Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are among the earliest animals domesticated for human use. They are consumed worldwide as mutton, hogget, and lamb, kept as wool and milk producers, and used extensively in scientific research. The popular stereotype is that sheep are docile, passive, unintelligent, and timid, but a review of the research on their behavior, affect, cognition, and personality reveals that they are complex, individualistic, and social.
"A colloquy on world politics, not to be confused with the later novel of the same title. Cadmus and Harmonia are John and Susan Buchan."--A. Hanna. John Buchan. 1953. A39 (first entry). Cf. also Queen's University. Library. Checklist of works by and about John Buchan. 1961. no. 54. ; Mode of access: Internet.
Second report published at London, Ont. ; Mode of access: Internet. ; First report printed by order of the Legislative assembly; 2d, printed by order of the Dominiojn sheep-breeders' association. ; No. 1 issued also in the Sessional papers . of the province of Ontario.
Pemphigus foliaceus (PF) is an autoimmune disease of the skin and is the most common form of pemphigus in domestic animals. This work reports a case of pemphigus foliaceus in a Santa Inês hair sheep. The ewe presented with multifocal bilateral crusted alopecic dermatitis affecting the chest, abdomen, and pelvic and thoracic limbs. Parakeratotic hyperkeratosis and acanthosis, in addition to subcorneal pustules, were observed histologically, and acantholytic cells and neutrophils were observed within the pustules. In the superficial and deep dermal tissues, there was intense eosinophilic infiltration and the presence of rare macrophages. These microscopic findings were characteristic of PF, and treatment with dexamethasone was ineffective. This disease is rare in sheep, and this is the first case report to be published in Brazil.
Sheep feature in various animal fables. Marino & Merskin suggest that "we" view sheep as "docile, passive, unintelligent, and timid," but animal fables do not support this view. In Aesop's and Phaedrus's fables, sheep are a primary target of injustice; but they are not passive targets. Sheep endure injustice actively and honestly. They are intelligent, aware and outspoken about their own condition.
Sheep and goats have served poor people's most reliable livelihood resource since their domestication during Neolithic Revolution. Worldwide over 100 million people in arid areas, have only possible source of livelihood by grazing small ruminants. Grazing sheep and goats can improve soil and vegetation cover and plant and animal biodiversity. Sheep and goats thrive well in varied climatic conditions, get adapted easily to environment, require less care and management and are suitable for meat, milk, wool, skins and manure production. Mutton and Chowan is consumed throughout the country without involving any religious taboo. Together, the goat and sheep rearing households constitute 15 per cent of the total number of households in the country. The book contains a package of farm practices encompassing housing, handling, feeding, health care, record keeping, fodder and manure management as well as project reporting for sheep and goats. This precise package of practices hopefully shall benefit all the farmers engaged in small ruminant farming as well as all those educated entrepreneurs that are willing to take livestock rearing as their career option. It will guide through all aspects of sheep and goat farm management. It is hoped that the book will help farmers in managing their livestock and teachers equally in imparting academic instructions to veterinary graduates
Huang-huai sheep are a new multiparous mutton sheep breed that has been cultivated by domestic scientific research institutes, governments, and sheep farms in China. Huang-huai sheep were bred using Dorper sheep as a sire and Small-tailed Han sheep as a dam. The breeding of Huang-huai sheep started in 2003, and three stages have been carried out: crossbreeding innovation, fixation in a two-way-crossbred closed flock, and herd propagation. A pilot test of Huang-huai sheep was conducted on 6 sheep farms from 2017 to 2018, and hereditary properties and production performance were evaluated in 2019. Huang-huai sheep were identified on site by the National Livestock and Poultry Resources Committee of China in December 2019 and approved as a new multiparous mutton sheep breed in China. The genetic distance showed that Huang-huai sheep are most closely related to Dorper sheep, Luxi black-headed sheep, and Small-tailed Han sheep, but the genetic distances are subspecies (0.02–0.20) each other. The body weights of adult Huang-huai sheep are 98.1 ± 5.2 kg (♂) and 71.7 ± 3.5 kg (♀), and those of 6-month-old Huang-huai sheep are 58.50 ± 6.55 kg (♂) and 52.45 ± 5.67 kg (♀). The slaughter rates of 6-month-old sheep are 56.02 ± 1.25% (♂) and 53.19 ± 1.19% (♀). The estrus cycle of Huang-huai sheep is 19.32 ± 2.8 days, the first estrus cycle occurs at 168 ± 12 days, the annual lambing rate of ewes is 252.82% ± 10.69%, the survival rate of lambs is 95.79 ± 0.95%, and the number of weaned lambs per ewe per year is 2.38 ± 0.14. The growth performance, carcass quality, and reproductive performance of Huang-huai sheep have been improved, resulting in considerable economic and social benefits and broader market prospects. This breed represents a new multiparous mutton sheep breed adapted for industrial sheep farms in China.
Sheep production is present on all continents and has been practiced in Brazil since the colonization. In this study, the multitemporal dynamics of sheep production in Brazil is examined using official government data (Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics-IBGE) from 1976 to 2010. Maps of flock growth rates and growth acceleration maps by municipality were elaborated. The Southern states are seen to show a reduction in production mainly due to the wool crisis in the 1970s and 80s. The Northeast is seen to be important for meat production. More recently, centerwest and northern states have shown an increase in growth rates but this is still incipient. The maps of growth, acceleration and midpoint for sheep production showed a noticeable return to an increase in production in the South in recent years. The midpoint of production flow was in the northeast direction, which has stagnated. There was great dynamics in sheep production over the whole Brazilian territory, which affected supply chains due to the expansion of domestic and foreign markets. Areas with higher fluctuations in production are more vulnerable in terms of investment policies.
Predation has always been an important problem in extensive sheep farms, causing serious economic losses to the farmers. Official predation reports have recently been decreasing in the District of Pisa, in spite of the presence of two wolf packs in the area. The aim of the present research was to obtain reliable information on the characteristics of predation and to estimate the effectiveness of existing prevention methods in sheep farms of the southern District of Pisa, in order to set up predictive models for an improved and more focused prevention plan and support interventions by public authorities. On-farm surveys were carried out in 73 semi-extensive sheep farms. Predation events were reported by 75.3% of the farmers. Wolves seemed to be responsible for most of those events, although their actual role could be confirmed only in 34% of cases. Most of the events occurred in spring and 85.1% of them were concentrated during night time. The average number of sheep killed during each attack was 7.05. In 22.3% of cases, the number of sheep killed was ≥ 10. Proximity to protected areas and the presence of thick vegetation cover significantly affected the probability of a farm being subjected to chronic predation. Farm size was significantly higher in those cases. No clear indication about the effectiveness of prevention methods could be obtained from our survey. The results of this investigation highlighted the impact of predation in the Southern District of Pisa and emphasized the need for finding technical and political solutions to this problem. Attention should be focused on large farms, with thick vegetation cover and located close to protected areas. Further investigations should be carried out in order to test the effectiveness of suitable prevention methods in these farms.
