SMALL RUMINANTS PRODUCTION

SMALL RUMINANT PRODUCTION

Course Content
 Introduction:Importance of goats and sheep in nutrition and food security, poverty alleviation, social and
cultural activities and in integrated agriculture; advantages of rearing goats and sheep;major constraints to
small ruminant production; prospect for development in Uganda; business of small ruminant production.
 Management systems:Traditional goat and sheep husbandry, improved goat husbandry, zero grazing,
advantages and limitations of each.
 Breeds and breeding:Indigenous and exotic breeds of goats and sheep, characteristics, distribution and
types, main methods of breeding, reproduction in goats and sheep; heat detection and reproductive
efficiency, mating, kidding/lambing, kid/lamb rearing, genetic improvement: selection and culling; grading up
local breeds.
 Feeding goats and sheep:Nutrient and feed requirement and intake, browse and supplementary feeding of
dairy goats, role of goats and sheep in rangeland management and beef production
 Routine management practices: identification, dehorning, castration, restraining, foot trimming, body
condition scoring, ageing, culling, docking, weighing, keeping records, e.t.c.
 Infrastructures for small ruminant production: Housing, fencing paddocks and water supply; dips and
spray races.
 Health care: Signs of good and ill health; importance of diseases and parasites in small ruminant
production; disease prevention and control measures, control of endo- and ecto-parasites; products from
small ruminants, handling and marketing.

REFERENCES.

Beinempaka A. B., Kato H, Mulera D. B., Obwol T. A. (1990). Principles and Practices of Agriculture,Vol. 2.
Macmillan Publishers Ltd, London.

Chamberlain A. (1993). Milk Production in the Tropics. Longman Gp Ltd, London.

Gatenby R. M. (1991). Sheep. The Tropical Agriculturalist Series. Macmillan Ed. Ltd, London.

Preston T.P.(1995). Tropical Animal Feeding. A Manual for Research workers. FAO.

Macdonald I, low J. (1985). Livestock Rearing in the Tropics. Macmillan Publishers Ltd. London.

Steele M.(1996). Goats. The Tropical Agriculturalist. Macmillan Educ. Ltd.

Webster C. C., Wilson P. N (1980). Agriculture in the Tropics. Longman, UK.

INTRODUCTION TO SMALL RUMINANTS PRODUCTION

Importance and distribution of small ruminants
Goats and sheep are small ruminants which are predominantly found in developing countries. They are particularly
important in African society. Goats and sheep have the ability to survive harsh conditions and therefore they are
important in more arid parts of the world.
Goats and sheep are kept because the produce meat, milk, fibres (mohair, cashmere,wool or hair), skins and
manure.

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There are over 700 million goats in the world of which nearly 80% are found in the tropics and sub tropics. The world
population of sheep is estimated to be over 1070 million of which 43.3% are found in the tropics and sub tropics.

Number of Goats and sheep by region

Region Number of sheep Percent Number of Goats Percent

Central 269,600 7.9 1,676,050 13.5
Eastern 319,370 9.4 2,599,980 20.9
Northern 568,510 16.7 2,696,100 21.7
Karamoja 1,685,500 49.4 2,025,300 16.3
Western 567,390 16.6 3,452,240 27.7
Uganda 3,410,370 100 12,449,670 100

Source: National Livestock Census (200 8)

Indigenous breeds continue to be dominant over the exotic ones. For 2016, there were 15,521,000 goats in Uganda.
On the other hand, the exotic goat breeds contributed 1.3 % (UBOS, 2017).
What are the up to date figures?

Why is there low demand for mutton in Uganda?

IMPORTANCE OF SMALL RUMINANTS

Goats and sheep are very important in African society. Their uses can be divided into food security, economic use
and cultural activities.

Importance in nutrition and food security

 During the periods of poor harvest, small ruminants can be exchanged for or sold in order to purchase food and
so act as one of the forms of food security.
 Goats provide a major source of animal protein in form of;
 Meat:Due to their relatively small value and size, goats and sheep are easily and conveniently slaughtered
for home consumption. They can be roasted and consumed in a few days as the majority of homes lack
fridge facilities.
 Milk:In areas where cow’s milk is scarce, particularly where land is fragmented, milk goats can be a solution
to home milk demands.

Goat’s milk is closer in composition to human milk from the cow and, therefore, an excellent baby food.

In Uganda, non-governmental organizations have tried to encourage people, particularly the poor in rural areas, to
rear dairy goats. The objective is to reduce malnutrition.

According to Webster and Wilson (1980), the milk of the goat is in some respects closer in composition to human
milk than the milk of the cow. According to the same authors, goats’ milk is slightly alkaline in reaction compared to
cows’ milk which is slightly acidic. The fat globules in goats’ milk are small in size and are therefore digested in the
human digestive tract much faster than the larger globules of the cows’ milk.

Our attitude towards drinking goats, milk has to change in order to fight against malnutrition especially in growing
children.

Milk products from goats and sheep include; yoghurt, cheese, butter and ghee.

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Sheep are a source of milk for human consumption in the Middle East, Pakistan, North-western India and around
Mediterranean Sea. According to Gatenby (1991), in Sylia, Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Greece,
Mauritania, Algeria and Somalia, more than 15% of milk for human consumption is obtained from sheep.

Importance in poverty alleviation

In many peasant societies, small ruminants form a major investment and contribute a big percentage of home’s
income.
Often poor families invest their small savings into goats and these multiply fast. Small ruminants are also a form of
investment. In our communities where there are no banking facilities, wealth is stored in form of livestock. When you
invest in small ruminants, you avoid losses due to high inflation rates found in our unstable [Link]
accumulated small ruminants besides providing food can be:
 Sold to generate income for households’ immediate use i.e. cash to solve various home demands e.g.,
medical bills at any time of the year, particularly when cash crops are not yet ready
 Exchanged or sold to acquire bigger assets such as cattle, pieces of land or houses.

Small ruminants also provide skins that are used in the manufacture of leather products. Goat skins form part of the
few livestock exports from the country. The Mubende goat skin is of high quality

Importance in the social cultural activities

In many communities, goats (live or slaughtered) are essential in the various ceremonies and festivals. Due to their
relatively low value compared to cattle, goats are frequent gifts in the form of livestock. In some societies, they form
part of the bride wealth or dowry.

Importance in integrated agriculture

The valuable manure obtained from these animals can be used in boosting soil fertility improving crop yields. Also,
the goats utilize the often wasted crop residues and increase the overall farm income.

A part from meat, goat and sheep carcasses yield:

 Tallow (fat) used in soap manufacture
 Meat, bone meal and blood meal used as sources of animal protein for pigs and poultry.
 Horns and hooves used in industries.
 Bone and gelatin used as food.
 The guts used as sausages.
 Edible offals such as liver, heart, kidney, stomach, intestines.

Advantages of Rearing Small Ruminants

Goats and sheep have some resemblance and similarities. They have a number of advantages over cattle:
 They are less demanding in their feed supply and they tend to eat what is refused by cattle. They are
very skillful in finding feed. Sheep graze preferring short grass and herbs, but goats graze short grass
and browse foliage with high fibre content which is not eaten by cattle or sheep.
 Both sheep and goats, especially goats, thrive well in dry areas without enough water. However, some
breeds are especially adapted to humid tropical zones. Goats generally require more shelter against
cold, wind and moisture than sheep.
 The investment per animal is smaller than in the case of cattle and consequently, they carry a smaller
individual risk to their owner.

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  There is ready market locally and for export especially for goats which have a high demand in the
Middle East.
 They are valuable as meat and milk animals to families which cannot afford to keep cattle. This justifies
their designation of “poor man’s cow”.
 They give products in amounts that are suitable for local consumption- in manageable quantities, small
enough to be consumed by an average rural family in a day or two hence no refrigeration facilities are
needed.
 They have a higher reproductive rate.
 Goats and sheep can produce at an early age of 6 months and sometimes even earlier. They
are usually mated at 1 year.
 Females can be on heat at any time of the year in the tropics making kidding and lambing
theoretically twice a year. Two or three kiddings or lambings in 2 years is the normal practice
under controlled conditions-Kidding/lambing interval 8months/ short generation cycles.
 Birth of twins or triplets is quite common which is not a case in cattle. Compared with large
livestock, the rate of reproduction is very high and flocks can be built up quickly after
calamities.
 They can easily be managed by women and children because of their small size.
 They require relatively small land.
 They can be kept in mountainous and dry areas where cattle would not perform well.
 The indigenous breeds of small ruminants are more resistant to a number of diseases than cattle (e.g.
Red Masai sheep and West African Dwarf goats) are tolerant of diseases such as helminthiosis.
 They are needed in a number of religious and customary or cultural functions. This means that, there
are almost no cultural barriers against keeping goats and sheep or eating their [Link] this true in the
case of mutton? Elaborate your answer.
 They are highly adaptable to a broad range of environments.
 The efficiency of converting feed into milk is higher in goats than in other dairy animals.

Constraints to Small Ruminants Production

 Poor managerial skills and lack of knowledge in housing and feeding. Indigenous small ruminants have in
the past survived due to their hardened features.
 Prevalence of diseases and parasites especially internal parasites, respiratory and clostridial infections.
 Lack of organized marketing systems.
 Inadequate extension services and advisory back up.
 Communal grazing and land ownership.
 Inadequate land.
 Poor performance of indigenous breeds i.e. produce low dressed weight and have slow growth rate; the
reason as to why there is bias on exotic breeds and cross breeding.
 Lack of capital for investment.

Commercial goat enterprises will succeed when;

 The cost of feeding is minimal e.g. the goats are kept on marginal land unsuitable or uneconomical for o
 Milk and other dairy products are produced in sufficient quantities to justify the use of at least some labour
saving equipment e.g. milking machines.
 Milk is processed into cheese, yoghurt and other products of high value.
 The processing is done on the holding.
 The milk and milk products command premium prices on the market compared with cows’ milk and its
products.
 The enterprise is near the market so that time and cost of transport is minimized.

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  The market exists.

TOPIC 2: MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OF GOATS AND SHEEP

Goats and sheep are kept in small flocks under semi-intensive husbandry in heavily populated areas of central,
eastern and western parts of Uganda. They are tethered during the day and housed at night. In certain areas of
western and northern Uganda, where there is little cropping, goats and sheep may be grazed alone or herded with
[Link] the cattle corridor, goats and sheep are allowed to graze freely especially in ranches. Grazing is mainly
attended by children and women, but sometimes by village herdsmen.
The common ways/ systems of grazing goats and sheep are:
 Herding (Open grazing).
 Tethering.
 Rotational grazing.
 Zero grazing.
 Free grazing.

i. Herding (open grazing).

 This is a method of grazing which is common in drier areas. Goats and sheep are allowed to graze and/ or
browse freely on extensive uncultivated land or crop residues.
 A person is required to keep watch as the animals graze.
 Little attention is given to individual animals as they graze.
 The practice is common in areas where crop production is not important e.g. alongthe cattle corridor or in
seasons when crops are out of production.
 It is cheap and requires little labour.
 The animals look for their own food and therefore reduce on the cost of feeding.
 However, under this system the small ruminants are exposed to wild animals and farmers cannot control
breeding. The animals walk for long distances.
 Open grazing may be called mixed grazing system if goats and or sheep are grazed with cattle in the same
area.
 The term shepherding may be used where you are grazing sheep alone.
ii. Tethering.
Goats and sheep are tethered using ropes of about 3 m long on grass close to the homesteads. They may be shifted
to new sites during the day. Goats can be tethered on good strong rope or chain and moved at least twice a day to a
fresh piece of land or bush. Good tethering practices may involve;
 Locating areas where there is vigorous pasture growth.
 If there are no trees on which to tie the rope, provide pegs in the ground.
 The animals should be shifted to new sites 3-4 times a day.
 Alternatively, you may use a chain that slides freely along a strong wire which is tightly stretched along the
ground.
 Goats and sheep should be tethered where there is shelter or shade to protect them from strong sun heat,
rain or wind.
 Avoid tethering animals where there are obstacles around which ropes and chains can wind up. This is to
avoid strangling the goats or sheep.
 Water and mineral licks should be provided to the animals.
 Provide feed supplements in form of crop residues such as banana peelings, sweet potato vines, maize
stalks.
Tethering requires relatively little labour. Farmers rarely tether more than 5 goats/sheep per household. Animals are
tethered to prevent them from destroying crops

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 iii. Rotational grazing.
The grazing area is divided into equal sized paddocks using chain link wire netting or any other fencing material.
Ensure that each paddock carries the correct stocking rate to avoid over grazing. The animals should be grouped
according to age. The kids and or lambs should be grazed ahead of the nannies (does) or ewes. This system is also
called rotational creep grazing.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of rotational grazing?

iv. Free grazing.

This is unsupervised grazing especially in areas where there is little cropping. Sheep and goats are let out of
enclosures in the morning and shut in again at night. They graze from sunrise to sunset.
Grazing freely reduces labour input but losses from theft and predators may be high.
Goats and sheep that are on free range on rough grazing are consuming food that costs next to nothing.

v. Zero grazing.
Goats and sheep are grazed on cut grasses and legumes in stalls under confinement. Water, mineral licks,
concentrates and other supplements are supplied.
The chances of parasitic infestation and diseases are minimized. Goats and sheep should be adequately fed.
Examples of fodder crops and trees used by farmers raising goats in zero grazing units.
 Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum)
 Sweet potato vines (Ipomea batatas)
 Oats (Avena sativa)
 Fodder sorghums (Sorghum sudanense)
 Calliandra,
 Leucaena,
 Acacia
 Sesbania
 Barkcloth /Fig tree
Note: Most of the farmers combine different systems of management e.g. children after returning from school
shepherd goats and sheep that had been tethered or confined to stalls during the day.
What are the advantages of zero grazing?

What are the challenges in the use of intensive systems of goat and sheep production?

TOPIC 3: COMMON BREEDS, BREEDING AND REPRODUCTION OF GOATS AND SHEEP

A breed is a group or population of animals that have descended from one ancestor and has similar characteristics

A type is an animal that has been bred to serve a particular purpose. It is a group of related breeds. A strain is a sub
division of a breed.

Technical terms used in small ruminant production

Details Sheep Goats

 A group of animals Flock Flock
 Adult male Ram or tup Billy or buck
 Adult female Ewe Doe or nanny
 Young male Ram lamb or tup lamb Male kid or buckling
 Young female Ewe lamb or gimmer lamb Goatling
 New born Lamb Kid
 Castrated male Wether or wedder Castrate
 Female feeding its offspring Suckling Suckling

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  Act of parturition Lambing Kidding
 Act of mating Tupping Serving

Goats and sheep are usually classified or described by;

 Origin  Horned or polled; horn shape
 Body size and shape  Function; meat, milk, fibre, dual purpose
 Height at withers  Tail type; fatness; length, shape (in case of
 Colour sheep)
 Ear shape and length-erect, drooping  Coat cover-wool or hair.

GOATS
Description of Goats
 Nanny or doe:Female goat that has kidded.
 Billy or buck:Mature male that is used in mating.
 Billy kid:A young male 0-12 months.
 Nanny kid:Young female 0-12 months.
 Goatling:Female goat which has not yet kidded up to 2 years old.
 Yearling: Male or female 1-2 years old.
Find out terms used to describe sheep.
Advantages of goat production
 Manure from goat pens is an excellent fertilizer for arable land.
 Goats utilize marginal land that is too steep for ploughing or otherwise unsuitable for other livestock.
 They do well on shrubby land being browsers rather than grazers.
 They are used as pioneers to help clear land overgrown with bushes e.g. Lantana camara.
 They can be used to control certain pernicious weeds e.g. star thistle.

BREEDS OF GOATS
a) Indigenous goat breeds
i. The Small East African (SEA) Goat.
 There are various types named according to culture i.e. Galla, Somali, Turkana/Sambura
 Mainly found in northern and eastern Uganda.
 This is a small hardy goat
 The adult weighs 20-30 kg
 Fine hair coat with various colours like white and grey
 Commonly horned
 Mainly kept for meat production, sometimes milked especially by pastoralists.
 Mature early
 Some resistance to trypanosomiasis,

ii. Mubende Goat.

 It is found in the north and North West of Lake Victoria and in former Mubende district.
 It is a relatively large breed-larger than SEAG.
 The adult weighs between 30-35 kg for males and 25- 30 kg for females.
 Average height at withers is 65 cm.
 Has straight and short hairs giving a glossy skin.
 Mainly black in colour although black and white and other colours are available
 They have an angular shaped body in the female with long neck and relatively large barrel.

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iii. Kigezi Goat.
 Found in south western Uganda particularly in highland ecological niches of Kabale, Kisoro, Kanungu and
Rukungiri districts.
 Has a relatively thicker hairy coat than the above twp breeds.
 Sparse long hair especially around the hind quarter.
 Black and grey long haired coat.
 Smaller, more compact and short legged than the Mubende goat.
 Mainly kept for meat production.
 Mature weight of 25-30 kg.

b) The exotic goat breeds.

i. Saanen  Pure white in colour or pale coloured

 Medium to large size.
 Adult females: 65-70 kg
 Adult males: 75-80 kg
 Prick ears(upright, erect) or erect ears
 Dished face
 Slender neck
 Short and fine hair coat
 Good dairy conformation with well formed udder
 Milk yields are high up to 3 litres per day with 3.5% BF
 Usually hornless
 Ideal for production of liquid milk for sale.
 Originated from Saane and Simmental valleys
 Kids make good meat animals.
of Switzerland.
 Good for cross breeding and grading up.
The mixture of different blood lines has resulted in larger goats with similar or improved milking characteristics when
compared with purebred parent breed.

ii. Anglo-Nubian goat.

Jumnapari from India (Jumnapari, Nubian and

British dairy goats).
 High head carriage
 Pendulous ears (lop eared), long ears
 Convex face, prominent forehead
 Long legs, upright stance
 Hornless
 Short- haired coat,
 Coat colour: Shades of black, rust brown or red
and white/cream; white patches on brown are
common.
 Originated from Northern Africa (mixed  Tall goat; 75-100 cm at the withers
origin), Sudan.  Flat sided, more heavily fleshed than Swiss
 Developed in Britain by crossing goats from the breeds.
East with indigenous stock -Zariby from Sudan x  Females weigh about 60 kg and males about
70 kg.

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  Highly prolific producing milk with high  Gives up to 1364 litres of milk a year
BFContent (5%) which is good for processing  The best breed for crossing with local animals
into butter and cheese. because of its disease resistance and being a
 Daily milk yields of 0.8-1.2 litres common. dual purpose breed (for meat and milk).

iii. Toggenburg.

 Swiss in origin.
 Coat colour: chocolate brown to light yellowish brown (fawn).
 White markings down the side of the eyes to the muzzle, on the ear tips, rump and tail. Legs are white
below the knees and hocks.
 Adult females weigh about 50 kg and males weigh 65kg.
 Males are normally hornless with more hair than females especially on hind quarters.
 Soft, fine hair of medium length; relatively stain proof coat.
 Long legs and big food capacity hence suitable for free range
 Milk yield: about 1 litre/day in the tropics.

iv. Alpine.

not related although coat colour and

markings are similar.
 Coat colour: black or rusty coloured, with
white markings similar to those of
Toggenburg.
 Conformation like that of Saanen.
 Short-haired coat and erect ears.
 Both horned and polled varieties are
available.
 Height: 75-80 cm at the withers (average).
 Adult males weigh 65 kg and females 60 kg.
 Daily milk yield about 1 litre with 3.6% butter
 Origin: French Alpine from French Alps, fat.
British Alpine developed in Britain. These are  More disease resistant than Saanen.

v. Angora.

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  Origin: Asia and Turkey
 Good for mohair production.
 Fine, lustrous, silky fleece with about 20 cm staple (mohair) for carpets and rugs;textile
 Popular in South Africa, Australia, India, Pakistan and Canada.
 White in colour
 Curved horns
 Small hardy goat (54-69 cm) with short legs.
 Milk yield; low (0.4 litres/day) with high butter fat (5.7%).
 Slow growth rate.
 Straight back, body is square.

vi. Boer.

 Originated from South Africa.

 Large goats
 Heavy goats; males weigh 130kg and females 80 kg.
 Colour: white with red on shoulders and head.
 A short haired coat.
 Prominent horns.
 Broad drooping ears.
 High fertility, over 50% of births are twins; average litter
size is 1.64.
 Milk yield: about 160 litres over 120 days, butter fat
content of 5.7%.
 Carcass yield: 48-60%, hence good meat producer

SHEEP
According to the projections of the national animal breeding policy (NABP), the sheep population was estimated at
1.7 million (MAAIF, 1997). Between 1955 and 1968, the sheep population dropped by 28% (1.1-0.8 million). Despite
the economic war of 1970s, the sheep population recovered and by 1981, there was an estimated 1.4 million sheep.

a) Indigenous sheep breeds

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 i. East African Black Head Sheepe.g. Persian black head-descended from Somali breed
 Usually found in Kenya, Western Uganda in parts of Mbarara and Bushenyi districts.
 Fat- rumped sheep with a thick matted coat of white hair.
 Black head and neck.
 Mature males weigh 40-45 kg while females/ewes weigh 25-30 kg.
 Fat tailed.
 Long legged and agile sheep i.e. move quite faster
 Suitable for mutton production.
ii. East African long tailed sheep.
 Found in most parts of Uganda
 Quite small(20-25 kg) with many different colours
 The coat is hairy with a fine down undercoat
 Contains long thick tail but not S-shaped.
iii. Masai sheep.
 Mainly found in Kenya, Tanzania and Eastern and Northern parts of Uganda especially Karamoja region.
 Slow .maturing, light and good forager
 Very prolific and hardy for dry conditions.
 Coarse wooled
 The coat may be red or dark brown
 long legged
 Fat tailed especially the males
 Have a large body with rather flat sides.

b) Exotic sheep breeds.

These are classified according to purpose i.e.
 Meat/ dual purpose sheep-meat/wool; wool/meat
 Wool sheep
 Milk sheep
 Fur sheep

i. Romney marsh  It was first bred in England for grazing in

marshes e.g. wetlands
 It is a major breed in New Zealand, Kenya
and around Mt. Elgon in Uganda
 It is used for meat and wool production in
Kenya/Dual purpose breed.
 It is a good breed for crossing
 A smaller animal compared to other breeds.
 It is white in colour with black nose
 Both sexes are hornless
 Produces thick fleece of shorter and coarse
wool
 It is resistant to foot infections like foot rot,
resistant to liverflukes
 Suitable for high rainfall areas with good
Origin: New Zealand, UK pastures- performs better in wetter areas.

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ii. Merino sheep

 Origin: Spain.
 Found in various parts of the world especially Australia, South Africa, South America and Kenya.
 The modern merino sheep were developed from fine wool merino originally from Spain
 The breed is white faced with white feet.
 While the rams are horned, the ewes are hornless.
 Most of the head and legs are covered by wool.
 They are hardy-can survive in harsh climatic conditions; suitable for arid and semi-arid areas.
 Merino ewes are about 60 cm tall at the shoulder and weigh 65 kg.
 Light in weight and long legged sheep.
 Merino sheep are essentially kept for wool production.
 Can survive in dry areas without water i.e. arid and semi arid areas; they are most successful in dry
environments.
 Can tolerate humid environments.
 Produce low quality carcass.

iii. Corriedale.  It is found in South Africa and East Africa particularly

in Kenya.
 Kept for production of medium wool and meat i.e.
dual purpose breed.
 The breed combines reasonable hardiness and a
good carcass as well as high quality wool.
 It is also highly prolific
 It is white in colour
 Has wooled legs, the face is half way wooled
 Both sexes are polled
 Large body and good forager.
Origin: New Zealand  Fleece dense and even.
 It is a synthetic half breed between Licoln longwool
and Austrarian merino.

iv. DorsetHorn

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  Origin: England
 It is a general purpose breed
 It has a white face and pink nose
 Lamb at most times of the year
 Milk yield is good.
 Wool is of good quality
 Active, hardy and good breeder.

v. Dorper.

 Developed in South Africa by crossing DorsetHorn with Somali Persian black head.
 Mainly found in Botswana, Zambia, Kenya and South Africa
 Have a white body and black head.
 Have little or no fat on the rump
 The coat is made up of a mixture of hair and coarse wool.
 The legs, belly and face are not covered by wool.
 They are usually polled
 Lambs grow fast and they are good for meat production.
 They are well adapted to dry conditions.
Explain the attributes of indigenous small ruminants (shoats) in Uganda.
BREEDING IN GOATS AND SHEEP
A number of crosses have been developed through cross breeding exotic breeds with the indigenous ones. The traits
of economic importance a farmer would be interested in when considering genetic improvement of goats and sheep
include the following;

Important Economic Traits

Goats
 Birth weight  Kidding interval  Number of kids per
 Growth rate  Milk yield kidding
 Age at first heat/age at  Lactation period  Length of productive
puberty  Peak yield life/longevity
 Service period  Lifetime production  Mortality rate.
 Gestation period

Sheep
 Birth weight
 Weight at different ages like at weaning and slaughter, yearling weight

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  Prolificacy i.e. how fertile the animal is- look at lambing percentage, litter size.
 Age at sexual maturity/ age at first oestrus.
 Age at first lambing.
 Conformation and fatness of lambs at marketing; weight-condition scoring judgment.
 Fleece weight and quality. Fleece characters considered include; Grease Fleece Weight (GFW) and Clean
Fleece Weight (CFW).
 Fibre quality attributes-whether fine or coarse. Attributes include staple length (measurement from the skin
up to the tip), diameter of the fibre (the smaller the fibres, the stronger they are)
 Carcass characters-carcass weight(goats-45-48%, broilers and pigs 75%, cattle is about 55%

SELECTION OF GOATS AND SHEEP FOR BREEDING

Female Goats
Consider the following points when selecting female goats for breeding purposes:
 Shape-should be wedge shaped body especially for dairy goats.
 Large, well suspended, round and elastic udder and the teats of moderate size.
 Large knobby milk veins. They should be conspicuous or felt under the belly.
 The long slim neck.
 Strong muscular back.
 Long gentle sloping rump.
 A long wide lean head that is well carried.
 A fine pliable/soft skin with a smooth coat.
 Deep wide sprung ribs.
 Strong straight hocks and legs.
 Well spaced legs to allow room for the udder.
 Ability to feed and large stomach to accommodate food.
 Sound teeth and ability to forage.

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Female Sheep
Components of a Breeding Soundness Examination in female sheep
Ensure that the ewes selected for breeding meet the following basic requirements:
 Temperament: A docile temperament (docile means easy to handle).
 Health and vigour: Good appearance, alert, active and open faced ewes; good health, good vigour, Disease
free.
 Lambing ability; should lamb quickly and without lambing difficulties (no dystocia).
 Good mothering qualities; adequate milk production; motherly instinct to raise her lamb; provide protection and
nourishment to lambs.
 Udder: Properly developed udders, sound, smooth, soft pliable udders with good quarters, and spacious
functional teats free from mastitis.
 Thriftiness; should be able to search for food and survive well on limited food supplies especially during the dry
season.
 Well developed and sound feet (strong feet that are free from foot rot).
 Freedom from hereditary defects and lethals (recessive genes which may lead to death).
 Sound teeth and ability to forage, active foraging habits.
 Body/Conformation: uniformly built, wide deep and slightly longer body; deep wide chest, strong head, back
leveled, short legs, moderate size
 Prolificacy : be prolific in production of lamb
 Fleece: Dense, tight uniform quality
Selection of Bucks and Rams for Breeding
 The animal should be conforming to breed type.

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  Should be alert and active.
 Ability to effectively and timely serve the ewes/nannies on heat with viable sperm production capacity.
 Freedom from diseases and genetic defects.
 Easy to handle (Good temperament).
 Good strong legs and feet, free from foot rot.
 A strong back, pastern and hock.

REPRODUCTION IN GOATS AND SHEEP

The onset of heat or oestrus in female animals occurs for the first time at the age of 6-8 months in goats and 5-10
months in sheep. Allow the females to breed preferably at the age of 12-18 months. The males (bucks and rams)
should be allowed to mate at the age of 12 months. The exotic breeds may mate at the age of 7-10 months.
Details Goats Sheep
Length of oestrus cycle 18-21 days 16-19 days
Duration of oestrus (heat) 12-72 hours 18-24 hours
Time of ovulation 24-36 hours after onset of heat 24-30 hours after onset of heat
Gestation period 145-153 days 150 days
Age at sexual maturity 6-10 months 5-10 months
Breeding life Up to 10 years Up to 10 years
Measures of reproductive performance in sheep and goats
 Age at puberty,
 Age at first lambing/kidding,
 Post-partum interval,
 Parturition interval and
 Fertility indices.
 Litter size (LS).
 Annual reproductive rate.
Reproductive performance is affected by the following.
 Breed and genetic factors.
 Age.
 Body weight and condition.
 Disease control.
 Number of females per male (Female: male ratio).

It is important for the farmer to detect heat in females especially where hand mating and artificial insemination are
used.
Possible causes of poor reproductive performance in goats and sheep
 Low body condition score/poor nutrition.  Lack of libido.
 Diseases/venereal diseases.  Adverse environmental conditions.
 Postpartum anoestrus.  Length of postpartum interval.
 Lactation.  Lack of estrus.
 Injury.  Low Pregnancy percentage.
 Infertile or subfertile.  Abortion percentage.
 Ram/buck: ewe/doe ratio.  Low Conception percentage
Find out the characteristic behavior displayed by females and males during or before mating

Reproduction in Female Goats

Signs of heat in does/nannies
 Persistent bleating.
 Tail wagging(tail flicking or shaking).

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  Loss of appetite.
 Restless behaviour
 Reduction in milk yield.
 Clear mucus discharge from the vulva.
 Red and swollen vulva.
 Mounting other goats.
 Seeking the males (bucks).
 Nuzzling or nudging of the male.
 Willingness of the doe to stand for mating(Standing reflex).
MATING
Both sexes are attracted by smell, sight and noise. Prior to mating, the following characteristic behaviors are met;
Management of Males for Breeding
 Only the best males from good dams should be kept for breeding. Inferior ones should be castrated before
they are 2.5 months old.
 In large goat flocks, allow one mature buck for 30-40 mature nannies (1:30-40)
 A mature ram should be able to serve 30-60 ewes (1:30-60) although it is rather common in tropics to
maintain one ram for each pen for 20 ewes.
 Natural service is predominantly used in the mating of goats and sheep. It is important to ensure that the
bucks and rams are in a good physical condition for mating.
 The males should be well fed on a balanced ration to avoid excessive weight losses during mating.
 Avoid overworking or tiring the bucks and rams (use a correct male: female ratio).
 The males should do plenty of exercise. This enables a male to produce larger ejaculates with more active
sperm. Males will also be more active with better libido (sexual urge).
 Most males will serve best in familiar environments. New environments may upset sires.
 Follow a regular routine and handle the sires in the same manner.
 Provide males with adequate shade and cool drinking water.
Why is the use of artificial insemination (AI) in goats and sheep limited in Uganda?

Management of Ewes and Does

The females should be adequately fed on a balanced ration to avoid cases of anoestrus (a period of sexual inactivity,
the ovary is quiescent due to malnutrition, lactation). The percentages of anoestrus females especially ewes are
highest at the end of dry period when body weight and condition are low. It is advisable to carry out flushing.

Flushing is a practice of giving female goats and sheep a good level of nutrition before mating. This may be done in
2-3 weeks before ewes and does are mated. A flushing ration may consist of a good mixed pasture of legumes and
grasses, fodder crops and a daily ration of 0.5 kg concentrates.

Flushing:
 Stimulates multiple ovulation (increases the number of ova shed) hence increases chances of twinning or
multiple births.
 Reduces the number of barren or anoestrous females in the flock.
 Increases the conception rate
 Synchronizes oestrus and hence ensures that lambing/kidding occurs in the same period of time. This leads to a
more uniform lamb and kid crop that is easy to manage.
 In males, it increases the quantity and quality of semen produced.

Kidding and Lambing.

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During the last 4-6 weeks of pregnancy, the ewes and nannies should be given extra good feeding (Steaming up). It
is important to improve the nutritive quality of the diet while reducing the fibrous content up to lambing/kidding time.
Reasons for steaming up goats and sheep
 Provides nourishment for the developing foetus
 Ensures a strong kid/lamb at birth.
 Enhances the development of the udder-leads to better development of udder tissues
 Ensures adequate milk production of the doe/ewe.
 Builds up body reserves of flesh on doe/ewe.
 Prepares the dam for the difficult task of parturition.
Normally, the ewes and nannies are better left alone to produce their young. However, they sometimes experience
problems whenever cases of malpresentations occur.

NB: The stockman should know the signs of approaching parturition so that he can assist incase of difficult birth
(dystocia).
 It is important to watch all the female approaching parturition on daily basis.
 There is a need to shift females to parturition units or shades between 1-2 weeks of parturition.
 Areas for parturition must be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized before moving in the animals

Difficulties may arise due to large kids and lambs or when they are presented incorrectly. Some common wrong
positions;
 One or both front legs held back i.e. head and one fore leg presented first or head only presented
 The 2 fore legs only i.e. the head is held back
 Breech-two hind legs presented first
 Twins/ triplets mixed up/multiple mix ups

What are the steps taken in assisting the birth?

Signs of Imminent Kidding/Lambing

 Widening of the space between hip bones.
 Deep hollows on either side of the tail.
 Rapid filling of the udder.
 The female isolates herself from the rest of the [Link] dry and sheltered spots.
 She becomes restless and uneasy.
 Discharge of colorless fluid which later becomes thick and white.
 For the first time, she makes a lot of noise.
 They spread on the ground or sit and stand.

After Kidding/Lambing
 Allow the cord to break naturally so that all blood in it crosses to the lamb/kid
 Dip the cord in tincture of iodine to prevent pathogens from moving up inside the kid’s or lamb’s body.
Hydrogen peroxide can be used.
 If the young appears lifeless, swing it gently by hind legs but avoid dropping it. You can also rub the young
vigorously with some grass to stimulate breathing
 Clean the mouth and nose by removing the mucus and membranes to avoid suffocation.
 The newly born young should be given colostrum within the first 15 minutes after birth because
immunoglobulins in colostrum can be absorbed in the digestive tract in a specific [Link] digestive system
may not be having enzymes to break proteins. Once these are broken, they become useless.

CARE OF KIDS/LAMBS

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The kid and lamb may be left with the mother and allowed to suckle for the first week. Incase of dairy goats, after one
week, the kids can be bucketfed 3 times a day on milk. This is rearing by hand. The lambs can also be hand
reared. The kid or lamb may require about 0.5 litres per day initially increasing to 1.25 litres by the third week. By
this time, you can feed the kid or lamb twice each day until 4 months of age. By the time of weaning, the young
should be consuming as much as 1.5 litres a day.

 Good supervision is important.

 Protect the young from predators
 Fostering is important as early as possible in case a mother cannot feed the young or you can use artificial
feeding but first make sure that they receive colostrum i.e. for the case of triplets, some may be reared
artificially or fostered.
 The substitute of colostrum can be prepared by mixing 125 ml of milk, some raw egg and 2.5 ml (1/2 tea
spoon) of glucose, 2.5 ml of cod liver [Link] should be used as a last resort.
 Fostering kids and lambs is a common practice if the mother cannot manage to feed the young ones born.
 Fast growth is achieved if lambs and kids are left with their mothers all the time. Dams produce more milk if
left with their young ones i.e. the more you empty the udder, the more milk is secreted.
 By the 4th month, the kids and lambs should be feeding on extra pasture or fodder or concentrates
(supplementary feeds).
 A high standard of hygiene must be maintained in rearing pens to avoid disease and parasite problems.
Note:Kids and lambs may be lost due to suffocation in birth membranes, difficult birth, too cold weather,
starvation, disease infections, and nutritional deficiencies. The farmer needs to take appropriate measures to
avoid losses of kids and lambs.
Weaning
Kids may be weaned at 3-4 months of age while lambs are weaned when they are 4-5 months old. The kids and
lambs must be able to eat solid food before [Link] more milk the lamb/ kid receives, the faster and larger it
grows.

Terms used in reproduction of small ruminants

 Fertility-Ability to produce viable sperm or ova (eggs).
Fertility is affected by environmental and genetic factors e.g.
 Breed,
 Management
 Climate
 Disease
 Age
The ease with which a female successfully conceives after giving birth is very important. The shorter this period or
the fewer the number of services, the more profitable it is. The farmer should consider the number of services
needed to get pregnant as an indicator of fertility.

 Prolificacy-Ability to produce many young ones. It goes with average litter size
 Litter size-The number of kids or lambs born to each doe(nanny) or ewe each birth.
 Average litter size= Number of kids or lambs born alive
Number of does kidding or ewes lambing
 Kidding percentage-The number of kids born or reared in relation to the nannies exposed to the buck.

TOPIC 4: FEEDING GOATS AND SHEEP

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Goats can be fed on branches, grass, sweet potato vines and a little concentrates each day. They accept a variety of
feed. Remember supplementary feeding is costly. Supplements are given to goats and sheep during the dry season,
late pregnancy (steaming up) or where they are stall fed. The supplements should include;
 Concentrates containing extra energy e.g. molasses, cereals.
 Protein sources (legumes) e.g. ground nut cake
 Non-protein nitrogen (urea)
 Minerals and vitamins (e.g. salt licks/vitamin premix)

Goats are extremely good at clearing shrub land. They encourage death of trees due to their habit of stripping the
bark. They also eat and kill the shrubs and bushes unless the land is extensive. Zero grazing eliminates the
destruction of young trees and crops. A daily ration of each goat under zero grazing can consist of 4 kg green matter,
1 kg good hay and 0.5 kg concentrates.

Goats feeding habits supplement those of both cattle and sheep and do not compete with them. This is why they are
often herded with sheep and cattle.

Sheep tend to feed selectively usually on the finer varieties of grass, legumes and on a wide variety of other low-
growing forages.

Water supply
 Provide clean fresh water ad libitum.
 A milker needs about 30 litres/day
 Light salting is recommended.

Amount of water needed by a sheep or goat depends on:

 Amount of dry matter eaten.
 Nature of feed; animals feeding on dry feeds need more water than those on succulent feeds.
 Whether the goat or sheep is lactating (physiological condition)
 Air temperature/season
 Drinking frequency
 Water temperature
 Body size of the animal; heavier animals require more water.

Lactating goats and sheep particularly need calcium so feeds rich in calcium such as Lucerne and clovers should be
fed. Other minerals are also essential. You should therefore provide mineral licks to avoid mineral deficiencies.

Agricultural and industrial by-products such as brewers’ bran, root crop peelings, maize stover, sugar cane by-
products, bran from grains, etc are valuable supplements.

a) Why are goats and sheep suited to most parts of Uganda?

b) Discuss the challenges that farmers in small ruminant production are facing

Describe the routine management activities that a small ruminant farmer would carry out on the farm to
ensure high productivity.

a) What is the importance of keeping goats and sheep healthy

b) Explain the general methods of disease control on goat and sheep farms

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a) Outline the reasons that may necessitate the culling of ewes in a flock of sheep

b) Explain the desirable qualities you would look for in selecting ewes and nannies for breeding

ROUTINE PRACTICES IN GOATS AND SHEEP

Good management practices ensure efficiency and profitability in goat and sheep production enterprises.

Determining the age of a goat/sheep

This is helpful when buying new stock. Where there are no records, you need to estimate the age of the animals.
Estimation of the age of goats is done by examining their teeth on their lower jaw.

Kid Under 1 year 8 sharp incisors

Yearling 1-2 years 2 permanent teeth (central pair)
Young adult 2-3 years 4 permanent teeth
Adult 3-4 years 6 permanent teeth
Adult 4-5 years 8 permanent teeth
Other adults Over 5 years Worn teeth and some missing(broken mouth)

Estimation of the age of sheep can be done by observing their incisor teeth.

Permanent incisors Age of sheep

None Less than 1 year 3 months
1 pair 1 year 3 months to 1 year 10 months
2 pairs 1 year 10 months to 2 years 4 months
3 pairs 2 years 4 months to 3 years
4 pairs More than 3 years
Broken mouthed After about 5 years

Weighing goats and sheep

It is helpful in selecting stock for breeding and sale.

The weight of a goat/sheep is also useful in determination of the dose rate for some medicines especially injectables
and anthelmintics.

The weight can be established by use of a:

 Weight band: a simple tape measure used to measure the hert girth. There is close relationship between
heart girth and weight..
 Spring balance; a commercial scale with a hook. In this case, goats/sheep are suspended in a sling.
 Bathroom scale for weighing small goats and sheep.

Body condition scoring

 Feel along the backs of animals to assess the body condition.

 Also feeling the fat tail of fat rump for fat tailed and fat rumped sheep will give you the condition score.
 Feel for the spinous processes in the centre of the back behind the last rib and in front of the hip bone.
 Are the tips sharp or rounded?
 Is the ridge of the spine above the level of the muscle?

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  Feel the muscles on either side of the backbone between the spinous and transverse process.
 Are the loin muscles shallow, moderate or full?

DECIDING ON THE SCORE

Condition Score
Starving 0
Very thin 1
Thin 2
Moderate 3
Fat 4
Very fat 5

Foot care/hoof trimming

Hooves grow continually and may become overgrown. You need to carry out regular trimming. Trim hooves with a
sharp knife or a pair of hoof shears (clippers).

Procedure

 Hold the animal in a sitting position and take hold of one leg
 Clean the underside of and between the hoof
 Clip or slice away the excess nail on the outside of the hoof until it is the same height as the inside.
 Cut away the excess hoof until the hoof is the same length as the foot.
 The heel should also be trimmed to the same height.
 Treat the feet with iodine, antibiotic spray, 10% solution of formalin or copper sulphate to avoid infection.
 Do not cut away too much hoof and expose the live tissue. Bleeding indicates that the hoof has been cut in
too far.

Note: In addition to trimming, a foot bath is important in controlling foot rot and other infections. It should contain 10-
20% solution of copper sulphate or a 3% solution of formalin.

Why is hoof trimming carried out?

 To minimize injuries during service.

 To prevent difficulties when walking.
 To minimize chances of foot rot.

Injections

Injections are used for vaccinations and in treating various diseases.

The injections may be:

Intravenous (carried out only by veterinarians).

Intramuscular- in the back leg, shoulder

Subcutaneous-in the neck or behind the shoulder

22
Remember to follow instructions provided by the manufacturers. Cleanliness is important. Use needles and syringes
that have been sterilized to avoid spreading disease infections.

Why is vaccination done?

Drenching

Goats and sheep should be drenched at regular intervals with antihelmintic drugs against round worm, tape worm
and fluke infestations. You can use a dosing (drenching) gun or a drenching bottle. Care must be taken to avoid
damage to the throat.

Castration

Why do we castrate male kids/lambs?

Buck kids and ram lambs are castrated before the age of 3 months.

Three methods of castration commonly used are:

 Rubber ring or elastrator. This method should be used within the first week after birth.
 Knife or surgical removal of testes.
 The burdizzo (the bloodless castrator). Blunt pincers can also be [Link], it is less painful if
castration is done during the first 6 weeks after birth.

Culling (removing or killing animals from a flock)

Why do we cull sheep or goats?

Main reasons:

 Loss of teeth which leads to inadequate food intake/ broken mouth.

 Udder problems/poor udders.
 Physical defects
 Diseased or injured animals.
 Poor fertility or non-breeders/barren animals.
 Very poor body condition probably due to chronic illness
 Old age
 mnAnimals with breeding faults
 Excess animals e.g too many males.

Identification

Of what importance is marking goats and sheep for identification?

Methods you are likely to use are:

Ear tagging: legible but the ear tag can easily get lost.

Ear tattooing: requires a special tattoo set and is not so eligible.

Ear notching (ear marking),cheap and simple but not so legible.

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Neck collar: easily legible but can be changed from animal to animal.

Explain the procedure followed in each method.

Docking or tailing (in sheep)

At the time of castration, lambs should be docked (preferably during the first 1-2 weeks). Docking is removing part or
cutting short the tail of an animal. It is mainly done in sheep..

Why should one carry out docking on lambs?

 Encourages even distribution of fat in the body

 Facilitates mating later in adult life
 Minimizes fouling of the wool with faeces.
 Reduces incidences of blowfly infestation.

Disbudding

Disbud kids and lambs up to age of two weeks. Disbudding prevents horn growth which horns would damage or
inflict injuries to other animals and people.

You can use a caustic stick, caustic paste or a hot disbudding iron. The iron should be hot enough to scorch wood
and you apply it for only 15 seconds. If you use caustic stick or paste, restrain the kid or lamb for half an hour so that
it does not rub the caustic off.

Shearing in sheep reared for wool production.

Shearing is clipping or cutting the fleece from the sheep’s body.

It should be done on a clean floor so that the wool is not contaminated.

The sheep is shorn in a sitting position and kept in balance by the shearer’s knees and left hand.

The shearer may use a knife, scissors, wool shears or electrically-powered clippers during shearing.

Care must be taken to avoid cutting the skin, testicles, udder, vulva and penis.

Shearing should be done when the fleece is dry so the sheep must be penned one night prior to shearing.

Dip or spray sheep against parasites about 3 weeks after shearing

Record keeping

In order to follow up the performance of your flock, it is important to keep records. Reflect on the importance of farm
records. The records kept will depend on how you want to use the information.

The most common records on farms are individual nanny/ewe records and financial records. You can also keep
individual buck/ram and kid/ram records.

Flock records of wool and milk production are also important.

Lambing/kidding record

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 Date of Identification Litter size Sex Sire Birth Weaning Disposal
birth weight weight

Ovines=sheep, caprine=goat

SLAUGHTER PROCEDURES AND FACILITIES

The majority of small ruminants in rural areas are produced and consumed locally. Individual farmers will often
slaughter their goats and or sheep at their homesteads for family consumption
Hygienic slaughter facilities are minimal or nonexistent especially where the total number slaughtered and consumed
is small. There is need for better hygiene that calls for provision of simple village slaughter slabs.

A model village slaughter area.

Waste water soak Hide and skin

Retail shops
ways and pits shade

Slaughter slab Inedible

materials

Water source Livestock

sales Pit latrine

Equipment
The minimum equipment needed for slaughter include;
 Hammer or pistol for stunning (hits on forehead)
 Strong sharp knife
 Two hooks to hang the carcass
 Containers to hold blood and internal organs
 Saw/panga

Simple Slaughter Procedure

Handling the animals before slaughter
 Withhold feeds of all kinds 24 hours before slaughter
 Do not provide plenty of water
 Place the animals in a clean well bedded/ littered area
 Do not excite the animals before slaughter
 Do not beat the animals prior to slaughter to avoid bruising the meat
 Kill only healthy goats and sheep
 Use places away from houses and people
 Keep free range animals and spectators away
 Stand the animal before slitting its throat
 Always hang the carcass up to bleed
 Bleed within 15 minutes of slaughter
 Separate skins and carcasses without delay.

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