The raising of domestic sheep has occurred in nearly every inhabited part of the earth, and the variations in cultures and languages which have kept sheep has produced a vast lexicon of unique terminology used to describe sheep husbandry.
Terms Below are a few of the more common terms.
A–C Backliner – an externally applied medicine, applied along the backline of a freshly shorn sheep to control lice or other parasites. In the British Isles called pour-on. Bale – a wool pack containing a specified weight of pressed wool as regulated by industry authorities. Band – a flock with a large number of sheep, generally 1000, which graze on rangeland. Bell sheep – a sheep (usually a rough, wrinkly one) caught by a shearer, just before the end of a shearing run. Bellwether – originally an experienced wether given a bell to lead a flock; now mainly used figuratively for a person acting as a lead and guide. Black wool – Any wool that is not white, but not necessarily black. Board – the floor where the shearing stands are in a wool shed. Bolus – an object placed in the reticulum of the rumen, remaining there for some time or permanently. Used for long-term administration of medicines, or as a secure location for an electronic marking chip. Bottle lamb or cade lamb – an orphan lamb reared on a bottle. Also poddy lamb or pet lamb. Boxed – when different mobs of sheep are mixed. Break – a marked thinning of the fleece, producing distinct weakness in one part of the staple. Broken-mouth or broken-mouthed – a sheep which has lost or broken some of its incisor teeth, usually after the age of about six years. Broad – wool which is on the strong side for its quality number, or for its type. Broomie – a roustabout in a shearing shed. Butt – an underweight bale of greasy wool in a standard wool pack. Callipyge – a natural genetic mutation that produces extremely muscled hindquarters in sheep. These lambs are found in the US and lack tenderness. Cast – unable to regain footing, possibly due to lying in a hollow with legs facing uphill and/or having a heavy fleece. Also see riggwelter. CFA or cast for age – sheep culled because of their age. Also see cull ewe, killer. Chilver – a female lamb Clip – all the wool from a flock (in Australian Wool Classing). Clipping – cutting off the wool: see shearing and rooing. Comeback – the progeny of a mating of a Merino with a British longwool sheep. Creep feeding - Allowing lambs access to special, high-quality feed before weaning Crimp – the natural wave formation seen in wool. Usually the closer the crimps, the finer the wool. Crutching – shearing parts of a sheep (especially the hind end of some woollier breeds such as Merino), to prevent fly-strike. Also see dagging. Cull ewe – a ewe no longer suitable for breeding, and sold for meat. Also see killer. Cut-out – the completion of shearing a flock.
D–F Dags – clumps of dried dung stuck to the wool of a sheep, which may lead to fly-strike. (Hence "rattle your dags!", meaning "hurry up!", especially used in New Zealand.) Dagging – clipping off dags. Also see crutching. Devil's Grip – a serious conformation defect, appearing as a depression behind the withers. Dewlap – the upper fold under the neck of a Merino sheep. Dipping – immersing sheep in a plunge or shower dip to kill external parasites. Backliners are now replacing dipping. Docking – removing the tail of a sheep to prevent fly-strike. See also crutching, dagging. Downs – breeds of sheep belonging to the short wool group. Draft ewe – a ewe too old for rough grazing (such as moorland), drafted (selected) out of the flock to move to better grazing, usually on another farm. Generally spelt "draft", but in the British Isles either as "draft" or "draught". Drench – an oral veterinary medicine administered by a drenching gun (usually an anthelmintic). Driving or droving – walking animals from one place to another. Dry Sheep Equivalent – (DSE) is a standard unit used in Australia to compare energy requirements between different classes and species of animals. A DSE is the amount of energy required to maintain a 45 to 50 kg Merino wether. Eaning - the act of giving birth in sheep. See lambing. Earmark – a distinctive mark clipped out of the ear (or sometimes a tattoo inside the ear) to denote ownership and/or age. Ear tag – plastic or metal tag clipped to ear, with identification number, name or electronic chip. Ewe – a female sheep capable of producing lambs. In areas where "gimmer" or similar terms are used for young females, may refer to a female only after her first lamb. In some areas yow. Eye dog – a type of sheepdog (qv) which uses eye contact as a primary technique to herd sheep. See also huntaway. Fleece – the wool covering of a sheep. Flock – a group of sheep (or goats). All the sheep on a property (in Australian Wool Classing); also all the sheep in a region or country. Sometimes called herd or mob. Flushing – providing especially nutritious feed in the few weeks before mating to improve fertility, or in the period before birth to increase lamb birth-weight. Flushing (eggs/embryo) – removing unfertilised or fertilised egg from an animal; often as part of an embryo transfer procedure. Fly strike or myiasis – infestation of the wool, skin and eventually flesh with blowfly or botfly maggots, rapidly causing injury or death. Usually (but not always) occurs where the wool has become contaminated by dung or urine, or at the site of an injury. Also see crutching, dagging, Mulesing. Fold (or sheepfold) – a pen in which a flock is kept overnight to keep the sheep safe from predators, or to allow the collection of dung for manure. Folding – confining sheep (or other livestock) onto a restricted area for feeding, such as a temporarily fenced part of a root crop field, especially when done repeatedly onto a sequence of areas. Foot rot – infectious pododermatitis, a painful hoof disease commonly found in sheep (also goats and cattle), especially when pastured on damp ground.
… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.
