Sheep Industry Flashcards
what is a breeding ram called
Tup
what is a gimmer
female from her 1st shearing to lambing
what is a lamb after 1st shearing
shearling
define ewe
breeding female with multiple lambs over multiple years
what is a finished lamb
lamb ready for slaughter
what is a lamb destined for meat
hogget
what is a draft ewe
an older breeding ewe
what is a vasectomised ram?
teaser
where are hill sheep found
well mountains and scottish highlands
where are upland sheep found?
lake district
where are lowland sheep found?
central to east england
what are some traits and breeds of hill sheep
thick coats for harsh conditions,
1 lamb a year
scottish blackface
welsh mountain
cheviot
swaledale
what are some traits and breeds of upland sheep
2 lambs a year
bluefaced Leicester
Wensleydale
border Leicester
what are some traits and breeds of lowland sheep
fast growers
charollais
hampshire
texel
suffolk
describe the stratified sheep system
sheep from different regions are crossbred
how old is a lamb when slaughtered
6 to 8 months
what is a sheep’s gestation length
147 days
what does seasonally polyoestrus mean
can have multiple oestrus cycles within a season due to the amount of daylight
when are pre breeding checks for ewes, vaccines given and flushing
October
what is ewe flushing
increasing nutrients in preperation for tupping for better fertility
when is tupping?
November
when is lambing?
April
when are male lambs castrated
April
when is the pregnancy scanned and therefore barren ewes are sold
January
what occurs in february/ march?
pre lambing vaccines for more antibodies in the milk/ colostrum
when are lambs 1st vaccinated
May
when are 2nd lamb vaccines
June
Name some signs of lambing
ewe isolation
stargazing
water bag showing
what should the diet of a growing foetus be?
less dry matter forage - so more silage
slow increase of concentrate for gradual microbe accomidation
what are the different minerals required in a sheep diet
colbolt
copper
calcium
magnesium
what produces colbolt, when is it needed?
rumen microbes produce B12 which contains cobolt
12 week lamb
what is the max amount of copper that can be injested due to its toxicity
25ppm
what does a copper deficiency lead to?
swayback - curve in ewes spine
leads to paralysed lambs
Describe twin lamb disease
hypocalcaemia leads to skinny lambs with not enough nutrients - mainly stillborn
Why is Mg needed daily
there is no way to store Mg in the body
how much colostrum should a newborn have
24L/kg (in the 1st 24h)
how can you avoid hypothermia in lambs once brown adipose tissue has run out
heat boxes
glucose injections
colostrum (potentially through a feeding tube)
why do you tail dock?
easier for shearing and carcase processing
reduce fly strike
how old is a lamb when their tail is docked
under 7 days, over 24 h
how may you castrate a sheep?
rubber ring under 7 days
burdizzo clamp to crush blood vessels
surgically by a vet (after 3 months)
what is Entropion and how is it treated?
turned in eyelids leading to ulsers
either unroll when young
or inject penecilin or anaethetic or liquid paraffin (heavy substances) into eyelid to keep open and treat infection
