sheep Flashcards
when are the 6 moments that a farmer should check BCS of his sheep?
- 6w before tupping
- mid-pregnancy
- late pregnancy
- lambing
- 8 weeks post lambing
- weaning
out of the 6 moments a farmer should check the BCS of his sheep, when is it most critical?
weaning
are the BCS targets different between hill, upland and lowland sheep?
yes
what should an hill sheep BCS be at tupping?
2.5
what should an lowland sheep BCS be at tupping?
3.5
what should an upland sheep BCS be at tupping?
3
when is a sheep at is highest BCS?
tupping
when is a sheep at is lowest BCS?
at weaning
a hill breed sheep will have a BCS that goes between
2- 2.5
if a ewe has a BCS <3 at weaning, what should you do?
if not regained within a month of weaning, the ewe should be culled
what is the BCS number?
2
what is the BCS number?
4
what is the BCS number?
5
what processes are you trying to feel when palpating the sheep for a BCS?
the horizontal and vertical processes
what is the BCS score of this sheep? why?
why do we do BCS scoring in sheep? what are the benefits:?
- higher weaning weights
- reduced ewe mortality
- production of more colostrum and milk
- improved fertility so higher scanning and weaning percentage
where is the back do you perform a BCS for sheep? why dont you do it visually?
lumbar region
fleece makes it difficult!
the horizontal process is part of the..
short ribs
the vertical processes is part of the …
spine
The final step is to assess the … and its cover by
pressing the fingers into the area between the vertical and
horizontal processes
eye muscle
Ewes in the wrong condition at tupping can endure problems
such as…
- Coming into oestrus slowly or erratically
- Foetal reabsorption
- Low lambing %
why may we not want to have a BCS of 3 for hill ewes at tupping?
more likely to have twins which is not desirable for these breeds
Sheep can be aged by looking at which teeth?
permanent incisors
what do the temporary teeth look like for a sheep compared to the permanent incisor teeth
shorter and narrower
when a ewe loses some of her incisors this is known as…
broken mouth
sheep can only be aged up to… yo
3.5-4 yo