Table of Contents
Identifying Sick Sheep and Sheep Terminology:
Introduction:- To be successful in sheep farming, one should be aware of sheep diseases and symptoms. Identifying sick sheep is very important to reduce the mortality. Timely identifying sick sheep and isolating them from healthy sheep will reduce the risk of other sheep getting similar kind of diseases. Once sick sheep are found, contact your local veterinary doctor for cure and suggestions. The following explains how to identify a sick animal in sheep farming:
Identifying sick sheep in the farm:
| S.No. | Parameter | Healthy Sheep | Sick Sheep | |
| 1. | Look of Sheep | Alert | Dull / Weak | |
| 2. | Head of Sheep | Raised | Bent downwards | |
| 3. | Eyes of Sheep | Wide open, bright | Dull with white deposition at the corners | |
| 4. | Conjunctival m.m. | Normal | Pale or congested | |
| 5. | Nose of Sheep | No discharge | Slimy discharge | |
| 6. | Movement of Sheep | Active | Sluggish, lameness | |
| 7. | Response of Sheep | Quick | Slow | |
| 8. | Feces of Sheep | Normal | Hard / loose, mucus/blood-stained, discolouration, dysentry | |
| 9. | Pulse (/min) of Sheep | 70-90 |
|
Increased |
| 10. | Body temperature (oF) | 102 | Increased | |
| 11. | Respiration (/min) of Sheep | 12-30 | Increased, difficult | |
| 12. | Grazing Habit | Normal | Abnormal | |
| 13. | Rumination of Sheep | Regular | Irregular | |
| 14. | Feed and water intake of Sheep | Normal | Reduced | |
| 15. | Udder Condition | Normal | Swollen | |
| 16. | Skin Condition | Healthy | Infected, external parasites. | |
Most of the beginners who wants to start sheep farming should know about sheep terminology being used in sheep farming in order to understand the sheep world. Here is the list of common sheep terms.
The following details about common sheep terminology used in sheep:
| S.No. | Specifics | Common Term used |
| 1 | Adult male | Ram / Tup |
| 2 | Adult female | Ewe |
| 3 | New born | Lamb |
| 4 | Young male | Ram lamb / Tup lamb |
| 5 | Young female | Ewe lamb / Gimmer lamb |
| 6 | Castrated male | Wether / Wedder |
| 7 | Castrated female | Spayed |
| 8 | Yearlings | Hogget |
| 9 | Female with offspring | Suckling |
| 10 | Act of parturition | Lambing |
| 11 | Act of mating | Tupping |
| 12 | Pregnancy | Pregnancy |
| 13 | Sound produced | Bleating |
| 14 | Meat | Mutton |
| 15 | Species called as | Ovine |
| 16 | Group | Flock / Herd / Mob. |