glossary of sheep terms
FAT DEPTH - Subcutaneous fat thickness measured between the 12th and 13th ribs, over the mid-point of the rib loin eye muscle perpendicular to the outside surface of the fat. FECAL EGG COUNT - Number of worm eggs in a gram of feces – used to determine parasite load in a sheep. FEED EFFICIENCY – A measure of how effectively an individual sheep converts feed to product. Typically expressed in pounds of weight gain per pound of feed fed and/or the related cost of that gain. FIBER COLOR – Wool of any color other than white (black, gray, silver, brown, red, etc.) FINISH – Amount of fleshing and fat thickness, used to determine an animal’s readiness for harvest. FITTED – A sheep shown with a washed, trimmed, shaped, packed and sculpted fleece. FLANK STREAKING – The amount of fat deposited within and upon the inside flank muscles. FLESHING - The body’s capacity to fatten and retain fat. Also known as finish or condition. FLOCK - A group of sheep. FLOCK IMPROVEMENT – The means by which an individual breeder implements selection and mating strategies to align their flock with their personal goals and/or marketing plan. These plans differ among breeders and provide for genetic diversity in the gene pool. FLUSHING - Increasing sheep nutrition and energy intake before breeding starts. A surgical procedure where embryos are flushed or transferred from a donor ewe to a recipient ewe. FOOT ROT – Contagious disease of the hoof which can cause severe lameness. GENETIC IMPROVEMENT – Identifying, measuring, selecting and mating for traits that will improve productivity and profitability. GENOMICS – A branch of biotechnology associated with gene
mapping (describing the genes that make up a sheep). GENOTYPE - The genetic make-up of an individual. GENOTYPING - The process of finding differences in the genetic makeup of individual sheep in their DNA sequence. GESTATION LENGTH – The length of pregnancy, usually around 148 days in Suffolks. GRID - Tool used to measure the surface area of the loineye muscle between the 12th and 13th ribs in a lamb carcass. HALF-SIBS - Individuals who have the same sire or dam. HEIGHT – Height of the animal at the point of the shoulder measured from the ground. HEREDITY - The transmission of characteristics from parents to their offspring through genes. HETEROSIS (OR HYBRID VIGOR) - The increased performance of crossbreds as compared to the average of the parental breeds for specific traits. Heterosis can also occur within purebreds as the result of heterozygosity. HETEROZYGOUS – When two different alleles are present for a particular gene pair (example QR for scrapie resistance susceptibility). HOMOZYGOUS - When both alleles in a gene pair are identical (example RR for Scrapie resistance). HOT CARCASS WEIGHT - The weight of the unchilled carcass after the head, hide and internal organs have been removed. INBREEDING - Mating of two individuals that are related to each other. Inbreeding is expected to increase the number of homozygous gene pairs and decrease the number of heterozygous gene pairs. Inbreeding may increase the expression of undesirable recessive genes and suppress fitness and growth traits. It can also increase the uniformity and prepotency of a flock. INBREEDING COEFFICIENT – Expressed
as a percentage, it is a measure of the amount of inbreeding in an animal’s pedigree. It is the likelihood that two alleles in a gene pair are identical because of a common ancestor of the two parents. JUG - Small portable pen used at lambing where ewes and lambs bond. KIDNEY, PELVIC AND HEART FAT (KPH) - The amount of fat found within the regions of the kidney, pelvis and heart expressed as a percentage of the hot carcass weight. LACTATION - Period of time milk is secreted from the mammary glands to feed the animals young. LAMB - A sheep under one year of age. Also refers to the meat or carcass from animals estimated to be under one year of age (break joint vs. spool joint). LEAN - The amount of muscle that is free from fat. LENGTH - A linear measurement of a body part (leg, neck, loin) but most often referring to length of body as measured from the base of the neck to the pin bone or dock as indicated. LINEAR MEASUREMENTS – One- dimensional measurements that relate to an animal’s size. Examples include height, length, width, or circumference of the animal or its specific parts. LINE BREEDING - A form of inbreeding which increases the average relationship of the individuals in a flock to an outstanding ancestor or line of ancestors, usually several generations back in a pedigree. A given superior animal, for example, might appear several times in a five generation pedigree. LOIN EYE AREA – Cross section area of the loin muscle evaluated between the 12th and 13th rib. Can be measured in live animals with ultrasound or in carcasses with a camera or grid. LOIN - The region of the body between the last rib and the hip bone that contains the longissimus dorsi muscle. Also a wholesale or
primal cut from the same location on a carcass. LONGEVITY – An assessment of livability, stayability or ability to thrive productively in the flock over a measurable period of time. MASTITIS - Inflammation of the mammary glands that often results from bacterial infection. MATERNAL DAM TRAITS – Attributes generally associated with ewe productivity such as mothering and milking ability, twinning rate, temperament, fertility (in and out of season) and ewe maintenance cost. MATURITY - Period of time ewe lambs achieve puberty and estrus. Typically between the ages of 6-8 months. Maturity for ram lambs is approximately 4-6 months. MULTIPLE TRAIT SELECTION - Selection for more than one trait at the same time. MUTTON - Meat from a sheep over one year of age. NATIONAL SHEEP IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM (NSIP) - The organization responsible for quantitative genetic evaluation of multiple sheep breeds in the United States. NATURAL SERVICE – A mating that takes place when a ram breeds a ewe on site in the same location at the same time. OBJECTIVE (QUANTITATIVE) TRAITS – Attributes that are not subject to personal taste or preference but rather a measurable date-driven description. OFFTYPE – An animal that does not meet the breed type standard for a trait or traits. OUTCROSS - Mating of individuals within a breed that are not closely related. OVERBITE - When the lower incisors align behind the upper dental pad. Also known as parrot mouth or undershot jaw. OVINE - The scientific name for sheep.
PALATABILITY – The tenderness, flavor, and juiciness of the meat.
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