sheep husbandry

Question 1

Gestation length

Answer 1

around 147 days

Question 2

when do lambs reach puberty

Answer 2

around 8 months

Question 3

what is the production cycle of a ewe

Answer 3

• October/November = put to ram
• march/April = lambing
• may/June = weaning
• august/ September = ewe ‘flushed’ (fed enhanced diet before tupping)

Question 4

what is the production cycle of a lamb

Answer 4

-march/April = birth
- may/June = weaning
- august/september= early finish on grass then to slaughter OR
- January = older lambs finished on roots though the winter then to slaughter

Question 5

what husbandry requirements are needed from conception to 42 days

Answer 5

this is the early phase, feed for ewe maintenance (grass +/- forage)

Question 6

what husbandry requirements are needed on days 42-90 of pregnancy

Answer 6

• feed for ewe maintenance + 2MJ/day (grass +/- forage) so that the placenta develops enough
• ultrasound scan

Question 7

what husbandry requirements are needed days 90- parturition

Answer 7

• fed 2x maintenance requirements by lambing time
• good nutrition is essential
• around 6 weeks before lambing, ewes are moved to more sheltered fields or indoors

Question 8

3 positives and 3 negatives for indoor lambing

Answer 8

positives:
- reduces the risk of lamb hypothermia
- easy to monitor and intervene
- more control on ewe diet pre-lambing

negatives:
- potential disease spread
- risk of mismothering
- stressful to move ewes prior to lambing

Question 9

3 positives and 3 negatives to outdoor lambing

Answer 9

positives:
- more space
- less disease spread
- less stressful for ewe

negative:
- harder to monitor and intervene
- risk of lamb hypothermia
- risk of predation

Question 10

do hill sheep prefer to lamb outdoors or indoors?

Answer 10

outdoors, hardy breed

Question 11

do lowland sheep prefer to lamb outdoors or indoors?

Answer 11

shelter or housing is usually provided, usually brought indoors in late gestation

Question 12

basic order of lambing?

Answer 12

• feet appear 1st
• head follows
• lamb delivered
• bonding
• check teats and milk

Question 13

how can you age sheep?

Answer 13

mouthing
- you can age sheep by looking at the age of the teeth: when permanent incisors replace milk teeth

Question 14

what areas of a sheep do you look at and feel to BCS them?

Answer 14

transverse and spinous processes

Question 15

what are common sheep husbandry procedures

Answer 15

• ageing sheep by teeth
• BCS
• Foot trimming
• shearing
• vaccinations

Question 16

what is shearing?

Answer 16

procedure to remove a sheep entire fleece in one piece

Question 17

what is crutching

Answer 17

removing the wool from around the tail and between the back legs

Question 18

why do you shear sheep

Answer 18

• so that they don’t overheat
• reduces the risk of fly strike

Question 19

when do you usually shear sheep

Answer 19

early summer, may marks the start of a shearing season in uk

Question 20

what welfare considerations are there with sheep shearing

Answer 20

• injury, which then causes stress
• shorn sheep need to be protected from very cold/wet conditions for several weeks after

Question 21

what is a vaccination

Answer 21

administration of a vaccine to stimulate the immune system to develop adaptive immunity to a pathogen

Question 22

which common vaccines do we vaccinate sheep with

Answer 22

• clostridia spp.
• Pasteurella
• enzootic abortion and toxoplasmosis

Question 23

when do you vaccinate ewes

Answer 23

4 weeks before lambing so the lambs can gain protection via colostrum and milk

Question 24

when can you vaccinate lambs from

Answer 24

3-4 weeks

Question 25

what welfare considerations is there with vaccinations

Answer 25

• giving subcutaneous injections when fleece is wet can result in abscess
• gentle handling of pregnant ewes

Question 26

when does scanning take place?

Answer 26

55-100 days after removal of the rams

Question 27

Go throuh the annual sheep cycle

Answer 27

October:
- flushing for tupping
- pre breeding checks
- ewe abortion vaccine

November:
- tupping 25-100 ewes/ram
- usually 2 ewe cycles

December:
- rams removed (after 6-8 weeks with the ewes)

January:
- scanning for pregnancy
- sale of barren ewes

February:
- nutrition evaluated
- concentrates from 6 weeks prior to lambing

march:
- pre- lambing ewe vaccines 4 weeks prior to lambing

April:
- lambing
- castration
- docking
ewe and lambs returned to grazing

may:
- 1st lamb vaccinations
- worming lambs
- creep feeding: lambs
lambs will start to eat properly at 6 weeks

june:
- 2nd lamb vaccine
- shearing of adults and last years lambs

july:
- weaning of best lambs
- first batch of this season’s lambs sold

august:
- ewes ad lambs grazing separately
- lambs monitored for growth and shed off for slaughter

September:
- lambs moved to stubble turnips for winter grazing
- ewe rest and gain BCS

Question 28

3 types of land? describe them and a breed of sheep you find there

Answer 28

• hill: harsh climates, long winters, poor soil quality.
• Scottish blackface, cheviot
• upland: less harsh than hills but land and soil still not very productive
• teeswater
• lowland: least harsh weather conditions, more soil productivity
• texel

Question 29

what type of system is the uk sheep system?

Answer 29

stratified

Question 30

products of the sheep industry

Answer 30

• meat
• wool
• milk

Question 31

what weight are lambs uually slaughtered

Answer 31

around 40kg

Question 32

carcase classification target

Answer 32

E U R
1 2 3L

Question 33

shearing cost to farmer

Answer 33

£0.90-1.00/heep

Question 34

how much do farmers get paid per fleece

Answer 34

£0.50-£3.00/ per fleece

Question 35

how much milk does a sheep produce in a day

Answer 35

1.2 litres twice a day ( 2-3 litre/day)

Question 36

dairy breeds

Answer 36

• fresland
• british milk sheep