VEM 012 Ruminant Production & Herd Health Management

SHEEP
PRODUCTION
Mari Denise Amphy A. Layola, DVM
Assistant Professor 1
Sheep
Taxonomy
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Ovis
Species: Ovis aries
Terminologies
Ovis aries – modern day sheep
Ram – male sheep
Ewe- female sheep
Lamb – young sheep
Wether – a castrated sheep
Fleece – the hair of a wool bearing animal
Wool – fibers obtain from animals
Mutton - meat
Physiology
Cud chewer
Prehensile organ is the lips assisted by the
cleft of the upper lip and tongue
The heat cycle is 13 to 19 days with an
average 17 days
Puberty: 5-12 months
Heat duration 24 to 36 hours
Gestation is 152 days
Lambs should be weaned 60 days old
Effects of Environment
Sexual activity in sheep is controlled by the ration
of daylight and dark.
Estrus become more frequent as the days
become shorten.
High temperature has effect to fertility, embryo
survival and fetal development.
Major sheep producing regions
Eastern Visayas
Central Luzon
Western Visayas
Central Visayas
Northern Mindanao
History
the first animals domesticated
originated from the muflon
(Ovis musimon) in ancient
Mesopotamia
Woolly sheep began to be
developed around 6000BC
Classification of
sheep
1. Fine wool- withstand heat, cold & 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
1. Wool
2. Meat
3. Lanolin - grease present in raw wool
4. Skins
5. Dairy - not common, only 1.3% of would
production of cheese
6. Science & Medicine
7. Landscape management - control
unwanted vegetation
BREEDS
Philippine Native Sheep
Believed to have originated from the
Merino imported during the Spanish
era
White is predominant color, brown
and brown-white also common
Male is generally horned & Roman-
nosed
Female is generally polled, either
straight or Roman-nosed, thin-tailed
Ears erect
Adult weight: 29.6 kg
Merino
Originated in Spain
medium sized animals with very
beautiful appearance
wool sheep breed
strong and hardy animals
need to be shorn at least once a
year because their wool does not
stop growing
Rambouillet
breed of domestic sheep from
France.
white in color, are large and have
an angular, blocky body type.
meatier carcass
horned and polled rams, all ewes
are polled.
strong and hardy animals
Suffolk

originated in southern England

Suffolk is large and has a blocky, muscular
body type
face, ears, and legs are black.
polled, no wool on the head or legs
fine mutton breed; acceptable wool
Oxford
breed originated in south-central England
one of the largest of the medium wool breeds of sheep.
a blocky body type, face, ears, and legs are gray to brown, polled
Wool extends over the poll down to the eye
ewes are prolific and good milkers, and the lambs grow quickly
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
thick covering of hair on the neck down
to the brisket
light carcass
have increased resistance
to internal parasites
Border Leicester
originated from England
large size and blocky body type
White color and polled
No wool on the face and legs
Distinctive Roman nose
Lincoln
originated from
England
White in color.
Large size and has
a blocky body type.
Polled.
Produces a long,
coarse fleece.
Katahdin
originated from Maine, USA
Meat sheep that did not
require shearing” – do not
produce a fleece except in
very cold weather – very thick
coat that is shed in warm
weather
Tolerate humidity, heat,
internal & external parasites
Docile, easily handled
Usually twins
Karakul
oldest breed of domesticated
sheep
a source of milk, meat, tallow,
and wool, a 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, White Virgin Islander,
White Virgin Island
：
Color 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
Production Method
employed in the PH
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.
Some 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
coyotes, eagles, bobcats, lions, bears,
domestic dogs, etc.
Sheep require better fencing than do
cattle.
Internal parasites can create health
problems when sheep are intensively
grazed on irrigated pastures.
Behavior of a sheep

Sheep have innate sense of fear

or predators and other dangers.
“Flocking instinct” - they move as
a group
They are colorblind, has 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 in separately
from the ewes.
Ewe Management
Observe ewes udder’s 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 to house lambing pens for at
least 10%.
Size: 4x4 foot or 4x5 foot
enclosures (Large breeds: 5x5
foot pens)
Should be in a draft-free area
of the shed or barn
Pasture lambing- inexpensive
compare to the shed lambing.
Not recommended to leave
lamb yearling ewes on the
pasture unattended.
Management at
Lambing time
Lambing time is the most critical period in
the years.
higher the percentage of lambs alive =
higher gross and net return
Observe ewes closely
Assist when ewes are unable to deliver
Allow the ewes to clean the lambs.
It is essential that lambs consume colostrum
soon after birth
Starvation is the major cause of death in
very young lambs.
Grafting Lambs
Applicable for lambs that
haven't receive enough milk
from the ewe.
Grafting (fostering)- process
of assessing milk/colostrum
production in ewes and
matching lambs to supply.
Grafting Lambs
A ewe has more lambs than she can
successfully care for.
A ewe becomes sick or dies, leaving
orphan lambs.
A ewe does not have enough milk to
adequately feed the lambs she has.
A ewe lambs with multiple lambs but
she is young, or old, or is very thin.
A ewe has only a half udder and has
twins or triplets.
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 in/ewe
9-12 in/feeder lamb
Self-fed
10-12 in for silage / ewe
8-10 in for hay/ewe
3-4 in/feeder lambs
Creep-fed
1-1.5 in/lamb
Space Requirements
Water
per automatic bowl
40-50 ewes or ewes w/ lambs
50-75 feeder lambs
per foot of tank perimeter
15-25 ewes or ewes with
lambs
25-40 feeder lambs
Space Requirements
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
Lot
25-40 sq ft/ewe
25-40 sq ft/ ewe and lambs
15-20 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.
What is creep-feeding?
Reminders
20 item Quiz next meeting
Quiz type: Identification
Coverage: Goat & Sheep breeds
Assignment:
What is/are the side effect/s of Copper to sheep?
What is creep-feeding?

Deadline: February 18, 2024, 11:59PM, submit via GCR