1. Teeth, tags, and a TSE
SUSAN SCHOENIAN Sheep & Goat Specialist Western Maryland Research & Education Center University of Maryland Extension (301) x343

2. Today’s topics Teeth Tags TSE Mouthing sheep and goats to estimate age
Mouthing sheep and goats to determine soundness
Tags
Methods of identifying sheep and goats
Ear tagging basics
TSE
Scrapie in sheep and goats
Tagging requirements

3. Mature sheep and goats have 32 teeth Lambs and kids have 20 temporary teeth
Dental pad no teeth
Molars Back teeth
Incisors (front teeth)
Picture source: Merck Veterinary Manual, 8th edition

4. Mouthing sheep and goats to estimate age
You can estimate the approximate age of sheep and goats by determining the age at which the milk teeth are replaced by permanent incisors.
Age varies by individual animal, breed, environment, and nutrition.
< 1
1-2
2-3
3-4
> 4
Old
Source for illustrations: Adapted from Vatta et al. (2005) Goatkeepers' Veterinary Manual.

5. Lamb – less than 1 year of age
Baby teeth
Milk teeth
All temporary

6. Yearling (1-2 years)
1 pair

7. 2 to 3 year old
2 pairs

8. 3 to 4 year old
3 pairs

9. 4-5 years old – solid mouth
4 pairs

10. 7-8 year old – Solid mouth
< 4 pairs

11. 10-11 year old broken mouth

12. 11+ years old “Gummer”

13. Jaw abnormalities

14. Another way to tell how old a sheep is
Lamb, > 12 months
2 break joints
Yearling, months spool and/or break joints
Mature sheep, > 2 years
2 spool joints

15. Identifying sheep and goats
Permanent
Ear tags
Tattoos
Ear notches
Electronic ID
Temporary
Neck chains or collars
Paint brands
Paint sprays
Markers or paint sticks

16. Ear tagging basics
Proper tags
Proper tool

17. Ear tagging basics
Proper restraint
Proper placement

18. How to reduce ear tag infections
Tag young animals
Tag clean, dry ears
Tag when humidity is low.
Use smaller tag
Avoid metal tags
Punch a hole in the ear before inserting tag

19. How to reduce ear tag infections
Apply lubricating antiseptic to male and female parts of tag
Dip in iodine
Soak ear tags in alcohol or another disinfectant before inserting.
Cut out infected tags

20. How to reduce tag losses
Insert tag 1 to 2 inches from skull
Thicker part of ear
Less snagging
Put female part of tag on inside of ear
Avoid large veins

21. What to do if animal loses a tag
4-H tag
Contact 4-H office
Scrapie ID
Put in a new scrapie tag
Own flock/herd
Flock/herd of origin
Write down old number and new number
Registration tag
Replace with a tag with the same number

22. [TSE] Scrapie Disease of sheep and goats.
Affects central nervous system.
Animals over 18 months of age
Always fatal.
Member of a family of diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs).
Other TSEs
Mad cow disease
Chronic wasting disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s disease

23. How does a sheep or goat get scrapie?
Direct contact with an infected sheep or goat.
Direct contact with infected placenta.
Environmental contamination (?)

24. Can all sheep and goats get scrapie?
Affects mostly blackface and speckled-faced sheep.
Few cases in goats in U.S.
A sheep’s genetics determines if it will get scrapie if it is exposed.
R gene - resistance
Q gene - susceptibility
They are still looking for resistant genotypes in goats.

25. -- MANDATORY -- Tagging requirement for scrapie program
Tag all sheep and goats when they leave your property.
Sell to neighbor
Go to weigh-in and tagging
Go to fair
Go to sale barn
Tag should be applied at the farm where the goat or sheep was born.
Premise ID
Individual animal ID
Why? To trace back infected animals to their farm of origin and find other animals that might have been exposed.

26. Tattoo instead of ear tag
A flock ID and individual animal number can take the place of an ear tag.
A registration tattoo may also take the place of a tattoo if the animal accompanied by its registration paper.

27. What if . . . ? The sheep or goat you buy doesn’t have a scrapie tag?
The seller is required to tag the animal.
If the seller doesn’t provide a tag, tag the animal with another scrapie tag and record the seller’s name and address so you can prove the animal wasn’t born on your farm.
The sheep or goat loses its scrapie tag?
Put in another tag and record both tag numbers (lost and new).

28. How to get FREE scrapie tags
Contact John T. Swann at (410) or
He will assign a Flock ID and order your free ear tags and pliers to apply them.

29. Thank you for your attention.
Questions?