Lamb and muttonLamb and mutton, collectively sheep meat (or sheepmeat), is meat from the domestic sheep, Ovis aries. It is generally divided into three types: lamb, from sheep in their first year; hogget, from sheep in their second; and mutton, from older sheep. The name "mutton" comes from French languagemouton, sheep. Lamb is the most expensive of the three types, and in recent decades, sheep meat has increasingly only been retailed as "lamb", sometimes stretching the accepted distinctions given above. The stronger-tasting m...
List of sheep breedsThis is a list of breeds of domestic sheep. Domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are partially derived from mouflon (Ovis gmelini) stock, and have diverged sufficiently to be considered a different species. Some sheep breeds have a hair coat and are known as haired sheep.
Animal husbandryAnimal husbandry is the branch of agriculture concerned with the human practices of raising captive or domesticatedanimals for harvesting valuable animal products or to train animals to provide labour or services. It involves the day-to-day management, feeding, nutrition and health, selective breeding, assisted birth, grooming, marketing and harvest of products such as meat, milk, eggs, fibre and hide of primarily domesticated terrestrialmammals (cattle, sheep/goats, horses, pigs, etc.) and birds (i.e. poultry, ...
SheepSheep (pl.: sheep) or domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are a domesticated ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term sheep can apply to other species in the genus Ovis, in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated sheep. Like all ruminants, sheep are members of the order Artiodactyla, the even-toed ungulates. There are around 1.2 billion domestic sheep as of 2019, making them easily the most common species of sheep. An adult female is referred to as a ewe ( yoo); an intact male as a r...
ShepherdA shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of pastoralist animal husbandry. Because the occupation is so widespread, many religions and cultures have symbolic or metaphorical references to shepherds. For example, Jesus called himself the Good Shepherd, and ancient Greek mythologies highlighted shepherds such as Endymion and Daphnis. This symbolism and shepherds a...
Sheep dogA sheep dog, sheepdog, shepherd dog or simply shepherd is generally a dog or breed of dogs historically used in connection with the raising of sheep. These include livestock guardian dogs used to guard sheep and other livestock and herding dogs used to move, manage and control sheep and other livestock. The Fédération Cynologique Internationale has grouped Sheepdogs and Cattledogs (except Swiss Cattledogs) in Group 1.
Shearing shedShearing sheds (or wool sheds) are large sheds located on sheep stations to accommodate large scale sheep shearing activities. In countries where large numbers of sheep are kept for wool, sometimes many thousands in a flock, shearing sheds are vital to house the necessary shearing equipment, and to ensure that the shearers and /or crutchers have a ready supply of dry, empty sheep. The shed also provides space where the wool is classed and pressed into approved wool packs and stored to await transport to market. ...
Selective breedingSelective breeding (also called artificial selection) is the process by which humans use animal breeding and plant breeding to selectively develop particular phenotypic traits (characteristics) by choosing which typically animal or plant males and females will sexually reproduce and have offspring together. Domesticated animals are known as breeds, normally bred by a professional breeder, while domesticated plants are known as varieties, cultigens, cultivars, or breeds. Two purebred animals of different breeds p...
GrazingIn agriculture, grazing is a method of animal husbandry whereby domestic livestock are allowed outdoors to free range (roam around) and consume wild vegetation in order to convert the otherwise indigestible (by the human gut) cellulose within grass and other forages into meat, milk, wool and other animal products. Grazing is often done on lands that are unsuitable for arable farming, although there are occasions where arable lands and even prior farmlands are intentionally kept or converted to pastures to raise ...
FenceA fence is a structure that encloses an area, typically outdoors creating a boundary, and is usually constructed from posts that are connected by boards, wire, rails or netting. A fence differs from a wall in not having a solid foundation along its whole length. Alternatives to fencing include a ditch (sometimes filled with water, forming a moat). TypesBy functionAgricultural fencing, to keep livestock in and/or predators outBlast fence, a safety device that redirects the high energy exhaust from a jet engineSou...
WoolWool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal wool. Wool is an animal fiber and consists of protein together with a small percentage of lipids. This makes it chemically quite distinct from cotton and other plant fibers, which are mainly cellulose, and akin to silk, another animal fiber composed primarily of protein. Most wool ...
SheepskinSheepskin is the hide of a sheep, sometimes also called lambskin. Unlike common leather, sheepskin is tanned with the fleece intact, as in a pelt.
ParchmentParchment is a writing material made from specially prepared untanned skins of animals—primarily sheep, calves and goats. It has been used as a writing medium in West Asia and Europe for more than two millennia. By 400 AD many of the written works intended for preservation in these regions had been transferred from papyrus to parchment. Vellum is a type of fine-quality parchment made from the skins of calves. The generic term animal membrane is sometimes used by libraries and museums that wish to avoid disting...*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.