65 Questions
Stratification of UK sheep industry: Match the correct phase from top to bottom
1(top) = Hill 2 = Upland 3 = Lowland 4(bottom) = Finished lambs for slaughter
Which one is not a destiny of HILL ewes?
crossed with down rams
Hill (draft) ewes and longwool ram cross produces?
Half-bred ewes
What are store lambs?
Sheep that are not going to finish this season
Hill ewes are _______.
pure bred
Which of the following is not a upland breed
Down Ewes
Which of the following does not cross with Down rams?
Draft ewes
Name an advantage of the stratification system
- Exploits breeds to best ability on land types
- Slaughter lamb carcass can be tailored to meet the market requirement
- Hill ewes productive life extended
- Heterosis
Name a disadvantage of the stratification system
increased disease risk as there's more movement between flock
Which of the following is not a characteristic of hill breeds?
Maximal input required
Name a hill breed
Rough fell welsh mountain scottish blackface swaledale lleyn clun forest kerry hill exmoor horn south country cheviot north country cheviot
Which of the following is a characteristic of upland breeds
Good milk production
Name a longwool breed
Teeswater Wensleydale boder leicester blue-faced leicester
Which of the following is an INCORRECT description of HALFBREDS
stays in lowlands
Match the hill(sire) x longwool(dam) pairs with the corresponding halfbred.
Blue-faced leicester x scottish black face = Scottish mule Swaledale x Wensleydale/teeswater = Masham Cheviot x border leicester = scottish halfbred Welsh mountain x border leicester = welsh halfbred
Characteristics of halfbred is an example of?
Heterosis
Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of lowland/down breeds?
Large size(~60kg)
Why are lowland breeds less hardy?
because they have food available all the time.
What is the sheep industry in the UK geared towards?
production of sheep meat
What is the target slaughter weight
45kg liveweight
What is the carcase valuation used in the sheep industry? (System; target carcase weight, target conformation and fat class in supermarkets, local butchers and exports)
Conformation(EUROP) on the y axis; Fat class (1,2,3L,3H,4L,4H,5) on the x axis; Supermarket: 16-21kg; EUR; 2, 3L,maybe 3H Local butchers: 16-25kg, EURO; 2, 3L, 3H Exports: 9-21kg; EUR; 2, 3L
Which is the best grade carcase should fall in?
E2-R3L rectangle
When will lamb price p/kg peak throughout the year.
Easter, Ramadam and Eid
Match the events with the corresponding month
Scanning = February Lambing = mid april to mid may weaning and shearing = july tupping = mid november to mid december
When is worm egg count in lambs and ewes
july to october
Match the events with the corresponding number of days
Oestrous cycle = 17 days Gestation length = 147 days weaning = 100 days(12-16 weeks) scanning = 45 days after ram removal
Tups/rams are left in for how long?
2 oestrus cycles/ 34-51 days
Match the number of months between birth to slaughter with the corresponding lambs
Pet lambs = neverrrrr fat lambs = 4 months short-keep store lambs = 9 months long-keep store lambs = 12 months
Sheep are a) short/long day breeders. They are Seasonally b)______.
a) short b)polyoestrus
How to induce oetrous in sheep?
increasing darkness increases melatonin production thus more GnRH is released
Match the BCS with their corresponding description
1 = Prominent vertical and horizontal processing; no fat covering; fingers easily pushed under transverse process 2 = Prominent vertical process; smooth and rounded horizontal process; little fat covering; fingers can still press under transverse process 3 = Smooth and rounded vertical and horizontal process; bones and ends only felt with pressure; moderate fat covering 4 = vertical process detected as a line; horizontal ends cannot be detected; thick covering of fat
What is the description for BSC 5?
vertical and transverse process cannot be detected even with pressure; covered with very thick fat; dimple in fat layers where processes are present
What is flushing and when does it occur and what is the aim of flushing?
Flushing is increasing plane of nutrition in ewes by giving concentrates or nourished fields, 3 weeks prior to tupping. Flushing allows ewes to reach target BCS (hill: 2.5; upland:3; lowland:3.5) for tupping which increases ovulation rates
What is the target BCS of rams at tupping?
3.5-4
When do energy requirements of ewes increase massively?
Last 6 weeks of gestation
What are the energy requirements of early/mid pregnancy ewes? What happens if overfed?
not much more than maintenance; small lambs
What is the target BCS of ewes a month before lambing?
3-3.5
Why does energy requirements of ewes increase significantly in the last 6 weeks of pregnancy?
70% of lamb growth occurs at this stage
survival rate of twin lambs increases with higher ewe BCS
True
Which of the following is not a common consequence of low BCS(less than 2.5) in ewes at lambing?
Vaginal prolapse
Lambs rely on milk as their only energy source for the first ____ weeks of life?
4-6
What are the target weight gain of lambs per day a)pre-weaning and b) post-weaning?
a) 300kg/day b) 200kg/day
What is the target weight at weaning? What is a sign that it is weaned at the correct time?
20kg; BCS should drop slightly
Lactation would lower BCS of ewes, hence it is common to wean early if the BCS of the ewe is low.
True
What is are the 2 possible consequences of under nutrition during pregnancy in lambs
low birthweight; low brown fat levels
What is an advantage of indoor lambing?
Closer supervision possible
Indoor lambing reduces the risk of losing lambs to hypothermia.
True
Which of the following common causes of neonatal mortalilty cannot be prevented with pre-lambing vaccination
Dystocia
Which of the following is not a common cause of neonatal mortality in sheep?
Pneumonia
____ml/kg of colostrum should be given to lambs with in first 4-6 hours of life
50
In the first 24 hours, _____ml/kg of colostrum should be fed to lambs
200
Tail docking should leave enough tail to cover _____
cover vulva/anus of lamb
Tail docking and castration with a rubber ring should not be carried out to lambs older than ______.
7 days
Castration cannot be performed until _______ has been established
ewe/lamb bond
Only vet surgeons can castrate lambs that have reached _____ of age
3 months
Why is tail docking performed in the sheep industry?
To reduce parasite infestation
Why is castration performed in lambs?
To prevent wanted pregnancies
All sheep must have an ____
EID/ electronic id
Match the timing that an official identifier have to be applied
by 6 months = housed overnight by 9 months = not housed overnight by 12 months = single ear tags is permissible above 12 months = ear tag and individual identifier(EID bolus/pastern band/tattoo) are required
Lambs should be weighted at birth, 8 weeks, weaning and sale.
True
Which of the following description of shearing is inaccurate?
Occurs in June
How do farmers decide which ewes to cull
Ewes are put on restricted grazing for a week to aid cessation of lactation then put on unrestricted grazing for 6-8 weeks to gain BCS. For the ones that don't put on condition, they will be investigated or culled
How long are quarantine periods for newly bought ewes?
28 days
What should be done during quarantine(treatments)?
treatments for endo and ectoparasites
Rams for tupping should be?
Toes:not lame Teeth: no abscesses Testicles: good testicular tone = firm with no lumps or bumps; 2 even testes; scrotal circumference 30-36cm tone: BCS 3.5-4 treat: vaccinations, shearing, dewormers up to date
Study Notes
Indoor Lambing
- Protects sheep and shepherd from bad weather
- Reduces risk of lambs dying from hypothermia
- Allows for closer supervision of lambing
- Enables early lambing to take place
- Helps preserve pasture growth and recovery
- Requires higher labour input
- Increases risk of infectious diseases
- Requires provision of feed, bedding, and water
Outdoor Lambing
- Requires less labour input
- Has lower capital expenditure and fixed costs
- Reduces risk of infectious diseases
- Is limited to lambing flocks that can start later
- Requires sufficient pasture to be available
- Increases risk of lambs dying from hypothermia and starvation
- Increases losses due to dystocia
Test your knowledge of the stratification of the UK sheep industry, from top to bottom. Match the correct phase to its corresponding level.
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