Exam 1 Flashcards
Elastrator
Tool used for tail banding and castration
Vaccines given at processing
CD&T - 2cc, subQ (thigh)
BoSe - 1cc, subQ (thigh)
Soremouth “orf” - 2 pokes thru ear vein
CD&T prevention
- Tetanus (bacteria living in soil. Infections can occur during docking and castration)
- Enterotoxemia (aka pulpy kidney, overeating disease)
- clostridial types C and D
BoSe prevention
- White muscle disease
- selenium deficiency (CA soil is naturally selenium-deficient)
Selenium is responsible for ligament and tendon function
Orf prevention
Soremouth disease (aka ovine ecthyma)
- highly contagious to other animals and people
- pustules form around mucus membranes (mouth, nose, udder, vulva, between toes)
- live vaccine
Treatment- pop pustules and slather with iodine to dry out
Clip, dip, strip
Clip- umbilical cord to one inch
Dip- imperial cord in iodine (disinfects and dries it out)
Strip- mom’s teats (removes waxy keratin plug)
Then, make sure lamb nurses and gets colostrum
INforce
- Given as close to birth as possible (after lamb is done coughing up fluid)
- prevents respiratory disease, helps build immunity with vitamins and minerals
- 1/4 cc (2 pumps) in nose (“intranasally”)
Nutridrench
- Molasses product that gives energy
- whole bottle squirted in mouth
- only given after lamb has nursed
Buck / ram
Intact male sheep
Wether
Castrated male sheep
Ewe
Female sheep
Ewe lamb
Young female sheep
Brood ewe / yearlings
- Need to grow before sending to breed
- Older than lambs
Trends in sheep population
Decreasing (8 to 5 million in last 5 years)
- big switch to synthetic fibers, decreased demand for wool
- not many people are eating lamb
<1% of livestock industry
Top producing sheep states in US
1 Texas
#2 California
Top 2 make up 25% of lamb population
- open space grassland that’s unfavorable to cattle, more unfavorable roughage
Reasons for sheep production decline
- more synthetic fibers (big lead time to produce wool, including up to a year to grow 3-5 inches)
- more intensive management
- parasites
- predators
Parasite control
Deworming every 3 months
- lambs oral dewormer
- ewes injected dewormer
Why are sheep favorable?
- easier to handle
- lower investment cost
- vegetation control
- more efficient than cattle (less space required, lower feed ratio, less methane production)
Carcass qualities
- trimness (fat holds in sheepy flavor)
- muscle quality
- grade quality (98% of lamb will grade choice)
Milk quality
- Sheep will produce 1/2 to 1 gallon fluid milk every day
- sheep milk high in fat, popular to make cheese
Sheep breeds at FSU
Hampshire x Suffolk cross (good for show)
Black face breeds
- meat production
- bad wool quality
White face breeds
- maternal characteristics
- good milking ability
- good wool quality
Gestation length
147 days
(144-151 days)
Typical feeding ration
Lambs eat ~4 lbs grain plus alfalfa per day
Sheep should eat ~5 lbs per day
- 1/2 flake in morning
- 1/2 flake at night
Lactating ewes eat ~8 lbs per day
- includes 1 lb grain (ewe pellet)
Ewe pellet given before pregnancy thru lambing
Mastitis prevention
Most cases at lamb weaning
- ewes initially moved to dry lot and not fed for 3 days, limited water
- bacteria can lay dormant in tissues until next lactation
Blue-bag mastitis
- caused by E. coli
- tissue dies, turns blue, udder falls off
Breeding season
Typically begins Aug-Oct
Estrus cycle
13-19 days
17 days on average
Flushing
- starts 2 weeks before breeding and continues for the first month of breeding season
- adds weight back on sheep
- can increase breeding % by increasing number of eggs ovulated
- done by adding .5-1 lb grain per day or moving to higher quality pasture
Practices to maximize breeding season
- flushing
- use teaser rams (induces ovulation)
- marking harness
Early-mid gestation
- fetal growth minimal during first 15 weeks
Late gestation
- 70% of fetal development
- belly drops, udder develops
Dystocia
Difficult birth
- can be caused by a large fetus, fat ewe, breached lamb, small pelvis, disease
Pregnancy toxemia / ketosis
Ewe can’t take in enough energy and body starts to burn reserves - increases blood pH
- more common in white-faced sheep
- can treat with propylene glycol or IV glucose
- only cure is to deliver the lamb
Crutching
Shearing just the back end of a sheep
- prevents “fly strike” (flies lay eggs which burrow into skin)
Grafting
Use of surrogate mother to raise baby
- rub placental fluid on lamb in hopes that ewe takes it
- must happen right after surrogate delivers her own lambs
Lambing jug / jail
Used to acquaint mom with her lambs
- confined space
- typically used for 3-5 days
- good setting to monitor health of lamb
- must be cleaned/bedded often (must be dry and 6” bedding to create warmth)
Lamb birth weights
3.5 to 20 pounds on average
- lower birth weights come out of yearling moms
Joint ill
Improper iodine dip of umbilical cord allows for bacterial/fungal infection
- lamb hunches up
- infection sets up in joints of lamb
- causes arthritis
Navel ill
Improper iodine dip of umbilical cord allows for bacterial/fungal infection
- swollen navel area
Commercial vs. show docking
Commercial dock
- 1.5 inches
- done with knife
Show dock
- no tail
- can only be done with bands
Banding
Used for docking and castration.
Cuts off circulation to tail
- bloodless (not painless)
Weaning
At 60 days
(At 30 days for bottle lambs)
- done as a group
Replacement ewe lambs for breeding
- can be bred at 60% body weight = 100 lb minimum (not dependent on age)
Scrapie
Prion disease that affects the central nervous system
- transferred thru placental membrane
- 24 month incubation period (may take 2-5 yrs onset- only happens in older animals)
- disease eats holes in the brain
- symptoms: wool picking, unsteadiness, seizures, lip smacking, thin, high stepping
Scrapie prevention
- blood testing
- 3rd eyelid test
- slaughter surveillance (animals that cannot walk or showing signs are put down, not sold for human consumption)
- scrapie eradication program
Who needs a scrapie tag?
- animals crossing state line
- any animal leaving facility
- all sexually intact animals
- cull sheep over 18 months of age
- wethers in county shows
Spider lamb syndrome
Genetic structural deformity of limbs and lack of muscular development
- lambs don’t live very long
- blood testing to determine carrier status
Club lamb fungus
- ie. Ringworm
- zoonotic
- highly contagious
- treated with anti fungal medications
4 major killers of newborn lambs
- starvation
- hypothermia
- scours
- pneumonia
Under 24 hours- generally result of exposure
After 24 hours- generally result of starvation
Treating a hypothermic lamb
- feed colostrum to elevate temp (or feed milk replacer, depending on age)
- move to warmer environment
- give “ringer” - warm fluids subQ
- do not heat up lamb too quickly or it will go into a fever
- can cover lamb and float in warm water
- dextrose (sugar water) injection directly into peritoneal
Major signs a lamb is dying
- flat on its side
- inside of mouth is cold
When lambs are hungry, blood sugar goes down and body can no longer regulate body temperature
When lamb temp is too low (under 100 degrees), lamb loses suckling reflex and must be tube fed
Age of lambing for yearlings
12-14 months
Time of largest pull of nutrients for ewe
6-8 weeks into lactation (lambs are eating more)
Milk fever
Low blood calcium caused by not enough calcium in diet
- causes heart failure
- treat with IV or subQ calcium solution (must be administered slowly or heart can race and cause heart attack)
Colostrogenesis
Creation of colostrum
- occurs 1 month prior to lambing
Bummers
Orphaned lambs or if there’s something wrong with them
- will not grow as they should
Milk bar
Allows for self feeding of orphaned lambs throughout day
Scours causes
- stress marker for lambs
- overgrowth of coccidia
Body condition scoring
1-emaciated
3-ideal
5-fat, flat
- good mothers lose weight during lactation, common to lose .5-1 in BCS
- changes depending on production cycle
- scores at breeding and weaning and most crucial
Age of sexual maturity in lambs
Between 5-12 months
Prolapse causes
Rectal / vaginal - genetic
Uterine - build up of pressure from lambing
