Glossary - Raising Sheep - page 415

clean wool . Usually refers to scoured wool, though handspinners may
use the phrase to describe a grease wool that has little or no vegetable
contamination.
clip . The total annual wool production from a fl ock.
closed face . A sheep that has heavy wool about the eyes and cheeks.
club lamb . A lamb raised as a 4-H, FFA, or other club project.
colic . An abdominal condition generally characterized by severe pain.
colostrum . The fi rst milk produced by a ewe after giving birth. Colostrum
contains antibodies from the ewe's immune system, which can be
absorbed through the lamb's intestines for the fi rst 24 hours of life.
combing . An operation that removes short fi bers and leaves long fi bers laid
out straight and parallel.
composite . A uniform group of animals created through selective
crossbreeding.
concentrate . A high-energy, low-fi ber feed.
conformation . The shape, proportions, and “design” of the animal.
count . The fi neness to which yarn may be spun; a system of grading wool
based on how fi ne it can be spun.
creep . An enclosure that allows lambs to enter for supplemental feeding but
prohibits older animals from entering.
crimp . The “wave” effect in wool fi bers.
crossbred . Animals that are known to have more than one breed in their lin-
eage. Many crossbreds perform well due to hybrid vigor.
cross-fencing . Fences used to subdivide pastures into smaller paddocks.
cud . A bolus of regurgitated food.
cull . To remove a breeding animal from the fl ock that isn't meeting the
needs of breeding animals within the fl ock, often because of health, age,
poor reproductive record, and so on. In the case of rams, they're often
culled so they don't breed their own daughters. One farmer's cull animal
may make a fi ne addition to another farmer's fl ock!
dam . The female parent.
defi ciency disease . An illness caused by a lack of one or more nutrients. For
example, calcium defi ciency in heavily milking ewes (also known as milk
fever) can cause stiffness, lameness, bone deformities, and convulsions in
the ewe or her lambs.
degreased wool . Wool that's been cleaned chemically to remove all “grease,”
or lanolin.