
system to adjust to the higher concentrations.
 about ¼ to ½ pound of grain per day
 Increase feed gradually to approximately 2 pounds of
grain and 2 pounds of hay per day.
 After two weeks lambs should be on full feed.
 FEEDING SCHEDULE
 Twice a day, within 15 to 30 minutes of a regular schedule.
 WATER
 Provide clean, fresh
water at all times
 The most important
nutrient
 MINERALS
 Have free choice loose salt, and loose trace minerals
available at all times
 *Be cautious of the copper level in sheep rations.*
 Accumulate copper in the liver more readily than other
farm animals and are very susceptible to Cu toxicity
(poisoning)
ANIMAL BEHAVIOR
 POINT OF BALANCE
 At the animals shoulder
 Stepping behind the point of balance will cause livestock
to move forward.
 Standing in front of the point of balance will cause
livestock to back up
 FOLLOW THE LEADER
 When one sheep moves, the
rest will follow
 To display this flocking
behavior a group of five is
usually necessary.
 This strong flocking and
following behavior tends to
make sheep easy to handle,
relative to other livestock
species
 SOCIAL
 Very social animals; they need to see other
sheep
 APPETITE
 Strong indicator for health
 Healthy sheep are eager to
eat
 CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR
 May indicate health problems
 An isolated animal is likely
showing early signs of illness
 Lack of appetite is probably
the most common symptom
exhibited by a sick sheep
 WATCH OUT FOR RAMS
 Ewes and lambs are generally docile and non-aggressive
 this is not usually the case with rams, especially
during the breeding season
 A ram should never be trusted, even if it is friendly or
was raised as a pet.
 HEAD BUTTING
 Both a natural and learned behavior
 Highest during the rutting season which precedes the onset
of heat in ewes
 To discourage butting, avoid petting or scratching a ram on
the head
 Ewes may exhibit this behavior after lambing -- to protect
their young
ANIMAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
 MEASURES OF GROWTH
 Birth weight
 60 day weight
 90 day weight
 Yearling weight
 Feedlot AGD
 Mature weight
 EFFICIENCY OF GROWTH
 Typically defined as units of feed per unit of gain.
 In sheep the feed conversion is 4-6:1 which means
it takes 4-6 lbs. of feed to gain 1 lb. of weight.
 MONITORING GROWTH
 Weigh lambs regularly to
determine growth.
 This will help determine the
amount of feed necessary to
reach a show weight goal.
PUBERTY AND GESTATION PERIOD
 Gestation length: 150 days
 Age of puberty
 Rams- 6-8 months
 Ewes- 6-8 months
ANIMAL HEALTH
 MEDICATION
 Any questions about a lamb’s
health program should be
addressed by a veterinarian.
 Use only medications labeled
for sheep and follow all
manufacturer recommendations
 Be aware of and adhere to
withdrawal times
DISEASES
 ENTEROTOXEMIA
(OVEREATING DISEASE)

 Inflammation and swelling of the intestines, lungs, and

kidneys
 Caused by:
 Consuming large amounts of grain
 Compromised immunity
 Heavy parasite infestation
 Conditions or diseases that slow peristalsis
 INTERNAL PARASITES (WORMS)

 Sheep are more susceptible due to:

 Small fecal pellets disintegrate easily releasing
parasites
 Graze close to the ground
 Slow to develop immunity
 Lose immunity during lambing
 PARASITE CONTROL
 Pasture management :
 rotation and rest
 low stocking rates
 multi-species grazing
 sanitary measures
 Improved nutrition
 Proper use of anthelmintics
 SORE MOUTH
 Highly contagious virus causing lesions primarily
on the lips and nostrils
 Zoonotic disease – can be transmitted from
animal to human
 TETANUS

 Common fatal disease caused by the bacterium

Clostridium tetani
 Sheep are high risk due to maintenance procedures,
such as castration, ear-marking, tail-docking,
dehorning and debudding
 Prevention includes tetanus vaccination and
cleanliness
 RINGWORM
(CLUB LAMB FUNGUS)

 Thick, scaly pustules on the skin

caused by a fungus
 Show lambs are more susceptible
 Frequent washings and shearings
remove the protective lanolin
barrier
 Zoonotic
 Prevention through good hygiene
 RECTAL PROLAPSE
 Protrusion of rectal tissue outside the anus
 Requires immediate attention from a
veterinarian.
 Causes:
 High concentrate feed
 Docking length
 Coughing due to respiratory conditions or dusty
feed
 Diarrhea
 POLYARTHRITIS
(STIFF LAMB DISEASE)

 Infectious disease effecting lambs 3 weeks- 5 months in

age
 Lambs are inactive, stiff, depressed, losing weight, and
have conjunctivitis
 Treated with broad-spectrum antibiotics
EVALUATION OF SHEEP
 AREAS TO EVALUATE
 Muscle - forearm, shoulder,
rack, loin, and leg
 Fat cover - backbone, ribs,
and topline
 BALANCE
 Definition-straightness of
lines
 Overall appearance is
uniform
REFERENCES
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