Latest Sheep Stories
Game theory models predicted that young ravens gain the greatest advantage from hunting in a pack. Now the young birds have figured this out for themselves, and form gangs to oust older raven pairs from tasty carcasses.Young ravens have transformed their hunt for carrion into a joint venture. Instead of searching on their own, some young ravens form bands of as many as 30 birds."This behavior in young ravens has not been documented before, and came as a surprise to us. But the fun was that...
The number of cattle, hogs and sheep on Canadian farms all declined in 2008 and the number of cattle farms also fell, Statistics Canada said Tuesday. Overall, cattle producers reported 13.2 million head as of Jan. 1 this year, down 5.1 percent compared with same period a year earlier. The dairy herd fell 2.5 percent, while the beef herd fell 5.6 percent. The beef herd shows no sign of rebuilding, as the number of cows is down 6.6 percent and the number of replacement heifers is down 9.7...
An English sheep badger has been deprived of his birthright of grazing his flock in his village for using the sheep to scare his neighbors. Jeremy Awdry, 60, was spared prison Friday by a judge who imposed a 16-week sentence and then suspended it, The Daily Telegraph reported. But the judge imposed a curfew from 10 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. for two months and took away Awdry's grazing privileges. Awdry, like others born in the Forest of Dean and known as sheep badgers, had the privilege of grazing...
By CRONSHAW, Tim Whether the hot run of dairying conversions on Southland sheep farms will get the speed wobbles could depend on the extent of red meat profits this season. Higher sheepmeat returns are expected to have a greater bearing on the conversion rate than the lowering of Fonterra's starting payout for 2008-09 to $6.60 a kilogram of milk solids, down from an earlier forecast of $7/kg. The credit crunch will also have would- be investors looking closely at their numbers. Last...
By DIANE BISHOP A $150 lamb is being targeted by Federated Farmers to improve returns to sheep farmers but Silver Fern Farms, formerly PPCS, has slammed it an unrealistic. FEDERATED Farmers has launched a campaign that sets an industry target of $150 a lamb over the next five years. However, Silver Fern Farms, New Zealand's largest marketer, processor and exporter of red meat, said it set unrealistic expectations and did not take into account global economic reality. The T150 concept,...
S tore lamb finishing over the coming winter in the Westcountry should be carefully planned to minimise the level of late-spring slaughterings for the greatest market stability. That is the advice from specialists at Eblex, following a study of lamb returns over the past two contrasting seasons. One of the main factors contributing to the particularly poor prices seen in 2007 was a glut of hoggets held through to April and May. Total slaughterings, which were around 15 per cent up on the...
By Sam Wood STORE lamb finishing over the coming winter should be carefully planned to minimise the level of late spring slaughterings. That, says the English Beef and Lamb Executive (Eblex), will lead to greater stability in the market following a study of lamb returns over the past two contrasting seasons. One of the main factors contributing to the particularly poor prices seen in 2007 was a glut of old season lambs held through to April and May. Total slaughterings - some 15% up on...
By GALLOWAY, Jill; & FAIRFAX Some industry pundits believe with less stock available, companies will be talking to each other more. -------------------- Farmers are expecting higher returns once Silver Fern Farms (SFF) and PGG Wrightson (PGW) join forces, and industry watchdogs said they will keep an eye on the merged company. SFF farmer shareholders voted for the partnership proposal with PGW. "In my experience, corporates value their shareholders and clients far more than co-operatives...
THE chairman of the NFU's livestock board joined other farmers' leaders, ministers and MEPs from the EU's main sheep producing nations to discuss ways to tackle low profitability and declining production in the sector across Europe. Alistair Mackintosh took part in the conference in Limoges, France, which was organised by the French Farm Minister and current president of the EU Agriculture Council, Michael Barnier. Mr Mackintosh said: "We all recognise the damage that this...
Prices for store lambs and cattle are the great unknown for the coming season, Wilson and Keeling farm advisers told 30 farmers at the Meat and Wool New Zealand Manawatu Finishing Monitor Farm day. They were reluctant to guess what store lambs and cattle might be worth, and the ready-to-slaughter prices per kilogram, were also up in the air. No one replied when farmers were asked, who intended to buy store stock to finish on their farms. This suggests farmers who had the option were...
Latest Sheep Reference Libraries
The mouflon (Ovis aries orientalis) is classified as a subspecies group within the Ovis aries group. The other members of this group are known as urials, or the vignei group. It is thought that the mouflon is the ancestor to all domestic sheep. There are currently five recognized subspecies of the mouflon. This species can be found in the Caucasus, northwestern Iran, and northern areas of Iraq. The only native subspecies of the mouflon is the Cyprus mouflon, with the other four subspecies...
The argali (Ovis ammon), also known as the mountain sheep, is native to Central Asia. Its range includes Tibet, Altay, and Himalaya. Its range extends from Kazakhstan in the west, east to Shanxi Province in China. It also extends from Altai Mountains in the north, south to the Himalayas. It prefers a habitat in the highlands of these regions, at elevations between 980 and 19,000 feet. Its habitat type varies depending upon location. In areas like Kazakhstan, where it is often hunted, it can...
The bighorn sheep (Ovis Canadensis) can be found in North America. There are three currently accepted subspecies of this sheep. The range of the bighorn sheep depends on these subspecies. The Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep dwell in the cool mountainous areas of the United States and Canada, while the Desert bighorn sheep are native to the hotter desert areas of the southwestern United States. Bighorn sheep prefer habitats located in rocky, grassy slopes, and alpine meadows....
The Urial (Ovis vignei), is a medium sized wild sheep and is considered a member of the goat/antelope subfamily. The Urial is also known as the Shapo or Arkhar. The Urial is found in western central Asia from northeastern Iran and western Kazakhstan to Baluchistan and Ladakh. To the east they are displaced by the bigger Argalis and to the southwest by the Asiatic Mouflons. The habitat consists of grassy slopes below the timberline. Noticeable features are the reddish-brown long fur that...
The Marco Polo Sheep (Ovis ammon polii), is a subspecies of sheep, specifically the Argali. These sheep are found only in the Pamir Mountains in the border region of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan. Some of the protected areas where the species occurs include the Khunjerab National Park and Central Karakoram National Park in northern Pakistan and the Taxkongau Nature Reserve in southwestern China. The Marco Polo sheep is particularly known for its long horns. The longest horn...
