Small ruminants Flashcards
(555 cards)
what are the three main ways of managing infectious/parasitic disease?
biosecurity
reduce disease challenge
improve animal resistance
what are the three periods of a ewes years?
dry (3 months)
pregnant (5 months)
lactating (4 months)
what are common issues associated with inefficiency in sheep?
ewe/lamb mortality
chronic wasting diseases
poor nutrition
parasites, lameness, mastitis…
what characteristics are need in the stratification system?
lamb vigor
good mothering
growth rates
disease resistance
what are some of the main estimated breeding values of sheep?
litter size
maternal ability
scan weight lamb
carcass composition/conformation
mature size
worm resistance
what is the deadweight for lamb?
£5-6 per kilo
what is the price of a live lamb?
£250
what is the cost of a replacement ewe?
£200
what is the cost of a cull ewe?
£90
what are the general KPIs of sheep?
scanning %
lambing %
ewe mortality
culling ewe
ewe:tup ratio
lamb mortality
are sheep short or long day breeders?
short
what is the main advantage of spring lambing?
easy management and good grass growth
what is the main advantage of Christmas lambing?
better lamb prices at easter market
what are store lambs?
lambs that haven’t been finished that summer so are minimally fed through winter (no growth) for compensatory growth the following spring
why do store lambs not grow over winter?
concentrates are too expensive
how does seasonality work? (brain)
light enters eye
travels in optic nerve through hypothalamus to the superior cervical ganglion and then pineal gland
pineal gland then does/doesnt produce melatonin
what effect does light have on melatonin production?
blocks production
in spring melatonin decreases, how does this effect the GnRH of sheep?
decreases the pulses and hence decreases FSH and LH so the sheep doesn’t cycle
what do follicles produce? and what does this do?
oestrogen that suppresses the FSH
how long is the oestrus cycle in sheep?
16-18 days
how many follicular waves do sheep have?
2-5 waves
what is the ideal ewe to ram ratio?
1 ram per 30 ewes
why isn’t artificial insemination used as commonly in sheep?
structure of the cervix is different (has to be done laparoscopically)
low number of straws per ejaculate compared to cattle
what determines the fecundity of sheep?
bone morphometric protein signalling from ovary