glossary of sheep terms
PARASITE – Any number of undesirable vector species that use a sheep as a host (worms, lice, ticks, etc.). PARAMETERS – A set of boundaries within which an ideal or expected pattern is set. PARENT VERIFIED/PARENTAGE TESTING – Genomic confirmation of the sire and dam of a genetically tested animal as determined by DNA. PEDIGREE – The ancestry of an individual. PERCENTAGE REGISTERED – A sheep registered whose lineage is not 100% registered Suffolk. The percentage is noted on the registration certificate (15/16th or 94% is currently recognized as a purebred). PHENOTYPE – The observable or measurable expression of a trait. Phenotype results from a combination of genotype and environmental factors. POST WEANING WEIGHT - Weight taken on a lamb to indicate its growth after being weaned from its dam. NSIP evaluates 120-day post weaning weight as (PWWT). PREPOTENCY - The ability of a sheep to produce progeny that are uniform and predictable in terms of type and expected production. Genetically, prepotency is the result of increased homozygosity and/or dominance. PRODUCTION TEST - A method of testing a sheep’s ability to perform against a contemporary group. Often this is a group of similarly aged rams tested for their comparative ability to grow rapidly, feed efficiently and/ or excel in ultrasound scan data. PROGENY TEST - Evaluation of a sire based on performance of his offspring. Progeny tests can be used to compare multiple sires on the same farm or to evaluate a sire’s progeny across a range of dams, farms and/or environments. PROGESTERONE – Female hormone secreted by the ovary which maintains pregnancy.
PUREBRED - Animal produced from parents of the same breed. QUALITY GRADE – A carcass grade assigned by USDA that indicates acceptability and/or palatability. Determined from measures of maturity (age), flank streaking (marbling), and conformation. Lamb quality grades are prime, choice, good, utility and cull. RAM - Intact (uncastrated) male sheep. RANGE RAM – Rams bred, raised, and selected for their ability to thrive and breed flocks that range over a large given territory in an extensive production system. RATE OF GAIN – A measurement of growth in pounds for a given period of time. RECESSIVE TRAIT – A genetic trait that is only expressed when an animal has two copies of a recessive allele. (example: Spider Syndrome, designated as SS, results from a recessive gene combination, whereas the dominant N allele results in a normal phenotype. REGISTERED – A documented animal, with recognized breeder and parentage, that is recorded, identified, and listed in the breed association records. RETAIL CUTS - Smaller cuts of meat that you buy at a grocery store. RIBBED OR RIBBING - When a lamb carcass is split between the 12th and 13th rib. RUMINANT – A cud-chewing, cloven- hoofed animal with four stomach compartments for digestion of various types of plant materials including cellulose. SCRAPIE - A fatal, degenerative disease affecting the central nervous system of sheep and goats. SCRAPIE RESISTANCE – Several genes have been identified that influence a sheep’s susceptibility to Scrapie. In the US, sheep are often tested at Codon 171 for the R or Q allele. RR and QR sheep are the least susceptible to most strains of Scrapie. RR sheep are desired
SURVIVABILITY – The ability to live when confronted with external challenges. SYNCHRONIZE - Act of preventing ewes from cycling naturally by inducing the hormone progesterone. TERMINAL SIRE – A ram from which all offspring of both sexes are intended for the commercial meat market and not kept as replacements. Important traits include: growth rate, carcass quality, soundness, fertility, libido, survivability, etc. ULTRASOUND – High-frequency measurement of the external fat thickness and loin eye area on a live animal. UNDERBITE - When the incisor teeth extend forward past the dental pad. Also known as Monkey Mouth or over-shot jaw. VISUAL APPRAISAL – An assessment and description of an animal based on what can be visually observed. WEANING WEIGHT – A lamb weight taken at the time of weaning from the dam. Weaning weights are a measure of a lamb’s genetic ability for growth as well as a dam’s milking ability. WETHER - Castrated male sheep. WETHER DAM – A type of show ring classification of a ewe or ewe lamb whose purpose is to produce club lambs. Typically shown slick shorn. WETHER SIRE - A type of show ring classification of a ram or ram lamb whose purpose is to produce club lambs. Typically shown slick shorn. WHOLESALE CUTS - Leg, Loin, Rack and Shoulder. YEARLING - Animal between 1 and 2 years of age. YIELD GRADE (YG) – A numerical carcass grade assigned by USDA that indicates cutability. Determined from measures of fatness. Lamb Yield Grades range from YG 1 (lean) to YG 5 (fat).
because all their offspring will get at least 1 copy of the R gene. QQ individuals are the most susceptible to Scrapie, if exposed. SERVICE TYPE - Either natural service (by a ram) or artificial insemination (AI). SCROTAL CIRCUMFERENCE – A measurement taken around the thickest portion of a ram’s scrotum that is associated with fertility. It is generally recommended that mature rams have a minimum of 33cm scrotal circumference (30 cm for ram lambs) to ensure satisfactory breeding. SINGLE TRAIT SELECTION – A breeding strategy that focuses on one particular trait with no regard to any other traits. The advantage is that allows for the fastest progress in improving that one trait. The disadvantage is that it typically leads to the deterioration of other important traits. SIRE - Father of offspring. SIRE GROUP – A group of animals that are sired by the same male animal. SLICK SHORN – Sheep that are shown or presented as washed and freshly shorn (without fleece). The remaining fleece is minimal, of uniform length (under 1/8 inch) and allows muscling, body condition and structural correctness to be more easily viewable. SPIDER GENE - A gene that in its homozygous, recessive form causes severe malformation in sheep. It is noted as NN (homozygous dominant), NS (carrier) and SS (homozygous recessive). SPOOL JOINT – Determination of a lamb carcass age. A spool joint is the area of the cannon bone on the front leg that is ossified. Spool joints are considered mutton. STUD RAM – A ram selected to be a sire in the flock. SUBJECTIVE (QUALITATIVE) TRAITS – Attributes that are subject to personal taste or preference rather than objective, measurable description.
27
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online