Lesson Structure:  Sheep BAG210

There are 8 lessons:

1.  Introduction; Terminology and Breeds

• Factors affecting the choice of breed
• Product and Market
• Rearing and Management System
• Overview of Sheep Breeds
• Sheep Terminology

2.  Selection and Breeding

• Growth Rate
• Reproductive Efficiency
• Carcass quality
• Wool traits
• Culling old ewes
• Selecting replacement ewes
• Selecting replacement rams
• Commercial Sheep Production
• Choosing a lambing time
• Autumn lambing
• Spring lambing
• Accelerated lambing
• Managing ewes prior to mating
• Using hormones to control reproduction
• Joining methods
• Anatomy of ewe reproductive organs
• Anatomy of ram reproductive organs
• Ultrasound
• Signs of lambing

3.  Nutrition of Sheep

• Anatomy
• Condition scoring
• When to condition score
• Factors affecting feed requirements
• Feeding rams
• Feeding ewes
• Feeding lambs and fatteners
• Nutrition and wool production

4.  Diseases of Sheep

• Viral and rickettsial diseases
• Bacterial diseases
• Metabolic diseases
• Protozoal diseases
• Poisoning
• Vaccination
• The medicine chest
• Giving injections
• Disease prevention through sound management

5.  General Management of a Commercial Flock

• Handling and treatment facilities
• Drenching
• Injecting
• Hoof Trimming
• Shearing
• Tail docking
• Castration
• Blowfly strike

6.  Care of the Lamb

• Abnormal Presentation
• Presentation: One front leg back
• Presentation: Both front legs back
• Presentation: Hind legs first
• Presentation: Head back, both front feet forward
• Presentation: Breech or tail first
• Presentation: Twin lambs presented together
• Post lambing care
• Drenching
• Rearing orphan lambs
• Lambing records
• Managing the fattening lamb
• Feeding
• Lamb marking

7.  Wool

• Characteristics of wool
• Types of wool
• Wool classing
• Wool processing
• Factors influencing the estimation of yield
• Piece Picking
• Wool Scouring
• Carding

8.  The Marketing of Sheep and Sheep Products

• Wool sales
• Sale by private treaty
• The auction system
• Wool futures
• Industry regulatory and marketing authorities
• Lamb and mutton marketing: Paddock sale, Saleyard auction, Over-the-hook sale
• Electronic Marketing, Live Sheep exports, Forward price contracts
• Factors affecting the value of lamb or mutton: Carcass weight, Skin value, Payment basis (hot or cold weight) etc

Please Note:  Each lesson culminates in an assignment, marked by your tutor and returned with tailored feedback including suggestions, comments, and extra reading if necessary.

Learning Goals:  Sheep BAG210

• Select appropriate breeds of sheep for different purposes
• Select sheep to be used for different production purposes and explain the techniques used in sheep commercial breeding
• Explain the procedures used in managing the health of sheep (Nutrition)
• Explain common diseases affecting sheep and the procedures used in managing the health of sheep
• Explain the techniques used in the management of a commercial flock of sheep
• To describe practices related to caring for lambs
• Explain the processes involved in handling wool after shearing
• Explain the techniques used in managing the marketing of sheep and sheep products

Practicals:  Set Tasks that you will do in the  course in addition to the lessons:

• Collect information about different sheep breeds which are being farmed or could be successfully farmed in your region.
• Compare the different characteristics of sheep breeds in terms of appearance, hardiness, commercial potential.
• Select breeds for three different purposes, including wool production and meat production, in your locality.
• Inspect at least two sheep, ideally, from separate flocks, and determine their age by looking in their mouths.
• Define the following different sheep breeding terms: Oestrus, Gestation, Weaning, Flushing, Wet ewes, Teasers.
• Design a “breeding record form” which includes all necessary factors.
• List criteria to be used for selecting sheep for different purposes, including for replacement and for slaughter.
• Develop a standard form, which considers both meat and wool, to use for judging sheep.
• Talk to at least two experienced sheep farmers about “condition scoring” of sheep.
• Compare the differences in food required by different types of sheep, including: rams; breeding ewes at different stages of pregnancy; sheep being fattened for meat.
• Prepare a collection of ten pasture plant species from at least two different sheep properties and comment on the suitability of the pasture for sheep.
• Distinguish between the different categories of sheep health problems, including: viral, bacterial, metabolic, protozoal, poisoning, parasites.
• Describe how to perform different pest and disease control tasks, including: drenching, injecting, hoof trimming, docking.

KNOWING THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WOOL

There are over one hundred recognised sheep breeds in the world today and one of the main ways of distinguishing between them is by the wool they produce.

The Karakul, for example, has very coarse wool with a beautiful colour that is best suited for blankets and carpets.

At the other end of the scale is Merino whose super fine wool can be manufactured into the most delicate yet durable fabrics.

Pure wool breeds of sheep should have no hair in their fleece. Where a cross has been made between a wool and non-wool sheep, there will inevitably be some hair in the fleece of the offspring.

Hair is undesirable in a fleece because it lacks the elasticity of wool and cannot be spun. Generally, some hair will be found within the fleece of lower grade individuals especially at the hindquarters.

One type of hair which is particularly undesirable is kemp which is a hair fibre that does not grow continually but detaches itself from the skin at 15 cm lengths.

It has a “staring” white colour that does not absorb dyes and will not bind with wool during spinning or weaving.

THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF WOOL

Over recent years, the rapid expansion of the man-made fibres has brought a wide range of new “wools” into our lives. Many clothes incorporate nylon, terylene, orlon and courtelle.

Such fibres are wonderful technological achievements and exhibit such characteristics as being drip-dry, uniform, shrink-proof and relatively cheap.

Wool, however, has certain essential and unique characteristics that no artificial fibre has yet been unable to copy.

These characteristics are becoming increasingly appreciated:

• Serrations: wool fibre is made up of a series of scale-like cells which catch or hook onto adjoining fibres. This gives wool its strong yarn-making characteristics and protects it from chemical action (such as detergents).
• Crimp: the wave or crimp of wool is plainly visible and varies between breeds and the degree of fineness of the wool. Generally, the more crimp per unit length the finer the wool.

The crimp of the wool is usually described by the term spinning count which is a numbering system derived in England. Lack of food can reduce the crimp which decreases the tensile strength or soundness of the wool.

• Elasticity: wool can return to its normal length after being stretched which makes for firmness and strength in knitted and manufactured fabrics.
• Length: wool grows continually and is usually shorn from sheep once a year. The length of growth over a year depends on the sheep itself, the breed, level of feeding as well as the part of the sheep from which the wool was shorn.

The longer the wool the more valuable it is to the manufacturer because the fibres can be controlled more easily in the processing and more twist can be asserted resulting in a stronger and more desirable yarn.

• Uniformity:   uniformity in fibre length is also very important as it gives better mechanical control and results in good fine yarns for the production of high class, light material.
• Non-conductivity of heat:   man has used wool for centuries to insulate himself against the cold. Wool can be made into garments, blankets and rugs.
• Non – flammability:   wool does not burn readily and this is a valuable characteristic which makes it of particular value. For example, wool is used in suits for pilots, racing drivers and fire-fighters as well as for carpets.
• Hygroscopic properties:   wool has the ability to absorb moisture to up to 33% of its dry weight. It also is able to give off moisture. These properties mean that the wearer of a woollen article can still feel warm and dry in damp weather.
• Durability:   woollen textiles are very durable for their mass. Generally, the coarser or thicker the wool fibres the stronger the wool will be. However, coarse fibres are usually limited to being used in rugs and carpets.
• Softness:   this is one of the most important selling points of woollen products.
• Colour:   The ability to absorb and retain dye is an important characteristic of wool.
• Felting properties:   No other textile fibres can compare with wool in its ability to felt or entangle to form a compact fabric. Fine wools show more readiness to felt than strong wools.

CLASSES OF WOOL
There are five hundred and six different recognised classes of wool in the world trade but such detail is obviously not necessary for this course! Generally, wools can be divided into two broad classes:

• Carpet wools –   These are obtained from sheep breeds with coarse wool of variable length such as Romney Marsh, Turkidale & Lincoln. These wools are used for blankets, tweeds and carpets.
• Clothing wools –   These are obtained from Merinos (fine wool) and other wool breeds (stronger wool) and their main characteristic is that they have all fibres of similar length and similar diameter. Breeds used for the production of clothing wools include: Polwarth and the Corriedale.

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Here is a list of the most often asked FAQ’s.

General

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