Breeds of Sheep

1. Breeds of Sheep

2. Objectives • Identify breeds of sheep • Describe the differences in the breeds • Discuss their uses based off of traits • Explain reproduction of sheep

3. Cheviot • Resistant to cold, windy conditions • White, wool free faces • Long wool type • Wool has a helical crimp • Tend to be resistant to worms and foot rot

4. Columbia • Developed by the US Department of Ag • Developed to thrive on Western ranges • Produce medium wool and large amounts of meat

5. Corriedale • Developed in New Zealand & Australia • Dual purpose breed • Produces bulky, high density wool

6. Dorset • Originated in Europe • Medium-sized breed with high quality, white wool • Most popular white-faced breed in the United States • Horned and polled varieties exist

7. Hampshire • Originated in Hampshire, England • Black face and legs • Mild demeanor • Unbroken wool cap should extend from the neck over the forehead

8. Jacob • Originated in England • Two, four, or six horns • Black and white fleece • Fleece is highly sought after • Unimproved breed

9. Lincoln • Originated in England • The largest breed of sheep • Long-wooled breed • White faces • Pronounced forelock between the ears

10. Merino • Originated in Australia • Primarily a wool breed • White-faced • High quality wool used in the textile industry

11. Oxford • Originated in England • Second largest sheep breed • Meat-type breed • Tends to forage for its own food • White with black ears and bridge of nose

12. Rambouillet • Originated in France • Finewool breed • Used for meat and wool production • White with a white face and legs • Large framed

13. Southdown • Developed in England • Gray face with white body • Adapted to wet conditions • Medium wool breed • Used mainly for meat

14. Suffolk • Originated in England • Another popular breed in the US • Produce large amounts of meat • White with black faces and legs

15. Vocab • Ewe- A female sheep • Ram- A male sheep • Wethers- A castrated male sheep • Lamb- young sheep (male or female) • Fleece- wool • Wool blindness- condition of wool covering face

16. Sheep Breed Booklet • Using the breeds discussed, make a booklet outlining their traits and names. • Then create a visual representation of the sheep in the booklet to help you remember what each breed looks like.

17. Sheep Production

18. Why choose sheep? • Sheep can survive where cows can’t • Sheep will eat problem weeds like Leafy Spurge • Profit per acre is the same for sheep and cows, and usually higher for sheep • Easier to get started due to less equipment needed

19. Breed Categories • Wool Type: white wool only, better quality • Meat Type: any black wool • Dual Purpose: white wool, but better meat than wool types

20. Sheep Reproduction • Seasonal breeders - only breed in spring and fall • Gestation- 148 days • Ewe lambs must be 100 lbs to breed • Ram can service 12-15 ewes as a lamb, and up to 100 as a yearling • Most common = 3 rams / 100 ewes • Usually not kept after 6 yrs

21. Sheep Reproduction • Marking harness - ram marks back of ewe with a crayon when mating • Change crayon colors every couple of weeks, if ewes are rebred, the first time was not successful • may have a bad ram or ewe

22. Lambing • Many lambs are lost in the first 24 hrs • Twins - first born gets separated while second is being born • Assist difficult lambings • Disinfect lambs navel with iodine

23. Lambing • Lamb should nurse within minutes, especially if cold weather • Strip teats to remove a mucous plug that seals the teat • Lamb may not be strong enough to suck the plug out and not get any milk, if he fails, he will quit trying and die

24. Lambing • Colostrum: mothers first milk (antibiotics) • Keep ewe and lamb together for first 24 hours or more if the ewe doesn’t want to claim the lamb • Grafting: adopting lambs (triplets) onto other ewes (with singles or dead lambs) • can be difficult to get ewe to claim lamb

25. Raising • Identification: mark lambs with paint brands, or ear tags or tattoo ears (purebreds) • Docking: cut off tails • tails are a bother • between 1st and 2nd vertebrae of tail • Elastrator: rubber band cuts off circulation • Hot Iron: electric, heated knife stops bleeding

26. Raising • Castration: remove testicles • Elastrator • Cut with a knife • Burdizzo crushes cords • Dock & Castrate before 6 weeks old • Wean at 5-6 months or 100 lbs..... • Shear at least once per year, before lambing (20-40% of income)

27. Mike Rowe is at it again! • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QErgjt_GYBk

28. Sheep Terms • Lambing- the act of giving birth • Also know as ????? PARTURITION

29. Sheep Review • What do you call a castrated male? Wether • What is the gestation for sheep? 148 days • What do you call a young female? Ewe Lamb

30. Production Review • Let’s compare and contrast all the production animals we’ve learned so far. • Make a chart like the one below

31. Managing Sheep

32. Management • Culling: choosing animals not to keep for breeding purposes • Aging Sheep: less than 1 yr. = milk teeth • 1-2 yrs = middle two teeth replaced by 2 larger teeth • each year to 4 yrs = another set replaced • 6-7 yrs = begin to lose teeth (broken mouth)

33. Sheep ProductionFeeding • Ruminants like cattle • Feed a quality 18 % protein feed • Most feeders feel a textured feed is more desirable than a pellet

34. Feeding Sheep • Mostly roughages, concentrates for finishing • Average adult eats about 4 lbs..... dry feed per day • Really fat ewes - problems conceiving & delivering

35. Feeding Sheep • Average lamb weighs 7-9 lbs..... and will gain 1/2 LB per day • Flush ewes 17 days prior to breeding (increased level of nutrition)

36. Feeding Sheep • Increase nutrition 6 weeks prior to lambing until 1-2 months after lambing • Increase quality of feed not quantity • stomachs shrink when pregnant due to lambs in uterus • Males - increase nutrition 6 weeks prior to breeding to build strength

37. Create a sheep • 1. Take out a sheet of paper • 2. Draw a sheep (you don’t have to be an artist) • 3. Name your sheep breed and list the following: • 4. Wool color and type • 5. Used for meat, wool, or both? • 6. Any special traits (heat tolerant, cold tolerant, wet adapted) • 7. Using the supplies given, create a sheep (supplies include construction paper, cotton balls, and anything students might have). • 8. With this sheep, you must name it, give it traits, and give it color!

38. Goats Like sheep, but different!

39. Overview • Goats and sheep are similar as far as use • Some goats are used for meat and some for mohair (like wool) • But there are even some that are used for milk!

40. Judging Dairy Goats • General Appearance: Impressive style and carriage, possessing attractiveness and feminity. • Mammary System: Strongly attached and high quality udder, indicating high production and longevity. • Dairy Character: Angularity and general openness throughout. • Body Capacity: Relative to the size of the animal, providing ample capacity for feed intake and production.

41. Angora Goat Selection • In selecting for fiber, one is interested in both quantity (weight) and quality of fiber (length, fineness, style, character, absence of kemp, etc.). • In addition to fiber, farmers are concerned with traits that contribute to the survival or viability (soundness, fertility, etc.) of the individual.

42. Angora Goat Selection • Selection based on quantity of fiber is accomplished by: • size of the animal • completeness of cover • length of fiber (four inches minimum) • diameter of fiber (finer fibers preferred) • differences in density (desirable lock formation)

43. Angora Goat Selection • Selection based on fleece weight • grease (oil) • dirt • Selection based on age • Weaning or first shearing is a poor time • Select the animal at second and third shearing (12-18months old)

44. Judging Meat Goats • Conformation: • Rectangular in appearance from the side • Straight level top and belly • Length of rump, body, and leg are important • Legs should be straight and placed squarely under the body and should show evidence of muscle. • Width between front legs • Hindquarter should be muscular with loin and rump being of uniform width. • Legs should be square and wide from the rear view

45. Judging Meat Goats • General Appearance • Stature: Overall Skeletal Size • Head: Both Strength and refinement • Front End: wide chest smooth blending shoulder • Front Legs: Sound • Back: Straight, wide, long, and level • Rump: long, wide and level from thurl to thurl (above rump) • Hind Legs: wide and straight well muscled stifle • Feet: strong pasterns with even tight toes

46. Judging Meat Goats • Muscle • Hindquarters: long deeply attached muscle, thick high stifle, muscle over the thurl and rump should be obvious. • Loin: wide with a symmetrically oval shape on each side of the backbone. • Shoulders: muscling should increase from the withers to the point of shoulder with the thickest muscle being above the chest floor. Forearm muscle should be prominent. • Neck: should be free of waste. Smoothness and quality are important. A long clean neck with muscle and balance is desirable.

47. Judging Meat Goats Condition refers to the amount of fat the animal is carrying. The ideal condition is thin but uniform. The external fat thickness over the loin at the 13th rib should be between .08 to .12 inches or an average of .1 inch.

48. Vocab • Kemp-  short hairy fibers in the fleece that have a hollow core and do not accept dye, thereby lowering the quality of a fleece • Thurl- area above the hind legs in the rump • Withers- top of shoulders

49. Don’t Faint! • http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/dirty-jobs-fainting-goats.html

50. Biotech Applications • http://science.discovery.com/videos/kapow-superhero-science-spider-silk-gene-goats.html