Beginners Guide to Raising Sheep:

[mikey]

Behavior:
Behavior is defined as an animals response to its environment.Sheep are best known for their strong flocking or herding and following instinct.They will run from what scares them and band together in large groups for protection.This is the only protection they have from predators.Flocking instinct varies by breed.Even from birth lambs are taught to follow the older members of the flock.Ewes encourage their lambs to follow.The dominant members of the flock usually lead,followed by the submissive ones. If there is a ram in the flock,he usually leads.Sheep are very social animals.In grazing,they need to see other sheep.Helps to prevent excess stress.A group of 5 sheep is usually necessary for sheep to display their normal flocking behavoir.A sheep will become highly agitated if it is separated from the rest of the flock.
By:Susan Schoenian

[mikey]

Sight:
Sheep depend heavily upon their vision.Their field of vision ranges from 191 to 306 degrees,depending upon the amount of wool on their face.Sheep have poor depth perception (three dimensional vision),espically if they are moving their heads up.This is why they will often stop to examine something more closely.Sheep have difficulty picking out small detail.They tend to avoid shadows and sharp contrasts between light and dark.They do not want to go where they cannot see.It has been proven that livestock  posses the cones necessary for color vision.Livestock can differentiate between colors,though their color perception is not equal to humans.
By: Susan Schoenian

[mikey]

While sheep and goats have many similarities,they are 2 distinct species and genus.Sheep (Ovis Aries) have 54 chromosomes,while goats (Capra Hircus) have 60.Fertile sheep-goat hybrids are rare.Hybrids made in the laboratory are called CHIMERAS.

[mikey]

Hearing:
Sheep have excellent hearing.They can amplify and pinpoint sound with their ears.In fact,sound arrives at each ear at a different time.Sheep are frightened by sudden loud noises,such as yelling or barking.In response to loud noises and other unnatural sounds,sheep become nervous and more difficult to handle.This is due to the release of stress related hormones.To minimize stress,the handler should speak in a quiet,calm voice.Sheep should not be worked in the presence of barking dogs.
By:Susan Schoenian

[mikey]

Smell:
Sheep have an excellent sense of smell.Their olfactory system is more highly developed than humans.Sheep know what predators smell like.Smell helps the ram locate ewes in heat.It helps ewes locate their lambs.Sheep use the sense of smell to locate water and detect differences in feed and pasture plants.Sheep are more likely to move into the wind than with the wind,so they can use their sense of smell.
By:Susan Schoenian

[mikey]

Touch:
Since most of their body is covered with wool or coarse hair,only the sheeps lips and mouth and maybe ears lend themselves well to feeling behavior.The sense of touch is important in the interaction between animals.Lambs seek bodily contact with their mothers.Ewes respond to this touching behavior in many ways (e.g. milk letdown).Groups of animals that have body contact remain calmer.

Taste:
Sheep have the ability to differentiate feed stuffs and taste may play a role in this behavior.There is no evidence to suggest that sheep can balance their own ration when provided with a variety of feedstuffs,however,they maybe able to seek out plants that make them feel better.
By: Susan Schoenian

[doncorleone]

Mikey in terms of goat breed, which do you prefer anglo nubian or boer? if i crossbred native goat from philippines and boer/anglo nubian which blood is more strong, native or boer/anglo nubian?

[mikey]

doncorleone,hi,Personally I think the Anglo and Boer are good goats.We like to buy these goats that are born in country,they are getting use to the climate and are easier to care for,imported goats take time to adapt to their new climate change.The native is a goat breed that has survived for 100s of years in country and has less health problems.In terms of health,the native is a better choice.Crossbreeding helps to improve on the native breed.Crossbreeding a native doe to a anglo buck will produce a dairy goat,crossbreeding with a boer will produce a meat goat.One should never breed a first time native mother doe to a boer.Usually one breeds a crossbreed anglo/native doe to a boer to create a 3 way cross or hybrid.
Good Farming To You:
mikey

[mikey]

Normal Sheep Behavior:
Changes in normal behavior can be an early sign of illness in sheep.The most obvious example of this relates to the sheeps most natural behavior instinct,their flocking instinct.A sheep or lamb that is isolated from the rest of the flock is likely showing early signs of illness,unless it is lost.Even the last sheep through the gate should be suspected of not feeling well,espically if it is usually one of the first.Appetiate is another strong indicator of health.Healthy sheep are eager to eat,they are always hungry.They will overeat,if you let them.Sheep bleat in anticipation of being fed and will rapidly approach the feeding area.Lack of appetiate is probably the most common symptom exhibited by a sick sheep.Sheep spend about 15% of their time sleeping,but may lie down and rest at other times.Upon rising,they often defecate and stretch.A sheep that is reluctant to get up is probably in pain.A sheep that takes a long time to lie down is probably in pain.A sheep that cannot relax is under stress.Teeth grinding is another common sign of pain in sheep.While sheep are generally a docile,non aggressive animal,this is not the case with breeding rams.Rams can be very aggressive at breeding time.A breeding ram should never be trusted.Breeding rams have been known to cause serious injuries,even death to people.
By:Susan Schoenian

[mikey]

Feed:
Mostly,sheep eat grass,weeds and other pasture plants.Sheep espically love to eat weeds.in fact,weeds are their first choice of food in pasture.Weeds or forbs can be very nutritious and tasty.Sheep prefer plants that are young and tender and will graze close to the ground.Sheep will graze for an average of 7 hours per day.Tropical forages are usually not as nutritious as those that grow in temperate climates.Protein is usually the most limiting nutrient.The cut and carry system of feeding is common in some tropical countries.When fresh forage is not available,sheep are usually fed stored feed.Hay,is grass that has been cut and dried for use as livestock feed (fodder).Silage or haylage is green forage that has been fermented and stored in a silo or other system that keeps air out.Grain is often fed to sheep with higher nutritional needs,such as pregnant ewes,ewes nursing 2 or more lambs.A protein source,such as soybean meal is usually added to the grain ration,along with vitamins and minerals to make a 100% nutritionally balanced ration.Sheep love the taste of grain and can eat too much and get sick,unless the consumption of grain is regulated.Although sheep are sometimes fed by products feeds such as soybean or peanut hulls,they are not fed ruminant meat and bone meal.Sheep are not fed poultry waste products.Lambs are usually fattened on grass or in confinement or semi confinement.Often,they are supplemented with grain while they are grazing on pasture.The meat from lambs raised on pasture is usually leaner and more healthful than the meat from lambs fed just grain.The meat from lambs that are fed mostly grain is usually fatter,but milder tasting and more tender than grass fed lamb.The type of plants that the lamb eats can also affect the flavor of the meat.
By:Susan Schoenian

[mikey]

Sheep Terms:
Sheep are over 1 year of age.They usually produced offspring.Lambs are less than 1 year of age.They have usually not produced offspring.Lamb is also the term for the flesh of a young domestic sheep eaten as food.A mature female sheep is called a ewe.A young female is called a ewe lamb.The process of giving birth to lambs is called lambing.A mature male sheep is called a ram or buck.A castrated male sheep is called a wether.Wethers are less aggressive than rams.A yearling is an animal between 1 and 2 years of age that may or may not have produced offspring.A group of sheep is called a flock.
By:Susan Schoenian

[mikey]

Zoonoses:
A disease that can be naturally transmitted from animals to humans is called a zoonotic disease.There are a handful of diseases that people can acquire from sheep.Toutine handling of sheep is not a health risk.If infective sheep manure is handled,diarrheal infections such as cryptosporidia or salmonella are possible through uncommon,espically in children and those with compromised immune systems.Prevention is simple,wash hands in warm soapy water after handling sheep and or their feces.The biggest health risk sheep pose is to pregnant women.This is because the same organism which cause abortions (miscarriage) in women.The most common causes of abortion in sheep are enzootic abortion (chylamidia) and toxoplasmosis.Domestic cats are the most common carrier of toxoplasmosis.Because of the risk,pregnant women should not be involved with ewes that are lambing.Soremouth (orf) is the most common skun disease of sheep,caused by a virus.It can be transmitted to humans and cause painful sores on hands,arms and face.Ringworm (club lamb fungus) is a fungal disease that can be transmitted to humans.The lesions in people appear as a red thickened rash.Sheep and goats can get scrapie,a fatal neurological disease in the same family of diseases as mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy or BSE)There is no evidence to suggest people can contact scrapie or any other transmissible from contact with livestock or by eating sheep meat or cheese made from sheeps milk.
Common sense:wash your hands after handling any livestock.
By: Susan Schoenian

[doncorleone]

hey mikey can you describe anglo and boer?

[mikey]

doncorleone,
hi,diary goats are taller and longer than a meat goat like a boer,boers are shorter and stocky (double muscle).Anglos come in a variety of colours and patterns.The boer comes white/redish brown (painted),boers with a black head (black boers) and boers that are all red (roans).Anglo does can range in weight from 60/63 kg,bucks can range from 80/90 kg.Boer does can range from 95/100 kg,bucks can range from 110/135 kg.I think Doc Nemo has a picture gallery that has pictures of goats.If you could look at some pictures of goats then you will know what you are looking for.One should always be careful when buying a expensive goat(s),make sure, if you are paying for a purebred that you get a purebred not a crossbreed.There is a difference between a purebred and a percentage %.
One should not overlook crossbreeds,crossbred does,bred to a boer or anglo make good goats.
Hope this helps:
mikey

[doncorleone]

How will i know if that is a purebred or crossbred? wahat's the difference?