Before Buying Sheep / Goat for Breeding

 Enlist below the factors, which need to be avoided while buying sheep/goats. 

A list of such criteria is given below, all  of which may not be applicable to both sheeps and the goats

• Extremely thin:  Unless she has just raised twins or triplets, she may have a disease or a heavy load of parasites. 

• Extremely fat: She may not breed, or if bred she may have trouble lambing/kidding. 

• Narrow shallow-bodied: Their young ones lack good carcass conformation. 

• Fine-boned: Those with larger bones are more hardy and productive. 

• Missing Teeth: An animal with missing teeth cannot eat well and may require supplemental care and feeding. 

• Old animals: Those over six or seven years old are progressively less profitable. They are a poor investment. 

• Eye Damage: An animal having pink eye or any eye damage should not be purchased. 

• Limping animal: This may indicate hoof disease. 

• Untrimmed feet, turned up  at the toes, or overgrown and turned under at the sides. 

• Unmatched Jaws: Lower jaw not matching upper jaw properly, either overshot or undershot. 

• Lumps in the udder: These may indicate mastitis, thus the youngone would require supplemental bottles or be a complete bottle baby. 

• Bottle jaw: Lumps or swelling under the chin, is usually caused by severe internal parasite infestation. 

• Tail and anal region soiled with lose droppings: May be caused by lush seasonal fodders or pasture, but also  could be caused by internal parasites. May be asked when they were dewormed last and what drug was used? 

• Single births: Twinning is quite hereditary which is primarily influenced by female and is more profitable. 

• Small size: Those that are undersized  for their particular breed are not recommended. They produce smaller youngones and less wool in case of sheep. 

• Wool covering face. (This is a problem in some of the western sheep breeds). Shearing the face takes time. Wool blindness inhibits eating and mothering. Some studies show that open-faced ewes are more fertile than muffle-faced ewes. 

• Wool going too far down on legs: Since shearing on legs is difficult, therefore better avoid such animals. 

• Ragged, unattractive fleece: This indicates scratching by sheep because of ticks or mites. Part the fleece in several places and look closely for this problem. 

• Defected Teats: Double teats or teats with double orifices,  very large (sausage teats) or very small teats are to be avoided, especially in milk goats. xx)  Very large udders (many of them are  just meat) or very pendulous udders (more prone to injury and mastitis infections) are not desirable. 

• Unwanted Areas: Do not buy from marshy areas and from places where infectious diseases are a common occurrence. 

• Distance from Farm: Do not buy from too distant places so that transportation and acclimatization problems do not arise.

Courtesy 

University of Agriculture Faisalabad

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