Vocabulary  Ewe – Female Sheep  Ram – Male Sheep used for breeding  Wether – Castrated male sheep

Vocabulary  Lamb – Young sheep of either sex under 1 year of age  Also name of the meat we get from young sheep  Mutton – meat harvested from sheep over 1 year of age

Vocabulary  Creep – area that young lambs can eat without their mothers. Lambs can eat grain and hay.

Vocabulary  Wool – fiber that sheep grow on their bodies  Fleece – the whole piece of wool when it is sheared  Lanolin - yellow, waxy substance that is secreted by the sebaceous glands in a sheep’s skin

Vocabulary  Shearing – process of removing wool from sheep. Usually done once or twice a year

Vocabulary  Weaning – removing lambs from their mothers. They can no longer drink their mother’s milk.\  Docking – process of removing the tail of young lambs

Vocabulary  Flock – group of 2 or more sheep  Band – flock of 1,000 sheep

Vocabulary  Commercial producers – use range land to raise their sheep.  Lambs are sent to market at 110 – 140 pounds.  Usually have many bands of sheep.

Vocabulary  Farm Flock – small flocks grown on smaller ranches.  Many supplement grazing with hay and grain.  Sometimes “hobby farmers”

Vocabulary  Club lamb producers – selectively breed for show ring and carcass qualities.  Use careful breeding selection to produce lambs that are competitive in the show ring.

Processing Lambs  At 2 days to 1 week old:  1. Give vaccinations  CDT  Bo-Se  Vitamins (only if needed)  2. Ear Tag  3. Dock their tails  4. Castrate if needed

CDT  Vaccine for use in healthy cattle, sheep and goats as an aid in the prevention of enterotoxemia.  Enterotoxemia = “overeating” disease  Yes, they can eat themselves to death

Bo-Se  Used to prevent and treat white muscle disease.  White muscle disease = deficiency in selenium.

Processing Lambs  Lambs are offered a creep when they are approximately 2 weeks old  When lambs are months of age we wean them.  By this time they will be eating grain and hay  Once weaned, they can be sold or used for range use, wool, or meat.

Breeds of Sheep  Meat Breeds – used primarily for production of meat. Their wool is of little value but can still be sold.

Breeds of Sheep  Wool Breeds – breeds used for wool production. They can also be used for meat but their wool is their best characteristic.

Breeds of Sheep  Dual Purpose Breeds – breeds that were developed by crossbreeding. They can be used for both their wool and meat.

Dorset  Both polled and horned  All white  Medium sized  Developed in Southwest England

Dorset  Breed all times of year  Good mothers  Grown commercially or farm flock

Hampshire  Developed in Hampshire county in Southern England  Fast growing, muscular breed  Mild disposition

Hampshire  Large breed  Brown to black head and legs   Wool cap and wool on the legs

Southdown  One of the oldest sheep breeds in the world  Developed in England in the late 1700’s

Southdown  Small mostly white with brown to light tan points  Early Maturing  Good mothers

Shropshire  Originated in England  Dual purpose breed  Mild disposition

Shropshire  Medium-sized  Vary from light to dark brown head and legs  Wool from tip of nose to the end of their tail.

Suffolk  Developed by crossing the Southdown and Norfolk breeds  Fast growing and muscular  Most popular meat breed in the United States

Suffolk  White fleece with jet black head and legs  Large breed, rams measure at 46 inches at the shoulder and weigh 500+ pounds

Merino  Several different types of Merino sheep.  Produce the finest wool of all sheep in the world

Merino  Their wool is the most expensive and produces lovely clothing  Can be used for meat purposes

Columbia  Originated in the United States in 1912  Used for range purposes  Dual Purpose breed  Large-framed breed

Cheviot  Originated in the Cheviot Hills – border of England and Scotland.  Wool-free face and legs  Pricked ears  Black muzzle and black hooves

Cheviot  Very alert, active sheep  Wool has a distinctive helical crimp, which gives it that highly desirable resilience.  often blended into other yarns

Dorset

Hampshire

Southdown

Shropshire

Suffolk

Merino

Columbia

Cheviot

Parts of the sheep

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