Week 5 (Sheep & Goats) Flashcards
Where in Texas are most of the sheep population located?
Edward’s Plateu
Extensive Production Systems
- southwestern range operations
- northwestern range operations
Intensive Production System
- farm flock operation
- lamb feedlot industry
What are Southwestern Range Operations
- use finer wool ewes, most adaptable
- very little supplemental feed
- impacts on profit: rain, predators, lamb crop, high quality fleece
What are Northwestern Range Operations
- similar structure to southwest, more supplemental feed
- goal: fast growing, easily marketed carcass sheep, coarser, heavier fleeced ewes, larger lamb crop
Farm Flock Sheep Production
Lamb Production: intensive management 150-200% lamb crop
Maternal (prolific, heavy milking)
Paternal (growth, muscularity)
Lamb Feedlot Industry
- Colorado & Texas led
- concentrate diets: high energy content
- goal= maximize average daily gain
3 parts of Goat Production
- Hair Production
- Meat Production
- Dairy Production
What is the hair in goat production?
Mohair (angora goat) 90% of U.S. production in Texas
Spanish Goat Nannies X cashmere bucks
Goat Production (meat)
- Spanish goat
- boer goat
- browse
Goat Production (dairy)
- intensively managed
- leading states are Wisconsin & California
- Nubian and saanen
Reproduction
Puberty: Rams/Ewes 6 to 8 months
Length of Estrous Cycle: 17 days
Length of Estrus: 30 hours
Ovulation: 15 hours after onset of estrous
Gestation length: 150 days
Filiform Appendage
Goat Penis
Goat Reproduction
Age of Puberty: 6 to 8 months
Estrous cycle length: 21 days
Estrus Length: 36 hours
Ovulation: 24 hours after estrus
Gestation length: 150 days
- seasonal breeders (breed in fall, birth in spring)
Range
- extensively managed
Jugs
- intensively managed inside barns (5x5)
Docking
- removal of tail
- two weeks of age
Castrate
- removal of testicles
- four weeks of age
4 ways to dock
- Knife
- Emasculator
- Elastrator
- Electric Docker
4 ways to castrate
- Knife
- Elastrator
- Burdizzo
- Emasculator
Common management practices
- Crutching (shear backside)
- Facing (shear face)
- Drenching (drain)
- Spraying
What animals are used for predator control?
- Great Pyrenees
- donkey
- llamas
- Border collies
Age determinate (TEETH)
1-1.5 years = first pair
1.5-2 years= second pair
2.5-3 years= third pair
3.5-4years= fourth pair
Internal Parasites
Haemonchus contortus
From grass
External Parasites
- flies
- keds
- ticks
- lice
Health Problems
- Starvation
- Trauma
- Enterotoxemia
- Sore Mouth (zoonotic)
- Coccidiosis
Front leg problems
- buck kneed (too foward)
- calf kneed (backwards)
- weak pastures
Hind leg problems
- post legged
- sickle hocked
- weak pasterns
- bow legged
- cow hocked
Correct Mouth Soundness
- lower incisors align with dental pad
Overshot Jaw (parrot mouth)
Hinders intake
Undershot jaw (monkey mouth)
Hinders intake
Sheep fleece traits
- staple
- density
- yield
- uniformity grade
- fitness
*color - luster
Ewes
- commonly, reeders select for multiple births
Culling auntie rearing ewes increases
Rams
- physical assessment of scrotal size and semen evaluation
Genetics Evaluation
NSIP NATIONAL SHEEP IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
FEPD FLOCK EXPECTED PROGENY DIFFERENCE
- maternal, growth, and wool traits
Steps in Wool Production
- Shearing
- Grading
- Packaging
- Storage
- Marketing
- Manufacturing
Manufacturing
- Sorting
- Scouring
- Drying
- Carding
- Carding
Major factors of Wool Evaluation
- yield
- grade
- staple length
Wool should be free from
- black fibers, kemp, excess belly wool
