Sheep Lab Flashcards
1
Q
Commercial Sheep Operations
A
- crossbred ewes, purebred rams
2
Q
Blackface Breeds
A
- meat
- black wool cannot be died
3
Q
Whiteface Breeds
A
- superior wool and livability
4
Q
Rambouillet
A
- fine wool
- most important breed in commercial sheep production in the US
- type of Merino
- dual purpose
- low prolificacy
5
Q
Suffolk
A
- medium wool
- black face
- used as sire of offspring for fat lamb production
- more for meat production (Down Breed)
6
Q
Hampshire
A
- medium wool
- wool over forehead
- rapid growth
- efficient feed conversion
7
Q
Dorset
A
- medium wool
- white face
- dam or sire for fat lambs
- good milk production, long breeding season
8
Q
Polypay
A
- medium wool
- dual purpose
- from 4 sheep breeds to be more versatile and profitable
- prolific, can breed out of season, good carcass
9
Q
Columbia
A
- medium wool
- dual purpose
- combines wool-producing of Rambouillet with range-producing qualities of Lincoln
10
Q
Corriedale
A
- medium wool
- white face
- dual purpose, hardy, early maturity
11
Q
Cheviot
A
- medium wool
- good mothering ability and carcass
- adaptable
12
Q
Finnish Landrace
A
- medium/long wool
- often used for crossing
- high prolificacy, early puberty, high fertility
- lack of hardiness
13
Q
Lincoln
A
- long wool
- fast growth
- large, lean, well-muscled carcass
- popular with specialty woolgrowers in US
14
Q
Romney
A
- long wool
- dual purpose
- white fleece or natural colored
- high yield and easily spun
- lean, high quality carcass
15
Q
Dorper
A
- hair sheep breed
- mixture of hair and wool
- wool is of no commercial value
- mutton breed
- good mothers
- no shearing required
16
Q
Lacaune
A
- dairy sheep
- most widely used dairy sheep breed in France
- produces milk for making true Roquefort cheese in France
17
Q
Puberty
A
- ewes: 6-8 mo
- rams: 5-8 mo
- weight: 36.3-54.4 kg
18
Q
Estrous Cycle
A
- 15-19 days (avg 17)
- seasonally polyestrous
- fall breeders (have a few cycles in fall)
19
Q
Estrus Period
A
- 30 hours average
- ovulation is at the end of the estrus period
20
Q
Signs of Heat
A
- standing to be mounted (lordosis)
- very few external signs of heat
21
Q
Gestation
A
- 145-150 days (5 mo)
- often 2 lambs
22
Q
Weaning
A
- after 5 mo
23
Q
Wether
A
- male castrated before sexual maturity
24
Q
Stag
A
- male castrated after reaching sexual maturity
25
Jug
- pen to hold lambing ewe and newborn lamb together
26
Tagging
- trimming/cutting wool of ewe around dock, flank, and udder just prior to birth aids in nursing and keeping the areas clean
27
Shearing
- once a year
- fleeces weigh 3.2-7.5 kg
- micron system to measure fiber diameter
28
Lambs
- in the feedlot, typically fed a high grain diet
- some grain is added to ewe's diet just before breeding and parturition
29
Feeding
- 3% of BW in DM per day
- 1.5-2x maintenance req for nursing ewes at peak lactation
- 0.5-2.1 gal water for grazing sheep (sheep not on pasture req more)
30
Large, Extensive Systems
- western states, TX
- low stocking density (# animals/area land)
- handled less frequently
31
Small, Intensive Systems
- irrigated pasture
- feeder lambs given grain
- Midwest, W Coast, E, S
- breeding stock
- use AI
- higher stocking density
- more frequent animal handling
32
Footrot
- Fusobacterium necrophorum (from manure) and Bacteroides nodosus (from sheep's hooves)
- moist soil conditions are cause and spread
- treatment: trim hooves, soak in zinc sulfate, keep sheep isolated
33
Sore Mouth
- zoonotic
- symptoms in sheep: thick scabs on lips, nostrils, face, and teats
- symptoms in humans: painful sores
- causes reduced gain and feed efficiency
- most detrimental to nursing animals who don't feed once infected
- virus can survive for long time in scabs and can pass from animals to environment
- especially contracted from feeders
- no treatment, but can vaccinate
34
Emasculatome
- used to castrate or dock tails
- crushes, doesn't cut
- shaped like O
35
Crook
- to catch sheep by neck or leg
36
Drencher
- to administer most oral dewormers and solutions to control parasites and other intestinal problems
37
Ear Taggers
- to place tags of various types in ears to ID animals
38
Elastrator
- bloodless tail docking or castration by placing strong rubber ring over tail or scrotum
- tail and testes eventually slough off
39
Electric Tail Docker
- used to dock tails
- cuts and sears tail at same time
40
Electric Shears
- to shear fleece
41
Emasculator
- for tail docking and castrating
- crushes and cuts
- more common as castration device in cattle and horses
42
Hand Shears
- to trim fleece by hand
- good for show lambs
43
Hoof Trimmer
- to trim hooves
44
Marking Harness
- strapped on ram's chest to leave mark on ewes after servicing to know which ewes are bred or as heat-detection device
45
Paint Brands
- to pain ID number on fleece
- easy to see at a distance and washes off wool easily
46
Ram Skirt
- used on ram so he cannot penetrate ewe when mounted
- heat detection device
