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Sheep Industry - US and Michigan

Sheep Industry - US and Michigan. Michigan Sheep Production. Purebred production Greatest proportion of the industry Produce and sell seedstock Youth projects Commercial production Greatest proportion of animals Market animals for meat production Lamb feeding.

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Sheep Industry - US and Michigan

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  1. Sheep Industry - US and Michigan

  2. Michigan Sheep Production • Purebred production • Greatest proportion of the industry • Produce and sell seedstock • Youth projects • Commercial production • Greatest proportion of animals • Market animals for meat production • Lamb feeding

  3. What’s happening in the industry? • Expanding / Shrinking? • Good Markets / Poor Markets? • Meat • Wool • Wide use of technology / limited use? • Imports / Exports • Commercial agricultural sector / hobby industry?

  4. Useful Sheep Facts and Figures • Sex classifications: • Ewe - female, any age • Ewe lamb - female less than 1 year of age • Ram - intact male, any age • Ram lamb - intact male less than 1 year of age • Wether - castrated male any age

  5. Useful Sheep Facts and Figures • Typical weights: • Birth - 8-15 lbs • 90 day weights - 70 - 120 lbs • Mature weights - • Ewes - 100 - 200+ lbs • Rams - 120 - 275+ lbs • Market weight - 135 lbs

  6. Useful Sheep Facts and Figures • Wool characteristics: • Fleece weight (grease) - 4 - 12 lbs • Staple length - 2- 6 inches • Fiber diameter - 19 - 40 m (microns)

  7. Useful Sheep Facts and Figures • Reproductive characteristics: • Age at puberty - 5-6 months • Age at first lambing - 1 year • Estrous cycle - 17 days • Estrus (standing heat) - 30 hours • Gestation - 147 days • Lambing rate - 1-5 lambs born/ewe/year • Season breeders

  8. Useful Sheep Facts and Figures • Seasonal breeders: • Seasonally anestrous - not cycling • Short day breeders • Some breeds much more seasonal than others • Most fertile - October, November • Both ewes and rams are seasonal breeders

  9. Useful Sheep Facts and Figures • Economically important production traits: (commercial flock) • conception rate • lambing rate • age at puberty • pounds lamb weaned/ewe/year • pounds lamb sold/ewe/year • average daily gain • cost/pound of gain

  10. Useful Sheep Facts and Figures • Marketing characteristics: • ~90% of market lambs sold will grade choice or better • value at marketing - based on weight, fatness • Presently - value based marketing not available for most producers (carcass merit, grade and yield) • 2 processing plants account for 40% of domestic harvest of lamb, next 6 plants account for another 44% (1999 USDA)

  11. Useful Sheep Facts and Figures • Niche marketing opportunities exist: • Fiber • Freezer lambs • Ethnic markets • Replacement breeding stock • Dairy sheep • Others

  12. Production Systems • Range Production • Farm Flock Production • Characteristic differences between them • Location • Size of flocks • Management

  13. Range Flock Production • Lambing ewes with or without attendant care in small pastures or unattended on rangelands. • Typically found in western US, TX, etc. • Large flock sizes • Low facility investment • Sheep - white faced ewes - Rambouillet

  14. Range Flock - cont’d • Lambing - • Range, shed or drift • Rates low (~100-150%) • Reduced disease problems • Predators a problem • Feeding - • Native range, little supplementation • Record keeping difficult • Shearing - 1X year • Seeing shift to more emphasis on multiple births and meat production

  15. Farm Flock Production • Primary production in midwest and eastern US • Flock sizes - • small in comparison to range production • vary from few to several hundred ewes • Facility requirements: • barn, feeders, waters, fenced pastures • Breeds: • great diversity - purebred production • commercial production - crossbred ewes X meat breed rams • Intensive management compared to range production • Predators

  16. Farm Flock Production - Cont’d • Lambing - • indoors - winter and/or spring most common; some pasture lambing being tried • lambing rates - 150 - 250% • supervised lambing • Feeding - • pasture used during part of year, harvest forage also • supplementation during gestation and lactation • Record keeping varies - none to genetic evaluation programs • Shearing - usually 1X year • Emphasis for increased production levels, carcass quality

  17. Breeds of Sheep • Meat Breeds: • Known for growth rates and carcass quality. • Also known as sire breeds • Examples: Suffolk, Hampshire, Dorset • Ewe Breeds: • Known for maternal traits - prolificacy, milk production, mothering ability, wool • Examples: Rambouillet, crossbreds

  18. Breeds of Sheep • Other Classifications: • Wool breeds • Long Wool - (larger fiber diameter), Romney, Lincoln • Fine Wool - (small fiber diameter), Merino, Rambouillet • Hair Sheep • Prolific • Natural Colored Sheep

  19. Management Calendar - Breeding Flock

  20. Management Calendar - Breeding Flock • Prebreeding: • Ewes • Cull poor producers, unsound ewes • Provide health maintenance - prevent / treat internal parasites, vaccinations, • Flush ewes • Rams • Evaluate for breeding soundness • Observe recommended ram:ewe ratio • ram lambs 15 - 30 • mature rams 25 - 50

  21. Management Calendar - Breeding Flock • Breeding: • Ewes • Moderate condition, gaining weight • Heat stress - negative impact; shearing in high heat and humidity may help • Rams • Moderate condition, monitor libido • Mark ram to monitor cyclic activity of ewes

  22. Management Calendar - Breeding Flock • Early Gestation • Maintain ewes in moderate condition • During 1st 100 days - ewes should gain ~10 pounds • Late Gestation • 2/3 of fetal growth occurs during last 6 weeks • Adequate nutrition essential • Vaccinate ewes for enterotoxemia (overeating) • Shear ewes

  23. Management Calendar - Breeding Flock • Lambing Management • Observe ewes frequently • Assist only when necessary • Iodine Navel • Open teats • Move ewe and lamb(s) to pen • Identify lambs • Collect data - birth weight, birth dates etc. • Post-lambing Management • Dock tails • Castrate • Vaccinate • Start on creep feed

  24. Management Calendar - Breeding Flock • Lactation • Highest nutrient requirements • Peak milk production - 21-28 days of lactation • Ewes suckling twins require additional feed

  25. Management Calendar - Breeding Flock • Creep Feeding: • Increases lamb gains • Lambs efficiently use feed • Lambs can be marketed at younger age • Weaning • Age varies greatly • 60 days of age or 45 pounds • Management system will dictate

  26. Management Calendar - Lamb Feeding • Drylot or feedlot • Pasture followed by feedlot phase • Feedlot Management: • Hand-fed or self-fed • Start lambs on higher roughage diet • Gradually increase the amount of concentrate in the diet • Feed additives not widely used • Enterotoxemia vaccinations • Observe, isolate sick, weak lambs immediately

  27. Management Calendar - Lamb Feeding • Pasture Management: • Lambs used to harvest forages - grasses, legumes, turnips, corn stubble, small grains • Expect gains to be slower than lambs on high concentrate diet • Cost of gain should be reduced to compensate for lower gains • Enterotoxemia vaccinations still important • Internal parasite burden must be prevented • Lambs removed from pasture to finish in feedlot are then managed as feedlot lambs

  28. Lamb feeding • Feeding weaned lambs to market weight • Availability greatest in fall - Aug. and later • May incorporate pasture in system, usually grain based in this part of country, byproduct feeds used in some areas • Feedlots - few hundred to several thousand head capacity • Lambs fed as means to market grains - corn, wheat belts • Initial weights - 65 pounds - 110 pounds • Final weights - 120 pounds - 140+ pounds • Average daily gain - .5 - 1.0+ pounds/day

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