Types of Sheep Breeds and Production

Sheep Production

• Sheep production is categorized into two types: lowland and mountain/hill.
• France, the UK, and Sweden are the largest exporters of sheep meat.

Sheep Breeds

• Black Face Mountain: a hardy breed with a black face, long wool, and horns, known for being small in size.
• Wicklow Cheviot: a medium-sized, hardy breed with a white face, known for being good mothers.
• Border Leicester: a large breed with long wool, upright ears, and good offspring.
• Blueface Leicester: a large breed with a white face, dark blue eyes, and a white coat.
• Suffolk: a breed with good conformation, a fast growth rate, and early maturing, ideal for the Easter market.
• Texel: a breed with a wide white face, short ears, no wool on the head or legs, and good conformation, known for muscle leanness and a slower growth rate.
• Charollais: a French breed, medium in size, with heavy sheep, good muscle, and fast-growing lambs, ideal for terminal sires.
• Beltex: a breed with a white face, medium wool, and double muscle, known for its high kill-out percentage.

Lamb Production, Diseases, and Husbandry

• Oestrus Cycle: occurs every 17 days in ewes from September to February.
• Gestation Period: 149 days (5 months).
• Ewes in Oestrous: come into heat during a set time of year (September to February) due to shorter days.
• Early Lamb: born December to January, with higher feed costs and concentrates required.
• Mid-Season Lambs: born March to April, with lower feed costs and more grass.

Breeding and Lambing

• Flushing Ewes: moved from low nutrition to high nutrition prior to mating to increase ovulation rate and litter size.
• BCS: should be 3.5 before mating.
• Sponging: used to ensure all ewes come into heat at the same time, helping synchronized breeding.
• Ram to Ewe Ratio: 1:40 is natural, but 1:10 if synchronized.
• Mating Season: should last 6-8 weeks.
• Lambing: should be done inside to prevent chill, and ewes should be fed on high nutrition to prevent twin lamb disease.
• Lambing Dates: can be predicted from mating dates.
• Lamb Weights: 3-5 kg at birth.
• Lamb Care: naval should be dipped to prevent naval ill, and colostrum should be given straight away.
• Weaning: takes place in June/July.