Sheep Production and UKSheep Industry Flashcards
Tup/ram?
breeding male
ewe?
breeding female who has had more than one crop of lambs
tupping?
mating of a ram and ewe
gimmer?
a female ewe lamb from first shearing to giving birth
ewe lamb?
a female lamb destined for breeding >1 year
shearling?
a lamb (usually destined for breeding) after first shear (1-2 years old)
meat production animals?
fat/finished lambs
hogg/hogget
fat/finished lambs?
lambs that are finished and ready for slaughter within a year from birth
hogg/hogget?
a lamb destined for meat that is between 1-2 years
barren?
ewes that don’t become preggers after being tupped (usually sold)
broken-mouthed?
a sheep which has lost/broken teeth (usually >6 years old)
draft ewe?
an older breeding ewe, sold off hills to lower ground where conditions are less challenging
teaser?
a vasectomised ram, placed among ewes to encourage onset of oestrus
sheep system used in the UK?
Stratified sheep system
ewe lambs?
kept for pedigree breeding flock
top ram lambs?
kept for pedigree breeding flock
ram lambs?
sent to slaughter :/
mules?
larger frame, good milk production, prolific, excellent mothers
tend to have white and black freckled faces and white coat
mule X terminal sire?
grow fast, heavier frame, good carcass composition
terminal sire?
lowland breed
in with a bang –>
out with the fools (lambing starts April fools)
flushing of the ewes?
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)
store lambs?
overwintered - stay on farm on winter - stay a year –> now called mutton
mutton take longer to finish
% of fat in a fully trimmed raw lean lamb?
8%
The animal going to slaughter is 40kg, what is the deadweight (intestines, skin etc removed)
roughly 50%
19kg
how often do sheep need to be sheared?
at least once a year
How much per kilogram of wool in 2021?
79p per kg
sheep milk compared to cow milk?
higher protein and fat content in sheep milk
describe the conditions of the ‘hills’:
highlands and islands of scotland, mountain areas of Wales (harsh climates, long winters and relatively poor soil quality)
name some hill sheep breeds:
welsh mountain, swaledale, scottish blackface, cheviot
Describe the types of conditions seen in the upland areas and name where these are located?
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
give some examples of upland sheep breeds:
blue faced leicester, border leicester, teeswater, wensleydale and longwools
describe the conditions and locations of lowland areas:
some low lying areas of england and wales, mostly central and east of england where soil is more productive
least harsh weather conditions
give some example of sheep breeds found in the lowlands:
texel, suffolk, charollais, romneys, down breeds and hampshires
describe lowland breeds?
grow fast
heavier frames
more prolific
describe upland breeds:
more prolific than hill breeds (roughly 2 lambs per year)
they do better on lower, easier terrain
describe hill breeds:
hardy
thick coated and adapted for harsh conditions
excellent mothers
usually have 1 lamb a year
what do sheep help to maintain?
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
april?
peak lambing time
august?
weaning and slaughter OR ‘fattening store lambs’
how many litres of milk does a sheep produce a day?
1.2 litres roughly TWICE a day (so 2-3 litres a day)
AHDB?
The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board
