SHEEP AgScience I Miss Whitford Cheviot • Origin: Scotland • Characteristics: – White faced sheep with bare heads and legs – easy lambers – good milkers – polled – small in size Columbia • Origin: Wyoming (U.S.) • Characteristics: – Lincoln ram x Rambouillet ewe cross – known for size and wool producing ability – white faced – polled – has wool on the legs Corriedale • Origin: New Zealand • Characteristics: – White face with wool on face and legs – Medium sized – Good mothers – Polled – Yield heavy, medium wool fleeces Dorset • Origin: England • Characteristics: – – – – – White face Horned or polled 3rd most popular breed Heavy milkers Produce more than one lamb crop a year – Heavy muscled carcasses • Origin: Finland • Characteristics: Finnsheep – White and free of wool on the head – Breeds year round – Produce many offspring (2-4 lambs each lambing) – Reaches sexual maturity early – Medium grade, good wool Hampshire • Origin: England • Characteristics: – Large, moderately prolific breeds – Wool caps – Black face and legs – Very good milking ability and growth – 2nd most popular breed – Hard to lamb Rambouillet • Origin: France • Characteristics: – Large breed – White faced with wool on the head and legs – Polled or horned – Fine wool – Good mothers Shropshire • Origin: England • Characteristics: – Dark face, ears, and legs – White on the jaw line and top of head – Wool on head and face – Prolific, matures early – Heavily muscled – Medium sized breed Southdown • Origin: England • Characteristics: – – – – – Oldest English breed Small size Meaty carcass Polled white to light brown face – Wool on the legs – Medium wool Suffolk • Origin: England • Characteristics: – Most popular breed – White body with solid black head and legs – High carcass quality – Rapid lamb growth – Medium wool breed Sheep Breed- Review Cheviot Sheep Breed- Review Columbia Sheep Breed- Review Corriedale Sheep Breed- Review Dorset Sheep Breed- Review Finnsheep Sheep Breed- Review Hampshire Sheep Breed- Review Rambouillet Sheep Breed- Review Shropshire Sheep Breed- Review Southdown Sheep Breed- Review Suffolk Sheep Breeds Quiz 1 3 2 4 Sheep Breeds Quiz 5 7 6 8 Sheep Breeds Quiz 9 10 Sheep Breeds Quiz- Answers 1. Finnsheep 3. Cheviot 2. Southdown 4. Dorset Sheep Breeds Quiz- Answers 5. Suffolk 7. Hampshire 6. Shropshire 8. Rambouillet Sheep Breeds Quiz- Answers 9. Corriedale 10. Columbia Sheep Terms • • • • • • Genus: Ovis Breeding age male: Ram Breeding age female: Ewe Young male: Ram lamb Young female: Ewe lamb Newborn: Lamb Sheep Terms continued • • • • • • Group: Flock Giving birth: Lambing Prolific: producing large # of offspring Lamb meat: under 1 year of age Mutton meat: over one year of age Docking: cutting off all or part of the tail – Keeps manure from soiling the wool • Wether: castrated male sheep Sheep Facts • • 7.8 million sheep in the U.S. Top 5 sheep and wool production states: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. • • • Texas California Wyoming South Dakota Colorado Sheer sheep in the spring Sheep have 8 teeth Ideal market lamb is 110-130 lbs Typical Operations Outside Ohio: • Western Sheep: – – – – Largest number of sheep Land is cheaper – range land Fewer problems with parasites White faced breeds are a major influence (Rambouillet, Columbia) A Western Operation: Sheep Mountain Ranch in Laramie, Wyoming Typical Operations Outside Ohio: • Eastern Sheep: – More farms, but most with fewer than 100 head – Greater interest in purebreds – Greater concentration • More sheep per acre, more parasites, more disease Typical Operations in Ohio: • Small family farms • Purebreds • Club lambs Ohio Sheep: • Ohio is the number one sheep producing state East of the Mississippi River! • Number one purebred state in the U.S. • 12th in overall sheep production • 260,000 head and 3,600 operations Australia • Number one sheep producing country in the world • Primarily white faced breeds (merino, rambouillet) • 80 percent of sheep raised for wool – One wether equals one pound of wool per acre per year New Zealand • • • • • Wool Focus- 45 million sheep and 5 million people Management intensive grazing Research- cloning/biotechnology Islands- no major diseases or predators Control border closely Breeding • • • • Gestation Period: 148 days Breeding season- August - fall Estrous cycle- every 16 days for 30 hrs. Use a marking harness on the males to tell which females have been bred. • Shear ewes at least 1 month before lambing. • Dock the lambs tail at 7-10 days Predators • Coyotes and wolves • Dogs (Your family pet!) • Black Vultures are a rising threat Predator Control • Guard dogs (Great Pyrenees) • Guard llamas, donkeys • High tensile electric fence Products: Meat Treasure Valley Sheep Producers Traits of Importance: Wool • Wool is less important than it used to be, due to decreased value • Staple length • Grease fleece weight • Crimp • Wool fiber diameter Products: Wool Traits of Importance: Dairy • Sheep milk is lower in lactose, making it more palatable for individuals with lactose intolerance • Higher protein content • Products: cheese, yogurt, fluid milk Products: Dairy Products: By-Products • Lanolin Products (such as lotions) • Cosmetics • Surgical Sutures Nutrition: Sources of Feed • Grow your own: – Grains (Corn) – Forages (Pasture, hay) • Purchase from a feed store • Purchase from area farmers Nutrition: Prepared • Grain additives – Add molasses for palatability, decreases dust. Add minerals for improved nutrition content. Add a BOSE (vitamin E and selenium) loose salt in Ohio. Ohio soils are selenium deficient. • Hay – Purchase from an area farmer, feed store or grow your own. • Mineral Blocks – Use only molasses mineral blocks or loose mineral. Sheep chew hard salt blocks and break their teeth. Do not use blocks made for cattle – there is too much copper Sheep Parts 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Muzzle Face forehead poll Neck Top of shoulder Back or rack Loin Hip Rump Dock Middle Twist 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. Leg Hock Pastern Hoof Rear flank Belly For flank Cannon Knee Forearm Breast or brisket Shoulder Wholesale cuts of Lamb 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Loin Leg Foreshank and breast Rib Shoulder Sheep Feet and Leg Structure • • • • • Side View Front Legs Correct Calf-kneed Weak pasterns Buck kneed • • • • Side View Rear Legs Correct Sickle-hocked Post-legged Sheep Feet and Leg Structure • • • • • Front View Correct Splay-footed Pigeon-Toed Knock-Kneed • • • • Rear View Correct Bowlegged Cow-hocked Sheep Breeds Quiz 1 3 2 4 Sheep Breeds Quiz 5 7 6 8 Sheep Breeds Quiz 9 10