Sheep ProductionA Quick Down and Dirty

Animal Science

Ione Community School

Why choose sheep?

Sheep can survive where cows can’t Sheep will eat problem weeds like Leafy

Spurge Profit per acre is the same for sheep

and cows, and usually higher for sheep Easier to get started due to less

equipment needed

Breed Categories

Wool Type: white wool only, better quality

Meat Type: any black wool Dual Purpose: white wool, but better

meat than wool types

Feeding Sheep

Mostly roughages, concentrates for finishing

Average adult eats about 4 lbs..... dry feed per day

Overfat ewes - problems conceiving & delivering

Feeding Sheep

If sheep can eat all their feed in 1/2 hour, increase amount

If food left at next feeding, decrease amount

Average lamb weighs 7-9 lbs..... and will gain 1/2 LB per day

Flush ewes 17 days prior to breeding (increased level of nutrition)

Feeding Sheep

Increase nutrition 6 weeks prior to lambing until 1-2 months after lambing

Increase quality of feed not quantity

– stomachs shrink when pregnant due to lambs in uterus

Males - increase nutrition 6 weeks prior to breeding to build strength

Sheep Reproduction

Seasonal breeders - only breed in spring and fall

Ewe lambs must be 100 lbs..... to breed Ram can service 12-15 ewes as a lamb,

and up to 100 as a yearling Most common = 3 rams / 100 ewes Usually not kept after 6 yrs

Sheep Reproduction

Marking harness - ram marks back of ewe with a crayon when mating

Change crayon colors every couple of weeks, if ewes are rebred, the first time was not successful

– may have a bad ram or ewe

Lambing

Many lambs are lost in the first 24 hrs Twins - first born gets separated while

second is being born Assist difficult lambings Disinfect hands, gently pull front legs Give ewe antibiotics after Disinfect lambs navel with iodine

Lambing

Lamb should nurse within minutes, especially if cold weather

Strip teats to remove a mucous plug that seals the teat, lamb may not be strong enough to suck the plug out and not get any milk, if he fails, he will quit trying and die

Lambing

Colostrum: mothers first milk (antibiotics) Keep ewe and lamb together for first 24

hours or more if the ewe doesn’t want to claim the lamb

Grafting: adopting lambs (triplets) onto other ewes (with singles or dead lambs)

– cam be difficult to get ewe to claim lamb

Management Identification: mark lambs with paint

brands, or ear tags or tattoo ears Docking: cut off tails

– tails are a bother

– between 1st and 2nd vertebrae of tail

– Elastrator: rubber band cuts off circulation

– Hot Iron: electric, heated knife stops bleeding

Management

Castration: remove testicles

– Elastrator

– Cut with a knife

– Burdizzo crushes cords Dock & Castrate before 6 weeks old Wean at 5-6 months or 100 lbs..... Shear at least once per year, before

lambing (20-40% of income)

Management

Culling: choosing animals not to keep for breeding purposes

Aging Sheep: less than 1 yr.. = milk teeth– 1-2 yrs = middle two teeth replaced by 2

larger teeth– each year to 4 yrs = another set replaced– 6-7 yrs = begin to lose teeth (broken

mouth)

Sheep Terms

What do you call an adult male?

Ram or Buck What do you call an adult female?

Ewe What do you call the act of giving birth?

Lambing

Sheep Terms

What do you call a castrated male?

Wether What is the gestation for sheep?

147 days What do you call a young female?

Ewe Lamb

Cheviot

Columbia

Dorset

Finn

Hampshire

Lincoln

Merino

Polypay

Rambouilette

Romanov

Southdown

Suffolk

Targhee

Texel

Goats

Alpine

Angora

Cashmere