The Basics
of Good Sheep Management for the 12 months of sheep production is a 2 hour video
covering such topics as:
- Sheep selection
- Breeds of sheep
- Understanding sheep nutrition
- Sheep / ewe breeding management including flushing and condition scoring.
- Nutritional requirements of a sheep flock
- Lambing time
- Veterinary requirements and procedures in a sheep flock
- Successful lamb management / creep feeding / veterinary needs
- Evaluating carcass quality and grading
And much more, in total: The 12 months of sheep management in a traditional sheep flock
Some of the information that we cover in the program cover such topics as selecting the breed most
suited for your conditions. We discuss the suitability of certain breeds and then we look at
conformation, how to recognize the age of the ewe and general selection topics.
This 2 hour video, on raising sheep, "The Basics of Good Sheep Management" begins
in the fall of the year, the time of the year when ewe flocks change hands and most sheep flocks are being
prepared for breeding. As for ewe selection, we look at aging a sheep, conformation, breed selection
and questions you need to ask and answers you need to learn.
As it's the fall of the year, the video then discusses both traditional breeding and accelerated
breeding programs, the latter for out of season lambing. It discusses condition scoring to determine
the right body condition for the average ewe and how to prepare your ewe to reach the right body condition.
In a successful sheep operation, the importance of lambing percentage, in other words, the amount of
lambs raised from your sheep flock, can be a major contributor in determining the profitability of any
sheep operation.
The video then looks at the sheep's breeding cycle, managing your ram power, and using markers to
determine the fertility of both your rams and your ewes. This video, The Basics of Good Sheep Management, then
proceeds into the winter months and discusses the nutritional requirements of any sheep flock during its
gestation period and the necessary veterinary procedures that are required throughout this gestation
period, plus the needs for salt and minerals suited to your area and then the months leading up to
lambing time. It looks at how one needs to improve and increase the nutritional levels of your sheep
flock as lambing time approaches. This is a time when condition scoring becomes very important and
should encourage the shepherd to sort off any ewes that require extra feeding to improve their body
condition. A condition score of at least 3 is a good place to start for breeding time.
There are many different aspects of the year of raising sheep, from the more quiet gestation period
through to the busy lambing time. Our sheep management video then moves into this busy period of
lambing time with your sheep flock. There are many considerations and procedures to prepare any flock
for lambing time. Vaccinations, de-worming, housing, etc..
This video gives a thorough understanding of lambing and how to manage your sheep flock throughout
this period. The next stage, the post lambing period looks at creep feeding and veterinary requirements
and other necessary management practices, as the lambs begin to grow and mature.
In any flock of sheep, the shepherd has to continually consider any upcoming problems such as scours,
coccidiosis, foot rot, internal and external parasites, and numerous other considerations. It would be
impossible for us to cover every ailment in this 2 hour Sheep Management video but we have undertaken to
cover as many of these problems as is realistically possible and allow you a full understanding of the
year round management procedures required in running a successful sheep operation.
The success of any sheep operation relies on the continued health of the young lambs as they move
toward market weight.
Parasite management, creep feeding, and important vaccination programs, etc., follow the ewe flock
through the summer months, up to the time when the lambs reach the required market weight. Also in this
video, we follow a group of lambs from the weigh scale, on the farm, through to the abattoir to help
identify and understand carcass quality and condition scoring. It is very important to ensure that our
finished product arrives on the customer's plate in its highest quality.
Some of the other topics that are talked about in our Sheep Management video are subjects such as
designing a handling system, utilizing an accurate weigh scale, and helping the viewer understand the
variety of veterinary procedures required throughout the year. There are many topics mentioned throughout
the video and just too many to mention in this summary about our video, The Basics of Good Sheep Management.
(Information on raising sheep)
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