Lectures 6-7 Flashcards
What are two types of sheep housing which provide good ventilation?
Yorkshire boarding
plastic mesh
What are the two ideal conditions of good sheep housing?
low humidity
good ventilation
What two features must polytunnels have to have adequate ventilation?
open ends
plastic meshing at the edges
As opposed to indoor housing, where can sheep be kept during the winter?
open straw yards
How long should ewes and lambs be left in the mothering up pens?
24hrs
Why should sheep follow on pens contain lambs of similar ages?
because older lambs can transmit disease (particularly coccidiosis) to younger lambs
How much trough space do large ewes require in late pregnancy?
50cm
How much trough space to small ewes require in late pregnancy?
45cm
What should ewes in late pregnancy be fed if they are being fed ad lib?
total mixed ration
If sheep are on rationed mixed twice a day, how many sheep need to be able to feed at once?
All the sheep
How much water can a ewe at peak lactation drink if being fed on a hay based diet?
9l/day
How many sheep does a sheep have to see at any one time to be happy?
2
What two physiological changes occur if a sheep gets stressed e.g. through isolation?
increased cortisol
increased PCV
What is a sheep gestation period?
146-147 days
Why should new rams be introduced before tupping season starts?
to reduce fighting and stress and hence increase spermatogenesis
What is a useful indicator of pain in a sheep?
facial expression
Where do you look on a sheeps face to assess pain?
orbital area cheek area ears lips nostrils
During what season are rams introduced to ewes for tupping?
autumn
How many body condition scores do rams lose per week during tupping?
0.5
What BCS should rams be before tupping starts?
3.5-4
Under what BCS should ewes NOT be served?
2
What is the term for increasing the ewes plane of nutrition 3-4 weeks before tupping?
Flushing
For what sheep is flushing normally not carried out for?
highland sheep
How long does it take a sheep to gain 1 BCS
6 weeks
What should be the ratio of ewes to mature rams?
80:1
What should be the ratio of ewes to rams lambs?
40:1
What percentage of ewes should conceive within the first 2 oestrus cycles if rams are fertile and ewes cycling?
98%
After how many cycles should a ram be removed?
2 cycles
What could castration and tail docking lambs before 24hrs of age cause?
reduced colostrum intake and failure of passive transfer
Administration of what drugs for castration and tail docking has been shown to increase growth rates in lambs?
NSAIDs
After an lamb is how old must anaesthetic be used to castrate and tail dock with a rubber ring?
7 days
What act requires a vet to castrate a lambs after 3 months of age?
veterinary surgeons act
How old are lambs when they are weaned?
3 months old
Why is it important that weaning is abrupt for the ewes?
to reduce the risk of mastitis
What husbandry measures can be take to minimise the risk of mastitis in ewes after weaning?
put the ewes on bare pasture to promote drying off
What are the best tags to use in sheep to reduce injury?
two piece polyurethane tag
What percentage of UK sheep are upland and lowland?
50% upland, 50% lowland
Feed costs of lowland sheep account for what percentage of the variable cost?
75%
Concentrates account for what percentage of sheep feed costs?
60%
What are the three production phases of lambs?
pre-weaning
growing
finishing
What are the 5 production phases of ewes?
maintenance breeding season early gestation late gestation lactation
What are the 3 macrominerals required by sheep?
calcium
magnesium
phosphorous
What are the 3 microminerals requried by sheep?
selenium
iodine
copper
For highland sheep, for which sheep is improved pasture reserved for?
lactating sheep
What does ‘improving pasture’ involve?
removing heather
reseeding
When are highland sheep sometimes fed concentrate?
late pregnancy
Where should feed blocks be put for highland sheep?
at the boundaries between different ‘family groups’
What are the 3 ways worming preparations can be delivered to a sheep?
drenching
injection
slow release bolus
What should the dry matter content of silage be?
35%
What percentage digestibility (D value) should silage be?
65-70%
What decreases in silage made from increasingly mature grass?
digestibility
crude protein
energy
What is the energy content of good silage?
11.5 J/Kg DM
If silage becomes contaminated with a fungus, what disease are sheep at risk of?
listeriosis
What is the dry matter content of good hay?
85%
What is the digestibility of good hay?
60%
What is the crude protein level of good silage?
8-20%
What is the crude protein level of hay?
8-14%
What is the energy content of good hay?
10 J/Kg DM
By what percentage should concentrates be increased if straw is being fed as a roughage?
30%
What 3 types of straw can be fed to ewes?
barley
wheat
oat
What mineral must be increased if sheep are fed on a straw based diet?
phosphorous
Why should cattle feed not be used for sheep?
Because the levels of copper are too high in cattle food
Why should cereals not be ground up in home-made sheep feeds?
because this could increase the risk of acidosis
What is the BCS system numbering system used for sheep?
1-5
What BCS should ewes be before mating?
3-3.5
After how long does implantation of a sheep embryo occur?
3-4 weeks
When does placental growth in a sheep start?
30 days
Why would it be desirable for a ewe to lose 0.5-1 BCS during the second and third months of pregnancy?
to allow for proper placenta formation
Why should kale and rape be avoided in the first 3 months of ewe pregnancy?
because they do not have enough nutrition for placental development
What percentage of lamb growth takes place in the last third of pregnancy?
90%
What percentage of lamb growth takes place in the last month of pregnancy?
60%
What is the DM intake of ewes reduced from and to in the last third of pregnancy because of the reduced abdominal space?
from 3% to 2%
In late pregnancy, what condition is caused if fat reserves are used?
pregnancy toxaemia
What percentage of the diet should crude protein be in the last ewe trimester?
16%
What percentage of the percentage of protein should be DUP in the last ewe trimester?
30%
What is the energy requirements for ewes at lambing?
twice maintenance
When does sheep mammary tissue develop during pregnancy?
in the last 30 days
What can be assessed in the blood to ensure ewes have enough food?
beta-hydroxybutyrate
During peak ewe lactation, what is the energy demand?
three times maintenance
What is the crude protein requirement in ewes with triplets during peak lactation?
18%
When does peak lactation occur in ewes?
3-5 weeks post-lambing
What should be supplemented in ewes during the first 6 weeks of lactation and what does this prevent?
magnesium, hypomagnesaemia
By what age are lambs herbivores?
8 weeks
What weight should a ewe lamb reach before breeding?
60% of adult weight
For how many years does a ewes weight increase after birth?
3 years
How much colostrum does a lamb need in 24 hours?
200ml/kg
When should lamb pellets be introduced?
day 7
Why do lambs need to be finished off early?
so that worm burden has not become critical
If lambs have not reached finishing weight by August, what should they be fed on?
root crops
What do kale and rape contain which means their intake should be reduced in store lambs?
goitrogens
What can brassicas induce in store lambs?
haemolytic anaemia
What can rape produce in store lambs?
photosensitisation
How long does it take for indoor cereal finishing lambs to reach 40kg?
90 days
What 4 conditions can occur in indoor cereal finishing lambs?
coccidiosis
urothlithiasis
ruminal acidosis
vitamin E deficiency
What can be used to reduce the risk of urothlithiasis in finishing lambs?
ensure constant access to water
When does hypocalcaemia occur most often in ewes?
last few weeks of pregnancy
Does increasing calcium content in the diet help to prevent hypocalcaemia in sheep?
No
What is usually the first indication of hypomagnesaemia in sheep?
dead sheep
What should be done to reduce the risk of hypomagnesaemia in sheep?
provide feed blocks
What do lambs with inadequate cobalt intake show?
poor growth
poor body condition
What is the most long lasting measure to ensure cobalt deficiency does not occur in lambs?
boluses containing cobalt, copper and selenium
What does copper deficiency or toxicity cause in sheep?
neurological problems
poor wool growth
‘swayback’
What blocks copper uptake?
molybdenum
Which breeds are better at absorbing copper: continental or British breeds?
continental breeds
When should copper be supplemented to sheep?
ONLY after confirmation of deficiency
What does selenium/vitamin E deficiency cause?
‘stiff lamb disease’
Which areas of the UK are deficient in iodine?
Derbyshire
What do lambs show at post mortem if they are iodine deficient?
enlarged thyroid glands
