Vices of Sheep and Goat

1. Wool pulling and wool eating

• Wool pulling is a form of abnormal behaviour which occurs in sheep within restrictive enclosure and indoor management systems.
• Overcrowding and deficiency of roughage in the diet are the contributing factors for this vice.

2. Stealing young / lamb stealing

• Pre-parturient ewes, cows and mares often approach, sniff and remain close to the new born young of other members of the group. This leads to reduced maternal support to the young and it become weak.
• In lamb stealing, the foster mother may later reject her own lamb when it is born or may have no colostrum left for it. In these various situations lamb may often die. This problem can be controlled by separating the ewe or cow should separated from the group before and very soon after parturition.

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