Sheep and goat production Flashcards
what is the estrous cycle of goats and sheep
17-18 days
what is the gestation of goats and sheep
147 (5 months)
what is the kingdom of goats and sheep
animalia
what is the phylum of goats and sheep
chordata
what is the class of goats and sheep
mammalia
what is the super order of goats and sheep
ungulatea
what is the order of goats and sheep
artiodactyla
what is the sub order of goats and sheep
ruminantia
what is the family of goats and sheep
bovidae
what is the subfamily of goats and sheep
carprinae
what is the genus of sheep
ovis
what is the genus of goats
carpra
what is the species of sheep
aries
what is the species of goats
aegagrus
what is the subspecies of goats
hircus
how man sheep are in canada
1,000,000 total sheep
500,000 ewes
where are most sheep found
ontario, quebec (where we are seeing growth aswell)
semi confinement lamb production
-lambing december-april (easter)
-labor and housing req can be quite high during lambing
-quality feed is required for lactating ewes in winter
-pasture and fence req for summer grazing
-typically more lambs marketed per ewe than grass based production
-target more prolific breeders (1.7)
anestrous
-seasonal breeders
-most prolific coming into estrous with out synthetic hormones
how big are lambs when born
~4kg
what is the higest energy requirement and lowest for ewes
-goes up after lambing, highest early lactaion(one month post lamb) then goes down
-lowest after late lactation (4 months post lambing) until bred (7 month post labing)
grass based lambing production model
-lambing may/june
-breed selection important
-labor req lower
-housing requirements are reduced because of climate at lambing and more time spent on pasture
-more land req as pasture needs are highter
-lower number of lambs are typically marketed per ewe (bec of breed selection, frequency of lambing)
intensive accelerated lambing
Ø 3 lambing in 2 years, jug lambing
Ø Lambing variable throughout the year
Ø Breed selection is important
Ø Labour and housing requirements can be quite high
Ø Pasture and fencing needs are low
Ø Intensive management is required
Ø Nutrition is vital to success
Ø Typically more lambs marketed per ewe
what happens with accelerated lambing
My assumptions:
-Lambing event every 8 months
-5 month gestation
-2 month lactation
-1 month breeding
Lamb survival is key!
>200% lambing at each event
Greater emphasis on nutrition
sheep products
meat
wool
milk
how many sheep breeds
appx 200
meat breeds
Suffolk, Hampshire, Canadian Arcott, Dorset …
wool breeds
merino
hair breeds
karahdin, dorper
milk breeds
east friesian dairy
dual purpose meat and wool
Rambouillet, Romney, Columbia
dual purpose meat and milk
rideau arcott
lambing dress percentage and things its affected by
Carcass weight / live weight x 100% Dressing Percentage is affected by
* Pelt weight
* Heavily muscled lambs
* Fatness – visceral fat
§ Extreme Range - 40-60%
§ Normal Range - 45-57%
§ Average - 52% (shorn lambs)
§ Average unshorn – 50%
Carcass weight / live weight x 100%
assessing carcass sheep
§ Muscling
* Breed selection
* Management
* Nutrition
§ Fat depth and colour
* Breed
* Age
* Nutrition
wool
§ Sheep are shorn once per year
* Fine
* Course
* Crossbred
§ Decline due to synthetic fiber’s
§ Qualities
* Warm even when wet
* Not flammable
§ All sheep have hair and wool
* Hair sheep have more hair fibers
and shed their coats annually
what makes wool different form hair
has no centrial cortex
properties of wool
§ Water repelling – wax content of epicuticle and keratin content
of cuticle
§ Moisture retaining – wicks water away but holds moisture
content – keeps you dry!
§ Insulating
§ Felts
§ Retains die color due to fat within cortex
§ Fire resistant
where is wool sold
-privately
-only one commercial purchaser in canada (canadian cooperative wool growers
how is wool graded based off of
-fibre diameter
-staple length
-staple strength
sheep skin
§ With wool (Shearling)
* Clothing
* Rugs
* Car seat covers, mattress covers
§ With wool removed (Napa)
§ Specialized pelt sheep
* Karakul breed -> Astrakhan or Persian lamb
* Skins harvested from lambs soon after birth
* Coloured pelts (gray or black)
sheep meat
lamb, mutton
sheep milk
-home consumption (africa, asia)
-major product (mediterranean)
-cheese (feta, roquefort)
how do you reduce the risk of predation
q Dead Stock Management
q Guardian animals
q Knowledge of coyote behavior
q Management practices: night penning, fencing, noise and light
deterrents.
q Check stock regularly, recognize predation issues and get help
early.
q Avoid risk as much as possible: lambing during high-risk
seasons, high risk pastures, maintain definite breeding seasons,
compromised animals on pasture.
birth weight, wean age, wean weight of goats
-2.7-4kg
-90-120days
-16-27kg
what kind of eaters are goats and sheep
-goat are intermediate types
-sheep are grass/roughage
phenotypic differents of sheep and goats
§ Short upturned tail
§ Most goats horned
§ ‘Most’ sheep polled
§ Horn position differs
* Closer together, upwards and backwards
* Sheep grow out of side of head and coil
§ Shape of head narrower
§ Beards
§ Hair vs wool
goat products
§ Meat
* Cabrito – meat from a milk-raised kid
* Chevon (usually goats from 6-9 mo of age (22-27 kg)
§ Horns
§ Hides
* Parchment
* Wine and water skins
§ Fibre
* Cashmere – clothes
* Hair – carpets, clothes
* Mohair – clothes, blanket/throws
§ Labour – light pack animals
§ Milk – fermented products and cheese store better
how many goats are slaughtered in fed inspected plants in western canada
`~14,000
average dressing percentage of goat
45%
meat breed goat
Boer
Africander = Afrikaner = South African common goat
Boer (Dutch word for farmer)
Horned
Lop ears
variety of colours
extended breeding season
high growth rate
canada second most common breed (including dairy)
top countries for goat milk produciton
-india
-bangladash
-sudan
global goat milk production a year
15,510,411 tonne/year
~2.2% of global milk produciton
where do most goats in canada live
-50% ont
-17% QC
-13% ab
-6%bc
why goat milk
Goat milk:
-Well emulsified fat
globules
-Used for cheese, butter,
yogurt, ice cream
-Feta, Bucheron,
Chavroux, Humboldt Fog,
etc.
Sheep Milk:
Feta, Ricotta, Pecorino
Romano, and Roquefort.
Yogurt and ice cream.
off goat milk flavour
§ Billy goats secrete volatile compounds from sebaceous
glands at the base of the horns.
§ 6-trans nonenal is one of the main compounds.
§ This compound may be taken up by milk directly or
indirectly and results in unpalatable milk.
§ 4-thyl octanoic acid and 4-thyl oct-2 enoic acid are
other “goaty” odors.
sheep and goat milk flavour
§ Goat and sheep milk contain higher levels of C6:0, C8:0 and C10:0 fatty acids than cow milk. These fatty acids provide a “sharper” taste and other characteristic flavors to milk and cheese.
§ Octanoic acid, (C8:0, caprylic acid) based compounds produce thegoat-like and mutton-like flavors.
dairy goat breeds
§ Alpine (2396 lbs milk, 3.3% fat,
and 2.8% CP)
§ Saanen (2545 lbs milk, 3.2% fat,
and 2.8% protein)
§ Toggenburg (2047 lbs milk,
3.0% fat, and 2.7% CP)
§ Nubian (1835 lbs milk, 4.6% fat,
and 3.7% CP)
fibre breeds of goats
Fibre breeds of goat
Angora
Very old breed
MOHAIR
2.25 kg per shearing
shorn twice per year
Cashmere
Asia
Dual purpose fibre and meat
Cashmere: very fine,
crimpy soft down $$$
Guard hairs on top
Horn – wide
Different colours
horns in goats
Horns – both sexes
males have a pronounced spiral to horn
Small frame
Single kid/offspring
disbudding kids
Destroys horn cells to prevent horns from growing
Within first one or two weeks of life
Mainly dairy breeds are disbudded (intensively raised)
Why
human and other animal safety
more likely to get their heads stuck
Afterwards heat cannot be dispersed
