Improve Sheep Production by increasing your knowledge and skills.
This course examines:
Wool is an export product so good prices can be obtained when conditions in the market are favourable. There are fewer marketing problems associated with wool of good-high quality. Pure mutton breeds require less management than pure wool breeds. The lamb market is strong in many countries. A dual purpose breed can provide the farmer with two products (meat and wool), and spreads the farmer's source of income should there be an overproduction one of the two products. Sheep can also be farmed for dairy (e.g. sheep cheese can be as popular as cows cheese in some parts of the world. Learn more by enrolling now.
COURSE CONTENT
There are 8 lessons in this course:
Lesson 1: Introduction: Terminology and Breeds
- Factors affecting the choice of breed
- Product and Market
- Rearing and Management System
- Overview of Sheep Breeds
- Sheep Terminology
Lesson 2: Selection and Breeding
- Growth Rate
- Reproductive Efficiency
- Carcass quality
- Wool traits
- Culling old ewes
- Selecting replacement ewes
- Selecting replacement rams
- Commercial Sheep Production
- Choosing a lambing time
- Autumn lambing
- Spring lambing
- Accelerated lambing
- Managing ewes prior to mating
- Using hormones to control reproduction
- Joining methods
- Anatomy of ewe reproductive organs
- Anatomy of ram reproductive organs
- Ultrasound
- Signs of lambing
Lesson 3:Nutrition of sheep
- Anatomy
- Condition scoring
- When to condition score
- Factors affecting feed requirements
- Feeding rams
- Feeding ewes
- Feeding lambs and fatteners
- Nutrition and wool production
Lesson 4: Diseases in sheep
- Viral and rickettsial diseases
- Bacterial diseases
- Metabolic diseases
- Protozoal diseases
- Poisoning
- Vaccination
- The medicine chest
- Giving injections
- Disease prevention through sound management
Lesson 5: General management of flocks
- Handling and treatment facilities
- Drenching
- Injecting
- Hoof Trimming
- Shearing
- Tail docking
- Castration
- Blowfly strike
Lesson 6: Care of lamb
- Abnormal Presentation
- Presentation: One front leg back
- Presentation: Both front legs back
- Presentation: Hind legs first
- Presentation: Head back, both front feet forward
- Presentation: Breech or tail first
- Presentation: Twin lambs presented together
- Post lambing care
- Drenching
- Rearing orphan lambs
- Lambing records
- Managing the fattening lamb
- Feeding
- Lamb marking
Lesson 7: Wool
- Characteristics of wool
- Types of wool
- Wool classing
- Wool processing
- Factors influencing the estimation of yield
- Piece Picking
- Wool Scouring
- Carding
Lesson 8: The marketing of sheep and sheep products
- Wool sales
- Sale by private treaty
- The auction system
- Wool futures
- Industry regulatory and marketing authorities
- Lamb and mutton marketing: Paddock sale, Sale yard auction, Over-the-hook sale
- Electronic Marketing, Live Sheep exports, Forward price contracts
- Factors affecting the value of lamb or mutton: Carcass weight, Skin value, Payment basis (hot or cold weight) etc.
WHY CHOOSE US?
Reputation: well-known and respected.
Industry focus: courses designed to suit industry needs and expectations.
Different focus: develop problem solving skills that make you stand out from others.
Hands-on: develop practical as well as theoretical skills.
Lots of help: dedicated and knowledgeable tutors.
Efficient: prompt responses to your questions.
A long track record: established in 1979 with a solid history.
Up to date: courses under constant review.
Resources: huge wealth of constantly developing intellectual property.
Value: courses compare very favourably on a cost per study hour basis.
Student amenities: online student room, bookshop, ebooks.
