The success of a sheep enterprise is determined by several factors. One of the factors is getting it right when it comes to choosing breeding stock lambs. Getting this part right will ensure that one has the appropriate animals on their farm. As much as other methods of selecting sheep are used, visual appraisal still tops the list. As with other selection criterion, one cannot tell with certainty the future productivity of an animal. When in search of Breeding stock lambs KY should be given priority.
The first consideration should be the health of the animal. Health is the most vital criteria since starting off with unhealthy lambs is recipe for failure. Healthy lambs are usually alert and bright. They do not exclude themselves from the flock. Relative to its state of nutrition, age, and stage of production a healthy lamb has the appearance of being in better body condition.
All breeding farms or lambs which show symptoms of being unhealthy must be avoided. Very poor body condition, sore oral lesions, pink eyes, limping, animals that show respiratory signs or have abscesses are some of the signs to watch out for. Snorting, sneezing, and running noses are respiratory signs one should be careful about. Such animals must not be bought for breeding. Being safe than sorry is better.
The soundness and healthiness of the animal is another visual appraisal criterion to use. When a lamb is physically in good state and lacks any serious defects, it should be considered safe for purchase. There are low survival chances for an animal with physical defects. Also, they cannot remain very productive for a long duration. For breeders, lack of lambing may be very counterproductive
The next item to be checked on the list of visual appraisal is the mouth of the ewe. The correct or normal mouth should have the bottom and top jaws properly aligned. This means that the pad and the incisors are flush with no incidents of overshot or undershot. Ewes with overshot or undershot jaws are to be avoided since this trait tends to be hereditary.
Nevertheless, slight variations in jaw orientation are quite normal and should be expected. The minor variations are not hereditary defects and so an individual should view the arrangement of the jaw sideways if in doubt whether the alterations in jaw alignment are abnormal or normal. To further substantiate what is seen, a person should touch the teeth. The grazing capability of the sheep is influenced by the jaws being undershot or overshot.
Visual appraisal of the condition of the teeth should also be done. Mostly, the condition of the teeth depends on certain factors. Such factors include condition of the land and diet. Easily eaten diet grinds the teeth of sheep slowly while animals on coarse diet tend to have their teeth grind away faster. The focus should be on the molar teeth rather than the incisors since they do are the ones that grind food.
To finalize, the other item of focus should be the general structure of the lamb. Its legs and feet should be straight and squarely set at the corner of the body. Conformation must also be considered although it tends to vary from breed to breed. But straight backs and smooth shoulders tend to be desirable.
The first consideration should be the health of the animal. Health is the most vital criteria since starting off with unhealthy lambs is recipe for failure. Healthy lambs are usually alert and bright. They do not exclude themselves from the flock. Relative to its state of nutrition, age, and stage of production a healthy lamb has the appearance of being in better body condition.
All breeding farms or lambs which show symptoms of being unhealthy must be avoided. Very poor body condition, sore oral lesions, pink eyes, limping, animals that show respiratory signs or have abscesses are some of the signs to watch out for. Snorting, sneezing, and running noses are respiratory signs one should be careful about. Such animals must not be bought for breeding. Being safe than sorry is better.
The soundness and healthiness of the animal is another visual appraisal criterion to use. When a lamb is physically in good state and lacks any serious defects, it should be considered safe for purchase. There are low survival chances for an animal with physical defects. Also, they cannot remain very productive for a long duration. For breeders, lack of lambing may be very counterproductive
The next item to be checked on the list of visual appraisal is the mouth of the ewe. The correct or normal mouth should have the bottom and top jaws properly aligned. This means that the pad and the incisors are flush with no incidents of overshot or undershot. Ewes with overshot or undershot jaws are to be avoided since this trait tends to be hereditary.
Nevertheless, slight variations in jaw orientation are quite normal and should be expected. The minor variations are not hereditary defects and so an individual should view the arrangement of the jaw sideways if in doubt whether the alterations in jaw alignment are abnormal or normal. To further substantiate what is seen, a person should touch the teeth. The grazing capability of the sheep is influenced by the jaws being undershot or overshot.
Visual appraisal of the condition of the teeth should also be done. Mostly, the condition of the teeth depends on certain factors. Such factors include condition of the land and diet. Easily eaten diet grinds the teeth of sheep slowly while animals on coarse diet tend to have their teeth grind away faster. The focus should be on the molar teeth rather than the incisors since they do are the ones that grind food.
To finalize, the other item of focus should be the general structure of the lamb. Its legs and feet should be straight and squarely set at the corner of the body. Conformation must also be considered although it tends to vary from breed to breed. But straight backs and smooth shoulders tend to be desirable.
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