Management systems

Question 1

code of practice

Answer 1

-describe both requirements and recommended practices
-requirements are enforced by law
-recommended practices are for producer education and to promote enhanced animal welfare
-ever person working with sheep or goats must have access to a copy (free PDF online)

Question 2

shelter requirements of sheep and goats

Answer 2

-sheep and goats must have access to shelter either natural or man made
-goat code says kids must be protected form wind, draft/chills during first week of life

Question 3

what are some things that producers need to consider for weather when it comes to housing

Answer 3

-producers need to consider:
-extreme heat: provide shade and fresh water, appropriate shearing season
-cold and chill: wind break, shelter or appropriate lambing/kidding and shearing seasons, extra bedding

Question 4

what are some additional shelter requirements

Answer 4

-must have sufficient space per animal
-goats must have at least one form of physical enrichment
-sheep and goats need social enrichment
-pens/fences must be designed to prevent accidental entrapment (kept in good repair- no shape edges or protrusions that animals can be stabbed

Question 5

what is adequate permeant fencing material for sheep

Answer 5

-page wire
-at least 5 strands of barbed wire (but must be space so can get head out)

Question 6

feeder requirements

Answer 6

-designed for animal type
-appropriate height at neck so animals can eat
-space for head and horns to fit through

-space so all animals can eat together
-size of animal
shorn or wooly
-pregnant ewes
-limit fed/hand fed animals need more space than those with free access

Question 7

water requirements

Answer 7

-must provide a source of fresh water daily
-water designed and placement should prevent contamination of water (clean when is though)
-snow is not an acceptible water source for wethers, feedlot lambs, and lactating ewes, or for goats
-water must allow specific amount to drink at once

Question 8

advantages for raising sheep

Answer 8

-two crops per year (wool, meat)
-reproductive rates
-short gestation
-multiple births
-if you pick the right breeds:
-breed multiple X per year
-lamb out of season
-3lambings/2 years or 2 lambings/year

Question 9

disadvantages to sheep

Answer 9

-predation
-weather
-high labor
-fencing costs

Question 10

why can the weather be a challenge to sheep

Answer 10

-freshly shorn ewes and newborns especially
-cold, wet weather or storms cause huge losses
-sand in fleeces during wind storm or droughts
-humidity affects lungs, internal parasites, skin problems, wool issues

Question 11

when is labor highest in demand

Answer 11

lambing and shearing

Question 12

production units

Answer 12

-large flock >500 ewes
-medium 100-499 head
-small <100 head
-micro flocks < 10 head

Question 13

commercial flocks vs purebred flock use

Answer 13

-purebred: main source of breeding stock
-commercial flocks are mainly meat production

Question 14

different types of management systems

Answer 14

-range
-farm flocks (total and semi confinement)
-feedlot lambs
-dairy sheep

Question 15

range flocks

Answer 15

-large flocks of sheep
-grazing pasture to maintain sheep
-animal unit-5 ewes/lamb=1cow/calf
-supplemental tubs

Question 16

range flock fencing

Answer 16

-fencing:
-rotational grazing
-predators out
-guard dog or other animals
dogs- herding + predator

Question 17

range flock year cycle

Answer 17

-breed late fall
-lambing on the grass late spring
-fall weaning
-breeding late fall
-marketing lambs depends on wean weights (feedlot or slaughter)
-economics = kg lamb/ewe/year

Question 18

marketing lambs for range flocks

Answer 18

-depends on wean weights
-lambs may self wean or farmers wean early fall/late summer,
-or farmers may wean early (drought) which case they will go to feed lot

Question 19

advantages of range flocks

Answer 19

-low feed costs
-profit form marginal lands
-co-species grazing opportunities
-resistant to toxins for leafy spurge and tansy ragwort

Question 20

disadvantages to range flocks

Answer 20

-malnutrition of improperly managed
-can ruin pastures for future
-large enough land base allow pasture to rest
-lambing mortality (spring storms and mismothering)
-predators
-parasites (cold winter helps)
-fall lambing market (lowest price of the year)
-fresh water

Question 21

how much water do ewes need a day

Answer 21

-lactating ewe 6.5L/day
-dry ewes 4.5L/day

Question 22

successful range flock management

Answer 22

-rotational grazing (inc grazing pressure, reduced parasite ingestion)
-select replacement ewes within the flock
-wean at market time
market weight >_32kg
feeders <32kg
or deworm and feed hay concentrates
-shearing before or after lambing (depending on weather and labor)

Question 23

two kinds of farm flocks

Answer 23

semi and total confined

Question 24

semi confined farm flock

Answer 24

-dry lot pen with sheds
-bunk feeding
-bale feeders
-most common type of farm flock
-ewes graze in summer once lambs are weaned

Question 25

total confinement farm flock

Answer 25

-controlled environment
-can also have dry lot pens
-no grazing

Question 26

farm flock goals

Answer 26

-breeding selection is important
-meat breeds predominantly
-goals = kg lamb/ewe/year
-multiple births
-low mortality
optimal growth rate

Question 27

advantages of farm flocks

Answer 27

accelerated lambing schedules
-out of season marketing (when prices are high)
-marketing contracts
-optimized for production
-feed according to needs

Question 28

disadvantages of farm flocks

Answer 28

-high input costs
-labor, facilities, feed, equipment
-need 300+ ewes or 600+ for 1x a year to justify overhead costs

Question 29

total confinment

Answer 29

-controlled environment
-rare
-most expensive
-high profitability (if managed well)
-controlled temp, humidity, lighting
-multiple births needed
-lambs raised artificially (milk machine)
-ewes rebred 30-60 days post partum (typically give a week break)
-two multiple birth lambings/ewes/year
-8 week weaning

Question 30

opportunities for range and farm flocks

Answer 30

-cheap feed or payment for grazing
-grazing solar farms
-grazing cover crops or stubble
-leafy spurge control

has challenges: trucking, portable fencing/loading shutes

Question 31

forestry projects

Answer 31

-stand tending or silviculture
-using sheep to graze down plant
-new tree plantation
-cutlines

Question 32

challenges of forestry projects

Answer 32

-predators
-rough landscape
-sheep need to flock well
-isolation for labour

Question 33

feedlots

Answer 33

-many farm flocks finish their own

Question 34

dairy sheep

Answer 34

-ontario, BC, alberta
-east friesian sheep
-lacaune
-milk daily - once or twice
-milk after lambs weaned
-milk in morning when lambs locked up for the night
-raise lambs on milk replacer

Question 35

dairy sheep

Answer 35

-lactation can last up to 10 months (more like 6)
-need to have at least two separate lambing groups if wanting to milk year round
-shear before lambing so cleaner for milk

Question 36

code requirements for dairy sheep

Answer 36

milking must be done frequently enough to prevent engourged udders
-stockpeople must be competent
-proper hygiene and cleanliness of facilities
-early weaned lambs must be consuming adequate amounts of water and feed

Question 37

record keeping

Answer 37

-production records (who is most and least productive)
-traceability requirements
-depends on the size of the flock (small flocks pen and paper can work, med-large flocks need more advances programs)
-a few different options available
-software that works with a computer and portable device that you can scan EID tags with

Question 38

how should you pick a record keeping program

Answer 38

-what is important to you
-how much data do you want to collect
-start up cost
-yearly subscriptions for software programs
-cost of equipment
-electronic identification (EID) tag reader
-scale (manual or automatic)
-ease of running reports
-can you retrieve the data you recorded in a way that helps you get value from the program