Lectures 1-3 Flashcards
In the US, is there more sheep or more goats?
Where does the income come from?
Mostly goats with a few sheep dairies
Income is dairy products and lambs/kid
How often do does and ewes reproduce?
How long is their dry period?
How are the kids/lams raised?
Reproduce each year; lambs lactate 6-7 months and does lactate 9-10 months
Dry period of 60 days
Kids/lambs may be bottle fed or raised by dam
Describe SCC and SPC for small ruminants
SCC- higher baseline than that in cattle; legal limit is 1 million
SPC- same as for cows; legal limit is 100k but reasonable goal is 5,000
How do you harvest fiber in sheep and goats
Goats- standing or recumbent
Sheep- recumbent
Sheep vs goats look
Sheep- tail down, deep philtrum, no beard or wattle
Goats- tail up, horned, beards and wattles
Sheep vs goats behavior
Goats- climbing, sideways motion for antagonistic behavior, fight on hind legs, newborns lie out
Sheep- stay grounded, butt head on, alarm is snort and stamp, newborns lie in, great memory
How to work with a group of small ruminants
Move better around corners and up hills
Be aware of crushing in corners
Prefer well lighted areas
Know basics of PE
Observe Restraint- one hand under mandible or on base of horn and tail; sheep can be on rump TPR Abdomen and GI- rumen and body contour Head- mm, asymmetry, mouth/nose/eyes, lymph nodes, check sinuses and skull for fractures Teeth- age Udder Lymph nodes Feet/legs Feces Urine Skin BCS
How to age a small ruminant with teeth
Less than a year= all baby teeth 1-2 year= 1 pair adult teeth 2-3 years= 2 pairs adult teeth 3-4 years= 3 pairs adult teeth 4 years= 4 pairs adult teeth Older than 4= worn down teeth
Describe BCS 1, 3, and 5
1= spine is prominent and sharp, no fat cover, sharp transverse process that fingers easily pass under
3= spine smooth and rounded, moderate fat cover, transverse process smooth and rounded, fingers need hard pressure to find end of transverse process
5=spine and transverse processes not detectable
What are scrapie ear tags
Required for sheep and goats older than 1 yr old moving on the interstate
Allows tracing to farm of origin
What age is best for castration
4-14 days
Describe castration procedure
Lidocaine and NSAIDs are recommended
Elastrator bands or burdizzo emasculatome or surgica;
Always give tetanus
When is tail docking best done at
2-7 days old
Describe tail docking techniques
Electronic docking iron (best) or elastrator bands (painful and need tetanus)
Make sure to make it long enough (covers anus and vulva and no shorter than distal end of caudal tail fold)
What will a tail that is too short predispose them to
Rectal and vaginal prolapse
When should you disbud
Most breeds= 4-7 days
Nubian, pygmy, angora= 10-14 days
Describe techniques of disbudding
Need to dilute lidocaine to 0.5% and give two nerve blocks
Heat cautery for 10 seconds is best
Also there is paste but NOT a good option in small ruminants
**if its older you will have to do surgical dehorning
Describe descenting
Can be removed with dehorning
Located caudomedial to horn bud
*males castrated before 7.5 months do not develop this gland
How often should hooves be trimmed
2x per year and examined more often
What vaccines should all sheep and goats get
Clostridium and tetanus
Sheep- 7 way clostridium plus tetanus
Goats- CDT
Non routine vx for sheep and goats
Sheep- abortion (chlamydia and campylobacter), footrot, rabies, contagious ecthyma
Goats- contagious ecthyma
Rabies
What nematodes are a problem in small ruminants
Haemonchus (biggest issue), ostertagia, trichostrongyles
Clinical signs of internal parasites
Anemia, hypoproteinemia, maldigestion, malabsorption
Pale mm, weakness, lethargy, diarrhea, weight loss, ventral edema, bottle jaw
What should you do to determine efficacy of anthelmintic on your farm
FECRT
What strategy should you use to deworm
Targeted selective deworming to dilute out resistant population on the pasture
*never deworm at regular intervals!!
What specific times should you always deworm at
Prior to lambing/kidding
10-14 days after heavy rain following drought
What can you use to determine who needs deworming
Famacha- treat 4s and 5s
What are management strategies to control parasites
Dont feed food on the ground Keep animals in good nutritional status Pastures- avoid overstocking, have rest periods, supplement feed if pasture is stressed Multi-species grazing Tannin-rich forage Quarantine new arrivals Genetic selection for parasite resistant populations Have zero-grazers (feedlots)
What dewormers are approved for sheep? Goats? Both?
Sheep- albendazole, ivermectin, moxidectin, levamisole
Goats- fenbendazole
Both= morantel tartrate
How to prevent predation
Active destruction of predators
Livestock guarding animals (dogs, donkeys, castrated camelids)
Increased surveillance
