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The Suffolk is a British breed of domestic sheep. It originated in the late eighteenth century in the area of Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, as a result of cross-breeding when Norfolk Horn ewes were put to improved Southdown rams. It is a polled, black-faced breed, and is raised primarily for its meat. It has been exported to many countries, and ...
The main Australian predator of sheep is the dingo, which is a large-enough danger to sheep to precipitate the construction of the world's largest fence: the Dingo Fence. Red foxes also may prey on 10-30% of lambs, costing Australians sheep breeders more than A$ 100 million annually. [ 12 ]
The expression of maternal behavior in sheep follows a fairly rigid pattern in the period leading up to and following birth, a large part of which involves licking and sniffing. These licking and sniffing behaviors expose the ewe to the smell of the lamb and the amniotic fluid in which it is covered.
Sheep are flock animals and strongly gregarious; much sheep behavior can be understood on the basis of these tendencies. The dominance hierarchy of sheep and their natural inclination to follow a leader to new pastures were the pivotal factors in sheep being one of the first domesticated livestock species. [ 58 ]
Such antipredator behavior inevitably results in aggregations. The theory was proposed by W. D. Hamilton in 1971 to explain the gregarious behavior of a variety of animals. [ 1 ] It contrasted the popular hypothesis that evolution of such social behavior was based on mutual benefits to the population .
Homosexual behavior in sheep has been well documented and studied. The domestic sheep ( Ovis aries ) is the only species of mammal except for humans which exhibits exclusive homosexual behavior. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] "About 10% of rams (males) refuse to mate with ewes (females) but do readily mate with other rams."
The U.S. Sheep Experiment Station conducts research in the areas of ovine reproductive efficiency, genetic improvement (especially of breeds), nutrient intake and use, ovine growth and development, range/grazing management, and product quality (i.e. meat and wool). In addition to lambs and other attendant sheep, the station has a base flock of ...
Sheep-rearing programs began to import Yorkshire, Berkshire, Spanish merino, and numerous Chinese and Mongolian sheep breeds, encouraged by government promotion of sheep farming. However, a lack of knowledge on the farmer's part of how to successfully keep sheep, and the government's failure to provide information to those importing the sheep ...