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 other visual appraisal criterion is the soundness of the animal. A person should only consider a lamb to be sound if it is in good physical state and does not have any serious physical defects. People must know that an animal with physical problems has low survival chances and cannot remain productive for a long period of time. Lack of lambing can be quite counterproductive for breeders or anyone.
The mouth of the sheep is the other element to be checked on visual appraisal list. Top and bottom jaws should be properly aligned for a normal mouth. This implies that the incisor teeth and the pad should be flush with no events of undershot or overshot. The trait of undershot or overshot has a tendency of being hereditary. Meaning that lambs with this sign should be avoided.
One must however expect small differences in jaw alignment. They are quite normal. The small differences are not a hereditary problem. The jaw structure from the side must be observed when one is not sure if differences in alignment of jaws are normal. For more confirmation of what is observed, a person must also feel the teeth. The capability of the animal to graze is affected by undershot or overshot jaws.
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 other visual appraisal criterion is the soundness of the animal. A person should only consider a lamb to be sound if it is in good physical state and does not have any serious physical defects. People must know that an animal with physical problems has low survival chances and cannot remain productive for a long period of time. Lack of lambing can be quite counterproductive for breeders or anyone.
The mouth of the sheep is the other element to be checked on visual appraisal list. Top and bottom jaws should be properly aligned for a normal mouth. This implies that the incisor teeth and the pad should be flush with no events of undershot or overshot. The trait of undershot or overshot has a tendency of being hereditary. Meaning that lambs with this sign should be avoided.
One must however expect small differences in jaw alignment. They are quite normal. The small differences are not a hereditary problem. The jaw structure from the side must be observed when one is not sure if differences in alignment of jaws are normal. For more confirmation of what is observed, a person must also feel the teeth. The capability of the animal to graze is affected by undershot or overshot jaws.
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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