This management document describes the activities and schedule for the Cornell Sheep Farm. Some of the activities are required by the institution to comply with federal regulations for animal care and they may not necessarily be appropriate for commercial farms.

Current management calendar.  The numbers at the top of each day indicate the star period and the day within the star period.

The Cornell Sheep Farm is managed on the STAR reproductive management system, first documented by Brian Magee in August 1983.  It is based upon the 146-day gestation length of sheep and the fact that one-fifth of a year is half of a sheep gestation.   There are five lambing and lactating periods and five corresponding breeding and gestating periods each year (see figure below).  The STAR is easier to manage compared to other accelerated lambing systems because the breeding of one portion of the flock corresonds exactly with the lambing of the other portion.  The breeding and gestating group is kept on pasture while the lambing and lactating group is in or near the barn.  The STAR system has many management advantages for commercial sheep production.

Although specific dates are given on the calendars, very few activities must take place on the exact date given in the calendar.  Holidays, weekends, marketing opportunities, and available labor often will dictate that the activities be carried out a few days earlier or later than shown in the schedule.  Also, the STAR in Figures 1 and 2 can be rotated so that the dates for the STAR periods can fit the schedule of a particular farm.  The three fall breeding seasons can be shortened to 20 days from 30 days to reduce lambing times in the winter, spring and summer lambing seasons.

Major activities.  The major events are breeding, lambing, and weaning.  Beginning breeding dates for the Cornell flock are about 1 January , 15 March, 27 May, 8 August, and 20 October. Breeding lasts for 20 to 30 days.

Lambing times can start about 143 days after breeding and last for up to 35 days.  Because our ewes are still producing significant milk when the lambs are weaned, feed and water is restricted beginning two days prior to weaning to dramatically reduce milk production. 

Lambs are weighed at weaning and segregated by sex by about six weeks after weaning.  Replacement lambs are vaccinated against clostridial organisms, mainly to prevent overeating disease and tetanus, on or just after the lambs are segregated by sex and again about one month later.

Lambs have access to the same high energy diet in a creep from a few days after birth until they are marketed (see figure below).  Replacement animals are switched to pasture or a forage based diet as they approach mature weights.  Replacement ewe lambs are bred to lamb first at about a year of age after which they enter the breeding flock.

Other activities are scheduled around the major events or occur at specific seasons of the year.  Because our farm is a public place, we need to keep it presentable as much as possible. 

Alleyway sweeping.  Unfortunately, there is only one alleyway for sheep traffic and feeding in our barns.  This means that there are many days each period when working sheep through the chutes doesn't allow time to sweep the alleyways for a week or more.  An attempt is made to sweep the alleyways at least twice weekly and before major teaching or extension events.

Chute cleanup.  Manure in our working chutes is compressed into a solid mat during periods of intense sorting and other management activity.  Because the chute floors must be soaked with water for several days to loosen the manure, time and temperature prevent cleaning them thoroughly after each period of intense use.  Weather permitting, they are cleaned near the end of period 1 before the spring shearing, near the beginning of period 3 prior to the start of lambing, and near the beginning of period 4.

Shearing.  Lambing management is easier if ewes are shorn just prior to lambing.  Because they will be kept in the barn during severe weather, lambing ewes are shorn prior to winter lambing (period 1).  Spring (period 2) and summer (period 3) lambing ewes are also shorn prior to lambing.

Foot trimming.  Feet of ewes are trimmed, if needed, during the 40-day lactation period after the end of lambing season.  The feet of all breeding rams are checked and trimmed, if needed, a few days before the start of breeding season whether or not the rams will be used for breeding during that period.

Ewe sorting.  Gestating ewes are sorted for condition and by udder palpation in a portable corral on pasture or brought to the barn to be sorted one to two weeks before lambing.  Ewes with udder development are vaccinated for clostridial organisms and placed in lambing pens.  During winter, thin ewes are kept in the barn and fed a higher energy diet than they can obtain from winter grazing.

Weaned ewes are sorted for condition, bad teeth, bad udders, and for other culling reasons noted during lambing and lactation.  During winter, thin, healthy ewes and young, replacement ewe lambs are kept in the barn and fed a higher energy diet than they can obtain from winter grazing. 

Lambing management.  To help prevent infections, navels of newborn lambs delivered in the barn are dipped in iodine unless lambs are found with dry navels. Healthy single lambs are immediately eartagged and placed into a mixing pen with their mothers and other single or twin lambs.  Small or weak single lambs may be placed in lambing jugs (small pens) with their mothers to ensure that they get a good start and for fostering orphan lambs to their mothers.  Twin and higher litters are placed in lambing jugs to minimize mismothering and to ensure bonding. Healthy jugged lambs are eartagged and turned into mixing pens within 24 hours. 

Litters containing weak lambs or poor mothers are kept in jugs until the mothers have accepted all the lambs and the lambs are strong enough to do well in a mixing pen.  Litters with more than twin lambs are placed in a separate mixing pen where the ewes are placed on a full feed of a high energy diet as well as good quality hay. 

Orphan lambs are eartagged immediately.  Those that can not be fostered onto a ewe are bottle fed colostrum (cow's colostrum can be used if ewe colostrum is not available) three times to appetite and then reared artificially on cold milk replacer for a minimum of 28 days.  Finely ground high energy feed is available at all times.

Tails are docked using an emasculator and lambs are scratched with an autogenous sore mouth vaccine within three weeks of birth.

Worming.  The ewe flock is wormed three times in the spring.  The first worming is just before the ewes are turned onto pasture near the end of period 2 in mid May.  The second worming is about three weeks later.  The third worming is about three weeks after the second worming but may be timed to occur at the end of breeding season when the rams are removed.

Manure management.  Barn cleaning is done primarily by the T&R Center Field Crew when field work is caught up or bad weather prevents field work.  The barn is completely cleaned before spring plowing and planting.  There is a second cleaning after first cutting hay crop harvest.  The third major cleaning is after corn harvest in the fall.  Gutter cleaning under the experimental and artificial rearing pens is done after each experiment if the weather is warm enough to allow running the gutter cleaner.  During the summer, the gutter is cleaned every three weeks to prevent larva development from insects.

Daily schedule.  From time to time students and temporary employees may provide a significant proportion of the labor force at the Sheep Farm.  Along with guidance by the farm manager, this daily schedule will help them to prioritize their work.  This is not an exhaustive list.

1. Look over all of the sheep in the barn to see if any are sick and need treatment.  During lambing season, check for ewes with newborn lambs and ewes that may be having trouble lambing. These observations are continued throughout the day while working on other tasks.  If animals are found that need help or treatment, follow previous instructions for the problem or bring to the attention of the manager or veterinarian.
2. Check health records from the previous day for animals that need to be treated again.
3. Check that all lambs in jugs are suckling and strong and that ewes have water and feed.
4. Check that all waterers are working.  Clean waterers as time permits but at least once weekly.
5. Check feeders of all sheep being self-fed a total mixed diet.  Clean the feeders, if necessary, and add feed to any that need it.  Note that sheep being self-fed a total mixed diet should never be without feed.  This prevents metabolic problems and overcrowding at the feeders.
6. Fill mangers with enough hay to provide a 24-hour supply for each pen and refill any mineral feeders that are low.
7. Clean any hay feeders, like those being used in the triplet mixing pen, once weekly or whenever they need to be cleaned.
8. Add bedding to pens as needed.
9. Change the bedding of lambs in boxes in the lab.
10. Walk slowly through each pen of sheep in the barn to check for sick animals.
11. During lambing season, check pregnant ewes six to eight times a day.
12. Eartag and record lambs in jugs within 24 hours.
13. Check the pasture ewes and use a voltage meter to check electric fence. 
14. Refill mineral feeders that need it. 
15. In hot, summer weather, be sure the pasture sheep have a source of fresh water.   Note that, unless the weather is hot, forage will provide non lactating grazing sheep with adequate water and supplemental water will be ignored. The need for water can be tested by placing a small bucket of water near the salt feeder.
16. Sweep alleyways.
17. Sweep the entryway hallways.
18. Sweep and clean the feed room.
19. Clean the laboratory.
20. Clean the break room.
21. Clean the boot-washing area.
22. Clean the bathrooms.
23. Organize the tool center.
24. Bale any unbaled wool and clean and organize the wool area.
25. Clean the arena area.
26. Organize the storage area at the end of the B-barn.
27. Repair broken boards in wooden gates and pen dividers or discard and build new ones.
28. Remove old permanent fencing that has fallen down around pastures.
29. Enter records into the Cewe data base if trained to do so.

Treatment of sick animals.  Flock health is under the supervision of Dr. Mary Smith.  Follow the guidance of Brian Magee, the sheep farm manager, and the standard operating procedures for health care in the notebook in the break room.  Record health observations and treatments and the deaths of any animals.  Dead animals are placed in the cooler for later examination by Dr. Smith.

Animal ID.  All animals must have at least two eartags at all times. Click here for detailed information about eartags. Add a set of duplicate eartags to animals with only one eartag.  If a sheep is found with no eartags, give it a new set of crossbred (CXB) tags.  Record all additions of tags on the appropriate clipboard for later entry into the computer.  Our record of animals leaving the flock is based upon records of sale animals and dead animals.  Be careful to read and record the correct eartag numbers any time eartags are recorded.  Before animals leave the barn as sale animals, use the Cewe data base management system to check that each animal is eligible for sale based upon age and drug withdrawal times.