The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Sheep => Topic started by: seldomseen on March 01, 2011, 08:36:55 am
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Maybe a stupid question I know not lol
Ok I have goats, have had cows, but am thinking about some sheep for the grass etc that them there goats refuse to eat, the short green stuff.
But as I said I am learning, how do you know the health of a sheep when it has all that fleece on it, how do you know when its putting on weight or loosing it?????? A goat is so easy to check with a tape measure around its body, and you can see and feel signs, BUT a sheep is well beyond me lol
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It is all in the feel and after a very short time you know when they are doing well. I have half of my flock doing great and the other half have fallen out of condition which is very strange when they all get the same food graze the same grass and drink the same water but that is the way sometimes.
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As you get more practiced, you will develop an "eye" for the condition of your sheep. However, until then, you can handle them regularly to assess condition score.
Have a look at this - it will give you the general idea.
http://www.smallstock.info/tools/condscor/cs-sheep.htm (http://www.smallstock.info/tools/condscor/cs-sheep.htm)
Do brear in mind though, that hill and mountain breeds will naturally carry less condition that lowland/continental breeds.