SHEEP TERMINOLOGY

BORREGA - Spanish for female sheep.

BORREGO - Spanish for male sheep.

BUTCHER LAMB - Lambs destined for the slaughter market.  Usually consists of wether lambs, ram lambs and/or cull ewe lambs. Also called freezer lambs and/or market lambs.

CORDERO - Spanish for lamb - the meat, not the live lamb.

DIS-BUDDED/DE-HORNED - A lamb or goat kid that has had its horn buds removed.  The animal will mature without horns, but will still be horned genetically. Dehorning is usually a cattle term meaning horn or horn bud removal in calves and sometimes older animals.

DOCK OR DOCKED- This means most or all of the lamb's tail has been removed.  This must be done on wool lambs. It is not necessary on hair sheep.

EWE- A mature female sheep at least a year of age.  Some regard a ewe as a female that has lambed, even if she is under a year of age. I have seen females that are over a year of age and that have not yet lambed, referred to as ewe lambs.

EWE LAMB- A female sheep under one year of age.

HAIR SHEEP - Sheep that do not produce wool for shearing.  These sheep naturally evolved void of wool - Rocky Mountain Sheep (Big Horn) are our indigenous population of  hair sheep. Other hair breeds have been imported from Africa, Barbados, Britain and Saint Croix and other countries.  All wool breeds in the US were imported from other countries. 

HOGGETT- A sheep or meat from a sheep that is one to two years of age.  Hoggett meat from tropical hair sheep is delicious. The term hoggett is not often heard today.

HORNED- A sheep that has or will have horns at maturity. Also can refer to the ewe even if, due to gender, she appears polled - i.e. her ram lambs will have horns as she is from a  horned sire. Most commercial meat type sheep are polled or have very small horns.  Many sheep that grow large horns are used as "shooters" on game ranches.

LAMB - A young sheep (less than a year old) or the meat from a sheep that is less than 12-14 months of age.  Based on the eruption of the first permanent teeth and/or the spool or breaking joint on the foreleg.

LAMBKIN - A newborn lamb.  Sheep can be called lambs up to a year of age so lambkin helps place an age on the lamb.

LAMBING - The act of parturition - giving birth.  Sheep have a gestation period of about five months.  The first birth is most often a single lamb, twins are usually born the second birth.  Multiple births are the rule up until about 7 to 8 years of age.  As age advances, ewes usually start to produce singles, but not always.  Much of the ewe's fertility depends on how she is managed. Nutrition plays a very important role, unfortunately many breeders believe that genetics are mostly responsible.  Multiple births have proven to be a trait inherited at the rate of only  25%.  Don't overlook nutrition, especially trace minerals.

MUTTON- Meat from a sheep that is over two years of age.

POLL - The top of a sheep's head.  

POLLED- A sheep that does not have horns.  This is the natural absence of horns due to breed type NOT due to removal by humans.

RAM - A male sheep that is one year of age or older.

RAM LAMB- A male sheep that is less than one year of age.  See tupping for more information.

SCURS- Small horn like growths that are not fixed to the skull the way horns are. They are usually less than inch or two long and are easily broken or rubbed off.

SHEEP- A mature ovine, at least a year of age.

TEATS - See Udder.

TUP - If you were raised in Ireland, you would most likely call your stud ram a tup.

TUPPING - The act of mating (for sheep).

UDDER - The mammary glands of the ewe. Milk flows from the udder to the teat, from which the lambs nurse. Ewes have two teats that produce milk and usually two small, underdeveloped teats that do not. Sheep's milk contains more protein, fat and energy than cow or goat milk.  Lambs drink less milk, but grow fast due to its high nutritional value.

WEANLING- A lamb that is no longer nursing - from 3 to 4 months of age.  It can survive without milk.  Left to wean naturally, the ewe would most likely allow the lamb to nurse for up to 5 months.

WETHER- A castrated ram lamb. Term also used for castrated male goats.

WOOL SHEEP- Sheep that produce a heavy wool coat for shearing. They are also used to produce lamb meat. They need shearing, tail-docking and are generally considered higher maintenance than hair sheep.

YEARLING- Animals that are about a year of age.

http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/breeds/sheep/ for a listing of all the sheep breeds.

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