Sheep

• Sheep Taxonomy:

  • Kingdom: Animalia
  • Phylum: Chordata
  • Class: Mammalia
  • Order: Artiodactyla
  • Family: Bovidae
  • Genus: Ovis
  • Species: Ovis aries (modern day sheep)
  • Ram: male sheep
  • Ewe: female sheep
  • Lamb: young sheep
  • Wether: castrated sheep
• Terminologies:

  • Fleece: the hair of a wool-bearing animal
  • Wool: fibers obtained from animals
  • Mutton: meat
  • Cud chewer: prehensile organ is the lips assisted by the cleft of the upper lip and tongue
  • Heat cycle is 13 to 19 days with an average of 17 days
  • Puberty: 5-12 months
  • Heat duration: 24 to 36 hours
  • Gestation is 152 days
  • Lambs should be weaned at 60 days old
• Physiology:

  • Sexual activity in sheep is controlled by the ratio of daylight and dark
  • Estrus becomes more frequent as the days become shorter
  • High temperature affects fertility, embryo survival, and fetal development
• Effects of Environment:

  • Major sheep producing regions: Eastern Visayas, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao
  • History: the first animals domesticated originated from the mouflon (Ovis musimon) in ancient Mesopotamia
  • Woolly sheep began to be developed around 6000 BC
  • Classification of sheep:

  1. Fine wool - withstand heat, cold, and drought and produce satisfactorily under harsh conditions

  2. Medium wool

  3. Long wool

  4. Crossbred wool

  5. Carpet wool

  6. Fur sheep

  7. Hair sheep

  8. Meat-type
• Use of Sheep:

  • Wool: meat, lanolin (grease present in raw wool), skins, dairy (not common, only 1.3% of wool production for cheese), science & medicine, landscape management to control unwanted vegetation
• Breeds:

  • Philippine Native Sheep: believed to have originated from the Merino imported during the Spanish era
  • Merino: originated in Spain, medium-sized animals with a very beautiful appearance, strong and hardy animals that need to be shorn at least once a year
  • Rambouillet
  • Suffolk: large, blocky, muscular body type, black face, ears, and legs
  • Oxford
  • Barbados Blackbelly: originated on the island of Barbados in the Caribbean, medium to thick hair coat, brown, tan, or yellow with black underparts and black points on the Roman nose, forehead, and inside the ears
• Border Leicester originated from England
• Characteristics of Border Leicester:

  • Large size and blocky body type
  • White color and polled
  • Thick covering of hair on the neck down to the brisket
  • Thick covering of hair on the Roman nose, forehead, and inside the ears
  • Increased resistance to internal parasites
• Lincoln originated from England
• Characteristics of Lincoln:

  • White in color
  • Large size and blocky body type
  • Polled
  • Produces a long, coarse fleece
• Katahdin originated from Maine, USA
• Characteristics of Katahdin:

  • Meat sheep that do not require shearing
  • Very thick coat that is shed in warm weather
  • Tolerate humidity, heat, internal & external parasites
  • Docile, easily handled
  • Usually twins
• Karakul is the oldest breed of domesticated sheep
• Characteristics of Karakul:

  • Source of milk, meat, tallow, and wool
  • Strong fiber that was felted into fabric or woven into carpeting
  • Wiry coat
  • Large, angular-bodied breed
  • Color of the face, ears, and legs is black or brown
• St. Croix, also known as Virgin Island White
• Characteristics of St. Croix:

  • Most sheep are white with some solid tan, brown, black, or white with brown or black spots
  • Rams have a large throat ruff
  • Both sexes polled
• Sheep Production Methods in the Philippines:

  1. Total confinement - ewes and lambs are kept in corrals or barns all year, more costly production method

  2. Semi-confinement - lambs confined to market weight and fed creep, white ewes graze on pasture after weaning

  3. Range/grass-based - traditional method, rearing based on season/weather
• Advantages of Producing Sheep:

  • Sheep are easy to handle and generally require little input
  • Sheep production does not require elaborate facilities and equipment
  • Sheep consume roughage as their primary feed
  • Sheep help control weeds
  • Sheep provide two sources of cash income: lamb and wool
  • Sheep require a minimum amount of supplemental feeding
  • Sheep can provide a quick return on investment
• Disadvantages of Producing Sheep:

  • A sheep enterprise must be well managed
  • Sheep are subject to predation by various predators
  • Sheep require better fencing than cattle
  • Internal parasites can create health problems when sheep are intensively grazed on irrigated pastures
• Behavior of Sheep:

  • Sheep have an innate sense of fear of predators and other dangers
  • "Flocking instinct" - they move as a group
  • They are colorblind, have wide-angle vision (good depth perception)
• General Management:

  • Ram Management: The ram should be strong and in good condition at breeding time. If the ram is thin during breeding season, it is necessary to feed it separately from the ewes.
  • Ewe Management: Observe ewe's udder at weaning & daily for two weeks after weaning. Select replacement lambs from ewe lambs at 120 days of age or at least 40 kg. Dry ewes after weaning by feeding lower quality roughage, reducing water, or not providing grain.
  • Lambing Methods: Shed lambing - requires adequate space
• Lambing Methods
• Shed lambing:

  • Requires adequate space to house lambing pens for at least 10%
  • Size: 4 x 4 foot or 4 x 5 foot enclosures (Large breeds: 5 x 5 foot pens)
  • Should be in a draft-free area of the shed or barn
• Pasture lambing:

  • Inexpensive compared to shed lambing
  • Not recommended to leave lamb yearling ewes unattended on the pasture
• Management at Lambing Time
• Lambing time is the most critical period in the year

  • Higher percentage of live lambs = higher gross and net return
  • Observe ewes closely
  • Assist when ewes are unable to deliver
  • Allow the ewes to clean the lambs
  • Lambs must consume colostrum soon after birth
  • Starvation is the major cause of death in very young lambs
• Grafting Lambs
• Applicable for lambs that haven't received enough milk from the ewe

  • Grafting (fostering) is the process of assessing milk/colostrum production in ewes and matching lambs to supply
• Methods of Grafting Lambs
• Slime grafting - used only while the foster ewe is lambing

  • Stocking or Scent grafting
  • Stanchion grafting
  • Skin graft
• Artificial Rearing of Lambs
• Raised on milk replacer: goat's milk, cow's milk, commercial milk
• Space Requirements
• Feeder space:

  • Group-fed: 16-20 inches/ewe, 9-12 inches/feeder lamb
  • Self-fed: 10-12 inches for silage/ewe, 8-10 inches for hay/ewe, 3-4 inches/feeder lambs
  • Creep-fed: 1-1.5 inches/lamb
• Water per automatic bowl:

  • 40-50 ewes or ewes with lambs
  • 50-75 feeder lambs per foot of tank perimeter
  • Shelter space:
  • Open front building with lot: 10-12 square feet/ewe, 12-16 sq ft/ewe and lambs, 6-8 sq ft/feeder lamb
• Nutrition
• Provide minerals formulated for sheep free choice

  • Selenium must be provided
  • Copper should not be part of a mineral mix as it is toxic to sheep
  • Provide fresh water, free choice, 24/7
  • Provide adequate roughage (hay, silage, or pasture)
  • Provide adequate nutrition (pasture, high-quality forage, or grains) to brood ewes during the last third of gestation and until their lambs are weaned
  • Lambs: Provide adequate nutrition to growing lambs via creep
  • Creep feed with 20% protein is recommended
  • Start lambs on creep feed at 10 to 14 days of age
• Reminders
• 20-item Quiz next meeting

  • Quiz type: Identification
  • Coverage: Goat & Sheep breeds
  • Assignment: What are the side effects of Copper to sheep? What is creep-feeding?
  • Deadline: February 18, 2024, 11:59 PM, submit via GCR