Sheep Husbandry Part 1

Sheep Husbandry (Part 1)

• Hayley Hickling is a teaching fellow in production animal medicine at the University of Surrey.
• Learning objectives include describing the sheep production cycle, essential management procedures (shearing and vaccination), and recognizing husbandry changes in ewes during pregnancy and lambing.

Typical Production System

• Most British sheep breeds are seasonally polyoestrus, breeding when days shorten (late summer/early autumn).
• Melatonin produced by the brain in darker hours regulates the breeding cycle.
• Lambs reach puberty around 8 months of age (if diet is sufficient).
• Gestation length is approximately 147 days.

LO1: Describe the Sheep Production Cycle

• The ewe cycle involves a period of 'putting to ram', lambing, weaning, and potentially being 'flushed' (fed an enhanced diet before mating) or used for early finishing.
• Another option is for older lambs to be finished on roots through winter before slaughter.
• The timeline of the cycle is October-November (putting to ram), March-April (lambing), May-June (weaning), August-September (ewe 'flushing' or alternative path for early finishing), and potentially January after.

The Sheep Calendar (monthly schedule)

• January: Pregnancy scanning, sale of barren ewes.
• February: Pre-lambing vaccines for ewes.
• March: Lamb vaccines, pre-lambing ewe vaccine administration.
• April: Lambing, often within 6 weeks, and best lambs for slaughter.
• May: Lamb vaccines and worming.
• June: Shearing, lamb vaccines.
• July: Lambs weaned and best lambs for slaughter.
• August: Ewes and lambs grazing separately. Monitoring lamb growth.
• September: Pre/post weaning checks, ewe abortion vaccines, finalizing lambs for slaughter.
• October: Flushing for tupping, and monitoring lamb weights/slaughter readiness.
• November: Tupping (mating) of 25-100 ewes per ram, usually 2 ewe cycles in a year.
• December: Rams are removed, scanning for pregnancy (number/presence of foetuses), barren ewes sold, and last year's lambs weighed and sold.

The Annual Sheep Cycle

• October: Pre-breeding checks (rams and ewes), purchase of replacements, ewe abortion vaccines (4-6 weeks pre-tupping), flushing of ewes before tupping.
• November: Tupping of 25-100 ewes per ram, 5th November for the first lambing.
• Lambs are made in autumn, not spring.

LO3: Recognize that Husbandry Requirements Change for Ewes During Pregnancy and Lambing.

• Conception (0-42 days): Feed ewes for maintenance only (grass/forage).
• Days 42-90 of Pregnancy: Increase feed by 2 MJ/day (grass/forage). Monitor for adequate placenta development. Use ultrasound scanning to check for barren ewes and those carrying multiples.
• Days 90-Parturition: Intensive nutrition is needed, including rapid foetal growth and mammary development. Prevention of metabolic diseases (e.g., twin lamb). Feed should be 2X what you typically feed (including quality hay/silage).
• Six weeks pre-lambing, moving ewes to protected fields/indoors reduces humidity problems. Consider grouping similar feed requirements.

Housing

• Hill sheep: Usually lamb outside, using supplementary feeding in sheltered grazing areas with better grass.
• Lowland sheep: Shelter/housing provided for lambing, including adequate ventilation and dry bedding (weeks before lambing). Ewes and lambs often penned individually/small groups.

Lambing

• Normal Presentation: Diagram illustrates a full-term ewe with a lamb in normal presentation showing internal structures
• Lambing Process: Stages of lambing – feet first, then head.
• Post-lambing: Checking teats and milk supply of ewe.

LO2: Provide Brief Details on Essential Management Procedures Such as Shearing and Vaccination

• Shearing: Removing the entire fleece in one piece (versus crutching which only removes around tail and legs). Done usually in Early Summer, typically every year to prevent overheating and flystrike risk. Contractors are common for shearing, they are usually experienced and can shear very fast. Note welfare concerns related to shearing speed, and that animals require time to recover after shearing.
• Vaccination: Administration of a vaccine stimulates the immune system to develop immunity for a specific pathogen. Used to prevent diseases within/between sheep flocks. Note specific vaccines e.g., Clostridium spp., Pasteurella (Mannheimia haemolytica), enzootic abortion, and toxoplasmosis. Vaccinating is commonly done 4 weeks before lambing, and the process in subcutaneously (under the sheep's skin). Care/welfare considerations are important during injections and the afterward monitoring.

Ageing Sheep

• Estimating age based on mouthing (teeth replacements).

Body Condition Scoring

• Visual and tactile assessment for body condition. The scoring system has five points.

Sheep Tipping

• Correct procedure for safely positioning sheep for handling.

Foot Trimming

• Routine trimming isn't recommended. Importantly, examination of sheep feet should be done routinely to identify lameness issues.

Explore the fundamentals of sheep husbandry in this quiz, focusing on the sheep production cycle, essential management procedures such as shearing and vaccination, and the changes in ewes during pregnancy and lambing. Understand the key concepts that impact sheep breeding and care.