Sheep Production

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Sheep Production

• Role in agriculture and U.S.
• Breeds use and identification
• Products and production

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Historical Perspective - Sheep

• Most highly domesticated species
• -herding instinct independence negative
• -timid and defenseless total dependence
• -least teachable and intelligent
• -goat opposite (next to cat become feral
  easiest)
• Confusion and disagreement over origin
• -over 200 breeds, wide type variation

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Historical Perspective - Sheep

• Two primary origins
• -Moufflon sheep Europe and Asia
• -Asiatic Urial Central Asia
• Original Importance Wool production
• -Neanderthal Age Wool fibers found
• -8000 BC book states
• -4 5000 BC Egypt and Babylonia wealth
• -1000 1500 AD Spain and Britain.

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Historical Perspective - Sheep

• Native sheep in North America ??
• -Bighorn or Rocky Mountain Sheep
• -Domesticated were imported
• Columbus, 1493 to west Indies
• Spain to Mexico, 1519, Cortez
• British to colonies in 1609 relatively poor
  performing
• - hangdog predation

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Sheep Industry
Million Head
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Sheep Industry
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Sheep Industry
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Top States Breeding ewes
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13
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4
3
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Sheep Industry
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Sheep Industry

• lt 1/3 of 1 of total US farm revenue from
  livestock
• lt 0.7 lb. lamb consumption/person/year
• large range flocks TX, WY, CO, SD
• numerous small flocks OH, IA
• SPECIALITY INDUSTRY
• supplemental farm income
• youth livestock projects
• ethnic markets

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Purebred Industry
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Wether Industry
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Commercial Industry
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Sheep Breeds

• Ewe (maternal) breeds
• white-faced
• fine to medium wool
• excel in length of breeding season, wool
  production, longevity, milk production, fertility

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Sheep Breeds

• Ram (paternal meat) breeds
• most common are black faced
• excel in carcass traits, growth rate
• Dual-purpose breeds
• maternal paternal traits

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Ram Breeds

• Suffolk
• 1st in registrations
• Black legs and head
• Large mature size
• Rapid growth rate
• Muscular lean
• Less multiple births

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Ram Breeds

• Hampshire
• 3rd in registrations
• Black points, wool cap
• Large mature size
• Rapid growth rate
• Muscular lean
• Less multiple births

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Ewe Breeds

• Rambouillet
• 4th in registrations
• White face
• Large mature size
• Fine wool
• Less muscular

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Ewe Breeds

• Merino
• White face
• Fine wool
• Skin folds
• Prolific
• Common in New Zealand and Australia

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Ewe Breeds

• Finnsheep
• White face
• Small mature size
• Medium wool
• Slower growth rate
• Early puberty
• High fertility
• Frequent multiple births

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Dual-purpose Breeds

• Dorset
• 2nd in registrations
• White face
• Medium wool
• Medium muscle growth rate
• Good milk production
• Long breeding season

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Dual-purpose Breeds

• Polypay
• 5th in registrations
• Composite breed
• Finnsheep
• Rambouillet
• Targhee
• Dorset
• Good fertility, growth, carcass traits
• Lamb twice per year

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Dual-purpose Breeds

• Columbia
• 6th in registrations
• Composite breed
• Rambouillet
• Lincoln
• Developed for range conditions
• Corriedale - New Zealand
• Ram breed (Lincoln) x Merino
• Decent wool, carcasses, fertility and herding
  instinct
• 8th in US registrations

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Sheep Products in the USA

• Wool primarily fine and medium
• Long wool - carpets, etc., breeds not very
  prevalent in US
• Less demand and lower price - Why???
• - competing products, labor costs to manufacture
• Sheep Meat Products
• Lamb meat from sheep lt 1 year of age
• Represents most of the lamb consumed in the USA
• Yearling Lamb meat from 12 15 months of age
• Mutton meat from sheep gt 15 months
• Lamb versus Mutton - taste

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Sheep Products in the USA

• Quality Grades of sheep
• - age determined by break joint, bone color
  and shape (ribs)

Lamb 2 Breaks
- Marbling determined based upon streaking of fat
in the flank muscle -Muscle conformation by
assessing thickness of leg
Yearling 1 each
Mutton 2 spools
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• Yield Grades of Sheep
• Determined based primarily on backfat thickness,
  muscling in the leg and internal fat

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• Yield Grades of Sheep
• Determined based primarily on backfat thickness,
  muscling in the leg and internal fat

YG and QG chart, also retail products
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Markets Dictate Harvest Age

• Hot House lambs, east coast markets
• Harvested at lt 3 months of age XMAS to Easter
• Considered to be the most delectable by
  Epicureans
• 25-60lbs LWT and 18 42lbs CWT
• Born in the fall out of season (Oct, Nov, Dec
  and Jan)
• Easter EU Market
• Similar to above 20-45 lbs
• Fast growing lambs
• If they do not make market window then grown out
  for traditional lamb market!

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Markets Dictate Harvest Age

• Spring Lambs
• Lambs lt 1 yr of age, marketed late fall and
  winter
• Lambs
• Older than spring lambs but less than 1 yr of
  age

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Life Cycle in Sheep

• Dominated by seasonal pattern of reproduction
• Sheep are short day breeders
• time of reproductive activity determined by
  daylength
• How do they sense daylength?
• Pineal gland, situated on top of brain, below
  skull
• What hormone is released that controls
  reproductive system?
• Melatonin, from Pineal. Human use of Melatonin?
• Jet lag, show steers, fur bearing animals

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Seasonal Reproduction

• What is the longest day of the year?
• Summer solstice June 21, days getting shorter
  after this
• As days get shorter, more melatonin, activates
  reproductive system
• Affects both males and females
• Period of receptivity Varies by breed
• Long season Dorset, Rambouillet, Merino
• Intermediate Suffolk, Hampshire,Columbia,
  Corriedale
• Short Southdown, Cheviot, Shropshire

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Breeding seasons for different breeds of ewes
Short - fall
Intermediate late summer to early winter
Long - mid summer to mid winter
Jan
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Months
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Lambing seasons for different breeds of ewes
156 day gestation
Short - fall
Intermediate late summer to early winter
Long - mid summer to mid winter
Jan
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
June
July
Months
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Reproductive Management

• Puberty and first breeding
• 5 months to 1.5 years??
• Fertility
• assessed by lambing rate ( lambs born/100 ewes
  exposed to breeding)
• ie. 150 avg. 1.5 lambs per ewe
• varies with breed age (greater for mature ewes)

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Reproductive Management

• Nutritional Considerations
• flushing increasing energy before breeding
• can increase conception rate of ovulations
• increased energy density of ration
• last trimester of gestation during lactation
• with twins, triplets vs. single

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Weaning Management

• Age varies widely depending upon product
• e.g. hothouse, spring, lamb
• Age varies widely depending upon production
  system
• Confinement (east) vs Range (west) production
• Grass versus feedlot fattening

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Top Countries Sheep