Sheep 100 Hours Certificate Course

There are 8 lessons:

1 Introduction; Terminology and Breeds

• Factors affecting the choice of breed
• Product and Market
• Rearing and Management System
• Overview of Sheep Breeds
• Sheep Terminology

2 Selection and Breeding

• Growth Rate
• Reproductive Efficiency
• Carcass quality
• Wool traits
• Culling old ewes
• Selecting replacement ewes
• Selecting replacement rams
• Commercial Sheep Production
• Choosing a lambing time
• Autumn lambing
• Spring lambing
• Accelerated lambing
• Managing ewes prior to mating
• Using hormones to control reproduction
• Joining methods
• Anatomy of ewe reproductive organs
• Anatomy of ram reproductive organs
• Ultrasound
• Signs of lambing

3 Nutrition of Sheep

• Anatomy
• Condition scoring
• When to condition score
• Factors affecting feed requirements
• Feeding rams
• Feeding ewes
• Feeding lambs and fatteners
• Nutrition and wool production

4 Diseases of Sheep

• Viral and rickettsial diseases
• Bacterial diseases
• Metabolic diseases
• Protozoal diseases
• Poisoning
• Vaccination
• The medicine chest
• Giving injections
• Disease prevention through sound management

5 General Management of a Commercial Flock

• Handling and treatment facilities
• Drenching
• Injecting
• Hoof Trimming
• Shearing
• Tail docking
• Castration
• Blowfly strike

6 Care of the Lamb

• Abnormal Presentation
• Presentation: One front leg back
• Presentation: Both front legs back
• Presentation: Hind legs first
• Presentation: Head back, both front feet forward
• Presentation: Breech or tail first
• Presentation: Twin lambs presented together
• Post lambing care
• Drenching
• Rearing orphan lambs
• Lambing records
• Managing the fattening lamb
• Feeding
• Lamb marking

7 Wool

• Characteristics of wool
• Types of wool
• Wool classing
• Wool processing
• Factors influencing the estimation of yield
• Piece Picking
• Wool Scouring
• Carding

8 The Marketing of Sheep and Sheep Products

• Wool sales
• Sale by private treaty
• The auction system
• Wool futures
• Industry regulatory and marketing authorities
• Lamb and mutton marketing: Paddock sale, Saleyard auction, Over-the-hook sale
• Electronic Marketing, Live Sheep exports, Forward price contracts
• Factors affecting the value of lamb or mutton: Carcass weight, Skin value, Payment basis (hot or cold weight) etc

Each lesson culminates in an assignment which is submitted to the school, marked by the school's tutors and returned to you with any relevant suggestions, comments, and if necessary, extra reading.