Sheep

• Welsh mountain


  Hill

  
• Cheviot 


  Hill

  
• Herdwick


  Hill

  
• Swaledale


  Hill

  
• Bluefaced Leicester 


  Upland

  
• Border Leicester


  upland

  
• Teeswater


  upland

  
• Devon and Cornwall Longwool


  upland

  
• Texel


  lowland

  
• Suffolk


  lowland

  
• Charollais


  Lowland

  
• Romney


  lowland

  
• Ewe = female sheep
• ram = male sheep
• lamb = young sheep
• glimmer/hogget/shearling/two-tooth = a young sheep with no more than 2 permanent incisors, usually between 12-19 months old
• wether = male sheep that has been castrated
• teaser = male sheep that has been vasectomised, no longer fertile, still has a desire to mate used for bringing ewes into oestrus
• finished lamb = lamb that is fat and ready for slaughter
• sheep are ruminants, they require lots of grass
• foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001 dramatically reduced numbers
• lamb consumption in the uk has decreased since 2015 due to changes in the general publics eating and spending habits

  lamb production has increased since 2015 due to trade and export to European countries
• stratified system


  hill = >500m above sea level

  upland = 300-500m

  lowland = <300m
• lambing season


  usually occurs in spring

  lambs gain around 300g a day in weight

  weaned at 8 weeks old

  fattened on grass and supplementary feeding

  shorn in early summer as part of fly control and heat control
• lambing season 


  5 months before lambing, rams put in with ewes for topping (mating)

  rams stay with the ewes for 6-8 weeks, which is 2 oestrus cycles

  health checks given 1-2 months prior to mating
• environmental impacts of sheep farms


  greenhouse gas emissions

  • methane, CO2, nitrous oxide
  • feed, genetics, soil

  ammonia depositions

  • biodiversity and habitats
  • nutrient balance in soil

  habitats

  • excessive grazing can affect insect colonies and variety of plant growth
• sustainable sheep farming


  grass into meat - sheep graze land unsuitable for agriculture

  landscapes managed by grazing can support a rich diversity of wildlife

  economical contribution from produce and labour
• sustainable breeding 


  use less resources by breeding lambs that finish quicker on grass

  breeding lighter ewes so less food is required
• income from sheep farming


  price of lamb - marketing, lamb quality

  lambs reared - numbers born, ewe fertility

  mortality - disease, nutrition
• expenditure in sheep farming


  fixed costs - labour, fuel, power, rent

  variable costs - feed, veterinary services, transport
• wool


  profits have declined dramatically yet sheep still need shearing as part of their management, which will cost farmers money