Sheep industry Flashcards
define:
lamb
weaner
hogget
lamb = 0-3 months
weaner = 3-9 months
hogget = 9-10 months until 12 months
define:
maiden
ewe
ram
maiden = not been joined
ram = entire male
ewe = adult female (18 months)
how many sheep in australia and WA
72 million, 13.5 million in WA
how much does sheep industry make in AUS and WA
aus = $7.6 billion
WA = $1.3 billion
where are sheep located in Australia
- high rainfall zone -> 30% sheep, high SD, fine wool Merinos and meat
- Wheat sheep zone - 65% sheep, mixed farming, low SR, merino ewes
- Pastoral zone - 5% sheep, low SR, broad wool merinos and shedding sheep
how many farms in Aus with sheep
40,000
breeds common in Aus
- Merino = 75% ewes (90% of WA)
- 2/3 merino bred with merino rams
structure of Aus flock
59% ewes
10% wethers
30% lambs
1% rams
how much sheep meat is exported from Aus
80%
90% mutton (decreasing)
65% lamb
how much wool is exported
100% -> we dont process any
what determines sheep price
- fibre diameter (small)
- staple strength (high)
- vegetable matter
- staple length (long)
what are the four big things in the sheep calendar
- lambing
- shearing
- crutching
- jetting
what is the most important occurrence on calendar
Lambing
needs to line up with:
- pasture growth
- cost and availability of supplementary feed
- requirement of lambs
- other farms activities (labour etc)
how long is a sheep’s cycle
17 days (only in some months)
when do events usually occur in the calendar
summer = pre-joining and joining
- pregnant for summer to autumn
- lactating and lambing in winter to spring
steps for joining management
- ram health for 2 months pre-joining
- both 3-4 BCS and 2-5 months wool to avoid overheating
- join in small paddocks to increase contact
- ewe age at joining = 19 months (hogget)
how long does joining last in season
- 2 cycles of joining/35 days
what is the optimum time for scanning for preg
- 40-90 days of gestation
what equipment is used for scanning
- transducer
- ultrasound machine
- water/gel for lubrication
how is pregnancy managed
- ewes = 3-3.5 BCS at lambing
- ewes lambing in autumn require supplementary feeding
how to calculate lambing percentage
lambing % =
number lambs born/number ewes joined x 100
how to calc marking percentage
=
number of lambs marked/joined ewes x 100
is ear tagging compulsory in WA
yes -> registered ear tag with ownership and sex
what do ear tags indicate
position:
- males marked left ear
- females right
colour:
- NLIS year of birth
ear tag colours and years:
yellow
red
blue
black
white
orange
green
purple
Y = 2013/2021
R = 2014/2022
Blue = 2015/2023
black = 2016/2024
w = 2017/2025
o = 2018/2026
g = 2019/2027
p = 2020/2028
what do pink tags mean
post breeder/bought to property
instruments used for tail docking
- rubber rings
- hot iron knife
- pain relief
how is castration done
- rubber rings
- pain relief
what is mulesing
- cut crescent shaped pieces of skin from breech and tail of lambs
- wound heals and skin tightens reducing wrinkle for fly strike
- pain relief
alternatives to mulesing
- freeze branding
- breeding
- chemicals/jetting
- crutching
when does weaning occur
- 12-14 weeks
- waners used as replacement ewes or meat lambs
- wethers are used as meat of wool
when does shearing occur
- spring = low staple strength but easier fly management and better fit with sale of surplus stock
- summer = high vegetable mater in wool (low quality), fly problems
what is crutching
- removing wool above tail and down inside of hind legs
- wool around pizzle removed
- wool on face removed
when does crutching occur
- ideally within 3 months of shearing
- when flystrike most possible -> Aug/Sept or Feb/March
when are vaccines given
- marking
- weaning
- annual booster for ewes month before lambing
- annual booster rams one month before mating
what is given in drenching
- internal parasite control
- vitamin deficiency supplements
what is jetting
- using fly treatments
- applied based on shearing times, fly strike and chemical with holding periods
when does jetting occur
- august to October
- or March-April
