Sheep Production
Sheep Production
Terms for understanding
• Ram – non-castrated male sheep
• Wether – castrated male sheep
• Ewe – female Sheep
Suffolk
•
•
•
•
Medium Wool Breed
Mainly used for meat
England
White Wool with solid
black face and legs
• Large Frame
Hampshire
•
•
•
•
Medium wool breed
Used mainly for meat
England
White wool with black
face and legs, which
has patches of white
wool growing on the
face and legs
• Med to large frame
Southdown
• Medium wool breed
• Used mainly for meat
• White with a mousey
brown face and leg
• England
• Very small framed
• Very meaty
Ramboulliet
• Finewool breed
• Used for meat and
wool production
• France
• White with a white
face and legs
• Large framed
Dorset
•
•
•
•
•
•
Medium wool breed
Used for meat
England
White with white face
Very meaty
Very Large framed
Sheep Production
Classifications for Sheep @ Ellis
County Livestock Show
•
•
•
•
•
Fine wool
Finewool Cross
Medium Wool
Southdown
AOB (All Other Breeds)
Fine wool
• Ramboulliet
Finewool Cross
• Any thing
atleast a ½
crossed with
Ramboulliet
Medium Wool
• Hampshires
and Suffolks
and crosses
of the two
Southdowns
• Southdowns
show as a
breed of
their own,
mainly due
to size
differences
AOB (All Other Breeds)
• Mainly
Dorsetts and
Dorset
Crosses
Sheep Production
Reproduction
• Estrus – Occurs every 16 days
and last for 3 days
Sheep Production
Reproduction
• Gestation Period – 148 days
Sheep Production
Feeding
• Ruminants like cattle
• Feed a quality brand name 18 %
protien feed
• Most feeders feel a textured feed
is more desirable than a pellet