Sheep and Goat Science Commons^™

Joining - Setting The Potential Of Your Ewe Flock, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Joining is the time when the potential lambing of your flock is set, so make the most of it.

Preparation of ewes and rams for joining should start 8 weeks prior to joining for the greatest benefit.

Key tactical decisions around ewe and ram health and nutrition should be made prior to joining. This should ideally start 8 weeks before joining as the impact of nutrition, shearing and teasing take time to influence joining success.

The majority of the ewes in Western Australia are seasonal breeders. The spontaneous cycling in Merinos and breeds such as Poll Dorset are least affected …

Carbon Neutral By 2030 - Katanning Research Station, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Climate Science Published Reports

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's (DPIRD) Katanning Research Station (KRS) is developing practical techniques and methods for mitigating carbon emissions from the livestock industry.

This research will help the livestock industry in Western Australia (WA) access anticipated future markets for carbon neutral food and fibre products.

The Impact Of Changing Joining Rates On The Western Australian Sheep Flock, Kate Pritchett

Animal production and livestock research reports

Given the poor seasonal conditions and low prices experienced in 2023/24, the Western Australian (WA) sheep industry is experiencing a period of very poor industry sentiment often compared to that seen in the 1990’s following the collapse of the wool reserve price scheme.

These difficult times mean producers have had to make production decisions for their businesses which may have flow on effects for the entire state flock. One commonly discussed option by industry and consultants was to join less ewes to reduce the feed burden on farm and help mitigate losses due to low prices. This computer modelling aimed …

Estradiol’S Role In Timely Puberty Onset In The Ewe, Eliana Gerardine Aerts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In female sheep, the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus triggers luteinizing hormone (LH) to be released from the pituitary. Luteinizing hormone, in turn, acts on the ovaries to elicit estradiol (E₂) release. E₂ acts in a negative feedback manner to control the amount of LH released. The increase in LH release that drives puberty onset results from a decrease in sensitivity to E₂ as the animal ages. However, the neural mechanisms mediating this change in sensitivity are not known, as is where in the hypothalamus E₂-negative feedback occurs. In the arcuate …

Puberty-Associated Changes In Kiss1r, Mc3r, And Mc4r In The Ewe, Ashleigh Caitlyn Thomson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The neural mechanisms that control the onset of puberty are not completely understood. In livestock, the onset of puberty relies on an increase in gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). Kisspeptin, neurokinin B, and dynorphin neurons (KNDy) and their receptors, Kiss1r, NK3R, and KOR, respectively, are important regulators of puberty. Previous data from our laboratory has shown that KNDy neurons may be responding to other inputs, including the melanocortin system, that will affect the timing of puberty. Given this, we examined kisspeptin receptor (Kiss1r) mRNA expression in GnRH neurons as well as examining melanocortin 3 and 4 receptor …

Immune Outcomes Affected By Selection For Parasite Resistance In Katahdin Sheep, Kelsey Lynne Bentley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Our understanding of the complex connection between selection for parasite resistance and the overall health outcomes in livestock is unclear. This study investigates the impact of post-weaning fecal egg count (PFEC) estimated breeding values (EBV) on health outcomes and immune responses in Katahdin sheep. Selection for PFEC, favoring Low-PFEC lambs, not only affects survivability to weaning but also suggests broader implications for immunity beyond parasite resistance. The effect of PFEC EBV on antibody production in response to vaccination against Clostridium perfringens type C&D and tetanus toxoid (CD&T) revealed a stepwise decrease in immunoglobin (IgG) from Low-PFEC to High-PFEC groups upon …

Early-Life Supplementation Of Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Improved Growth And Skeletal Muscle Glucose Metabolism In The Heat Stress-Induced Iugr Neonatal Lamb, Melanie Ryann White

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Our 1^st study determined whether metabolic deficits of IUGR-born neonatal lambs can be improved by ameliorating elevated inflammatory tone. Supplementation with ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω-3 PUFA) improved hindlimb insulin-stimulated glucose oxidation rates and basal lactate secretion. Ex vivo skeletal muscle-specific glucose oxidation rates were improved when heightened inflammatory tone was moderated. Pancreatic β cell function in response to hyperglycemia was improved by ω-3 PUFA supplementation. Tempered inflammatory tone also partially recovered skeletal muscle glycogen stores. Thus, we found that targeting heightened inflammatory tone inherent in IUGR-born neonatal lambs moderately improved glucose metabolism and pancreatic β cell …

Determinants Of Agro-Pastoralists’ Willingness To Pay For Improved Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia Vaccine In Kenya, Fredrick Ochieng Ouya, Eric Bett, Purity Nguhiu, Stella Makokha, Harrison Lutta, Willis Adero Abwao, Martin Mwirigi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Animal health care is critical for livestock production especially in arid and semi-arid areas where majority are agro-pastoralists. Contagious caprine pleuropneumonia (CCPP) is a highly contagious and fatal disease which commonly affects goats in arid and semi-arid areas. The government has been the major provider of CCPP vaccine and few large-scale farmers who are licensed and able to purchase directly from the vaccine producer. Although the vaccine is sold to farmers at a subsidized price by the government, its distribution has been characterized by scarcity, irregular and late administration by the authority concerned. It is envisioned that if the willingness …

Baa-Ttling Sore Mouth In Sheep With Mathematical Modeling, David C. Elzinga, W. Christopher Strickland

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

The Detection Of Putative Recessive Lethal Haplotypes In Irish Sheep Populations, Rory Mcauley

ORBioM (Open Research BioSciences Meeting)

In livestock populations, recessive lethal alleles are a known contributor to poor reproductive performance due to embryonic death in homozygous individuals. Despite their lethal effect in the recessive form, these alleles may be maintained at high frequencies among carrier animals because of their positive pleiotropic effects on economically important traits. Although several such recessive alleles have been identified in cattle and pig populations, limited studies have been completed in sheep, and none within Irish sheep populations. Genotype data for 69,034 animals from five major Irish sheep breeds genotyped on a variety of panels was available for this study. Only animals …

Western Australian Sheep Producer Survey 2022, Janet Conte, Katherine Davies

Animal production and livestock published reports

The Western Australian Sheep Producer Survey is conducted to gather information on sheep enterprises and producer practices. It has now been conducted four times, in 2011, 2014, 2018 and 2022 with large random samples of sheep producers in the Medium Rainfall Zone (MRZ) and Cereal Sheep Zone (CSZ).

Some questions were included in all four surveys providing a chance to examine trends over time. Many of the results have remained stable over time giving some confidence that significant changes in survey responses are reflecting trends in the broader population of WA sheep producers.

Katanning Research Station Showcase: Projects And Initiatives, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock research reports

An overview of current projects run from Katanning Research Station.

Katanning Research Station is a sheep, pasture and cropping research hub. The digital agriculture technologies and management systems are designed to lift productivity and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The research includes the:

• genetics (breeding values) of feed intake efficiency in sheep
• impact of feed supplements and forage combinations on methane production of sheep
• evaluation of novel pasture species to develop livestock systems of green feed year round
• saltland rehabilitation program that aims to halt and reverse salinity (surface water management and groundwater drainage), and provide out-of-season feed (the planting of …

Effects Of Antagomir-22-3p On Muscle Size In Older Lambs Using Computed Tomography Imaging, Anna Brewer

All Theses

Background

Texel sheep are known for their double-muscling phenotype and extraordinary meat production (Miar et al., 2014). Satellite cells are essential for this desired muscle growth. MicroRNAs can silence target genes by binding to the target messenger RNA (mRNA) (Horak et alk., 2016). Antagomirs are miRNA inhibitors and are used for loss of function studies. MiR-22-3p is known for inhibiting skeletal muscle growth and directly targets HDAC4, TGFBR1, PAX7 mRNA expression. Computed Tomography (CT) imaging is now growing in popularity in the animal science field to record changes in muscle characteristics.

Materials and Methods

Texel x Suffolk lambs (n=4) were …

Mirna Regulation Of Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy, Maslyn Greene

All Dissertations

Muscle tissue is vital to animal survival and economically essential to livestock producers. Reduced muscle growth can occur from various reasons, including genetics, nutrition, and the pre and postnatal environment. Understanding the mechanisms behind muscle growth can aid in developing strategies to increase muscle mass. Several methods to increase muscle mass in livestock animals are currently being pursued, including nutrition, hormonal therapy, and genetic selection. One newly developing avenue is using miRNA technologies to change the expression of protein-coding genes. miRNA are a type of RNA that regulate over half of protein-coding gene expression. Here we evaluate muscle characteristics such …

Parents’ Perceptions Of The Philly Goat Project’S All Abilities Ramble: A Qualitative Study Of Animal-Assisted Intervention For Intellectual And Developmental Disorders, Patricia Flaherty-Fischette, Jenée Lee, Yvonne D'Uva-Howard, Elizabeth P. Cramer, Karen Krivit, Sarah Meehan

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are a growing population. Considering the wide diversity in IDD and the financial burden of traditional treatment modalities, Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) has emerged as an innovative and non-traditional treatment for individuals with a range of disabilities, including individuals with IDD. To the authors’ knowledge, the present study was one of the first to explore a goat-assisted therapy experience for children with IDD. This study explored the experiences of 23 children with the All Abilities RAMble – a goat-assisted therapeutic activity offered by the Philly Goat Project (PGP). Key themes in our study included …

Sheep Worms – Sustainable Summer-Autumn Worm Control, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

A summer drenching program for sheep worm control is now recognised as a key cause of drench resistance in Western Australia. However, some small changes can increase the sustainability of pre-emptive control programs. Drenches in summer should always be given to younger, growing sheep (current and previous year’s age groups), whereas adult sheep should be drenched in autumn, or if drenched in summer, some should be left untreated (if drenching at all). Research shows that this reduces the chance of developing drench resistance but still provides effective worm control.

Mid-Gestation Maternofetal Inflammation Impacts Growth, Skeletal Muscle Glucose Metabolism, And Inflammatory Tone In The Ovine Fetus During Late Gestation, Zena Mariah Hicks

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Our 1^st and 2^nd studies assessed the impact of mid-gestation maternofetal inflammation on growth, skeletal muscle glucose metabolism, and inflammatory tone in the late gestation ovine fetus. The objective was to determine if inducing maternofetal inflammation during peak placental growth would lead to more profound IUGR characteristics in the fetus. MI-IUGR fetuses exhibited reduced body and skeletal muscle weights and hallmark asymmetric growth at late gestations. Fetuses had higher baseline glucose:insulin ratios and reduced glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Moreover, hindlimb glucose oxidation was impaired independent of glucose uptake. Skeletal muscle specific glucose uptake and oxidation was reduced in MI-IUGR …

Early Solid Diet Supplementation Influences The Proteomics Of Rumen Epithelium In Goat Kids, Yimin Zhuang, Xiaokang Lv, Kai Cui, Jianmin Chai, Naifeng Zhang

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

It is well known that solid diet supplementation in early life can significantly promote rumen development and metabolic function in young ruminants. However, the changes in the expressed proteome and related metabolism in rumen epithelium in response to a supplemented solid diet remain unclear. In this study, rumen epithelial tissue from goats in three diet regimes including milk replacer only (MRO), milk replacer supplemented concentrate (MRC), and milk replacer supplemented concentrate plus alfalfa pellets (MCA) were collected for measurement of the expression of epithelial proteins using proteomic technology (six per group). The results showed that solid diet significantly improved the …

Best Practice Marking Of Lambs, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Lambs should be marked between two and 12 weeks of age, with the youngest animal in the mob at least 24 hours old, to ensure the formation of a maternal bond. If lambing extends for more than six weeks, consider having two mulesing/marking sessions.

Lambs should be tail docked using a gas-heated knife or rubber rings and mulesing should only be carried out when necessary.

The provision of pain relief with routine husbandry procedures benefits animal health and welfare and is now a consumer and community expectation. Producers have access to registered products that can relieve pain associated with mulesing, …

Sheep Grazing Trigonella Balansae Had Productivity, Health And Meat Quality Similar To Sheep Grazing Subterranean Clover Or French Serradella, M. G. Wilmot, Hayley C. Norman, Joshua Hendry, Paul Young, Elizabeth Hulm, Andrew Toovey, Jane Speijers, Robert J. Harrison

Animal production and livestock research articles

Context: An accession of the annual legume Trigonella balansae Boiss. & Reuter. has been selected for commercial release in Australia.

Aims: As part of a duty-of-care assessment, we tested the hypothesis that sheep grazing the trigonella accession will have liveweight, condition scores and wool production similar to those of sheep grazing two widely adopted annual legumes, subterranean clover (subclover, Trifolium subterraneum L. cv. Dalkeith) and French serradella (Ornithopus sativus Brot. cv. Erica). We also hypothesised that sheep grazing the three legumes will have similar meat quality and health, as indicated by blood plasma panel analysis.

Methods: Wethers (n …