Dr.

Amr Mohamed Rashad Animal Production 32201 2nd Lecture

Sheep and Goat production

Sheep and Goat considered the most important animal in many centuries because
it can live in all regions and climates, in high mountains, low lands, and in a very
poor pasture. In Egypt, sheep then goat come on third and fourth level of
importance, respectively.

Classification:

Sub-family: Caprinae

 Genus: Ovis (sheep)

 Species: Aries
o Breed: Argali
o Breed: Urial
o Breed: Canadensis
o Breed: Dalli
o Breed: Muflon (the parent of all domesticated sheep breeds)
 Genus: Capra (Goat)
 Species: Hircus

Also, Sheep classified according to:

1. Production purpose:
 Mutton Type as Suffolk, Hampshire, Shropshire, Texel, Oxford
While each of the meat sheep breeds produces some wool, these
breeds are primarily valued and raised for their meat production.
These breeds of meat sheep are selected and bred for their ability to
gain weight rapidly and produce a lean, muscular high-yield carcass.
 Wool Type as Merino and all its Types (Rambouillet, Delaine-Merino,
American Merino)
While each of the fine wool sheep breeds listed below can be raised
and bred for meat production, these sheep breeds are primarily valued
and raised for their fine wool production. These sheep are selected for
their ability to grow dense, fine fleece that is ideal for the production
of ultra-soft, high-end clothing. While the staple (length) of the fleece
produced by these breeds isn't as long as that produced by long wool
sheep breeds, the fleece produced by fine wool breeds of sheep may
outweigh the longer fleece typical.
 Dual-purpose Type as Columbia, Corriedale, Finnsheep, East
Friesian

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Dr. Amr Mohamed Rashad Animal Production 32201 2nd Lecture

Each of the dual purpose sheep breeds can be raised and bred for meat
and/or wool production. These dual purpose breeds of sheep are
valued for their ability to produce high quality, valuable fleece while
also possessing the size and rapid rate of growth valued for meat
production.
2. Tail length:
 Long tail as all African Breeds
 Short tail as most of European Breeds
 Wide or big tail as all Asian Breeds
3. Wool Type
 Thin and short wool (fine wool) as Marino breeds
 Medium wool length as
 Long wool length as
o Shine as Leaster and Lencolen breeds
o Half shine as Romeny breed
 Carpet wool as Iranian breed
 Fur fibers as lambs only of Krakul breed
 Hair as Masai breed

Also, goat divided into three groups according to its production as

1. Milk as Alpine, Nubian, Saanen and Toggenburg

2. Meat as Boer
3. Hair as Angora goat (which is a breed of domesticated goat, historically
known as Angora. Angora goats produce the lustrous fibre known as
Mohair) and Cashmere goat (which is a type of goat that produces
cashmere wool, the goat's fine, soft, downy, winter undercoat, in
commercial quality and quantity).

The importance and advantages of sheep and goat:

1. Meat production (Mutton: sheep meat, Chevon: goat meat)

 High quality
 Low cholesterol
 High minerals
 More tender
 More juicy
 More marbling
 Good smell
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Dr. Amr Mohamed Rashad Animal Production 32201 2nd Lecture

2. Milk production: sheep did not consider as dairy animal. However,

East-Friesian and Assaf breeds of sheep are a dairy sheep. In contrast,
the main product of goat is milk. The goat milk is look like human milk
and it contains Sulfur amino acids but sheep milk does not contain it
because sheep use sulfur for wool production.
3. Wool production: for our dresses, Blankets and carpet.
4. Hair production: also, for dreeses.
5. Skin: Sheepskin is used to produce sheepskin leather products and soft
wool-lined clothing or coverings, including gloves, hats, slippers,
footstools, automotive seat covers, baby and invalid rugs and pelts,
saddle pads, saddle seat covers, sheepskin horse boots, tack linings and
girth tubes are also made and used in equestrianism. Also, Goat skin is
used for gloves, shoes and other accessories.
6. Manure: sheep and goat manure is high in nitrogen, phosphorus and
potash and also low in moisture.
7. Adaptation: sheep and goat can live in very bad and poor regions or
weather and lack of feed and water.
8. Reproduction: sheep and goat had a high reproduction efficiency and
produce 2 and over lambs or kids per calving.
9. Cost: sheep and goat can be raised with the lowest cost compare to cow
or buffalo.

The differences between sheep and goat:

1. Body coat: wool for sheep but hair for goat.

2. Horn: Most goats have horns, many sheep, but not all, are naturally without
horns. Goat horns are narrower and usually straighter; sheep horns tend to
be thicker and curved, tending to loop around on the sides of their heads.
Also, triangle dissection in sheep horn but circle in goat horn.
3. Tail: big tail for sheep and very thin tail for goat. Also, goat’s tail usually
points up; a sheep’s tail hangs down.
4. Distinctive Smell: from glands between hoofs in sheep, from glans in the
basal of horn in goat especially bucks.
5. Milk: high in fat in sheep but lower in goat and rich in Sulfur amino acids.
6. Newborn: goat produces more than 2 kids (up to 5 kids) per calving but
sheep produce between 1-3 lambs per calving.

Sheep and goat farming systems:

1. Extensive farm:
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Dr. Amr Mohamed Rashad Animal Production 32201 2nd Lecture

 In mountain or deserts.
 No daily operations.
 Fed on pasture only.
 Live in very big herds.
 Raising mainly for wool production.
2. Semi-Intensive farm:
 In semi fertile land.
 Offer concentrate feed once daily + pasture.
 Groups lower than the 1st system and larger than intensive farm.
3. Intensive farm:
 In fertile land.
 Many operations like daily feeding and manure removing …..etc.
 Live in small groups for good management.
 Raising mainly for meat production.

Sheep and goat Husbandry:

 Sorting animals according to age, weight and reproduction status for

making a similarity in each group. And also, for easy feeding and easy
breeding.
 Determining the best time of grazing in the year for decreasing the costs.
 Weaning lambs and kids not more than 4 months of age for preparation its
dams for next breeding.
 Culling the oldest animals and sale it.
 Increase feeding requirement (300-500 g concentrate / head) before
breeding and also before calving.
 Mating by putting 1 male with 30 to 50 female (in the similar groups). And
each yard or pen contains not more than 2 males and 80-100 females.
 Separate the pregnant ewes or does in a good pen without a male. And good
observed it especially at calving (lambing or kidding). We separate the
pregnant after confirming its pregnant (in the 2nd month of pregnant).
 Good observed the lambs and kids in suckling period especially at suckling
times from dams.

Methods of increasing production (lambing or kidding):

1. By increasing reproductive efficiency by:

 Good feeding especially before breeding
 Estrus synchronization
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Dr. Amr Mohamed Rashad Animal Production 32201 2nd Lecture

 Good weaning and early weaning of lambs or kids (2 month only)

2. Genetic improvement in sheep by using high reproductive efficiency breeds
as Finnsheep or Romanov males for mating the local ewes.

Seasonality of reproduction in animals:

 Sheep and goat considered a short day breeders which are active in
reproduction when the day light decrease at the end of summer till the end
of autumn.
 Horses considered a long day breeders at the end of winter.