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Problems associated with keeping sheep in small flocks
Livestock Production Science, 13 (1985) 79--80
79
Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
Conference Report PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH KEEPING SHEEP IN SMALL FLOCKS After a session in the 1982 EAAP Annual Meeting in Leningrad on sheep and goat production in large units, the Commission on Sheep and Goat Production decided to plan a meeting on sheep in small flocks. Accordingly a session entitled "Problems associated with keeping sheep in small flocks, including part-time or hobby sheep farming" was held during the 35th Annual Meeting of the EAAP in The Hague, 1984. O.R. D~'rmundsson (Iceland) was the organizer. Eight contributions were presented; 3 main papers, by D. Oostendorp (The Netherlands), by P. Ammann, C. Gaillard, W. Kropf and B. Schwander (Switzerland), and by P. Martinand and M. Roux (France), and five short papers, by E. Hautakangas (Finland), S. Jankowski, J. Seremak-Bulge, I. Krawcyk and M. Sakowicz (Poland), O.R. D~rmundsson (Iceland), T.G. Boaz (England), and C.H. Stier and K.J. Peters (Federal Republic of Germany). The full titles of the papers have been listed on pp. 169--180 of Volume 12 (S 3.1--S 3.8, inclusive). The discussion was led by J.G. Boyazoglu (Greece) who correctly observed that the papers covered the situation in northern Europe well; however, little information was given on small sheep flocks in southern Europe. While average flock size is generally growing it became evident that small sheep flocks have assumed an important role in the trend towards part-time and hobby farming now witnessed in many European countries. In some areas, sheep flocks are traditionally of small size anyway, e.g., in Finland with only eight ewes on average in the flock (Hautakangas, S 3.4). To quote an example from Switzerland, also known for small flocks, 67% o f the sheep owners are now classified as part-time farmers (Ammann et al., S 3.2). Similarly in The Netherlands a large proportion of the sheep population is kept in small flocks as a hobby (Oostendorp, S 3.1). Most of the authors referred to the subsidiary or complementary role of small sheep flocks, particularly on livestock farms, but also in connection with arable enterprises. It is worth noting that meat is the main product involved. Although excellent individual ewe performance is often recorded in small flocks, overheads such as labour cost per ewe are relatively high, thus resulting in low economic efficiency (Jankoswki et al., S 3.5). Moreover, small flock owners may be at a disadvantage as they have to market their products in small quantities (Boaz, S 3.7 ; Hautakangas, S 3.4). In some instances, however, the high costs are justified, for example in small pedigree flocks specializing in the production of expensive sires of some well known breeds, such as the Border Leicester and the Suffolk, for crossing in large commercial flocks. The economic position of small-scale sheep farming should, however, be viewed against the local socio-economic background in each case. For example, the production o f small quantities of sheep meat may be highly valued for home consumption (Martinand and Roux, S 3.3), and sheep grazing may play an important role in grassland management and landscape maintenance (Oostendorp, S 3.1; Ammann et al., S 3.2). It appears that in some regions of France small flocks of approximately 50 head play a valuable role in regulating the marketing network compared with the contribution of large flocks (Martinand and Roux, S 3.3). Special attention was paid to the social role of sheep keeping in small flocks in relation to the maintenance of the rural population, particularly in marginal areas (Martinand and Roux, S 3.3; D~'rmundsson, S 3.6). They and some other authors underlined that small-scale sheep production is widely regarded as a very suitable enterprise for elderly farmers or as a part-time occupation to fit in with off-farm employment. Moreover many of the small flock owners look primarily upon their sheep keeping as a pleasant hobby. In some cases rare or exotic breeds are involved.
0301-6226/85/$03.30
© 1985 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
80 There appear to be few m a n a g e m e n t p r o b l e m s attributable to small flock size as such. On the contrary, individual identification and recording, together with intensive supervision, e.g., at lambing time, c o n t r i b u t e to i m p r o v e d biological efficiency. References were m a d e to recent d e v e l o p m e n t s such as oestrus synchronization, which can be of special value in small flocks, particularly in those kept as a part-time activity. It m a y be difficult to c o n t r o l grass growth sufficiently with a small sheep flock w h e n grazing by o t h e r livestock, and conservation of surplus herbage for hay or silage is not always practicable (Boaz, S 3.7). The main p r o b l e m associated with small flocks relates to genetic i m p r o v e m e n t and selection programmes. With small ewe n u m b e r s and the use of only one ram per flock, as is o f t e n the case, breeding w o r k is h a m p e r e d by low selection intensity and inaccurate breeding value estimates. C o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n flock owners may offer solutions to such problems, for e x a m p l e by joint rearing and testing of ram lambs and by using each ram in m o r e than one flock ( A m m a n n et al., S 3.2; Stier and Peters, S 3.8). The relatively high ram cost in small flocks was duly emphasized. On the o t h e r hand considerable genetic i m p r o v e m e n t is achieved at a m o d e s t cost to the small flock breeder where semen f r o m selected, progeny tested rams is available through well organized AI services (D~Trmundsson, S 3.6). Yearly fluctuations in the sex ratio may limit select i o n intensity (Boaz, S 3.7), especially when prolificacy is low. This should not be overl o o k e d in the small flock situation. In s u m m i n g up the main points emerging from the session J.G. Boyazoglu n o t e d that m o s t of the well k n o w n prolific breeds of sheep, such as the Finnish Landrace, the East Friesian, the Chios and the D ' m a n , have been generated in small flocks.
(~.R. D~rmundsson (ReykjavlT~, Iceland)
79
Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands
Conference Report PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH KEEPING SHEEP IN SMALL FLOCKS After a session in the 1982 EAAP Annual Meeting in Leningrad on sheep and goat production in large units, the Commission on Sheep and Goat Production decided to plan a meeting on sheep in small flocks. Accordingly a session entitled "Problems associated with keeping sheep in small flocks, including part-time or hobby sheep farming" was held during the 35th Annual Meeting of the EAAP in The Hague, 1984. O.R. D~'rmundsson (Iceland) was the organizer. Eight contributions were presented; 3 main papers, by D. Oostendorp (The Netherlands), by P. Ammann, C. Gaillard, W. Kropf and B. Schwander (Switzerland), and by P. Martinand and M. Roux (France), and five short papers, by E. Hautakangas (Finland), S. Jankowski, J. Seremak-Bulge, I. Krawcyk and M. Sakowicz (Poland), O.R. D~rmundsson (Iceland), T.G. Boaz (England), and C.H. Stier and K.J. Peters (Federal Republic of Germany). The full titles of the papers have been listed on pp. 169--180 of Volume 12 (S 3.1--S 3.8, inclusive). The discussion was led by J.G. Boyazoglu (Greece) who correctly observed that the papers covered the situation in northern Europe well; however, little information was given on small sheep flocks in southern Europe. While average flock size is generally growing it became evident that small sheep flocks have assumed an important role in the trend towards part-time and hobby farming now witnessed in many European countries. In some areas, sheep flocks are traditionally of small size anyway, e.g., in Finland with only eight ewes on average in the flock (Hautakangas, S 3.4). To quote an example from Switzerland, also known for small flocks, 67% o f the sheep owners are now classified as part-time farmers (Ammann et al., S 3.2). Similarly in The Netherlands a large proportion of the sheep population is kept in small flocks as a hobby (Oostendorp, S 3.1). Most of the authors referred to the subsidiary or complementary role of small sheep flocks, particularly on livestock farms, but also in connection with arable enterprises. It is worth noting that meat is the main product involved. Although excellent individual ewe performance is often recorded in small flocks, overheads such as labour cost per ewe are relatively high, thus resulting in low economic efficiency (Jankoswki et al., S 3.5). Moreover, small flock owners may be at a disadvantage as they have to market their products in small quantities (Boaz, S 3.7 ; Hautakangas, S 3.4). In some instances, however, the high costs are justified, for example in small pedigree flocks specializing in the production of expensive sires of some well known breeds, such as the Border Leicester and the Suffolk, for crossing in large commercial flocks. The economic position of small-scale sheep farming should, however, be viewed against the local socio-economic background in each case. For example, the production o f small quantities of sheep meat may be highly valued for home consumption (Martinand and Roux, S 3.3), and sheep grazing may play an important role in grassland management and landscape maintenance (Oostendorp, S 3.1; Ammann et al., S 3.2). It appears that in some regions of France small flocks of approximately 50 head play a valuable role in regulating the marketing network compared with the contribution of large flocks (Martinand and Roux, S 3.3). Special attention was paid to the social role of sheep keeping in small flocks in relation to the maintenance of the rural population, particularly in marginal areas (Martinand and Roux, S 3.3; D~'rmundsson, S 3.6). They and some other authors underlined that small-scale sheep production is widely regarded as a very suitable enterprise for elderly farmers or as a part-time occupation to fit in with off-farm employment. Moreover many of the small flock owners look primarily upon their sheep keeping as a pleasant hobby. In some cases rare or exotic breeds are involved.
0301-6226/85/$03.30
© 1985 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V.
80 There appear to be few m a n a g e m e n t p r o b l e m s attributable to small flock size as such. On the contrary, individual identification and recording, together with intensive supervision, e.g., at lambing time, c o n t r i b u t e to i m p r o v e d biological efficiency. References were m a d e to recent d e v e l o p m e n t s such as oestrus synchronization, which can be of special value in small flocks, particularly in those kept as a part-time activity. It m a y be difficult to c o n t r o l grass growth sufficiently with a small sheep flock w h e n grazing by o t h e r livestock, and conservation of surplus herbage for hay or silage is not always practicable (Boaz, S 3.7). The main p r o b l e m associated with small flocks relates to genetic i m p r o v e m e n t and selection programmes. With small ewe n u m b e r s and the use of only one ram per flock, as is o f t e n the case, breeding w o r k is h a m p e r e d by low selection intensity and inaccurate breeding value estimates. C o o p e r a t i o n b e t w e e n flock owners may offer solutions to such problems, for e x a m p l e by joint rearing and testing of ram lambs and by using each ram in m o r e than one flock ( A m m a n n et al., S 3.2; Stier and Peters, S 3.8). The relatively high ram cost in small flocks was duly emphasized. On the o t h e r hand considerable genetic i m p r o v e m e n t is achieved at a m o d e s t cost to the small flock breeder where semen f r o m selected, progeny tested rams is available through well organized AI services (D~Trmundsson, S 3.6). Yearly fluctuations in the sex ratio may limit select i o n intensity (Boaz, S 3.7), especially when prolificacy is low. This should not be overl o o k e d in the small flock situation. In s u m m i n g up the main points emerging from the session J.G. Boyazoglu n o t e d that m o s t of the well k n o w n prolific breeds of sheep, such as the Finnish Landrace, the East Friesian, the Chios and the D ' m a n , have been generated in small flocks.
(~.R. D~rmundsson (ReykjavlT~, Iceland)