Management Practices for Sheep

TIPS FOR SHEEP MANAGEMENT:

1. Select breeds according to local agro-climatic conditions.
2. Start the farm with ratio of 1 ram for 20 ewes.
3. Select animal with good body conformation.
4. Make arrangement for proper grazing, required concentrates, and clean drinking water ad
lib.
5. Sheds be well ventilated and hygienic.
6. Breeds ewes 2 times a year.
7. Wean the lambs at 3 months of age.
8. Vaccinate animals at appropriate time.
9. Deworm animals once in 3 months. If required, treat animals for external parasites
(dipping).
10. Shear the animals after winter season.

AGE DETERMINATION IN SHEEP:

The age of eruption of the incisors teeth in sheep
Incisor pair Types of incisor Possible age(months)/range
0-2 Temporary at birth
All 4 pairs Temporary 6 to 10
First Permanent 15(Range 14-20)
Second Permanent 22(Range 21-25)
Third Permanent 28(Range 26-30)
Fourth Permanent 36(Range 30-40)

Care during pregnancy period:

1. Housing the pregnant ewes in separate enclosures.
2. Provide green leguminous fodder ad lib/ liberally.
3. Avoid taking them for long distance for grazing.
4. Give extra allowance of nutrients to provide enough protein, energy, water and minerals.
5. Keep houses clean, well ventilated.
6. Avoid high temperature in houses of pregnant animal as it leads to birth of immature and
weak lambs.
7. Provide enough clean and safe drinking water.
8. Keep them parasites free.
9. Avoid dipping of sheep in advance stage of pregnancy.
10. Keep them comfortable.
Note: (1) During pregnancy the ewes should have gain in body weight 4 to 6 kg depending
upon breeds.
(2) If ewe loses weight in pregnancy period then she will give birth to weaker lambs
with more death rates.
(3) Avoid all kinds of stress during this period.
Flushing:
(1) Provide good quality roughage (oat, dub, cowpea, etc.)
(2) Provide 125 to 200 g of concentrates for flushing.

1
Reasons:
1. To prepare the ewes for pregnancy.
2. Stimulates ovulation rate.
3. To get lambs of better birth weight.
4. To get higher lambing percentage.
Time: Two weeks before mating.
Note: Before giving extra grain ration it is essential to keep the animals underfed, otherwise
animals getting needed amount of feed if given extra ration will accumulate fat and reduce
fertility rate.

Lambing time and care at lambing:

Symptoms of early pregnancy:
1. Sluggish temperament
2. Cessation of estrus
3. Gradual increase in volume
4. Increase in weight.
Advance stage of Pregnancy:
1. Sinking on both sides of rump and forward of the hips.
2. Keep away from group in search of lonesome place.
3. Scratching the ground with forelegs.
4. Restless-in changing position by sitting and standing alternately.
5. Vertical movement of tail.
6. Emergence of water bag from vulva.
7. Stretching on side and heaves her body.
8. On set of contraction.
9. Appearance of part of lamb.

Lambing/ delivery of lamb:

(a) In normal lambing the forelegs of lamb are seen first and head between them. No special
attention is needed in such lambing. However in abnormal case veterinarian help in
needed, especially when to a lamb.
(b) Attempts must be made to put lamb in such position that it can be delivered easily. Hands
must be disinfected and greased and examination be made to see what is wrong and get
right if possible. Experience is very much useful at this stage.

Abnormal presentations:
1. One foreleg held back.
2. Both forelegs turned back.
3. Back to front position.
4. Lamb upside down.
5. Rear limbs forward.

Care of new born lamb:

1. Ensure that nose and mouth are free membranes and mucoid fluid immediately after
birth.

2
 2. Place the lamb in a clean and sheltered place.
3. Clean the mucus from the body of lamb and make it dry.
4. Let the ewe also lick her lamb for:
(a) Cleaning and removal of mucus from lamb’s body.
(b) Establishing the affinity between lamb and ewe.
5. Leaving 3 cm from the body cut the navel cord with sterilized scissors and treat with
tincture iodine.
6. Mark the lamb and give permanent number and record age and number or ewe, sex of
lamb, date horn.
7. Weight the lamb and record it (normal birth weight varies from 2.5 to 3.5 kg in Indian
sheep).
8. Help the lamb to reach the teats of ewe for suckling.
9. Makes sure that lamb gets first milk.
10. Protected the lamb getting chill by wrapping in Jute/blanket.

Care of ewe after lambing:

1. Dispose placenta thrown by ewe.
2. Sealed orifices of teats be cleared by removing greasy plug by hand.
3. Provide separate clean area in night enclosure.
4. Feed lightly on hay or fresh forages with little amount of grains.
5. Provide free access to water at all times.

Raising orphan lambing:

Objective: To raise lamb whose dam had died.
(i) Adoption to strange lamb by foster mother: The measures are as follows:
1. Rubbing the foster mother’s milk on the rump of lamb and nose of the ewe.
2. Tying such ewe (s) that have lost their lambs closer to orphan lamb with small halter in a
small pen.
3. Putting the whole skin of the dead lamb over the body of orphan lamb.
Note: (a) Patience helps in getting ewe to accept an orphan lamb.
(b) An attempt by ewe to lick an orphan lamb is an indication of success.

(ii) Raising orphan lambs by hand:

1. Feed small quantity of milk frequently, i.e. 30 g milk at 2 hours interval for two days.
2. Increase the quantity of milk with age and weight/size of lamb and its appetite.
3. Increase the interval between feedings.
4. Make use of nipples and clean bottle.
Note: (a) More troubles are noticed from overfeeding than from underfeeding. Therefore
don’t feed too much at one time.
(b)The greatest losses in productivity in most flocks are due to mortality of lambs during first
48 hours or first week of life.
(c) Protect young lambs from cold or heat stress, small carnivores etc.

3
Identification of Sheep:
Purpose: 1. To maintain proper records of all animals.
2. To carryout proper feeding.
3. For better management practices whenever needed.
4. For designation and identification of animals.
Suitable methods: Tattooing and tagging.
Tattooing is permanent and cheaper method.
Generally lambs are given number on their ears.

Docking of lambs/crutching:
Purpose:
1. To give a square and blocky appearance to market lamb.
2. To keep lamb cleaner.
3. Docked lamb do not subject to maggots in moist and hot weather.
4. Lambs with long tail are not wanted for the feed lot.
5. To get clean wool.
6. To avoid interference of long tail in breeding the ewes.
Materials:
1. Sharp docking knife 7. Tincture Iodine/ Benzene
2. Docking pincers 8. Sulphanelamide powder
3. Hot chisel 9. Silk thread
4. Emasculater 10. Pin tar
5. Cotton wool 11. Olive oil
6. Bandage

Suitable age and time:

It may be performed at any day or time but preferably on sunny day and at about 10 days of age
of lamb.

Procedure:
1. Secure the lamb and hold its dorsal side on floor/ table.
Place it on its rumps with tail placed along the surface.
2. Push the skin slightly towards the body so that some surplus skin will be left to
cover the stub.
3. Mark the tail at a point about 1 to 1.5 from the body as measured on the underside
of tail.
4. Sterilize the tool(sharp knife or docking machine)
5. With the help of sterilized tool cut the tail so quickly that lamb could hardly
know, its tail has gone.
6. Apply pinetar and carbolic acid to keep off the flies and prevent maggots(to
prepare mixture ).
7. Apply sulphanelamide powder and bandage the wound.
Note: 1. To prepare this mixture, mix 30 ml of carbolic acid with 500ml of olive oil. Take four
tea spoon of carbolic acid and mix with 500 ml of pine-tar. Pine-tar should be warmed
before application so that it may spread evenly.

4
 2. A wound by sharp knife heals more rapidly than any other kind of wound, but there is
danger of excessive bleeding resulting in death due to excessive loss of blood. In such
case bleeding should be stopped immediately. To stop bleeding either cautrise the end
of arteries with a hot iron or tie a stringe tightly around the stub and remove the stringe
in about 8 hours. It is good to apply disinfectant or tincture of iodine after the knife has
been used.
3. If a chisel is used, it should be heated to a dull red colour. If it is too hot severe burn
may occur, then healing will be slow. On the other hand, if chisel is too cold it would
not shear off the blood vessels properly resulting excessive bleeding as in case of sharp
knife. The advantage of hot chisel is that there is less bleeding.
4. Docking and castration may be done at the same time.
Limitations:
1. Docking does not add much to market value.
2. It cause temporary set back to lamb.
3. Causes loss of blood.
4. If not properly cared there are chances of infection.
Precautions:
1. Provide a clean place for lamb after docking.
2. If weather is not good keep it inside pen.
3. Keep the lamb quite comfortable.
4. Examine the lamb for 2 to 3 days for pus and drainage.
5. Operation of docking may be performed in the morning to watch animal excessive
bleeding, if any, during day time.

Castration:
Purpose:
1. To stop indiscriminate mating.
2. To remove surplus males for market preference.
3. To make males more docile.
4. To make mutton of superior quality.
5. It is important in treatment of orchitis, other aliments like tumour, accidental injuries.
Time: (1) Any part of the day, preferably on sunny day in the morning.
(3) Optimum age: Within a month(preferably 3 weeks age)

Materials:
(A) Bloodless Castration: 1. Burdizzo’s pincers/ Emasculatome
2. Rubber bands.
(B) Incision method: 1. Castration knife with double blade.
2. Surgical spirit
3. Tincture iodine.
4. Sulphanelamide powder mixed with iodoform
5. Cotton wool
6. Acriflavin solution.
Procedure:
Emasculation method:
1. Secure the lamb and place it on its rumps with tail placed along the surface of slab/ floor.

5
 2. Manipulate the testes and slightly pull out with scrotum.
3. Hold the spermatic cords tightly on both side making sure that spermatic cord does not
slip.
4. Apply tincture iodine at the site of crush.
5. Take emasculatome with clean and smooth edge of jaw, place it over the spermatic cords
and punch quickly.
6. The same process may again be repeated 1\2 cm below first crush.
7. Watch the animal for few days for any infection.
Precautions:
1. Emasculatome must be clean and disinfected.
2. Make sure to protect testes from any injury and crush spermatic cords well above the
testes.
3. Tr. Iodine must be applied on the site of crush before the lamb is let loose after castration.
4. No fold scrotum skin be pressed or crushed.

Rubber band method:

1. Secure the lamb and make it lie down one side.
2. Select a tight rubber band.
3. Place it over the spermatic cord of scrotum little above the testes on scrotum
4. The constant pressure exerted by rubber band shuts off the blood supply to testes.
5. The testes will get dissolved and absorbed. Rubber bands slips off and falls on the
ground.

Incision method:
1. Secure the lamb on clean floor and make it lie down one one side.
2. Clean the hands and castrating knife and sterilize with spirit soaked cotton.
3. Wash the scrotum in acriflavin solution.
4. Make incision on lower side of scrotum with sharp knife.
5. Allow proper drainage of blood.
6. Remove the testes by pulling them out, bring as much of the cord is possible.
7. Scrotum and surrounding parts must be thoroughly disinfected with Tr. Iodine.
8. Apply little sulphanelamide powder mixed with iodoform.
Precautions:
1. Incision method should not be followed in rainy weather. If performed then lamb
should not be allowed to go out in rain.
2. Prevent infection from flies, use fly repellent like iodoform.
3. Perform operation on clean, clear and bright day.
4. Do not excite the lamb.
5. After operation provide clean pen well bedded.
6. Keep lamb under close observation.
7. Keep hands and tools properly sterilized.

Dipping:
Purpose:
1. To eradicate ectoparasites.
2. To prevent spread of sheep scab.

6
 3. To ward off attack by sheep blow flies.
4. To remove waste materials and dung from fleece.
5. To get clean wool.
Note: To get clean wool sheep are often washed in running water instead of dipping in a usual
dip solution.
Time of dipping: Usually once a year.
1. Before post winter shearing or before post autumn shearing.
2. Also at the time when vermin meanace is more or high incidence of ectoparasites.
Methods:
(a) Hand bath: It is used for small flock. A tank of galvanized iron(1.2 x1.0 x 0.5 m)
is used. Sheep are lifted one by one into the bath and kept for two minutes. The
sheep are placed on drained board to drain off surplus dip back into dip tank. Two
persons dip the sheep and one catches them.
(b) Swim bath: It is used for large size flock. Two to three sheep are dipped at a
time. These swim through bath and walk up the ramp. While swimming these are
guided by a man with dipping fork or pole.
Precaution:
1. Avoid dipping of sheep in advance stage of pregnancy.
2. Always water the sheep before dipping to avoid drinking of dip solution.
3. Avoid dipping on rainy days because dip may be washed off. If necessary then water
proofing dip may be used.
4. Day should neither be too hot to too cold.
5. Avoid dipping of sick animals, sheep with wounds, young lambs and stock being sent for
slaughter.
6. Complete the process of preparation of dip solution a night before.
7. Make sure to complete dipping before 4 P.M. to give enough time to dry off before night.
8. Avoid dipping rams in breeding season to guard from injury to penis or scalding of thigh.
9. Hold sheep after dipping in draining pen to drain off surplus dip back into bath and to
avoid its wastage.
10. Prevent unnecessary pollution of dip solution.
11. Remove soiled and dung stained wool on the crutch by hand sheers before dipping.
POURING:
When an individual’s sheep affected with scab or badly affected with maggots, the dipping is
not advisable. Then small quantity of dip is poured into portions of fleece along the back,
sides and belly to achieve objectives of dipping.

SPRAYING:
Spraying sheep with fly repellent insecticide solution over the backs and sides is a effective
means of controlling ectoparasites especially in countries of tropical climate.
Fly repellent solution is sprayed into a roomy tunnel in which a series of nozzle are fixed for
spraying. Animals are forced to pass through this tunnel. Smaller quantities of dip solution
are required for spraying. Depending upon the size of flock, and equipment available the
insecticide solution sprayed with power sprayer.
Note: Spraying insecticides is not so economical or efficient as dipping, because of difficulty
of thoroughly wetting the wool and skin of animals. Much of the spray runs off and is

7
wasted, and unless plenty of it is used the treatment will not be effective. Therefore it is
recommended only when number of animals is not large enough to justify a dipping vat.