The raising of

domestic sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals 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 ...

has occurred in nearly every inhabited part of the globe, and the variations in cultures and languages which have kept sheep has produced a vast lexicon of unique terminology used to describe

sheep husbandry Sheep farming or sheep husbandry is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep are raised principally for their meat (lamb and mutton), milk ( sheep's milk), and fiber (wool). They also yield sheepski ...

Terms

Below are a few of the more common terms.

B, C

*Backliner – an externally applied medicine, applied along the backline of a freshly shorn sheep to control lice or other parasites. In the British Isles called ''pour-on''. *Bale – a wool pack containing a specified weight of pressed

wool Wool is the textile fibre 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 properties similar to animal wool. ...

as regulated by industry authorities. *Band – a flock with a large number of sheep, generally 1000, which graze on rangeland. *Bell sheep – a sheep (usually a rough, wrinkly one) caught by a shearer, just before the end of a shearing run.Wilkes, G. A., ''A Dictionary of Australian Colloquialisms'', Sydney University Press, N.S.W., 1978, *

Bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Ret ...

– originally an experienced wether given a bell to lead a flock; now mainly used figuratively for a person acting as a lead and guide. *Black wool – Any wool that is not white, but not necessarily black. *Board – the floor where the shearing stands are in a wool shed. *Bolus – an object placed in the

reticulum Reticulum is a small, faint constellation in the southern sky. Its name is Latin for a small net, or reticle—a net of crosshairs at the focus of a telescope eyepiece that is used to measure star positions. The constellation is best viewed b ...

of the

rumen The rumen, also known as a paunch, is the largest stomach compartment in ruminants and the larger part of the reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals. The rumen's microbial favoring environment al ...

, remaining there for some time or permanently. Used for long-term administration of medicines, or as a secure location for an electronic marking

chip Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) is a type of immunoprecipitation experimental technique used to investigate the interaction between proteins and DNA in the cell. It aims to determine whether specific proteins are associated with specific genom ...

. *Bottle lamb or cade lamb – an orphan lamb reared on a bottle. Also ''poddy lamb'' or ''pet lamb''. *Boxed – when different mobs of sheep are mixed. *Break – a marked thinning of the fleece, producing distinct weakness in one part of the staple. *Broken-mouth or broken-mouthed – a sheep which has lost or broken some of its incisor teeth, usually after the age of about six years. *Broad – wool which is on the strong side for its quality number, or for its type. *Broomie – a

roustabout Roustabout (Australia/New Zealand English: rouseabout) is an occupational term. Traditionally, it referred to a worker with broad-based, non-specific skills. In particular, it was used to describe show or circus workers who handled materials ...

in a shearing shed. *Butt – an underweight bale of greasy wool in a standard wool pack. * Callipyge – a natural genetic mutation that produces extremely muscled hindquarters in sheep. These lambs are found in the US and lack tenderness. *Cast – unable to regain footing, possibly due to lying in a hollow with legs facing uphill and/or having a heavy fleece. Also see ''riggwelter''. *CFA or cast for age – sheep culled because of their age. Also see ''cull ewe'', ''killer''. *'
Chilver
'' – a Female Lamb *Clip – all the wool from a flock (in Australian

Wool Classing Wool classing is the production of uniform, predictable, low-risk lines of wool, carried out by examining the characteristics of the wool in its raw state and classing (grading) it accordingly. Wool classing is done by a wool classer. Basis for ...

). *Clipping – cutting off the wool: see ''shearing'' and ''rooing''. *Comeback – the progeny of a mating of a

Merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

with a British longwool sheep. *Creep feeding - Allowing lambs access to special, high-quality feed before weaning *Crimp – the natural wave formation seen in wool. Usually the closer the crimps, the finer the wool. *Cull ewe – a ewe no longer suitable for breeding, and sold for meat. Also see ''killer''. *

Crutching Crutching refers to the removal of wool from around the tail and between the rear legs of a sheep for hygiene purposes. It can also refer to removing wool from the heads of sheep (''wigging'' or ''eye-wooling''). It does not refer to the proces ...

– shearing parts of a sheep (especially the hind end of some woollier breeds such as

), to prevent fly-strike. Also see ''dagging''. *Cut-out – the completion of shearing a flock.

D-F

*Dags – clumps of dried dung stuck to the wool of a sheep, which may lead to fly-strike. (Hence "rattle your dags!", meaning "hurry up!", especially used in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

.) *Dagging – clipping off dags. Also see ''crutching''. *Devil's Grip – a serious conformation defect, appearing as a depression behind the withers. *Dewlap – the upper fold under the neck of a Merino sheep. *Dipping – immersing sheep in a plunge or shower dip to kill external parasites. Backliners are now replacing dipping. *Downs – breeds of sheep belonging to the short wool group. *Draft ewe – a ewe too old for rough grazing (such as moorland), ''drafted'' (selected) out of the flock to move to better grazing, usually on another farm. Generally spelt "draft", but in the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

either as "draft" or "draught". *Drench – an oral veterinary medicine administered by a drenching gun (usually an

anthelmintic Anthelmintics or antihelminthics are a group of antiparasitic drugs that expel parasitic worms (helminths) and other internal parasites from the body by either stunning or killing them and without causing significant damage to the host. They may ...

). *Driving or droving – walking animals from one place to another. *

Dry Sheep Equivalent Dry Sheep Equivalent (DSE) is a standard unit frequently used in Australia to compare the feed requirements of different classes of stock or to assess the carrying capacity and potential productivity of a given farm or area of grazing land. The un ...

– (DSE) is a standard unit used in Australia to compare energy requirements between different classes and species of animals. A DSE is the amount of energy required to maintain a 45 to 50 kg Merino wether. *Eaning - the act of giving birth in sheep. See ''

lambing Domestic sheep reproduce sexually much like other mammals, and their reproductive strategy is furthermore very similar to other domestic herd animals. A flock of sheep is generally mated by a single ram, which has either been chosen by a farmer ...

''. * Earmark – a distinctive mark clipped out of the ear (or sometimes a tattoo inside the ear) to denote ownership and/or age. *

Ear tag An ear tag is a plastic or metal object used for identification of domestic livestock and other animals. If the ear tag uses Radio Frequency Identification Device ( RFID) technology it is referred to as an electronic ear tag. Electronic ear ta ...

– plastic or metal tag clipped to ear, with identification number, name or

electronic chip An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of tiny ...

. *Ewe – a female sheep capable of producing lambs. In areas where "gimmer" or similar terms are used for young females, may refer to a female only after her first lamb. In some areas ''yow''. *Fleece – the

covering of a sheep. *Flock – a group of sheep (or

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

s). All the sheep on a property (in Australian

); also all the sheep in a region or country. Sometimes called '' herd'' or ''mob''. *Flushing – providing especially nutritious feed in the few weeks before mating to improve fertility, or in the period before birth to increase lamb birth-weight. *Flushing (eggs/embryo) – removing unfertilised or fertilised egg from an animal; often as part of an

embryo transfer Embryo transfer refers to a step in the process of assisted reproduction in which embryos are placed into the uterus of a female with the intent to establish a pregnancy. This technique (which is often used in connection with in vitro fertilizati ...

procedure. *Fly strike or

myiasis Myiasis is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae (maggots) which grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue. Although flies are most commonly attracted to open wounds and urine- or feces-soaked fur, some spe ...

– infestation of the wool, skin and eventually flesh with blowfly or botfly maggots, rapidly causing injury or death. Usually (but not always) occurs where the wool has become contaminated by dung or urine, or at the site of an injury. Also see ''crutching'', ''dagging'', ''Mulesing''. *Fold (or sheepfold) – a pen in which a flock is kept overnight to keep the sheep safe from predators, or to allow the collection of dung for

manure Manure is organic matter that is used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Most manure consists of animal feces; other sources include compost and green manure. Manures contribute to the Soil fertility, fertility of soil by adding organic ma ...

. *Folding – confining sheep (or other

livestock Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...

) onto a restricted area for feeding, such as a temporarily fenced part of a

root crop Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans as food. Although botany distinguishes true roots (such as taproots and tuberous roots) from non-roots (such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and tubers, although some contain both hypocoty ...

field, especially when done repeatedly onto a sequence of areas. *

Foot rot Foot rot, or infectious pododermatitis, is a hoof infection commonly found in sheep, goats, and cattle. As the name suggests, it rots away the foot of the animal, more specifically the area between the two toes of the affected animal. It is extrem ...

– infectious pododermatitis, a painful hoof disease commonly found in sheep (also goats and cattle), especially when pastured on damp ground.

G-K

*Gimmer (, not ) – a young female sheep, usually before her first lamb (especially used in the north of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

). Also ''theave''. *Graziers' alert or graziers' warning – a cold-weather warning issued by the weather bureau to sheep graziers. *Greasy – a sheep shearer. *Greasy wool – wool as it has been shorn from the sheep and therefore not yet washed or cleaned. Also see ''lanolin''. *

Guard llama A guard llama is a llama that is used in farming to protect sheep, goats, hens or other livestock from canidae such as coyotes, wolves, dingos, dogs, foxes and other predators. In the past, a single gelded (castrated) male was recommended. In m ...

– a llama (usually a castrated male) kept with sheep as a guard. The llama will defend the flock from predators such as

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

es and

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relative. Do ...

s. * Gummer – a sheep so old that it has lost all of its teeth. *Hefting (or heafing) – the instinct in some breeds of keeping to a certain ''heft'' (a small local area) throughout their lives. Allows different farmers in an extensive landscape such as moorland to graze different areas without the need for fences, each ewe remaining on her particular area. Lambs usually learn their heft from their mothers. Also known as 'Hoofing' in some areas like North Yorkshire. *Hogget, hogg or hog – a young sheep of either sex from about 9 to 18 months of age (until it cuts two teeth); a yearling sheep, as yet unshorn. Also the meat of a hogget. Also ''teg'', ''old-season lamb'', ''shearling''. *Hoof-shears – implement similar to

secateurs Pruning shears, also called hand pruners (in American English), or secateurs (in British English), are a type of scissors for use on plants. They are strong enough to prune hard branches of trees and shrubs, sometimes up to two centimetres thic ...

, used to trim the hoofs of sheep. *In lamb – pregnant. *Joining – the placing of rams with ewes for

mating In biology, mating is the pairing of either opposite- sex or hermaphroditic organisms for the purposes of sexual reproduction. ''Fertilization'' is the fusion of two gametes. ''Copulation'' is the union of the sex organs of two sexually reprod ...

(see ''tupping''). *Ked, or sheep ked – ''

Melophagus ovinus ''Melophagus ovinus'', or the sheep ked, is a brown, hairy fly that resembles a tick. This wingless fly is about 4 to 6 mm long and has a small head; it is a fly from the family Hippoboscidae. They are blood-feeding parasites of sheep. The ...

'', a species of louse-fly, a nearly flightless biting fly infesting sheep. *Kemp – a short, white, hollow, hairy fibre usually found about the head and legs of sheep. *Killer – a sheep that has been selected for slaughter on an Australian property. Also see ''cull ewe''.

L-N

*Lamb – a young sheep in its first year. In many eastern countries there is a looser use of the term which may include hoggets. Also the meat of younger sheep. *

Lambing Domestic sheep reproduce sexually much like other mammals, and their reproductive strategy is furthermore very similar to other domestic herd animals. A flock of sheep is generally mated by a single ram, which has either been chosen by a farmer ...

– the process of giving birth in sheep. Also the work of tending lambing ewes (shepherds are said to ''lamb'' their flocks). *Lambing jug or lambing pen – a small pen to confine ewes and newly born lambs. *

Lamb marking Lamb or The Lamb may refer to: * A young sheep * Lamb and mutton, the meat of sheep Arts and media Film, television, and theatre * ''The Lamb'' (1915 film), a silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks Sr. in his screen debut * ''The Lamb'' (1918 ...

– the work of earmarking, docking and

castration Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which an individual loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical castration uses pharma ...

of lambs. *Lambing percentage – the number of lambs successfully reared in a flock compared with the number of ewes that have been mated – effectively a measure of the success of lambing and the number of multiple births. May vary from around 100% in a hardy mountain flock (where a ewe may not be able to rear more than one lamb safely), to 150% or more in a well-fed lowland flock (whose ewes can more easily support twins or even triplets). *Lamb's fry – lamb's liver served as a culinary dish. *

Lamb fries Lamb fries are lamb testicles used as food. Historically they were parboiled, cut in half, and seasoned. Lamb testicles are served in a variety of cuisines, including Italian, Basque, breaded and fried in some barbecue restaurants, Chinese, ...

– lamb testicles when served as a culinary dish. *

Lanolin Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and 'oil'), also called wool yolk, wool wax, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous gland A sebaceous gland is a microscopic exocrine gland in the skin that opens into a hair follicle to secrete an ...

– a thick yellow greasy substance in wool, secreted by the sheep's skin. Also called ''wool fat'', ''wool wax'', ''wool grease'', ''adeps lanae'' or ''yolk''. Extracted from raw wool and used for various purposes. *

Livestock guardian dog A livestock guardian dog (LGD) is a dog type bred for the purpose of protecting livestock from predators. Livestock guardian dogs stay with the group of animals they protect as a full-time member of the flock or herd. Their ability to guard ...

– a dog bred and trained to guard sheep from predators such as bears,

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

, people or other

s. Usually a large type of dog, often white and woolly, apparently to allow them to blend in with the sheep. Sometimes given a spiked collar to prevent attack by wolves or dogs. Does not usually muster the sheep. Sometimes called a ''sheepdog'' – but also see separate entry for this. *Lug mark – local term in

Cumbria Cumbria ( ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in North West England, bordering Scotland. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local government, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. C ...

for ''earmark''. Poddy-lambs-at-a-sheep-station

*Marking knife – a knife with a clamp or hook made for lamb marking. *Myiasis – see ''fly strike''. *Micron – one millionth of a metre, a measure of fibre diameter of wool in

wool measurement A micron (micrometre) is the measurement used to express the diameter of wool fibre. Fine wool fibers have a low micron value. Fibre diameter is the most important characteristic of wool in determining its value. Every fleece comprises a very w ...

. Term used in preference to "

micrometre The micrometre ( international spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American spelling), also commonly known as a micron, is a unit of length in the International System of Unit ...

", the SI name for the same unit. *Mob – a group or cohort of sheep of the same breed that have run together under similar environmental conditions since the previous shearing (in Australian

). *

Monorchid Monorchism (also monorchidism) is the state of having only one testicle within the scrotum. Terminology An individual having monorchism can be referred to as ''monorchid''. Causes This can be due to: * One testicle not descending into the sc ...

– a male mammal with only one descended

testicle A testicle or testis (plural testes) is the male reproductive gland or gonad in all bilaterians, including humans. It is homologous to the female ovary. The functions of the testes are to produce both sperm and androgens, primarily testoste ...

, the other being retained internally. Monorchid sheep are less fertile than full rams, but have leaner meat than wethers. * Mule – a type of cross-bred sheep, both hardy and suitable for meat (especially in northern

). Usually bred from a Bluefaced Leicester ram on hardy mountain ewes such as

Swaledale Swaledale is one of the northernmost dales (valleys) in Yorkshire Dales National Park, located in northern England. It is the dale of the River Swale on the east side of the Pennines in North Yorkshire. Geographical overview Swaledale runs ...

s. May be qualified according to the female parent: for example a Welsh Mule is from a Blue-faced Leicester ram and a Welsh Mountain ewe. *

Mulesing Mulesing is the removal of strips of wool-bearing skin from around the breech (buttocks) of a sheep to prevent the parasitic infection flystrike (myiasis). The wool around the buttocks can retain feces and urine, which attracts flies. The scar t ...

– a practice in Australia of cutting off wrinkles from the crutch area of

s, to prevent fly strike. Controversial, and illegal in some parts of the world. Named after a Mr Mules. * Mustering – the round up of

for inspection or other purposes. *Mutton – the meat of an older ewe or wether. May also refer to

meat in eastern countries. Derived from the

Anglo-Norman French Anglo-Norman, also known as Anglo-Norman French ( nrf, Anglo-Normaund) (French: ), was a dialect of Old Norman French that was used in England and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in Great Britain and Ireland during the Anglo-Norman period. When ...

word ''mouton'' ("sheep"). *NSM – not station mated. A term used in sale advertisements indicating that those ewes have not been mated.

O, P, R

*Off shears – sheep have been recently shorn. *Old-season lamb – a lamb a year old or more. Also ''hogget'', ''shearling'', ''teg''. *

Orf ORF or Orf may refer to: * Norfolk International Airport, IATA airport code ORF * Observer Research Foundation, an Indian research institute * One Race Films, a film production company founded by Vin Diesel * Open reading frame, a portion of the ...

, scabby mouth or contagious ecthyma – a highly contagious viral disease of sheep (and goats) attacking damaged skin areas around the mouth and causing sores, usually affecting lambs in their first year of life. *Plain bodied – a sheep that has relatively few body wrinkles. *Poddy lamb, bottle lamb or pet lamb – an orphan lamb reared on a bottle. Also ''cade lamb'', or ''placer''. External parasites

*Pour-on – see ''backliner''. *Raddle – coloured pigment used to mark sheep for various reasons, such as to show ownership, or to show which lambs belong to which ewe. May be strapped to the chest of a ram, to mark the backs of ewes he mates (different rams may be given different colours). Also a verb ("that ewe's been raddled"). Also ''ruddy''. *Ram – an un

castrated Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which an individual loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical castration uses pharmac ...

adult male sheep. Also ''tup''. *Riggwelter – a sheep that has fallen onto its back and is unable to get up (usually because of the weight of its fleece). *Ring – a mob of sheep moving around in a circle. *Ringing – the removal of a circle of wool from around the

pizzle Pizzle is a Middle English word for penis, derived from Low German or Flemish Dutch , diminutive of , meaning 'sinew'. The word is used today to signify the penis of an animal, chiefly in Australia and New Zealand. Original uses The word ''piz ...

of a male sheep. *Rise – new growth of wool in spring beneath the previous year's fleece. Shearing is easier through this layer. *Rooing – removing the fleece by hand-plucking. Done once a year in late spring, when the fleece begins to

moult In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

naturally, especially in some breeds, such as

Shetlands Shetland, also called the Shetland Islands and formerly Zetland, is a subarctic archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands and Norway. It is the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the no ...

. *Rouseabout – (often abbreviated to 'rousie'), shedhands who pick up fleeces after they have been removed during

shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or ...

. See also ''broomie'' above. *Ruddy – local

n term for ''raddle''. Raddled sheep

S

*Scab or

sheep scab ''Psoroptes'' is a genus of mites, including the agents that cause psoroptic mange. Psoroptic mange ''Psoroptes'' mites are responsible for causing psoroptic mange in various animals, leading to economic losses among farmers of cattle, sheep ...

– a type of

mange Mange is a type of skin disease caused by parasitic mites. Because various species of mites also infect plants, birds and reptiles, the term "mange", or colloquially "the mange", suggesting poor condition of the skin and fur due to the infectio ...

in sheep, a skin disease caused by attack by the sheep scab mite ''

Psoroptes ovis ''Psoroptes'' is a genus of mites, including the agents that cause psoroptic mange. Psoroptic mange ''Psoroptes'' mites are responsible for causing psoroptic mange in various animals, leading to economic losses among farmers of cattle, sheep ...

'', a psoroptid mite. *Scabby mouth – see ''orf'' above. *

Scrapie Scrapie () is a fatal, degenerative disease affecting the nervous systems of sheep and goats. It is one of several transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), and as such it is thought to be caused by a prion. Scrapie has been known since ...

– a wasting disease of sheep and goats, a

transmissible spongiform encephalopathy Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) are a group of progressive and fatal conditions that are associated with prions and affect the brain and nervous system of many animals, including humans, cattle, and sheep. According to the most ...

(TSE, like

BSE BSE may refer to: Medicine * Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, a neurodegenerative disease of cattle * Breast self-examination Stock exchanges * Bahrain Stock Exchange, Bahrain * Baku Stock Exchange, Azerbaijan * B ...

of cattle) and believed to be caused by a prion. Efforts have been made in some countries to breed for sheep genotypes resistant to scrapie. *

Shearing Sheep shearing is the process by which the woollen fleece of a sheep is cut off. The person who removes the sheep's wool is called a '' shearer''. Typically each adult sheep is shorn once each year (a sheep may be said to have been "shorn" or ...

– cutting off the fleece, normally done in two pieces by skilled shearers. A sheep may be said to have been either ''sheared'' or ''shorn'', depending on dialect. Also ''clipping''. *Shearling – a yearling sheep before its first shearing. Also ''hogget'', ''old-season lamb'', ''teg''. *

Sheepdog A sheep dog or sheepdog 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 c ...

or shepherd dog – a dog used to move and control sheep, often very highly trained. Other types of dog may be used just to guard sheep (see ''livestock guarding dog''), and these are sometimes also called ''sheepdogs''. *Sheep – the species, or members of it. The plural is the same as the singular, and it can also be used as a mass noun. Normally used of individuals of any age, but in some areas only for those of breeding age. *Sheepwalk – an area of rough grazing occupied by a particular flock or forming part of a particular farm. * Shepherd – a stockperson or farmer who looks after sheep while they are in the pasture. *Shepherding – the act of shepherding sheep, or

more generally. *Shornie – a freshly shorn sheep. *Shepherd's crook – a staff with a hook at one end, used to catch sheep by the neck or leg (depending on type). *SIL - Scanned In Lamb *Slink – a very young lamb. Sheep handler

*Springer - a ewe close to lambing. *Stag – a ram castrated after about 6 months of age. *Staple – a group of wool fibres that formed a cluster or lock. *Store – a sheep (or other meat animal) in good average condition, but not fat. Usually bought by dealers to fatten for resale. *Sucker – an unweaned lamb.

T, W, Y

*Teg – a sheep in its second year. Also ''hogget'', ''old-season lamb'', ''shearling''. *Theave or theaf (plural of either: theaves) – a young female sheep, usually before her first lamb (used especially in lowland

). Also ''gimmer''. *Top knot – wool from the forehead or poll of a sheep. *Tup – an alternative term for ''ram''. *Tupping –

in sheep, or the mating season (autumn, for a spring-lambing flock). *Weaner – a young animal that has been weaned, from its mother, until it is about a year old. *Wether – a

male sheep (or

). *Wigging – the removal of wool from around a sheep's eyes to prevent wool-blindness. *Wool-blindness – when excessive wool growth interferes with the normal sight of a sheep. *Woolcock - a husband of sheep *Wool-grease – see ''lanolin''. *Wool pack – a standard-sized woven nylon container manufactured to industry specifications for the transportation of wool. *

Woolsack The Woolsack is the seat of the Lord Speaker in the House of Lords, the Upper House of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Before 2006, it was the seat of the Lord Chancellor. History In the 14th century King Edward III (1327–1377) said th ...

– a ceremonial cushion used by the

Lord Speaker The Lord Speaker is the presiding officer, chairman and highest authority of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the member ...

of the UK

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

, filled with wool to symbolise the importance of the wool trade for the prosperity of the country. *Yoke – two crossed pieces of timber or a forked branch fixed to the neck of a habitually straying sheep in an attempt to prevent it breaking through hedges and fences. * Yolk – see ''lanolin''. *Yow – local form of ''ewe'' in some areas.

References

External links

A Glossary of sheep terms
from the American Sheep Industry Association {{sheep navbox *