The raising of

domestic sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal 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 ...

has occurred in nearly every inhabited part of the earth, and the variations in cultures and languages which have kept sheep has produced a vast

lexicon A lexicon (plural: lexicons, rarely lexica) is the vocabulary of a language or branch of knowledge (such as nautical or medical). In linguistics, a lexicon is a language's inventory of lexemes. The word ''lexicon'' derives from Greek word () ...

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 sheepskin ...

Terms

Below are a few of the more common terms.

A–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 fiber 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 some properties similar to animal w ...

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''. Re ...

– 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. The rumen and the reticulum make up the reticulorumen in ruminant animals. The diverse microbial communities in the rumen allows it to serve as the primary si ...

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

chip Chip may refer to: Food * Chip (snack), thinly sliced and deep-fried gastro item ** Potato chips (US) or crisp (UK) * Chips (fried potato strips) (UK) or french fries (US) (common as a takeout side) * Game chips, thin chip/French fries * Choco ...

. *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 put up tents and boo ...

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 list of sheep breeds, 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 monop ...

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. *

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 Myiasis ( ), also known as flystrike or fly strike, is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae (maggots) that grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue. Although flies are most commonly attracted to open woun ...

. Also see ''dagging''. *Cull ewe – a ewe no longer suitable for breeding, and sold for meat. Also see ''killer''. *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

. (Hence "rattle your dags!", meaning "hurry up!", especially used in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

.) *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. *Docking – removing the tail of a sheep to prevent

. See also ''crutching'', ''dagging''. *Downs – breeds of sheep belonging to the short wool group. *Draft ewe – a ewe too old for rough grazing (such as

moorland Moorland or moor is a type of Habitat (ecology), habitat found in upland (geology), upland areas in temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands and the biomes of montane grasslands and shrublands, characterised by low-growing vegetation on So ...

), ''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 an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, 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 Hebrides, Inner and Outer Hebr ...

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 without causing significant damage to the host. They may also ...

). *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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, t ...

– (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 Domesticated sheep are herd animals that are bred for agricultural trade. A flock of sheep is mated by a single ram, which has either been chosen by a farmer or, in feral populations, has established dominance through physical contests with othe ...

''. * 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. If the ear tag uses Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) technology it is referred to as an electronic ear tag. Electronic ear tags conform to inter ...

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

electronic chip An integrated circuit (IC), also known as a microchip or simply chip, is a set of electronic circuits, consisting of various electronic components (such as transistors, resistors, and capacitors) and their interconnections. These components a ...

. *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''. *Eye dog – a type of sheepdog (''qv'') which uses eye contact as a primary technique to herd sheep. See also ''huntaway''. *Fleece – the

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

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly 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 ...

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

); also all the sheep in a region or country. Sometimes called ''

herd A herd is a social group of certain animals of the same species, either wild or domestic. The form of collective animal behavior associated with this is called '' herding''. These animals are known as gregarious animals. The term ''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 fertili ...

procedure. *Fly strike or

myiasis Myiasis ( ), also known as flystrike or fly strike, is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae (maggots) that grow inside the host while feeding on its Biological tissue, tissue. Although flies are most commonly attr ...

– 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 fertility of soil by adding organic matter and nut ...

. *Folding – confining sheep (or other

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

) 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 or animals as food. In agricultural and culinary terminology, the term applies to true roots, such as taproots and root tubers, as well as non-roots such as bulbs, corms, rhizomes, and ...

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

Foot rot Foot rot, also known as foul-in-the-foot, interdigital necrobacillosis 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 ...

– 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 Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

). 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 canids such as coyotes, dingos, dogs, foxes and other predators. In the past, a single gelded (castrated) male was recommended. In mor ...

– 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 ("brush"). Twelve species ...

es and

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the gray wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it was selectively bred from a population of wolves during the Late Pleistocene by hunter-gatherers. ...

s. * Gummer – a sheep so old that it has lost all of its teeth. *Hefting (or heafing) – the

instinct Instinct is the inherent inclination of a living organism towards a particular complex behaviour, containing innate (inborn) elements. The simplest example of an instinctive behaviour is a fixed action pattern (FAP), in which a very short to me ...

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

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 permanent 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 used for plants. They are strong enough to prune hard branches of trees and shrubs, sometimes up to two centimetres thick. T ...

, used to trim the hoofs of sheep. *Huntaway – a type of sheepdog (''qv'') which uses barking as a primary technique to herd sheep. Named for a New Zealand breed of dog. See also ''eye dog''. *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 repr ...

(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 Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

of younger sheep. *

Lambing Domesticated sheep are herd animals that are bred for agricultural trade. A flock of sheep is mated by a single ram, which has either been chosen by a farmer or, in feral populations, has established dominance through physical contests with othe ...

– 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 marking is the term applied to the procedure of Earmark (agriculture), earmarking, Castration#Other_animals, castration and Docking_(animal)#Sheep, tail-docking of the lambs of domestic sheep. Vaccination is usually carried out then, too. She ...

– the work of earmarking, docking and

castration Castration is any action, surgery, surgical, chemical substance, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical cas ...

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 Basque, breaded and fried in some barbecue restaurants, Chinese, Caucasian, ...

– lamb testicles when served as a culinary dish. *

Lanolin Lanolin (from Latin 'wool', and 'oil'), also called wool fat, wool yolk, wool wax, sheep grease, sheep yolk, or wool grease, is a wax secreted by the sebaceous glands of wool-bearing animals. Lanolin used by humans comes from domestic sheep br ...

– 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 t ...

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

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family (biology), family Ursidae (). They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats ...

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

, 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 county in North West England. It borders the Scottish council areas of Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders to the north, Northumberland and County Durham to the east, North Yorkshire to the south-east, Lancash ...

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 (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures; SI symbol: μm) or micrometer (American English), also commonly known by the non-SI term micron, is a uni ...

", 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 scr ...

– a male mammal with only one descended

testicle A testicle or testis ( testes) is the gonad in all male bilaterians, including humans, and is Homology (biology), homologous to the ovary in females. Its primary functions are the production of sperm and the secretion of Androgen, androgens, p ...

, the other being retained internally. Monorchid sheep are less fertile than full rams, but have leaner meat than wethers. *

Mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

– a type of cross-bred sheep, both hardy and suitable for meat (especially in northern

). Usually bred from a

Bluefaced Leicester The Bluefaced Leicester is a British breed of longwool sheep. It originated in north-east England in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century, and derives from the white-faced Border Leicester, with some influence from the blue-coloure ...

ram on hardy mountain ewes such as

Swaledale Swaledale is a valley in North Yorkshire, England. It is one of the Yorkshire Dales, which are part of the Pennines, and within the Yorkshire Dales National Park. It is named after the River Swale, which runs through it. Swaledale is the mo ...

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 Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

of cutting off wrinkles from the crutch area of

s, to prevent

fly strike Myiasis ( ), also known as flystrike or fly strike, is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae (maggots) that grow inside the host while feeding on its tissue. Although flies are most commonly attracted to open wou ...

. Controversial, and illegal in some parts of the world. Named after a Mr Mules. *

Mustering Muster may refer to: Military terminology * Muster (military), a process or event for the accounting for members in a military unit * Muster list, list of the functions for team members * A mustering, in military terminology, is a specialised ...

– the round up of

for inspection or other purposes. *Mutton – the

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, was a dialect of Old Norman that was used in England and, to a lesser extent, other places in Great Britain and Ireland during the Anglo-Norman period. Origin The term "Anglo-Norman" har ...

word ''mouton'' ("sheep"). *NSM – not

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

mated. A term used in sale advertisements indicating that those ewes have not been mated.

O–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 g ...

, 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 a male loses use of the testicles: the male gonad. Surgical castration is bilateral orchiectomy (excision of both testicles), while chemical castration uses pharmaceutical ...

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. *Ringer – the top shearer in a shearing gang. *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 the Dutch language , meaning 'sinew'. The word is used today to signify the penis of an animal, chiefly in Australia and New Zealand. The wo ...

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 a process by which an animal casts off parts of its body to serve some beneficial purpose, either at ...

naturally, especially in some breeds, such as

Shetlands Shetland (until 1975 spelled Zetland), also called the Shetland Islands, is an archipelago in Scotland lying between Orkney, the Faroe Islands, and Norway, marking the northernmost region of the United Kingdom. The islands lie about to the ...

. *

Rouseabout 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 put up tents and boo ...

– (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 (depending upon dialect, a sheep may be sai ...

. 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 infecti ...

in sheep, a skin disease caused by attack by the sheep scab mite '' Psoroptes ovis'', 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 sin ...

– a wasting disease of sheep and goats, a

transmissible spongiform encephalopathy Transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), also known as prion diseases, are a group of progressive, incurable, and fatal conditions that are associated with the prion hypothesis and affect the brain and nervous system of many animals, in ...

(TSE, like BSE of cattle) and believed to be caused by a

prion A prion () is a Proteinopathy, misfolded protein that induces misfolding in normal variants of the same protein, leading to cellular death. Prions are responsible for prion diseases, known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs), w ...

. Efforts have been made in some countries to breed for sheep

genotype The genotype of an organism is its complete set of genetic material. Genotype can also be used to refer to the alleles or variants an individual carries in a particular gene or genetic location. The number of alleles an individual can have in a ...

s 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 (depending upon dialect, a sheep may be sai ...

– 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 con ...

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''. See also ''eye dog'' and ''huntaway''. *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 In linguistics, a mass noun, uncountable noun, non-count noun, uncount noun, or just uncountable, is a noun with the syntactic property that any quantity of it is treated as an undifferentiated unit, rather than as something with discrete eleme ...

. 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 shepherd is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations; it exists in many parts of the globe, and it is an important part of Pastoralism, pastoralist animal husbandry. ...

– 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–Z

*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). *Twinter – a sheep (or ox/horse) that has lived through two winters. *Twotooth – South England/Cornish word for an old sheep (Pronounced Twotuth) – usually an old animal with only the two front teeth left. *

Weaner A weanling or weaner is an animal that has been weaned, eats solid food independently, and no longer relies on its mother's milk for nutrients. ''Weanling'' usually refers to a horse, though can be used with any livestock. ''Weaner'' is more co ...

– 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, who presided as the presiding officer of the House. The Woolsack� ...

– 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 membe ...

of the UK

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, 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, Cornish farmers use Yow.

References

External links

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

Wikipedia glossaries using unordered lists