1. Sheep and Lamb Farming in Nova Scotia

2. Terms to Know Ewe: A female sheep. Ram: A male sheep.
Wether: A castrated male sheep.
Yearling: A sheep that is between the ages of 1 and 2 years of age and have no offspring.
Lamb: a sheep that is less than one year old.
Mutton: The meat of a sheep. Very low in fat and considered to be a delicacy in many countries.
Wool: The fiber sheep produce. Also called fleece. Sold to make clothing and other material.

3. Sheep Farming in Nova Scotia
Sheep farming in Nova Scotia accounted for $2 million in farm cash receipts in 2003.
Sheep are farmed in Nova Scotia primarily for their meat as well as their wool.
The three most popular breeds of sheep in Nova Scotia are the Suffolk, Dorset, and the North Country Cheviot.

4. Suffolk
Originated in Suffolk, England with the crossbreeding of Southdown rams and Norfolk Horned ewes.
Known for their black, open faced (no wool) faces.
Highly prized for their meat quality and medium quality wool production.

5. Suffolk

6. Dorset Originated in Dorset, England.
Prized for their lambing characteristics (known to produce two lambs per year) and high wool production.
Their wool is ideal because of its pure white color and rate of growth.
Dorset sheep are known to produce 5-10 pounds of wool each year.

7. Dorset

8. North Country Cheviot Originated in Sutherland, Scotland.
These sheep tend to have bright white wool with an open face (no wool).
North Country Cheviots were bred from original Cheviots to have longer, thinker wool for cold northern temperatures.
Used primarily for meat production.
Cheviots are also known for their upright ears which give them a curious looking face.

9. North Country Cheviot

10. Sheep Farming in Nova Scotia
Most sheep farming in Nova Scotia takes place in Pictou county.
Many sheep farmers in this province raise sheep as parts of much larger and diverse farms. Example: a dairy farmer may raise sheep on the side as another source of income.

11. Sheep Farming in Nova Scotia
Much like beef cattle, sheep tend to graze in pastures during the warmer months and are given shelter in barns during the winter months.
Sheep are fed hay, grains, and mineral supplements to ensure proper growth and nutrition.
Sheep often get these mineral supplements in the form of salt and mineral blocks.

13. Sheep Farming in Nova Scotia
Sheep are extremely rugged animals that can survive in varying climates.
These animals can forage on pasture lands other animals like cattle could not.
This makes sheep faming attractive to farmers who have tracts of poorer quality pasture and shrub land.

14. Meat Production Sheep are slaughtered in the same fashion as cattle.
Over 90 percent of the world consumes sheep and mutton.
North America has been slow accepting the strong tasting meat into their diets.
In the U.S. alone, Americans eat 2.5 pounds of mutton per capita while in the U.K, people eat 45 pounds per capita per year.

15. Problems Faced by NS Sheep Farmers
Without a strong local market for sheep meat and mutton, farmers are having a hard time selling their product.
Wool sales have been steadily on the decrease due to the improvement of synthetic materials such as polyester, nylon, spandex, and aramid.
Sheep are susceptible to many illnesses and diseases such as BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy….commonly known as Mad Cow Disease)

16. End of Section Questions
1) What do sheep need to survive? How are they farmed?
2) Why do many farmers in Nova Scotia start farming sheep?
3) What are some difficulties faced by Nova Scotia sheep farmers?