U.S. Department of Agriculture Publishes Fourth Sheep 2001 Report

Veterinary Services

January 21, 2004

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) has released the fourth descriptive report for its Sheep 2001 study. Copies of Part IV: Baseline Reference of 2001 Sheep Feedlot Health and Management have been shipped to industry members across the country.

Sheep 2001 is NAHMS’ second national sheep study, the first being the 1996 National Sheep Survey, which provided an overview of sheep health, productivity, and management on 5,174 U.S. sheep operations.

For Sheep 2001, data were collected on sheep management practices via personal interviews from a representative sample of sheep operations in 22 states. These 22 states included all major sheep producing states, accounting for 87.4 percent of the Jan.1, 2001, U.S. sheep inventory and 72.3 percent of U.S. sheep producers.

Data for Part IV were collected from 32 feedlots in 11 participating states. The results of Part IV apply only to this sample and care should be taken before inferences are made to the population of sheep feedlots in the United States.

Here are a few highlights from Part IV of the Sheep 2001 study:

As reported by feedlot operators, the most important prearrival processing procedures to reduce sickness or death in feedlot lambs on the feedlot were: introduction to a feed bunk (58.1 percent of feedlots); treating lambs for internal parasites (58.0 percent of feedlots); and weaning lambs 2 or more weeks prior to shipping (54.8 percent of feedlots).
Overall, the most common prearrival processing procedures received by the last group of lambs placed on the feedlot were: introduction to a feed bunk (24.1 percent of feedlots); weaning 2 or more weeks prior to shipment (17.2 percent of feedlots); clostridial vaccinations given prior to arrival (13.8 percent of feedlots); and treatment for internal parasites (10.3 percent of feedlots).
The three most common causes of death in feed lots from Aug. 1, 2000, through July 31, 2001, were: respiratory disorders (other than shipping fever pneumonia) (29.0 percent of lambs that died); enterotoxemia (28.7 percent of lambs that died); and shipping fever pneumonia (12.8 percent of lambs that died).
All lambs (100 percent) were given clostridial vaccine injections while in the feedlot. Very few feedlots (3.2 percent) gave clostridial vaccine injections in locations other than the neck (ribs, etc.).
While 90.3 percent of feedlots used antibiotic injections, only 6.0 percent of lambs placed in feedlots were given antibiotic injections.
Just over half of participating feedlots (59.4 percent) fed fewer than 5,000 sheep and lambs from Aug. 1, 2000, through July 31, 2001. However, over 95 percent of market lambs were fed on the larger feedlots during that time period.

Note to Stakeholders: Stakeholder announcements and other APHIS information are available on the Internet. Access the APHIS home page by pointing your Web browser to http://www.aphis.usda.gov and clicking on the “News” button. For additional
information on this topic, contact Teresa Howes (970) 494–7410 or teresa.k.howes@aphis.usda.gov

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