Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
section, for more information on grassfed production standards and labeling
and marketing of grassfed products. There are USDA standards for grassfed
labeling, and the AGA is currently working on its own third-party-verifi ed
system for grassfed labeling that is even stricter than the USDA standard,
which allows animals to be kept in confi nement if they are fed silage.
When you decide to get sheep, it helps if you understand their behavior — in
other words, what makes them tick. The more you understand about their
behavior, the easier it will be for you to spot problems (for example, is that
ewe in the corner sick or is she about to lamb?). Understanding behavior
also makes handling animals much easier, on both you and them.
Behavior can be thought of simply as the way an individual animal, or
a group of animals, responds to its environment. Behavior falls into three
main categories: normal, abnormal, and learned. Remember, in the case of
sheep, most of their behavior stems from their position in the food chain:
they are prey animals — as such, they are rather small and vulnerable.
Sheep that are behaving normally are content and alert. They have good
appetites and bright eyes. They are gregarious animals, which contributes
to their fl ocking nature. Youngsters, like those of other species, love to play
and roughhouse. Groups of lambs will run, jump, and climb for hours when
they are healthy and happy. Then they'll fall asleep so deeply that you may
think they're dead.
Sheep learn to adapt to new environments or new conditions within
their environment. With patience and the right cues, you can teach them
to move into handling facilities or through gates and into new pastures.
Through “punishments,” they can quickly learn to avoid certain things, like
an electric fence.
Abnormal behavior usually is related to either stress or disease and can
take many forms, such as wool eating, fi ghting and other aggressive actions,
lack of appetite, excessive “talking,” and sexual nonperformance. Stress-
related abnormal behavior most often occurs in the close confi nement of
intensive production systems; these abnormal behaviors rarely occur in ani-
mals that are raised in an extensive, pasture-based system. If left unchecked,
the stress that contributes to abnormal behaviors creates an environment in
which disease can get a strong foothold. It's best to eliminate or minimize
stress-causing agents on your farm. See chapter 3 for what you can do to
relieve stress through pasture, fence, and facility design.
