Sheep Industry & Husbandry

Question 1

Typical Sheep Production system

Answer 1

• seasonally polyoestrus; breed when days shorten
• melatonin produced by brain in darkness
• lambs reach puberty @ 8 months
• Gestation length 147 days

Question 2

Sheep Calendar

Answer 2

• Jan; Scan for pregnancy
• Feb; Pre-lambing vaccines
• March; In for lambing
  -April; Lambing
• May; Lamb vaccines
• June; Shearing
  -July; Lambs weaned, best lambs slaughtered
• August; …
• Sept; pre-breeding
• Oct; Flushing for tupping
• Nov; tupping
• Dec …

Question 3

Care of pregnant ewe

Answer 3

• Conception - 42 days; ewe maintenance only
• 42-90 days; ewe maintenance + 2MJ/day as considerable placenta growth
• 90- birth; rapid foetal growth, colostrum & prevent pregnancy toxaemia; 2x maintenance

Question 4

Outdoor vs Indoor Lambing

Answer 4

INDOOR; reduces lamb hypothermia, easier to monitor, more control on ewe diet
Potential disease spread, mismothering, stressful move
OUTDOOR; more space, less disease spread, less stress
Harder to intervene, risk of predation

Question 5

Hill Sheep housing

Answer 5

Usually lamb outside, hardy breed
Supplementary feeding provided

Question 6

Lowland sheep housing

Answer 6

Shelter or housing provided

Question 7

Shearing

Answer 7

• removing a sheeps entire fleece
• Shorn every year to ensure they don’t overheat and reduce flystrike
• in early summer

Question 8

Flushing for tupping

Answer 8

• 6 weeks before seeing the ram
• increase plane of nutrition to promote fertility
• increase nutrition; more eggs ovulated

Question 9

Feeding considerations close to lambing

Answer 9

• Rumen capacity is smaller due to growing foetus
• more concentrates for energy

Question 10

Lactation effects in ewes

Answer 10

• High energy demand
• Concentrate feeding into lactation

Question 11

Lactation in lambs

Answer 11

• Colostrum
• Creep-feeding started pre-weaning; helps rumen develop
• Growth rate; 250g/day

Question 12

Weaning lambs

Answer 12

• 12 weeks
• check growth rates, more important than BCS

Question 13

Importance of cobalt

Answer 13

• Component of vitamin B12, needed for metabolism
• Produced in rumen microbes when sufficient cobalt in the diet

Question 14

Copper deficiency

Answer 14

• causes swayback
• weakness and paralysis due to spinal chord damage
  -poor coat quality

Question 15

Copper toxicity

Answer 15

• pet sheep
• jaundice, neurological symptoms

Question 16

Calcium importance

Answer 16

• Hypocalcaemia
• Poor nutrition
• Or result of fast foetal growth and milk production

Question 17

Magnesium importance

Answer 17

• Hypomagnesaemia
• Fast-growing spring grass is low in magnesium
• Higher requirement during lactation
• spasms and convulsions

Question 18

What is dystocia?

Answer 18

Obstructed labour

Question 19

Newborn lamb weights

Answer 19

• Single; 5.5 to 7 kg
• Twins; 5 to 6 kg
• Triplets; >4kg

Question 20

Care of newborn lamb

Answer 20

• Dip navel in iodine
• Ensure lambs are up & suckling within 30 mins
• Susceptible to cold
• Normal temp; 39-40 degrees c

Question 21

Injection sites in lambs

Answer 21

• Subcutaneous; scruff of the neck, front of the shoulder
• Intramuscular; front of upper leg

Question 22

Entropion

Answer 22

In-turned eyelids

Question 23

Castrating lambs

Answer 23

• Rubber rings around the neck of the scrotum; first 7 days
• Surgical; vet only
• Over 3 months; only a vet can perform procedure