Sheep industry

Question 1

define:
lamb
weaner
hogget

Answer 1

lamb = 0-3 months
weaner = 3-9 months
hogget = 9-10 months until 12 months

Question 2

define:
maiden
ewe
ram

Answer 2

maiden = not been joined
ram = entire male
ewe = adult female (18 months)

Question 3

how many sheep in australia and WA

Answer 3

72 million, 13.5 million in WA

Question 4

how much does sheep industry make in AUS and WA

Answer 4

aus = $7.6 billion
WA = $1.3 billion

Question 5

where are sheep located in Australia

Answer 5

• high rainfall zone -> 30% sheep, high SD, fine wool Merinos and meat
• Wheat sheep zone - 65% sheep, mixed farming, low SR, merino ewes
• Pastoral zone - 5% sheep, low SR, broad wool merinos and shedding sheep

Question 6

how many farms in Aus with sheep

Answer 6

40,000

Question 7

breeds common in Aus

Answer 7

1. Merino = 75% ewes (90% of WA)
2. 2/3 merino bred with merino rams

Question 8

structure of Aus flock

Answer 8

59% ewes
10% wethers
30% lambs
1% rams

Question 9

how much sheep meat is exported from Aus

Answer 9

80%
90% mutton (decreasing)
65% lamb

Question 10

how much wool is exported

Answer 10

100% -> we dont process any

Question 11

what determines sheep price

Answer 11

• fibre diameter (small)
• staple strength (high)
• vegetable matter
• staple length (long)

Question 12

what are the four big things in the sheep calendar

Answer 12

• lambing
• shearing
• crutching
• jetting

Question 13

what is the most important occurrence on calendar

Answer 13

Lambing

needs to line up with:
- pasture growth
- cost and availability of supplementary feed
- requirement of lambs
- other farms activities (labour etc)

Question 14

how long is a sheep’s cycle

Answer 14

17 days (only in some months)

Question 15

when do events usually occur in the calendar

Answer 15

summer = pre-joining and joining
- pregnant for summer to autumn
- lactating and lambing in winter to spring

Question 16

steps for joining management

Answer 16

1. ram health for 2 months pre-joining
2. both 3-4 BCS and 2-5 months wool to avoid overheating
3. join in small paddocks to increase contact
4. ewe age at joining = 19 months (hogget)

Question 17

how long does joining last in season

Answer 17

• 2 cycles of joining/35 days

Question 18

what is the optimum time for scanning for preg

Answer 18

• 40-90 days of gestation

Question 19

what equipment is used for scanning

Answer 19

• transducer
• ultrasound machine
• water/gel for lubrication

Question 20

how is pregnancy managed

Answer 20

• ewes = 3-3.5 BCS at lambing
• ewes lambing in autumn require supplementary feeding

Question 21

how to calculate lambing percentage

Answer 21

lambing % =
number lambs born/number ewes joined x 100

Question 22

how to calc marking percentage

Answer 22

=
number of lambs marked/joined ewes x 100

Question 23

is ear tagging compulsory in WA

Answer 23

yes -> registered ear tag with ownership and sex

Question 24

what do ear tags indicate

Answer 24

position:
- males marked left ear
- females right
colour:
- NLIS year of birth

Question 25

ear tag colours and years: yellow red blue black white orange green purple

Answer 25

Y = 2013/2021 R = 2014/2022 Blue = 2015/2023 black = 2016/2024 w = 2017/2025 o = 2018/2026 g = 2019/2027 p = 2020/2028

Question 26

what do pink tags mean

Answer 26

post breeder/bought to property

Question 27

instruments used for tail docking

Answer 27

- rubber rings - hot iron knife - pain relief

Question 28

how is castration done

Answer 28

- rubber rings - pain relief

Question 29

what is mulesing

Answer 29

- cut crescent shaped pieces of skin from breech and tail of lambs - wound heals and skin tightens reducing wrinkle for fly strike - pain relief

Question 30

alternatives to mulesing

Answer 30

- freeze branding - breeding - chemicals/jetting - crutching

Question 31

when does weaning occur

Answer 31

- 12-14 weeks - waners used as replacement ewes or meat lambs - wethers are used as meat of wool

Question 32

when does shearing occur

Answer 32

- spring = low staple strength but easier fly management and better fit with sale of surplus stock - summer = high vegetable mater in wool (low quality), fly problems

Question 33

what is crutching

Answer 33

- removing wool above tail and down inside of hind legs - wool around pizzle removed - wool on face removed

Question 34

when does crutching occur

Answer 34

- ideally within 3 months of shearing - when flystrike most possible -> Aug/Sept or Feb/March

Question 35

when are vaccines given

Answer 35

- marking - weaning - annual booster for ewes month before lambing - annual booster rams one month before mating

Question 36

what is given in drenching

Answer 36

- internal parasite control - vitamin deficiency supplements

Question 37

what is jetting

Answer 37

- using fly treatments - applied based on shearing times, fly strike and chemical with holding periods

Question 38

when does jetting occur

Answer 38

- august to October - or March-April