Sheep Industry Flashcards
What is the most used sheep product in the UK
Meat
What percentage of the Ewe value is wool
5% of Ewe value
UK = 1% of world market
Used mainly for carpet and insulation
How many sheep are slaughtered - clean and Ewes/Rams
14.5 million
Clean sheep - 13.1m
Ewe/Ram - 1.4m
= £1.3 billion
What are the percentages of live weight and dead weight sales
Live weight - 55%
Dead weight - 45%
Do lamb prices fluctuate
Yes both during the year and between years
What can decrease carcass quality
Bruising by
Wool grabbing
Getting trampled
Sharp objects
Injection site reactions
How is wool quality measured
Fitness of staple measured in microns
Fine < 24 microns
Medium 25-35 microns
Coarse 35-50 microns
What is roughly fleece weight per sheep
1.5-10kg
What can are the niche uses of sheep
Landscaping - areas of special scientific interest
How is stratification used in the UK
Hill sheep used for scavenge ability, good mothering traits
Hill sheep are small so crossed with a meat breed such as Blue faced Leicester = mules
Mules crossed with large sheep e.g. texel to get best meat with good traits
Where is the average flock size largest
Wales
How is a larger profit margin achieved with sheep
Higher scanning percentage = more lambs being born and reared (less loses)
Higher lamb weights
Less store lambs
Lower feed cost
Lower fixed and variable costs
What are the rough prices of sheep
Commercial breeding Ram (normal) - £300-£1000
Ewe - £100-£140
Lambs at slaughter - 170-240 p/kg LW
380-480 p/kg DW
Store lambs - £50-£80
What are the minimum housing requirements for sheep
1.2-1.4m2 / ewe
2-2.2m2 / ewe with lambs
0.8-0.9m2 / weaned lamb
What must we be considerate of when looking at housed lambs
Buildings not made for purpose
Sometimes dangerous and no air inlet
Poly tunnels often used as no planning permission needed but watch for heat stress
