Sheep Pocket Guide (continued)
AS-989, May 1996
Normal Physiological Values of Sheep
Average (Range)
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Rectal Temperature 102.8 degrees F (102.5 - 103.2)
Heart Rate 75 beats/minute (60 - 120)
Respiration Rate 20 breaths/minute
Reproductive Values:
Gestation Period 148 days (140 - 155)
Onset of Puberty 8 months (4 - 12)
Length of Estrus Cycle 17 days (14 - 20)
Length of Heat 1-2 days
Time of Ovulation 12-24 hours before end of heat
Optimum Time to Service 18-24 hours after onset of heat
Ram Semen/Volume per Ejaculum 1 ml (0.7 - 3.0)
Milk Composition: Water 82.9%
Fat 6.2%
Protein 5.4%
Lactose 4.3%
Daily Manure Production (feces and urine):
Adult sheep 6-10 pounds (dry ewes to mature rams)
Lactating ewes 7 pounds
Feeder lambs 4 pounds
Total solids make up about 25% of the manure and water about 75%
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Ways to Identify Sheep
Ear Tags - Tags fastened in the ears.
Tattoos - Numerical ink tattoos on the lip or ear.
Hot Branding - A hot iron applied to the nose.
Paint Branding - A branding iron dipped in paint and touched
on the fleece.
Tips on paint branding:
- Use only fluids made specifically for sheep branding.
Never use spray paint.
- Use only fresh branding fluid and shake or stir it before
using.
- If the fluid must be thinned, stir in a small amount of
the thinner recommended by the manufacturer. Don't
over-thin because too much of any solvent can remove the
grease from wool fibers.
- If the fluid must be heated, set the can in a bucket of
water. Don't apply heat directly to the paint can and to
warm the fluid; don't boil it.
- Avoid heavy applications. The extra fluid makes scouring
of wool difficult.
- Brand on the curve of the sheep's back, towards the rump.
- Release the sheep from the pens as soon as possible after
branding to avoid rubbing.
Space Allotments For Sheep
Ewe Ewe & Lambs Feeder Lambs
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SHELTER SPACE
Open-front bldg
w/lot 10-12 sq.ft. 12-16 sq.ft. 6-8 sq.ft.
Lot 20-30 sq.ft. 25-35 sq.ft. 15-20 sq.ft.
Confinement 12-16 sq.ft. 16-20 sq.ft.* 8-10 sq.ft.
HANDLING AREA 4-5 sq.ft. 7 sq.ft. 4-5 sq.ft.
FEEDER SPACE
Hand feeding 16-20 inches 16-20 inches 9-12 inches
Self feeding 8-12 inches 8-12 inches 3-4 inches
FEEDER THROAT HEIGHT
Maximums 15 inches 10 inches 13 inches
(creep feeder)
WATERER SPACE
Open tank 15-25 ewes/foot 15-25 ewes/foot 25-40 lambs/foot
Automatic bowl 40-50 ewes/bowl 40-50 ewes/bowl 50-75 lambs/bowl
LAMBING JUGS: Number - 10% for 100 ewes, 7-9% for 600, and
4-6% for 1000 Size - 4'x4'x32" minimum or 5'x5'x36"
for large ewes
LAMB CREEP SPACE 1.5-2.0 sq.ft./lamb
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* For lambing rates over 170%, space should be increased by
5 square ft/hd.
Recommended Group Sizes During Lambing Season
Limiting the number of sheep per pen during the lambing season
reduces lamb losses. Lamb losses are mainly due to chilling,
starvation, and pneumonia. Young lambs in large groups can easily
get separated from their mothers. The following are
recommendations taken from the Midwest Sheep Housing and
Equipment Handbook.
Maximum Group Size
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Pregnant ewes 200 ewes
Ewes about to lamb 50 ewes
Ewes with lambs (birth to 2 days) lambing jugs
Ewes with lambs (2 to 4 days) 5 - 10 ewes
Ewes with lambs (5 to 7 days) 10 - 20 ewes
Ewes with lambs (8 to 14 days) 20 - 40 ewes
Ewes with lambs (2 weeks to weaning) 50 - 100 ewes
Early weaned lambs 50 head
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The bond between a ewe and her lamb or lambs needs between
three to six days to become fully established. This is an
important consideration when bunching ewes after they have
lambed.
Lambing Time Equipment
- propylene glycol for treatment of pregnancy disease
- bearing retainers for treating prolapses, lamb puller
- thermometer, surgical scissors or pocket knife, suturing
material
- lubricant plus disinfectant for assisting ewe during
lambing
- mild soap, bucket and warm water
- antibiotic, uterine boluses, injectable vitamin E and
selenium mixture
- old towels to wipe off and dry newborn lambs, heat lamps
- frozen colostrum from ewe or cow
- bottles, nipples, and stomach tube for helping weak or
orphan lambs
- ear tags and paint brands for identification, lambing
record book
- docking and castrating equipment
- mastitis treatment, scour remedies
It is a good management practice, if possible, to graft lambs
not receiving enough milk from their own mothers onto other ewes.
A number of grafting methods are possible.
- Slime Graft - Use fetal fluids from the ewe that
the lamb is to be grafted to and rub the fluids and
membranes on the lamb just before grafting.
- Wet Graft - Immerse lamb to be grafted as well as
the ewe's own lamb in a saturated salt solution.
- Stanchion - Place the ewe's head and neck in a set
of stocks where she can eat and drink but must allow
lambs to nurse. Grafts of this type require from three to
five days.
- Lamb Coat - Skin the pelt off the lamb that died
and tie the skin on the lamb to be grafted.
- Stocking Graft - Place a stocking (burlap cover)
over a ewe's own lamb for two to three days and then
remove it and turn it inside out and place it on the lamb
to be grafted.
When attempts to graft lambs fail, it is necessary to put the
newborn lambs on milk replacer or even put them on goats if
available.
Taken from The Sheepmen's Production Handbook (SID, Inc.),
Revised 1986
Tips For Rearing Lambs Artificially
Within two to four hours after birth, decide which lambs among
those from multiple births you should remove. Look for the weaker
or smaller ones to choose for artificial rearing. It is important
to make this decision early. Relatively weak lambs remaining with
the ewes can experience more stress than those reared
artificially. Consider the following tips:
- It is essential that newborn lambs receive colostrum
milk. Cow's colostrum will work if ewe's milk is not
available. Do not dilute with water or warm too quickly
if colostrum is frozen.
- Lambs should be removed from sight and hearing distance
of ewe.
- Provide a warm, dry, draft-free area to start lambs.
- Lambs may require some assistance the first day or two to
teach them to nurse on whatever feeding device is used.
- Avoid placing young lambs with older lambs, as they may
be pushed aside and not be able to obtain milk replacer.
Remember that lambs nursing ewes drink 25 to 40 times per
24 hours.
- Hang a light over the milk replacer feeding device and
dry ration feeder.
- Inject lambs in the first few days with Iron Dextran,
Vitamin A-D-E, and Selenium-Vitamin E. At 15 days of age,
vaccinate for overeating (Colostridum perfringen type C
& D).
- Start lambs on high-quality lamb creep feed at two weeks
of age. Provide ample fresh water in front of lambs at
all times. Do not feed hay or oats the first three weeks
of age as it encourages bloat. Caution! Do not feed leafy
alfalfa until two weeks after weaning, as it may
encourage bloat.
- Wean at 30 days of age or at a weight of about 25 pounds
and when the lambs are eating creep feed.
Sometimes lambs are born too weak to nurse. Without that first
colostrum, their survival rate is very low. If left to fend for
themselves, they don't make it. However, many can be saved by
tube feeding, even those too weak to suck.
The key is getting milk into them as soon as possible after
birth. The milk should be warm but not hot. Generally 2 ounces
every two hours will do the trick. Return the lamb to its mother
as soon as it is strong enough to stand and nurse. Leaving it
away from mother too long may result in the ewe rejecting the
lamb.
The tubing should be 14 to 18 inches long and preferably
rubber like that used for surgical purposes. What it is attached
to can be the spout of an antibiotic syringe (like those used to
treat mastitis in dairy cattle); a needle-type syringe
(preferrably a 60 cc or about 2 ounce); or an all rubber ear
syringe.
The tubing should be coated with vegetable oil before
inserting it into the lamb's throat. It is very important to get
the tube in the stomach and not the lungs. Mistakenly pouring
milk into the lungs can cause pneumonia. If possible, it is best
to insert the tubing into the lamb without it being attached to
the syringe.
There are two ways to check if the tube is going into the
right place. First, if a bump is encountered when inserting the
tube, backup and try again. The length of tube inserted into the
lamb should indicate whether the stomach is reached or not.
Secondly, if cool air is felt coming out of the empty tube after
it has been inserted, the lungs have been reached. Remove the
tube and try again.
The positioning of the lamb before inserting the tube depends
on the amount of assistance available. In any situation, the head
and neck of the lamb should be extended forward to allow a more
direct path for the tube to get into the stomach.
If alone, place the lamb on a table or series of straw bales
so that the lamb is at a handy height to work with. Have all four
feet facing you and hold the body with your left forearm.
Straighten the lamb's head and neck with your left hand while at
the same time using your fingers to open the lamb's mouth to
receive the tube.
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AS-989, May 1996
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