Sheep Health AHW Flashcards
What are the dangers with working with sheep?
- zoonotic diseases such as orf or abortion diseases
- they can use their head or horns to barge
Explain how to catch sheep
Have one arm underneath the neck and the other one in the flap in front of the rear leg. Press knee against sheep as a pressure point.
Don’t pull on wool or legs, welfare point 48
Where is the balance point and how do you use it?
Off the shoulder of the sheep, a way to move sheep
If in front of BP, sheep will move back
If behind BP, sheep will move forwards
How can we use sheep natural behaviours to move them?
Sheep are prey animals, so are very defensive and think if they can’t see the danger it doesn’t exist
- Sheep tend to prefer to go uphill
- Solid is better than open/ see through hurdles
- Use corners and gates to trap sheep
How do you cast a sheep? (1 person)
- Turn neck away for, you as high as possible on shoulder (nose should be on back bone)
- Take one big step back
- Hook onto chest (not legs) and lift sheep onto back
Allow them to lean to one side if needed, so they don’t sit on their tail bone which is uncomfortable
How to cast a sheep (2 person)
Not to be used for lambs
Have 1 person on head and 1 on legs to unbalance (not pull)
Head person is in charge
Cast as normal
Why would you weigh a sheep?
When selecting for slaughter (usually at half mature weight)
Knowing how much to worm:
- too much- may develop resistance
- too little- not protective enough
Better to give too much than not enough
Why isn’t weighing the best way to assess body condition?
- heavier doesn’t necessarily mean fatter
doesn’t work for pregnant ewes
Doesn’t take into account wool weight
What is the rules in relation to body condition scoring?
No breeding ewe should score less than 2
Best condition is between 2.5-3.5
Ewes < 2.5 are too thin and have lower profitability and higher mortality rate
Ewes > 3.5 will have good production but lower stocking rate (less animals per unit of space)
No growing sheep should score less than 2
What are the problems when trying to sex sheep?
- Nipple can’t be used as a definition, as both males and females have nipples
- Males don’t usually have testicles, removed by banding
- Not all male sheep have horns, breed dependant and so some female sheep have horns
- Penis difficult o se on woolly sheep
How should you sex sheep?
Look how many holes under tail:
1. Anus —> male
2. Anus and vulva —> female
How do you age sheep?
Look at teeth, as adult incisors are bigger than lamb ones
oooooooo —> lamb —> < 1 yr 3 month.
oooOOooo —> 2 tooth —> 1 yr 3 month
ooOOOOoo —> 4 tooth —> 1 yr 9 month
oOOOOOOo —> 6 tooth —> 2 yr 3 month
OOOOOOOO —> full tooth —> 2 yr 9 month
After this, use tags for more accurate identification
What are the legal requirements in terms of tagging?
- used to prevent and contain the outbreak of disease
- tag within 6 months if reared indoors
- tag within 9 months if reared outdoors
If slaughtered in less than 12 months a tag isn’t needed.
Where are the injection sites on a sheep?
- subcutaneous (under skin) —> top of neck or behind front leg/ behind shoulders, over ribs
- intravenous —> in jugular vein (front of neck on sheep’s right side)
- intramuscular —> muscle mass on neck, lower down
Which breeds of sheep are used for the following reasons:
- meat
- ## texel, Suffolk sheep, mule sheep
Which breed is used for sheep wool?
Border Leicester
What is the average weight of a terminal ewe/ ram
Ewe- 80-110kg
Ram- 110- 160kg
What is the typical weights of a long wool crossing ewes/ rams?
Ewes- 90-120kg
Rams-140-175kg
What does hill breed of sheep mean and how are they defined?
The Herdwick, the Blackface, the Swaledale, the Derbyshire Gritstone, and the Welsh Mountain are typical hill breeds.
Their hardiness has ensured they can thrive in the toughest of conditions thanks to their dense, weather resistant fleeces of coarse wool.
What are typical weights of hill ewes/ rams?
Ewes- 45-60kg
Rams-55-70kg
What do the following terms mean?
Herd-
Female-
Male (entire)
Male castrated
Fibre
Scientific
Flock
Ewe
Ram/ tup
Wether
Lamb
Lamb/ mutton
Wool
Ovine
What is a terminal sire?
Breed that produces lamb for meat
What were the prices in 2021 for the following lambs (40kg)
- hillside
- upland
- lowland
- £60
- £94
- £130
What is sheep milk like?
Produce about 700l over 7 months
Value of milk higher than goats, but yield lower
What is the sheep wool industry like not?
Not great, low demand and so not profitable
Costs £1 per sheep roughly to sheer
About 5-20p per kg
Where are sheep mostly located?
Where hills are, north of england
Middle of wales
What are the three different types of sheep flock?
Pedigree flocks
Commercial flocks
Pet/ hobby flocks
What are pedigree flocks?
Needed to supply pure bred ewes and rams
Range from large serious businesses to small hobby flocks
Non breeding lambs go for meat
What are commercial flocks?
Usually crossbred
Some breed own replacements
What are pet sheep/ hobby flocks?
Increasing in numbers
Make up a considerable portion of vets time
When is scanning done pre lambing?
At 100 days since mating
When is mating done
140 days before lambing
What vaccine is needed
Colostridium disease- 4-6 weeks pre lambing
What breeding type are they?
Short day seasonal polyoestrus
When are they typically born
December to may
How long is puberty
7-9 months
What is oestrus cycle>
16-17 days
How long is oestrus length
24-40 hours
What are sponges and what do they do?
Progesterone implanteddsponge
Causes oestrus cycle about 24-48 hours later
What are 4 other methods of assisted breeding?
Melatonin implants —>. To advance breeding season
Artificial insemination
Embryo transfer
Semen collectiom
What are the minimums in terms of weaning lambs/
30 days and 10kg
What are three methods of tail docking
Rubber bands- ,use be under 1 week old
Surgical docking- must be done by a vet
Hot iron docking- anaesthetic must be given
How have sheep been domesticated?
Due to flocking nature and size, easy to control
Not aggressive
What are some signs that the ewe is in oestrus?
Tail wagging
Fanning
Standing to be mounted
May urinate (but not definitive)
What are some signs that the ram is in oestrus?
Raise his head
Extend neck forwards
Curl lip
Expose teeth in extending sniffing motion—> flehmen
How long till lamb usually try’s to suck teat of ewe
Within 20 mins
What should be the limit for how many ewes a person should have?
1000
