An Overview of the Sheep Industry

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An Overview of the Sheep Industry
Jeff Thayne Iowa State University
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Advantages of Sheep Production

• Easy to handle and generally require little
  input.
• Does not require elaborate facilities and
  equipment.
• Consume roughage as their primary feed.
• Help control weeds.
• Provide two sources of cash income lamb and
  wool.
• Require a minimum amount of supplemental feeding.
  
• Provide a quick return on investment.(Mathis and
  Ross, 2000)

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Disadvantages of Sheep Production

• A sheep enterprise must be well managed.
• Sheep are subject to predation by coyotes,
  eagles, bobcats, lions, bears, domestic dogs,
  etc.
• Sheep require better fencing than do cattle.
• Internal parasites can create health problems
  when sheep are intensively grazed on irrigated
  pastures. (Mathis and Ross, 2000)

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Scope of the Industry

• 200, 000 total sheep
• Rank 10th in total US numbers
• Texas is rank 1 with 1.07 mil
• California is ranked 2
• Iowa is 2nd in sheep operations

• The trend is downward for US sheep numbers,
  notice a slight increase in 05-06

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Scope of the Industry

• China
• Australia
• India

• Sheep numbers peaked
• at 56 million in the 1940s

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Scope of the Industry
NASS

• Wool clothing competes with other natural
  fibers, especially cotton and synthetic fibers.
  There are two main categories of synthetic fibers
  -- cellulosic and noncellulosic.
• Cellulosic fibers were developed earlier than
  the noncellulosic fibers and appeared in 1910.
  Trade names for these fibers include rayon.
• Noncellulosic synthetic fibers have been
  developed more recently, since 1939. These fibers
  are truly man-made, since they are synthesized
  from various chemicals under laboratory
  conditions forming fiber strands with predictable
  properties and costs. Fibers in this group
  include most notably, nylon. (sheepusa.org)

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Lamb Consumption
Schroeder et al., 2001
Sheepusa.org

• Lamb consumption has declined from 3 lbs. per
  person in the 1970s to just over 1 lb. in the
  late 1990s (Schroeder et al., 2001)
• Other findings, the quantity of lamb consumed is
  sensitive to lamb price
• Beef is a substitute for lamb
• Demand for traditional lamb as an aggregate
  commodity declines as consumer income rises

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Lamb Consumption

• What do you think of when you hear the term
  beef?
• What do you think of when you hear the term
  pork?
• What do you think of when you hear the term
  lamb?

Vs.
Vs.
Vs.
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Sheep Enterprises

• Purebred
• Commercial
• Club Lambs
• Feedlot
• Wool
• Milk

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Sheep Enterprises

• Purebred
• Purebred sheep supply genetics for the
  development of commercial sheep production
  systems.
• In general, depending on the breed and
  availability, it is more expensive to start a
  purebred sheep business than a commercial one.
• Purebred sheep are often more expensive to
  produce, and more expense is involved in
  advertising and marketing. (Mathis and Ross, 2000)

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Sheep Enterprises

• Wool
• Top Countries
• 1st Australia
• 2nd New Zealand
• 3rd South Africa
• 4th United States
• Clothing v. Carpet Wool
• Properties of Wool
• Water resistant
• Good Insulation
• Elasticity
• Strong
• Felting Properties

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Sheep Enterprises

• Wool
• Shearing
• Average fleece weight in US is 8.5 pounds
• Shearing process typically requires 2 to 3
  minutes

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Sheep Enterprises

• Wool
• Grading
• Blood Grade
• Spinning Count System
• Micron diameter
• Fineness
• Crimp
• Staple Length
• Uniformity
• Color
• Noilage

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Sheep Enterprises

• Milk
• 2001 Production
• The East Friesian breed is the most common and
  productive breed of dairy sheep in the world.
  Their average production is 990 to 1,100 pounds
  per lactation of 220 to 240 days. (sheep101.info)
• Price of US sheep milk is .60/ pound

 Source FAO of the United Nations
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Sheep Production Systems

• Extensive Management Systems
• Southwestern Range Operations
• Rambouillet type ewes
• High Quality Wool, Fast Growing Lambs, 100-115
  Lamb Crop
• Limited Supplementation
• Predators are a challenge
• Northwestern Range Operations
• Similar but more feed resources
• Larger, coarser fleeced ewes are used with higher
  lamb crop
• Black faced rams are utilized

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Sheep Production Systems

• Extensive Management Systems
• Predators
• Dogs
• Coyotes
• Wolves
• Bears
• Guardians
• Dogs
• Llamas
• Donkeys

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Sheep Production Systems

• Intensive Management Systems
• Farm Flock Operations
• Common in the Midwest
• Weaned lamb crop of 150-200
• Maternal lines are mated to sire lines
• Lamb Feedlot Industry
• Concentrated in a confined area and fed high
  concentrate diets
• Colorado is leading lamb feeding state
• Gain .75-1.0 pounds per day

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Stages of the Production Cycle
Parturition
Gestation
Weaning
Selecting Replacement Stock
Breeding
Marketing
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Parturition

• Signals
• Nervousness
• Ewes may leave the flock
• Udders will fill
• Vulvas will become lax
• Management
• Strip, Snip, Dip
• Lambing jugs
• Dehydration, Hypothermia

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Parturition

• Lambing Jugs
• Bonding Experience
• Grafting
• Dehydration/Starvation
• 1 Killer of Lambs
• Lamb not claimed
• Mastitis
• Udder problems
• Pneumonia

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Processing

• Identification
• Selenium Shots/ Overeating Disease
• Tail docking
• Castration

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Weaning

• Weaning is done around 60-90 days
• 40 to 45 pounds
• Creep fed
• Monitor stress and disease control

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Selecting Replacements
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Functionality

• Encompasses structural correctness and fleshing
  ability
• The major factor in breeding animals, but in
  sheep they must also be adequate in terms of
  growth
• Ability of dam to produce progeny in a cost
  efficient, productive manner

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Functionality

• Body Condition Scoring
• To assess the nutritional status of ewes, a
  subjective scoring system based on external body
  fat has been developed.
• The amount of fat cover is then used to estimate
  body energy reserves.
• The scoring system has a range of one to five,
  with one being extremely thin and five being
  extremely fat. (Mathis and Ross, 2000)

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Growth Potential

• Ability of dam/sire to transmit growth potential
  to their offspring
• Breeding sheep should excel in weight per day of
  age
• Indicators include length of body, length of face
  and cannon bone
• Be aware of early maturing sheep that are short
  necked, coarse made and short bodied

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Balance and Eye Appeal

• The symmetry and proportionalism of the animal
  from the profile
• Extension and length plus strength of skeleton
  aid in balance
• Front end design
• Strength behind shoulder and at hip-loin juncture
• Levelness of hip

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Muscle

• As with any food animal, muscle is an important
  selection factor
• More important in rams, particularly those
  characterized as sire breeds
• Lesser importance in females and how the muscle
  is arranged may be of greater concern
• Similar locations as those targeted in market
  lambs

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Sexual Characteristics

• Display traits that indicate reproductive
  soundness and fertility
• Females
• Feminine
• Proper teat structure
• Males
• Adequate testicular development
• Masculinity/Ruggedness

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Mouth Soundness

• Parrot Mouth
• Monkey Mouth

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Marketing
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Marketing

• Lambs are marketed at 120 pounds

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Breeding

• Seasonally Polyestrous
• Photoperiod
• 17 day estrous cycle
• Length of Gestation- 144-151 days

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Breeding

• Typically natural mating
• 130 ratio typical
• Artificial Insemination
• Must be trained
• Added Cost
• Surgical or laparoscopic procedure

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Mating Decisions

• Breed Complimentarity
• Matching sheep types with environment and
  producing the ideal lamb crop for the marketing
  venue
• Breed Type Options
• Maternal Breeds
• Paternal Breeds

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Breed Distinction

• Medium wool breeds
• Average wool characteristics
• Superior growth and muscle
• Sire-type breeds
• Suffolk
• Black points-face, knee and hock down
• Slick, bell shaped ear
• Hampshire
• Black points-face, knee and hock down with
  evidence of wool cap, and being booted down

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Breed Distinction

• Medium wool breeds
• Southdown
• Smaller framed relative to other breeds in this
  division
• Mousey brown head and lower leg
• Fine Wool breeds
• Rambouillet
• Hardy, fast growing breed
• White face and legs
• Excellent wool quality

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Breed Distinction
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Health

• White Muscle Disease
• Nutritional muscular dystrophy (white muscle
  disease) is a degeneration of the skeletal and
  cardiac muscles of lambs. White muscle disease is
  most commonly found among lambs grazing irrigated
  pastures. The incidence is generally higher for
  lambs on legume pasture, creep feed, or other
  high-quality diets. Generally, ewes being fed
  high levels of alfalfa hay are most likely to
  have lambs suffering from white muscle disease.
• The condition is related to deficiencies in
  selenium or vitamin E. Selenium deficiency can
  interfere with the transport of vitamin E.

ag.ansc.purdue.edu
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Health

• Sore Mouth
• Sore mouth is caused by a virus. It commonly
  affects nursing or recently weaned lambs, but
  sheep of all ages can be affected. The disease is
  characterized by the formation of lesions, which
  progress into thick crust or scabs, on the lips.
  Often, an entire group of lambs will become
  infected.

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Health

• Urinary Calculi (water belly)
• Rams and wethers in feedlots or on high-grain
  rations are most often affected by urinary
  calculi, but the condition can occur in sheep on
  succulent pastures or on grain stubble. Rations
  high in phosphorus or rations with a
  phosphorus-calcium imbalance are most often
  associated with a high incidence of urinary
  calculi in feedlot lambs.
• Sheep must have a clean, constant source of
  water.
• Adding ammonium chloride to a ration at the rate
  of 0.5 percent .

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Health

• External Parasites
• The most common external parasite is the sheep
  tick or ked.
• The ked is a wingless fly. It lives on the sheep
  and sucks blood from the skin. It causes
  irritation and restlessness, and tick residue can
  detract significantly from the character of the
  fleece, ultimately affecting its value.
  Additionally, ked infestation will cause cuckles
  (raised blemishes) on the hide, resulting in a
  discounted hide or pelt value.

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Health

• Ringworm or Club Lamb Fungus.
• This can become a serious problem because it is
  contagious and can be transmitted from lamb to
  lamb, from lamb to human, or from infected
  equipment to lamb. A good prevention program is
  necessary. Products available for use produce
  varying results. Consult a veterinarian for
  assistance in treatment and prevention.

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Health

• Enterotoxemia. One of the main causes of death in
  club lambs is enterotoxemia, or overeating
  disease. Symptoms are seldom exhibited. The
  disease is caused by a clostridial organism
  normally present in the intestine of most sheep.
  Lambs that experience abrupt changes to their
  feeding schedules or that consume large amounts
  of grain are subject to enterotoxemia. These
  changes cause the clostridial organism to grow
  rapidly and produce a powerful toxin that causes
  death in a few hours.
• Vaccinate all club lambs for types C and D
  enterotoxemia. Administer a booster vaccine 2 to
  3 weeks later. Give additional boosters at 2- to
  3-month intervals.

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Health

• Scrapie
• Scrapie is an infectious disease of sheep that
  affects the central nervous system and is always
  fatal. Upon necropsy, infected animals will have
  holes or vacuoles in the tissue of the brain.
• Codon 171 has a large affect on scrapie
  susceptibility
• QQ, QR, RR
• Spider Lamb Syndrome
• Genetic disorder causing skeletal deformities in
  you lambs.
• NN-Genetically Clean
• NS-Heterozygous, Carrier
• SS-Actual spider lamb

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Thanks for your Attention!