Glossary: A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

Anestrus - Period of time when a female is not having estrous cycles.

Birth Date - Actual Date an animal was born.

Birth Weight - The weight of a lamb taken within 24 hours after birth.

Breed complementarity - When characteristics of different breeds complement each other in crossbreeding systems.

Castrate - Removal of the testicles rendering incapable of reproduction.

Conception - When the sperm fertilizes the ovum.

Crossbred - A sheep whose parents are purebred or of high grade, but of different breeds.

Dock - The removal of the tail.

Estrous cycle - The time from one period of sexual receptivity in the female (estrus or heat) to the next.

Estrus - The period when a female is receptive to mating. Synonymous with heat.

Ewe - A female sheep.

Feeder lamb - A lamb that has been weaned and will be further fed for slaughter.

Fleece - The wool from one sheep. The fleece should cling together in one piece.

Flock - A group of sheep.

Flushing - Feeding extra feed to stimulate estrus and ovulation rates.

Forage - A feed such as pasture, hay, silage or green chop.

Grade - A sheep that has one purebred parent and one scrub parent.

Heterosis - The superiority of an outbred individual relative to the average performance of the parent populations included in the cross.

Intensive systems - Animals produced in intensive systems are kept in more concentrated conditions, fed higher quality feds, and have much more labor, technology and overall attention directed to them.

Lamb - A sheep under 1 year of age. Also, the meat from a sheep under 1 year of age.

Lambing - Parturition in sheep.

Mutton - Meat from a sheep that is over 12 months of age.

Palpation - Physically touching and examining with one’s hands.

Parturition - Process of giving birth.

Pelt - The fleece and skin/hide from one sheep.

Purebred - Individual sheep whose parents are of the same breed and recorded in that particular breed registry.

Ram - Intact male sheep of any age.

Roughage - A low-quality forage such as hay that was too mature when cut, or crop residues such as wheat straw or corn stalks.

Rumination - The process in ruminants where a cud or bolus of rumen contents is regurgitated, remasticated and reswallowed for further digestion.

Scrub - A sheep whose ancestry is so mixed that it does not resemble any particular breed or cross.

Seasonal Market - A time of the year when there is increased demand for a product.

Secondary enterprise - In diversified farming operations, the enterprise secondary to the one providing the bulk of the income.

Sheep - An animal of the genus Ovis that is over 1 year of age.

Shepherd - A person who cares for sheep.

Singleton - An offspring born singly.

Slaughter lamb - A lamb that is being fed or is currently ready for slaughter.

Specialty market - A term that suggests that a product is generally aimed at a specific segment of the overall market.

Survival of the fittest - Natural selection. A process whereby those best equipped for the conditions in which they are found survive and pass their genetic material on to the next generation.

Trimester - One-third of a pregnancy. The last trimester in a ewe is approximately the last 50 days.

Yearling - A sheep between one and two years of age.

Wether - Male sheep that has been castrated.

Wool - The fiber that grows instead of hair on the bodies of sheep.