Sheep Production and UKSheep Industry

Question 1

Tup/ram?

Answer 1

breeding male

Question 2

ewe?

Answer 2

breeding female who has had more than one crop of lambs

Question 3

tupping?

Answer 3

mating of a ram and ewe

Question 4

gimmer?

Answer 4

a female ewe lamb from first shearing to giving birth

Question 5

ewe lamb?

Answer 5

a female lamb destined for breeding >1 year

Question 6

shearling?

Answer 6

a lamb (usually destined for breeding) after first shear (1-2 years old)

Question 7

meat production animals?

Answer 7

fat/finished lambs
hogg/hogget

Question 8

fat/finished lambs?

Answer 8

lambs that are finished and ready for slaughter within a year from birth

Question 9

hogg/hogget?

Answer 9

a lamb destined for meat that is between 1-2 years

Question 10

barren?

Answer 10

ewes that don’t become preggers after being tupped (usually sold)

Question 11

broken-mouthed?

Answer 11

a sheep which has lost/broken teeth (usually >6 years old)

Question 12

draft ewe?

Answer 12

an older breeding ewe, sold off hills to lower ground where conditions are less challenging

Question 13

teaser?

Answer 13

a vasectomised ram, placed among ewes to encourage onset of oestrus

Question 14

sheep system used in the UK?

Answer 14

Stratified sheep system

Question 15

ewe lambs?

Answer 15

kept for pedigree breeding flock

Question 16

top ram lambs?

Answer 16

kept for pedigree breeding flock

Question 17

ram lambs?

Answer 17

sent to slaughter :/

Question 18

mules?

Answer 18

larger frame, good milk production, prolific, excellent mothers
tend to have white and black freckled faces and white coat

Question 19

mule X terminal sire?

Answer 19

grow fast, heavier frame, good carcass composition

Question 20

terminal sire?

Answer 20

lowland breed

Question 21

in with a bang –>

Answer 21

out with the fools (lambing starts April fools)

Question 22

flushing of the ewes?

Answer 22

higher plane of nutrition as they go into tupping period 0 new filed with lush grass or concentrate feeding (higher calories intake to encourage multiple ovulations)

Question 23

store lambs?

Answer 23

overwintered - stay on farm on winter - stay a year –> now called mutton
mutton take longer to finish

Question 24

% of fat in a fully trimmed raw lean lamb?

Answer 24

8%

Question 25

The animal going to slaughter is 40kg, what is the deadweight (intestines, skin etc removed)

Answer 25

roughly 50%
19kg

Question 26

how often do sheep need to be sheared?

Answer 26

at least once a year

Question 27

How much per kilogram of wool in 2021?

Answer 27

79p per kg

Question 28

sheep milk compared to cow milk?

Answer 28

higher protein and fat content in sheep milk

Question 29

describe the conditions of the ‘hills’:

Answer 29

highlands and islands of scotland, mountain areas of Wales (harsh climates, long winters and relatively poor soil quality)

Question 30

name some hill sheep breeds:

Answer 30

welsh mountain, swaledale, scottish blackface, cheviot

Question 31

Describe the types of conditions seen in the upland areas and name where these are located?

Answer 31

areas of northern england e.g. lake district and south west e.g. Dartmoor
Less harsh than hills but land and soil not very productive

Question 32

give some examples of upland sheep breeds:

Answer 32

blue faced leicester, border leicester, teeswater, wensleydale and longwools

Question 33

describe the conditions and locations of lowland areas:

Answer 33

some low lying areas of england and wales, mostly central and east of england where soil is more productive
least harsh weather conditions

Question 34

give some example of sheep breeds found in the lowlands:

Answer 34

texel, suffolk, charollais, romneys, down breeds and hampshires

Question 35

describe lowland breeds?

Answer 35

grow fast
heavier frames
more prolific

Question 36

describe upland breeds:

Answer 36

more prolific than hill breeds (roughly 2 lambs per year)
they do better on lower, easier terrain

Question 37

describe hill breeds:

Answer 37

hardy
thick coated and adapted for harsh conditions
excellent mothers
usually have 1 lamb a year

Question 38

what do sheep help to maintain?

Answer 38

grasslands and uplands which promote plant and animal biodiversity
wildfire control
in lowland areas they help to fertilise soil to grow crops in a natural and low impact way

Question 39

april?

Answer 39

peak lambing time

Question 40

august?

Answer 40

weaning and slaughter OR ‘fattening store lambs’

Question 41

how many litres of milk does a sheep produce a day?

Answer 41

1.2 litres roughly TWICE a day (so 2-3 litres a day)

Question 42

AHDB?

Answer 42

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board