1 – Sheep Industry Flashcards
1
Q
What contributed to the shift from sheep to cattle meat?
A
- Railroad: to ship
- Cities: lots of people living together
- Rendering industry: 500lb of waste
- *Refrigeration
2
Q
Sheep are very versatile animals
A
- Meat
- Wool
- Skins
- Milk
3
Q
Why sheep not as big in Canada?
A
- Many served in the UK and had to eat a lot of mutton
4
Q
Why sheep?
A
- Size
- Cultural/religious
- Showing: easier
- Sheep dogs: ‘don’t do good as pets’
- *get rich quick!
- *NO zoonotic disease, NO foodborne diseases
5
Q
Why is sheep size beneficial?
A
- Ease of handling
- Ease of handling at slaughter and consumption
- Reduced start up costs
- Requires less land
- *5 sheep for 1 cow (grow about 1lb/day=can have a quick turnaround)
6
Q
Sheep for cultural/religion
A
- Acceptable to all MAJOR religions
- Traditional food of Europeans
o Middle east
o Far east - *premium meat
7
Q
Where are the sheep in Canada?
A
- About 1M
o Many are less than 1 year old - Most in Quebec and Ontario
- Then Alberta and SK
- Import meat from both US and New Zealand
8
Q
What do sheep cost?
A
- Breeding ewe: $125-200
- Ram: $400
9
Q
Cost of lamb and cull ewes per lb
A
- Lamb: 220 cents/lb
o 80lb is typical (fat lamb=110lb, can NOT be more than 115lb)
o Do NOT want uncastrated males (don’t separate males and females) - Cull ewes: 40-75 cents/lb
10
Q
What is considered small in the sheep industry?
A
- Anything less than 500
- *you need 150 to make a profit
11
Q
Purebred farms
A
- Produce replacement ewes and terminal sire rams
12
Q
Commercial farms
A
- Use a mixed breed ewe and terminal sire to produce a meat lamb
13
Q
What are the different management systems?
A
- Range
- Farm flocks: semi-confinement
- Feedlot
- Dairy: rare, specific for CHEESE PRODUCTION
- Rent out sheep for biological pasture control
14
Q
Range management system
A
- TRADITIONAL WAY
- Keep sheep out at pasture all year round (NEED guard dogs)
- Put out rams when required
- Lambing in spring
- Supplement feed in winter
o Minimal input costs
o Predation (coyotes, wolves, bears)
o Lack of shelter: NOT a problem
o Disease control (parasites) - *low input, low output (one lamb per ewe)
15
Q
‘ice cave’ in winter with big snow storm
A
- Have water
- Eventually need to get them out (lack of O2)
16
Q
Cost of guard dogs (150 sheep/dog)
A
- Mature dog: $1000 & works for 7 years
o Depreciated cost $143/year - Feed: $425/year
- Vet: $100/year
- *cost per year: $668
- *big white dogs (BWD): not pure breeds
- WANT IT IMPRINTED ON THE SHEEP (do not want them to have too much human interaction)
17
Q
Farm flocks: semi-confinement management system
A
- Summer at pasture
- Winter in corral/barn system
- MOST COMMON SYSTEM
18
Q
What are the advantages of a farm flocks: semi-confinement management system?
A
- Multiple births: feeding them in the winter
- Low mortality
- Maximum growth
- Control of breeding season
19
Q
What are the disadvantages of a farm flocks: semi-confinement management system?
A
- Increased costs
- More manpower
- Facilities
- Increased disease
20
Q
Feedlot management system
A
- Buy in lambs when weaned: 60-80lbs
- Fatten to slaughter: 110lbs
- *problems as in any feedlot
- *only NA has sheep feedlots (ex. Sun Gold in Olds, AB)
21
Q
Dairy sheep
A
- Rare
- 200 day lactation
- 600kg yield
- *CHEESE PRODUCTION (lots of fat!)
- Lambs with sheep during day and then separate at night, then milk in the morning
22
Q
Biological pasture control (using sheep)
A
- Resistant to many of toxic plants the plague cattle: leafy purge, tansy ragwort
- Can clear pastures and make them safe for cattle
- *very few parasites cross the species barrier: ROTATIONAL GRAZING
o Can do sheep and cows together
23
Q
What are the basic requirements for sheep farming?
A
- Pen space
- Barn space
- Feeder space
- Water
- Manure disposal: people will pay you
- Pasture
- Winter feed
24
Q
What are some breeds of sheep?
A
- Suffolk
- Cheviot
- Dorset
- Finn
- Arcott
- (exotics)
- (*cross-breeds: F1)
- HARD TO TELL WHAT THEY ARE: just ask people what they are
25
Suffolk
- Good terminal sire
- Black legs and black faces
- Fast growing
- Good confirmation
- Coarse wool
- *classic meat breed
26
Cheviot
- Hardy, but not that productive
- look like they are wearing a turtle neck and always surprised look
27
Dorset
- *very long breeding season (can get pregnant 11 months of the year vs. only in the fall)
- Square and woolly
28
Charolais
- Lambs can be bald when born
- Musculature
29
Columbian’s
- Range animal
- Wool does have some value
30
Finn
- Very prolific (quadruplets=recipe for disaster)
- *no one should keep them
- *used in cross breeding
31
Arcott
- Highly productive
- Prolific: good milkers and mothers
- *see in Canada more and more
- Recently developed breed
- *try pick the best of everything (Ex. the ones at the school)
32
Ramboullet
- Like Columbia
- Range and stocky
- Lots of fleece=not bad
33
Texel
- Ugliest in the world
- Fast growing, big muscles
- *rams are very good
34
Katahdan
- Know it’s not a goat=tail goes down
- ‘haired ‘sheep
o Don’t need to shear them
- Not the best for carcass and not good in feedlots
- *small farms, but not commercial farms
35
Dorpa
- Exotic breeds from equatorial regions
- Not common anymore
36
Merino sheep
- Not really in Canada
- Valuable wool!
o Longer length=better quality
o Fine=more comfortable
o Really good crimp: ‘serrated pattern in wool’=hold together as yarn
- Have more skin then they should, so they can grow more wool
- Australia: castrated males and kick them out into the outback and shear once a year
37
What do commercial flocks tend to be made up of?
- Cross bred ewes
o Dorset x Finn
o Cheviot x Finn
38
What are the markets? (6)
- Wool
- New crop lambs
- Fat lamb
- Mutton
- Specialized slaughter
- Environmental
39
Wool market
- Worthless in Canada
o Maybe ramboullet is okay
- Would need to find a local processing opportunity
40
New crop lamb market
- Sucking lambs: 45lb (<60d)
*premium ethnic market (easter and Christmas)
41
Fat lamb market
- 120lbs (more so 110lb)
42
Mutton market
- Largely worthless unless specific markets available
- May be a market in sausage manufacture
43
Sales of lamb
- Feedlots
- Co-operatives
- Directly to packers
- Ethnic markets
- Farm gate sales: provincial by-laws
- *develop your own
