Sheep and Goats

1. Sheep and Goats

2. Sheep & Goat Overview • Both originated in Europe and the cooler regions on Asia. • Both are important ruminants in temperate and tropical agriculture. • Provide fibers, milk, meat, and hides. • Versatile and efficient, especially for developing countries. • Sheep – numbers have declined in the U.S. (less than 0.2% of total farm revenue in U.S.)

3. Ovis aries: Sheep • New Zealand, Australia, and Saudi Arabia - highest per capita consumption of lamb, and goat meat. • U.S. consumes < 1 lb./person of lamb (boneless wt. basis). • China, Australia, India, Iran and Sudan – leading sheep producing countries. Suffolk

4. Sheep – Ovis aries Tail down Grazers close to soil (short tender grasses and clovers) Distant and aloof Distinct philtrum Curved horns Goats – Carpa Hircus Tail up (unless sick) Natural browsers on top of plants (twigs, vine, shrubs) Curious and independent Distinct odor as they mature Straight horns Sheep and Goats

5. Grazing Cattle, sheep, & goats are often grazed together because they utilize different plants – Goats graze browse (tender twigs & leaves from brush & trees) and some forbs (broad-leafed plants) – Sheep graze short grasses and some forbs – Cattle graze tall grasses and some forbs • Dorset Cheviot

6. U. S. Sheep Industry • 56 mil. in 1942; ~ 6 mil. in 2004 • U. S. relies on imports to supply limited demand for lamb. • Most U. S. sheep growers have small flocks (50 or fewer) and raise sheep as a secondary enterprise. • About 23% of sheep born in western U.S. are lost before they are marketed (predators and weather are main problems).

7. Reasons for Decline in SheepIndustry • Less demand for wool. • Declining demand for lamb in consumer diets. • Increased difficulty in obtaining/keeping reliable herders to manage flocks. • Increased competition for public-owned rangeland. • Predators.

8. Attributes of Sheep (Ewe) Milk • Sheep milk is highly nutritious, more than cow milk. Vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium • Sheep milk: $ almost four times the price of cow milk • Specialized dairy breeds: 400-1,100 lbs milk/ lactation. • Ewes are milked once or twice per day.

9. Sheep Cheese • Most of the sheep milk produced in the world is made into cheese. • Feta (Greece, Italy, and France), Ricotta and Pecorino Romano (Italy) and Roquefort (France) • The U.S. annually imports 75 million pounds of cheese made from sheep milk. • Fresh sheep milk is rarely consumed

10. Sheep Breeds • Meat Breeds or Medium wool – Mainly used for meat production – Are predominant in the U.S. – Include Dorset, Suffolk, and Hampshire • Fine Wool Breeds – Highest quality Merino from Spain and Rambouillet from France, predominant breed in Australia is the Merino • Long wool • Hair breeds

11. Sheep Reproduction • Breeding season occurs mainly in the fall. • Estrous cycle: 16 to 17 days • Gestation length = ~147 days (varies). • Recommended breeding age: 1 yr. • Multiple births are highly desirable (twinning). • Weaned at ~ 3 to 4 months • Other important economic traits include growth rate, wool production, and carcass merit (quality grade and yield grade).

12. Jaw Defects are Highly Heritable Brachygnathism: parrot mouth

13. *Sheep Management* • Clostridium diseases (vaccines) • Enterotoxemia (Type D) (Overeating Disease/ pulpy kidney disease) - Clostridium perfringins type D • Vaccine: Type CD - T toxoid: vaccinate ewes 1 month before lambing and 6, 10 wks lambs • Hemorrhagic enteritis, bloody scours - Clostridium perfringins type C • Tetanus - Clostridium tetani: vaccinate ewes 1 month before lambing/ tx with antitoxin during castration and tail docking • • Scours (E. coli) – ‘watery mouth’ in 2-4 day old lamb (Hygiene) • Prevention: Lambing barn sanitation and creating a clean, dry environment for newborn lambs • • Footrot – Bacteroides nodosus (animal's hoof); and Fusobacterium necrophorum (normal inhabitant of soil manure) • hoof trimming, vaccination, foot bathing and soaking. Zinc sulfate is considered to be the most effective foot rot treatment. Footrot is highly contagious. • • Soremouth (lambs) – contagious ecthyma, scabby mouth, pustular dermatitis, orf (most common skin disease in sheep and goats), zoonotic • Pox virus, vaccine (previously exposed herd) • • Parasites

14. *Sheep Management* • Management. Practices: • Feeding • Extra feed before lambing: 0.5-1.0 lb (per fetus) grain/day • Creep feeding: introduce young lambs to solids • – Tail docking, castration of males • Elastrator (pg 493): 3 -7 days old

15. GoatsCapra hircus Toggenburg) • Concentrated primarily in India, and China (other contributing countries include Pakistan, Sudan, and Bangladesh). • Texas ranks 2nd in the U.S. for total number of goats.

16. Goat milk • Goat milk is also used to feed many other animals (most mammals including wild animals) usually they are bottle feed. • Goats will fairly easily adopt lambs and a goat will even jump up on bale of hay to allow a foal to nurse.

17. Importance of Goat Industry • Most are found in developing countries • Supply meat and milk • Major by-product – skins • Almost all of the dairy goats in the U.S. are found in small herds

18. Goat Reproduction Characteristics • Gestation Length – 150 days • Estrous cycle – 17 to 21 days • Age at puberty – 120 days to over 1 yr. • Breeding age ~ 9 months • Breeding season – late summer, early fall, or winter • Adult size: – 130 lb avg. for Does – 160 lb avg. for Bucks

19. Meat Goats • Origin: South Africa, Middle East, and Australia. • Boer goat: superior growth rate and lean meat yield. • Ethnic consumer market has the highest demand for goat meat

20. Goats • Meat Breeds: BoerGoat – White with brown head from South Africa • Milk breeds: Nubian, Toggenburg, Saanen, Oberhasli, Lamanche, Alpine – Heavy milk producers per body size vs. cattle production per body size • Hair breeds for Mohair (Angora) and Cashmere