Know Your Sheep
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L MARKET SHEEP ESS Know Your Sheep ON 3 IMPOrtaNT SHEEP TERMS TO KNOW • Breed A group of animals with common ancestry and with similar characteristics that are passed 1. on from generation to generation • Breeder The owner of the parents of the lambs when they are mated • Castrate To remove the testicles • Crossbred An animal with parents of different breeds • Dam The mother of a particular animal • Dock To remove a portion of the tail • Ewe A female sheep of any age • Fleece The sheared wool of a sheep • Lamb A sheep of either sex, less than a year old and still has its milk (baby) teeth • Lambing The process of giving birth • Market lamb A lamb that is raised for meat and weighs within the market weight parameters—it must also still have its milk (baby) teeth. • Ram An uncastrated male sheep, sometimes referred to as a “buck” • Polled An animal that does not produce or grow horns • Purebred An animal with same-breed parents and that could be recorded in an association registry • Registered An animal whose name and assigned number have been recorded in record books of its respective breed association; this record also includes the name and assigned numbers of the lamb’s parents • Sire The father of a particular animal • Wether A sheep that has been castrated • Yearling An animal between one and two years old What BREED IS MY SHEEP? There are approximately 200 breeds of sheep in the world, but only about 15 are common in the US. These are: Cheviot, Dorset, Merino, Rambouilett, Southdown, Columbia, Hampshire, Montadale, 2. Romney, Suffolk, Corriedale, Lincoln, Oxford, Shropshire and Targhee. Each of these breeds has definite characteristics, color or colors, color or wool pattern, and other qualities which distinguish it from other breeds. Breeds of sheep are classified or grouped together according to their use, purpose, and characteristics. The most common classifications are wool production, meat production, dual purpose, color of face, and horned. Most Common Breed Classifications • Wool Production • Color of face • Fine Wool – Merino and Rambouillet • Black – Hampshire, Oxford, • Medium Wool – Corriedale, Shropshire and Suffolk Columbia, and Targhee • White – Cheviot, Columbia, • Long Wool – Lincoln and Romney Corriedale, Dorset, Lincoln, • Meat Production Montadale, Rambouillet, and • Cheviot, Hampshire, Oxford, Targhee Shropshire, Southdown, and Suffolk • Horned • Dual purpose • Dorset and Rambouillet • Columbia, Dorset, and Montadale DORSET MONtadale SUFFOLK OXFORD SHROPSHIRE MERINO RAMBOUILETT COrriedale SOUTHDOWN COLUMBIA TARGHEE LINCOLN HAMPSHIRE ROMNEY CHEVIOT KNOWING THE parts OF YOUR ANIMAL. You should be able to identify all of the following parts on your market sheep. Give it a try on 3. Activity #2! Hock, flank, pastern, hoof or foot, chest, shoulder, forearm, knee, rack (rib), face, rump, loin, dock, leg. WHERE IS MY rack? 4. You should be able to identify where the major cuts of meat come from in your animal. Give it a try: Start with identifying the locations on the activity sheet 3 and then see if you can identify which wholesale cuts come from which location. StartiNG THE TRAINING PROCESS 5. Training a lamb begins with earning its trust and confidence by making friends with it. This is best accomplished by playing with it, brushing it, and otherwise spending time with it. When the lamb stops running from you when you enter the pen, it is ready to start the exercise and training routine (note that lambs will almost always run when you enter the pen, so you need to learn if they are running in play or fear). • Catch the lamb and hold it and rub it down. Rub down the back, sides, neck and legs to get it used to being touched. • Once the lamb is used to being touched, begin to walk it first on halter, then off. • Teaching the lamb to set up means that each leg will come straight down from the body (straight from the side, the front and the rear). This is referred to as having the feet and legs squarely under the body or standing square. The University of Wyoming is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Contact the County Extension Office to request special accommodations if needed to fully participate. • When placing or setting the front feet and legs, raise or lift the lamb’s head (very slightly) by lifting on the jaw (this cues the lamb so that it knows the front feet and legs). • When front feet and legs are set, return the head to normal position. •To set the rear feet and legs, lower the lambs head (slightly) by pulling down on the jaw (cue to the lamb). When set return the head to normal. • When all four feet and legs are in the desired position, they can be kept in that position by standing on the left side of the lamb and keeping your left hand under the jaw of the lamb. This also allows you to keep the back, neck and head of the lamb in a straight line by moving your left hand in or out. • Teach the lamb to brace by standing directly in front of it and placing your knee on its chest. When pressure is applied to the chest the lamb will push forward, which makes it brace. When a lamb braces and pushes forward against your leg, it tenses its back and leg muscles, which makes the lamb look lean and muscular to the judge. When a judge moves next to the lamb, let it relax and reset its feet if they have moved. • Don’t forget the exercise. Lambs should receive at least 15-20 minutes of exercise per day to achieve show condition. The University of Wyoming is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution. Contact the County Extension Office to request special accommodations if needed to fully participate..