Animal Science 3/10/2015Sheep Management - Goals of TN Sheep production: Some sold for freezer meat (sheep is a luxury), cheaper than buying from a grocery store. Sold as a whole. You get about 60% of meat off of a lamb Most sold for 4-H and FFA showing  Commercial lamb production, sold as feeder lambs and sent out west Wool production Pricy  Major reason why we raise sheep- Handling Sheep  Patience is key. First instinct is to run from people.  They like to jump, and if they think they can make it, they will jump it. Use tall panels, solid sides if possible Avoid sudden movements and loud noises. Even if you stop chasing them, they will continue to run around  Avoid crowding, they have the tendency to stomp on others if scared - Sheep barn Hoop barn Popular, easy, relatively cheap- The Flock Sheep have a very strong flocking instinct. So strong that they will follow the leader whenever possible, even if it puts them in danger To keep them from being stressed, they need to see other sheep  Become very agitated when separated  Best not to single them out, catch a smaller group, then get the one you want  Ruminating herbivores Much time spent grazing  Ruminate: coughing up what they just ate. They are comfortable when they are ruminating. Cough up two to three times to chew up the food more for digestion. Takes several hours to do this Rumination will cease if stressed  Herbivores  Take more time to digest than carnivores - General Health Difficult to tell when sheep are sick If they mope around and verbalize their sickness, it makes them more susceptible to be preyed on They don’t want to let predators know they are weak, so they disguise it if they feel bad Same with lambing, they do it silently, and then clean up afterwards  Prevention is more cost effective after a problem occurs.  Overcrowding can be an issue Parasite control, also due to inadequate nutrition  Prevention for parasite control Need to be on good sheep and goat mineral. CANNOT FEED SHEEP COPPER. You cannot feed horse or cow feed to sheep.  Rotate pastures - Allows parasites to die out. Parasite breed internally, excreted in manureas eggs, then die if they don’t have a host  Dewormers - Treat with one dewormer, and continue until the worms are gone. Thereare not many dewormers, so they are becoming ineffective due to overuse. Worms are building immunity. - Usually take a stool sample, then treat based on what specific parasite isinfecting- much more effective  FAMACHA- Regularly check the mucous membranes around the eyes for paleness associated with anemia due to blood loss from parasites - Identify sheep that need to be culled and/ or treated - This is ONLY useful for H. Contortous  Other Health Problems  Ringworm- fungal infection, contagious to humans, frequently seen in show sheep. Usually not painful, but often itchy.  Soremouth- (Orf in humans) contagious, crusty scabs. Pustules appear, then rupture, and the puss infects other areas then scab over. Better to have this as a lamb than a mature ewe. It can cause pain, and requires antibiotic treatment because bacteria get in the sores and causes many problems.  Foot rot- contagious bacterial infection, common in TN because of wet weather  Copper Toxicity  Scrapie Progressive, neurological disease of sheep Related to BSE in beef, there is no treatment or prevention Attempting to eradicate scrapie Tags should never be taken off or changed. Unlawful to take a tag off and changeit Test for scrapie in slaughter houses, and trace back which ones have scrapie  All sheep have to be permanently identified (unless they are under 18 months ofage)  Genetic Testing at codon 171- RR: resistant (will never get scrapie)- QR: carrier- QQ: susceptible (if exposed, they will get it)- Never buy anything less than QR- QR is ok to buy if you know the genetic origin of your females (best if females are all RR) Reproductive management in Sheep and Goats They are seasonal, polyestrus breeders. Ready to breed during one season of the year. Have multiple estres cycle during that season. You can try to breed them out of season, but they usually will not come into heat  Breeding season starts when daylight decreases. Usually in the fall. Ausgust and pregnancies occur in the October range.  Sperm can suffer from the heat There are some sheep breeds that reproduce out of season  Puberty really depends on mass.  Gestation: about 5 months  Estrus- standing in heat for the male, 30-36 hours. They are very secret when they are in estrus. The ewes will usually seek out the males. The males will smellor taste the females urine and can tell when she is going to ovulate and will reproduce depending  Twins and triplets are normal. Triplets aren’t ideal. Twins are most common. Singles are not bad as long as they are healthy. Quads can occur in certain breeds  Reproductive Management  Begin in the beginning of August. Check their body condition in June or May One yearling ram can cover every 20-25 ewes during the season. Older rams can cover 30-60 ewes Shear ewes if necessary – November-December  Signs of Lambing  Digging with their hooves in their bedding Circle, smell around  Never warm colostrum in the microwave  Band sheep’s tails- manure binds to the hair and can plug up their