Sheep Husbandry Flashcards
What is the sheep life on easter bush farm?
- Dry period (aut to nov)
- Matting time (nov)
- pregnancy (nov to mar)
- lambing time (mar to apr)
- rearing lambs (apr to aug) + weaning and selling (summer)
What breeds of terminal sire are used on the Easter Bush Farm?
Texel and Beltex
What is currently the female breed used?
Cheviot mule
What breeds is the Cheviot mule a hybrid of?
Cheviot ewe X Bluefaced Leicester tup
What is the Cheviot breed known for?
hardiness and mothering ability
What is the Bluefaced Leicester breed known for?
prolificacy and milkiness
What lambing percentage does the farm aim for but what is the reality?
200% but actually 180%
What does the average adult weigh?
70-80kg
What is their production goal?
producing Texel or Beltex Cross prime limbs
How many teeth does an adult sheep have?
32
What is the dental formula for a sheep?
Whole Upper jaw: M12 (dental pad instead of incisors)
Whole Lower jaw: I8 M12
Before aging a sheep by its teeth what should you look at first?
The sheep itself and decide if its an adult or juvenile BEFORE
How do you visualize the teeth on a sheep?
Just need to draw the bottom lip down to expose the teeth and sometimes raise the upper lip
DO NOT block the nostrils and don’t place a thumb in mouth OR pry open her mouth
What are milk teeth?
the 4 pairs of teeth that birth lambs have - they are small and usually nice and white
How old is a sheep if you see 1st set of incisors (central)?
1 year 3 months between 1 year 9 months
What do adult sheep teeth look like?
large and broad teeth
How old is a sheep if you see 2 sets of adult incisors?
1 year 9 months to 2 year 3 months
age of sheep with 3 sets of permanent incisor erupted teeth?
2 years 3 months to 2 year 9 months
age of sheep with 4 sets of permanent incisor erupted teeth?
older than 2 years 9 months
What does a receding gum line when a sheep gets old look like?
makes the teeth look narrower and more spaced out
What is a broken mouthed sheep?
when a sheep ages and their teeth become loose and fall out so they may have difficulty grazing especially if the grass is short
How do you sex a sheep?
- lift up their tail (good for younger sheep)
- can identify structures like udders or testicles
When you lift up a females tail what will you see?
an anus and then a vulva below
When you lift the tail of a male sheep what do you see?
an anus and if castrated male might have rudimentary teats
What is the average weight of a single lamb?
6-8kg
What is the average weight of a twin lamb?
5-6kg
What is the average weight of a triple lamb?
3-4kg
What is the average weight of a prime/fat lamb?
want them to be 40 kg with a BCS 4
What is the average weight of a ewe lamb?
@ 6 months would be 45-50 kg
What is the purpose of a ewe lamb?
for this farm, the cheviot mule ewe lambs replace members in the herd in autumn
What is the average weight of a adult scottish mule?
70-80kg
What is the average weight of an adult suffolk ewe?
80-100kg
What is the average weight of an adult Suffolk tup ?
100-120kg
How are male lambs castrated at Easter Bush?
rubber rings
What is the process of rubber rings for castration?
apply the rubber rings within 7 days of birth with an elastrator. Can only be applied to fit, healthy and well fed lambs. The ring is positioned above the testicles and below the teats
Why should the rubber ring castration only be done on fit, healthy, and well fed lambs?
the pain response can last up to 2 hours and can inhibit the lamb from suckling
What are signs that the lamb is in distress due to castration?
not suckling, abnormal postures, rolling, and other abnormal behaviors indicating acute pain.
Why should the castration process finish before letting ewes and lambs onto the field?
there could be mismothering when the ewe walks off to graze but the lamb can’t follow due to pain
A ring must never be applies unless…
both testicles are present below the ring
What should you make sure to not catch in the ring?
don’t want the teats caught in the ring
What is bloodless castration?
using a Burdizzo (blunt metal jaws)., they clamp over the skin of the neck of the scrotum to crush blood vessels which supply testicles so they will wither and die (the skin should not be broken)
What are benefits of using Bloodless castration?
no open skin reduces the risk of infection and the blood supply to the scrotum should be left intact
For tagging when should one tag be placed on a lamb?
before/at 9 months or before leaving holding of birth
When must sheep have two ear tags (one which is electronic) ?
at 12 months of age
What side should the electronic ear tag be placed on?
left ear
If a sheep loses a tag that is not on the holding of birth, what color tag is inserted?
a red replacement tag
If sheep loses a tag, that is still on holding of birth, what color can the placement tag be?
if same exact one can be yellow
What is upgrading regarding ear tags?
when a lamb becomes one year old and single tag is removed so double tag of own flock number inserted (red tags not required)
What information is on the ear tag?
- country of origin (UK)
- flock number
- individual number
What are the IV injection sites?
jugular vein (fastest route for drug administration)
What are the IM injection sites?
muscle mass of neck, muscles of hind leg
What are the SQ site?
areas where skin is loose so 1. side of neck or 2. behind shoulder
What is drenching?
oral administration of small volumes of liquid (< 30mLs)) - sheep restrained, chin up, liquid slowly squirted back of tongue, allow sheep to swallow, release head once swallow
When do you use stomach tubes/ orogastric tubes?
when needing to administer large volumes like colostrum for lambs
What are the 3Qs for colostrum?
Quality, Quantity, Quickly
