Small Ruminant Production:

An Overview
Linda Coffey, NCAT
 1-800-346-9140
www.attra.ncat.org
Small ruminant production
• A strong demand for lamb and goat meat has
led to a resurgence of interest in sheep and
goat production
• Small ruminants (sheep and goats) work well
for small acreages or as a supplementary
enterprise with cattle
• Sheep and goats offer many advantages to
livestock farms
• Goal: to learn at least five advantages of small
ruminants and five challenges, and be able to
decide which species to raise in a given
situation
Sheep and goats
• Ruminants
• Similar size
• Gestation length
• Similar diets
• Fencing requirements
• Facilities
• Multiple births
Similar advantages
• Small size
• Requires little feed or land
• Prolific and productive
• Strong market demand: good prices
• Useful in vegetation control
– weeds, brush, multiflora rose, invasive
weeds, including sericea lespedeza,
kudzu, others
– good companion grazers with cattle;
pasture improvers
Uses of sheep and goats
• Meat (many ethnic groups prefer goat or
lamb, especially for holidays and festivals)
• Milk
• Fiber (wool, mohair, cashmere)
• Weed and brush control
• Skins/pelts/leather
• Pets and hobbies (we might as well admit
it!)
Similar problems
• Internal parasites
• May be difficult to contain
• Markets MAY be harder to locate
• Predator problems

• Prejudice from cowboys

But sheep and goats are not
the same
Terminology
Sheep Goat
• ram = buck (or billy)
• ewe = doe (or nanny)
• lamb = kid
• wether = wether

• lamb meat, mutton = cabrito,

chevon
Grazing behavior
• Sheep
– Prefer short, tender vegetation; graze very
close
– Eat a variety of weeds

• Goats
– Selective
– Prefer to graze taller plants and browse
– Intake drops quickly if forage is too short
– Opportunistic (think of deer)
Chickweed

Wild lettuce

Pigweed
Multiflora rose Green briar

Black locust
Black locust Paulownia

Mulberry Mimosa
 Question:

What is one advantage of the

goat’s behavior in grazing?
 Behavior
Species Sheep Goats
Preference Grass Browse
Food Variety Monotonous Need Variety
Antagonistic Butt head on Sideways hooking
Fighting Butt Rear on hind legs
Dominance Leader sheep; Queen doe; clear
not strongly heirarchy
dominant
 Observations
Species Sheep Goats
Newborn young Remain by Freezing some
mother distance away
Alarm signal Snort; stamp “Sneeze”
one forefoot
Alarm response Bunch up Thin line
Tail Hangs down Stands up
Beard Absent Present in bucks
and some does
Separate the sheep
from the goats...
 Grazing Preferences
Rationale for multispecies grazing
Browse Forb

Goats
Sheep

Cattle

Grass
Small ruminants in combination
with cattle
• Complementary to cattle
• Can add one ewe per cow with no
additional feed costs and no
detrimental effects
• May improve profitability per acre by
25% over cattle alone
Multispecies grazing – benefits to
sustainability
• Maximize the use of resources (forage,
labor, facilities)
• Improve pastures by
– encouraging diversity of plants
– reducing clumps
– controlling weeds and brush
– reducing parasite infestations on pastures
Multispecies grazing – benefits to
sustainability
• Meat production per species and per
acre is higher
• Increases flexibility and options
–marketing
–managing forages

• Diversified income sources

–reduce risk
–improve cash flow
Multispecies grazing – methods
• Mob grazing--all run as one group
• Leader/follower--matching animal
with highest requirements to forages
of highest quality
• Alternate grazing--one portion of
farm used for one species; switch
later (or, stocker steers one year,
stocker sheep the next)
Multispecies grazing – management
concerns
• Knowledge
• Fences--adapt cattle fences; 3 to 5
strands electric, 4,500 volts minimum
• Minerals--avoid excess copper for
sheep (goats can use cattle mineral)
• Facilities--sheep will need some shelter
if lambing in cold weather, goats like
shelter in wet weather (not fancy)
• Labor--availability and timing
Multispecies grazing – management
concerns

• Ratios
–dependent on type of forages
available
–1:1 to use extra weeds
–6:1 (ewes to cows) to maximize
pounds of meat per acre
 Stocking rate
Pasture type Cows Sheep Goats Cows +
goats
Excellent 1 5-6 6-8 1 + 1-2
Pasture

Brushy 1 6-7 9-11 1 + 2-4

Pasture

Brush 8-12/acre .5 + 6-8

eradication

Brush 1-3/acre
maintenance
• Order
–Graze in a mob, or
–Cattle first to use taller, coarser growth,
sheep or goats to harvest weeds cattle
rejected; or
–Lambs, kids and calves to select the best,
ewes, does and cows to clean up; or
–Lambs and ewes followed by dry cows to
utilize rejected forage
Must match nutrition to
production stage
Recommendation: 1 to 2 goats per head of
Multispecies grazing – management
concerns
• Grazing height preferred for sheep:
begin at 6-8 inches and move when
grazed down to 2.5 to 4 inches
Caution!
Avoid over-grazing. Sheep can graze
very close to the ground. Management
is crucial.
Grazing management
• Question: what are two reasons to avoid
grazing close to the ground?

• How could you prevent close grazing?

Grazing Management
Major considerations for grazing
sheep and goats
Sheep and goats should have 4 to 5% of body
weight in dry matter (DM) available daily.
(Requirements vary with production stage and
size of animal; dairy goats have higher needs.)
Daily intake is most critical!
• Low intakes, excellent rations: average
performance
• High intakes, moderate rations: above
expected performance
 Grazing management

AVAILABLE FORAGE
Excellent forage management will pay
dividends in lowered production costs and
increased gains and improved health.
Daily intake is most critical!
Production stage:
• To lower costs, try to match needs of the
animal to the production of the forage.
• Over-feeding is expensive and counter-
productive; fat ewes and does do not do
well at breeding or lambing time.
• Under-feeding leads to low birth weights
and poor milk supplies.
 Major considerations for
grazing sheep
Must match nutrition to production stage.
Major considerations

Production stage:
Breeding--flush with better nutrition prior
to turning in ram or buck and for several
weeks afterward
Major considerations
Production stage:
Early gestation--low requirements; fair to
good pasture (15 weeks from breeding)

Late gestation (last 6 weeks)--good

pasture, 1/4 pound grain (assuming
average condition) Caution: avoid pure
stands of infected fescue for late
gestation grazing
Major considerations
Production stage:
Lactation--first 6 or 8 weeks, high
requirements; excellent pasture, or 4 to 5
pounds hay and 1-2 pounds grain. Taper
off near weaning.
Ideally, feed ewes with twins on the best
forage. Yearling ewes and does also
need excellent forage as they are growing
as well as lactating.
Major considerations
Production stage:
Dry--very low requirements; may use the
ewes and does to clean up pastures at
this point. Ewes and does may be dry for
3 or 4 months before breeding.

This allows ewes and does to easily gain

weight; do not allow them to become fat!
Recommendations for lambs and
kids on grass
• Lambs should graze clean pasture
• Have salt/mineral mix, fresh water, shade
available
• Shear wooly lambs before hot weather
• Use low stocking rates and clean up with
cattle or dry ewes or does
• Monitor for parasites and treat as needed
(FAMACHA™)
Review

• Tell three benefits of small ruminants

• What are three problems of small
ruminants?
• Explain the nutritional needs of a ewe
and doe and how they vary through a
year
• What are three advantages of
multispecies grazing?
But, will they pay??
“It depends!”
On. . .
1) Price per pound
2) Production costs
3) Price per pound of
wool
4) Days to market
5) Weaning percentage
Factors affecting profitability

1) Price per pound of meat

• Seasonal changes
• Direct marketing
• Auctions/buyers
• Size and finish
Factors affecting profitability

2) Production costs
• Keep feed costs low by using
forages
• Reduce vet costs through
preventive care; have a good
working relationship with a
veterinarian
• Need good nutrition for productive
animals; over-feeding is wasteful
and expensive
 Cost of production, reproductive
performance, and profitability
Kidding

Doe cost
percentage 80% 90% 100% 125% 150% 200%
($/head/year)

30 0.83 0.74 0.67 0.53 0.44 0.30

35 0.97 0.86 0.78 0.62 0.52 0.39
40 1.11 0.99 0.89 0.71 0.59 0.44
45 1.25 1.11 1.00 0.80 0.67 0.50
50 1.39 1.23 1.11 0.89 0.74 0.56
60 1.67 1.48 1.33 1.07 0.89 0.67
Assumed market weight: 45 lbs.
Factors affecting profitability

3) Price per pound of wool

• Quality counts!
• Niche marketing is likely to result
in best price
• Wool pool/cooperatives
• Value-added options
Factors affecting profitability

4) Days to market
• Affects feed costs and efficiency
• Labor costs
• Depends on genetic capability
and nutritional resources
• Weather influences
• Target weights depend on buyer
Advantages of direct marketing
• No transport cost
• No shrink
• Less stress for animals
• Seller sets price
• No commission, yardage, etc.
• Makes connections with buyers
• May be more convenient
• Buyer pays with cash on the spot
Disadvantages of direct marketing
• May be inconvenient (drop-ins)
• May be time-consuming
• Seller must be able to bargain
• Buyer may not be prepared to haul
• Buyer may want to slaughter at farm
Factors affecting profitability

5) WEANING PERCENTAGE
• Influenced by lambing percentage
• fertility
 season
 flushing
• newborn lamb survivability
• Influenced by flock health
• nutrition
• predator control
• preventative health care
Effect of Weaning Percentage on
Potential Income*
Pounds lamb sold per ewe1
Price/
Pound 100 140 160 180
.90 $90 $126 $144 $162
1.00 100 140 160 180
1.10 110 154 176 198
1.20 120 168 192 216
1.30 130 182 208 234

1Assumes 100 pound average selling weight

*From <http://www.ces.uga.edu/pubcd/b879-w.htm> page 10.
Cost of production, reproductive
performance, and profitability
Doe cost
($/head/year) 80% 90% 100% 125% 150% 200%
30 0.83 0.74 0.67 0.53 0.44 0.30
35 0.97 0.86 0.78 0.62 0.52 0.39
40 1.11 0.99 0.89 0.71 0.59 0.44
45 1.25 1.11 1.00 0.80 0.67 0.50
50 1.39 1.23 1.11 0.89 0.74 0.56
60 1.67 1.48 1.33 1.07 0.89 0.67

Assumed market weight: 45 lbs.

Major considerations
Production stage:
To lower costs, try to match needs of the
animal to the production of the forage.
Challenge: when should you be lambing
the ewes?
 It depends!
• How and when are you marketing
lambs?
• How do you intend to protect lambs
from parasite infestation?
• What is your climate like?
• What forages can you provide for
lambs?
• Do you have shelter and labor available
to lamb in a barn (early?)
• Are purchased feeds cheap in your
area?
Major considerations
1) AVAILABLE FEED
2) Markets
Auctions or buyers
Direct market
Pooled sale
3) Parasites
4) Climate/weather influences
5) Predators
 Annual Summary of Productivity and Price
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Grain Prices - (low price)
Forage Availability
High Temperatures
Labor Availability
Parasites (high load)
Lamb Prices
Feeder Calf Prices
Stocker Prices
Cull Cows

Highest or Best periods

Transition period
Lowest or Worst periods
Choosing which small ruminant
• Goats or sheep?
• Is there a difference?
Major consideration

Do you like
Differences in productivity
• Meat: growth potential
– Lambs on pasture with mothers gained
about .5 pounds/day from birth to weaning
(Schwulst, 1995, KS data; Rambouillet,
Tunis, Romanov, and Katahdin rams used
on crossbred ewes)
– Lambs fed 16% protein ration in drylot
gained .72 pounds per day for 45-day trial.
Another trial later in the summer, .67
pounds per day. (Katahdin-sired lambs,
North Dakota data, Moore, 2001)
More lamb gains
• Lambs grazing alfalfa gained .43 pounds
per day, while lambs confined and fed
hay and grain gained .46 pounds per day.
(feed cost lower for alfalfa-grazed group,
Poore and Green, NCSU, 1995)
• Lambs grazing fescue and eating a small
amount of creep feed gained .57 pounds
per day (Coffey, 2003, Feb. through
March)
More lamb gains
• Ross (1972, MU) studied summer gains
in drylot; unsheared lambs gained .33
pounds per day, shorn gained .48.
• Lambs in KSU study (Rambouillet,
Tunis, Romanov, Katahdin sires) gained
.6 pounds from weaning to market;
feed/gain about 5.2 pounds/pound of
gain; feed intake about 4 pounds a day
So how much can a lamb gain?
• Brief review of literature found a range
of
– .33 pound/day to .86 pound/day

– with .5 pound/day being reasonable

• reductions in gain during summer heat, higher
gains when supplemented with grain (also
higher cost)
Goat gains
• Depends greatly on breeding and on
management
• In North Carolina, TN Stiffleg-sired goats
were fed hay or hay plus .25 pound/head
of 16% supplement. Gains averaged
.065 or .091 pounds per day; pounds of
feed per pound of gain, 25.6 or 19.3.
(Poore and Green, 1995)
• Does it make sense to feed this type of
goat?
More goat gains
• Boer influence increases feed efficiency
and gains.
• During a 66-day trial where goats were self-
fed a 14% protein pellet, ADG;
• Spanish.25 pounds, 10.8 pounds feed/gain
• 1/4 Boer .33 pounds, 8.2 pounds feed/gain
• 1/2 Boer .49 pounds, 8.3 pounds feed/gain

(Machen, Texas A&M, 1995)

More goat gains
• In North Carolina, Boer and Boer-cross does
averaging 62 pounds grazed small-grain rye,
ryegrass, or triticale pastures. Gain
approximately .3 pound/day (Luginbuhl, 1998)
• In Texas, Boer and Boer-cross kids nursing
mothers who were generously fed gained
– .59 pounds and .43 pounds per day
– several does weaned more than 100 pounds
of kids at 100 days; that’s 600 pounds of
marketable product per animal unit at 100
days post-partum! (Machen, 1995)
More goat gains
• Boer bucks on test at Langston
University gained an average of .6
pounds per day.
Range
• ADG, .29 to .89 pounds per day
• Feed Efficiency 3.98 to 25.6 pounds
feed/gain
• Why might you want to know the
gaining ability of the buck you use?
So, how much can a goat gain?
• Very wide variation
• Affected by genetics and by feed supply
• Unimproved Spanish on range: .025
lbs/day
• Fullblood Boer on ample feed: .86
lbs/day
• Feed efficiency range for Boers on test:
3.98 to 11.7 pounds feed to pound of
gain
Questions:
• What do the studies mentioned tell you?

• Which animal (sheep or goat) seems

better suited to feedlot production?

• What other considerations (besides

feed efficiency and rate of gain) are
economically important?
Other factors to consider
• Maintenance cost of doe/ewe
• Market price of kids/lambs
• Prolificacy
• Ease of handling
• Personal preference
• Type of forage available
Why raise goats?
Why goats?
• For weed and brush control
• As a complementary enterprise to cattle
to improve resource utilization
• For land reclamation
• For increased profit potential
• More economically efficient on smaller
operations (than cattle)
Goats in land and forage
management
• In a NC State study, after 4 years of goat
grazing pastures containing herbaceous
weeds, vines, multiflora rose, blackberry
and hardwood sprouts, pastures became
dominated with grass and clover.
• In a West Virginia study, goats reduced
brush cover from 45% to less than 15%
in one season.
Preferred browse
• Multiflora rose • Sumac
• Blackberry • Persimmon/sassafras
• Willow • Buckbrush
• Locust • Most young
• Walnut hardwoods
• Oak/hickory • Cedar
Preferred weeds

• Chicory (at bloom) • Pigweed

• Ironweed (at • Curly dock
bloom) • Ragweed
• Ox eye daisy • Crown vetch
• Queen Anne’s lace • Sericea
• Yarrow lespedeza
Preferred forages (observed by Mark
Kennedy, MO)
• Tall fescue (vegetative and fall stockpile)
• Cheat-spring preference
• Orchardgrass
• Crabgrass
• Foxtail, purpletop, barnyardgrass; pre-
head
• Annual lespedeza
• Hop clover (full bloom)
• White clover and red clover (light use,
bloom and later)
 Stocking rate
Pasture type Cows Sheep Goats Cows + goats

Excellent 1 5-6 6-8 1 + 1-2

Pasture

Brushy 1 6-7 9-11 1 + 2-4

Pasture

Brush 8-12/acre .5 + 6-8

eradication

Brush 1-3/acre
maintenance
Economic comparison
• Cattle • Goats
– 1 cow/calf unit/3 acres – 8 goat/kid units/3 acres
– 95% calf crop – 150% kid crop
– 500 lb. weaning – 60 lb. weaning weight
weight – 720 lbs. weaned/3 acre
– 475 lb. weaned/3 – 240 lbs./acre
acres
– 158.3 lbs./acre

What is the price per pound?

Cattle + Goats =
• 1 cow/calf unit + 2 goats/3 acres
• 475 lbs. weaned + 180 lbs. weaned = 655
lb.
• “free” brush control
• In several studies the addition of goats to a
cattle operation added 25% net return
• (also true of adding sheep to cattle
operation)
Increasing inventory/equity
• Cattle • Goats
– start with 1 cow – start with one doe
– save all females for – save all females for
5 years--sell all
males 5 years--sell all
– 95% calf crop males
– 50/50 heifer/bull – 150% kid crop
calves – 50/50 doe/buck
– At the end of 5 kids
years:
– At the end of 5
• 5 females in herd
years:
• 5 bulls sold
• 24 females in herd
Recommendation: 1 to 2 goats per head of cattle
Review

Goats:
• Are similar to sheep in many ways
• Offer pasture improvement services
• Are a good companion enterprise to
cattle, increasing profits by increasing
pounds of meat produced per acre
• Can be profitable if costs are kept low
and animals are prolific
Questions
?
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