Description

Improve production by increasing your knowledge and skills.  This course examines:

• Selection and breeding of sheep

• Improving Nutrition

• Sheep health

• Management of the commercial flock

• Wool

• Lamb and much more.

Wool is an export product so good prices can be obtained when conditions in the market are favourable. There are fewer marketing problems associated with wool of good-high quality. Pure mutton breeds require less management than pure wool breeds. The lamb market is strong in many countries. A dual purpose breed can provide the farmer with two products (meat and wool), and spreads the farmer's source of income should there be an overproduction one of the two products. Sheep can also be farmed for dairy (eg. sheep cheese can be as popular as cows cheese in some parts of the world.   Learn more by enrolling now.

Lesson Structure

There are 8 lessons in this course:

1. Introduction; Terminology and Breeds

2. Selection and Breeding

3. Nutrition of Sheep

4. Diseases of Sheep

5. General Management of a Commercial Flock

6. Care of the Lamb

7. Wool

8. The Marketing of Sheep and Sheep Products

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.

Aims

• Select appropriate breeds of sheep for different purposes.

• Select sheep to be used for different production purposes.

• Explain the techniques used in sheep commercial breeding.

• Explain the procedures used in managing the health of sheep (Nutrition)

• Explain the procedures used in managing the health of sheep (Diseases)

• Explain the techniques used in the management of a commercial flock of sheep.

• To describe practices related to caring for lambs.

• Explain the processes involved in handling wool after shearing.

• Explain the techniques used in managing the marketing of sheep and sheep products.

What You Will Do

• Collect information about different sheep breeds which are being farmed or could be successfully farmed in your region.

• Compare the different characteristics of sheep breeds in terms of appearance, hardiness, commercial potential.

• Select breeds for three different purposes, including wool production and meat production, in your locality.

• Inspect at least two sheep, ideally, from separate flocks, and determine their age by looking in their mouths.

• Define the following different sheep breeding terms: Oestrus, Gestation, Weaning, Flushing, Wet ewes, Teasers.

• Design a "breeding record form" which includes all necessary factors.

• List criteria to be used for selecting sheep for different purposes, including for replacement and for slaughter.

• Develop a standard form, which considers both meat and wool, to use for judging sheep.

• Talk to at least two experienced sheep farmers about "condition scoring" of sheep.

• Compare the differences in food required by different types of sheep, including: rams; breeding ewes at different stages of pregnancy; sheep being fattened for meat.

• Prepare a collection of ten pasture plant species from at least two different sheep properties and comment on the suitability of the pasture for sheep.

• Distinguish between the different categories of sheep health problems, including: viral, bacterial, metabolic, protozoal, poisoning, parasites.

• Describe how to perform different pest and disease control tasks, including: drenching, injecting, hoof trimming, docking.