Sheep farming is a diverse agricultural export enterprise for meat, wool, and dairy production. If you want to learn how to raise sheep or improve your prospects at an existing sheep farm, this course is ideal for you.
Certificate of Sheep Farming will provide you with an understanding of the sheep farming industry, including techniques and processes to market sheep and sheep products.
In this sheep farming course, you will learn about sheep rearing and management systems, terminology, selection and breeding, nutrition and wool production, and disease prevention and management. You’ll also learn about feeding, factors influencing wool yield and marketing and sales techniques for sheep and related products.
On completion of this course, you will have an enhanced awareness of sheep and the sheep industry to work with sheep or develop a start-up farm.
Course Structure
Unit - Sheep
Unit 1 – Introduction: Terminology and Breeds
- Factors that affect the choice of breed
- Climate and vegetation
- Internal parasites
- Product and market
- Rearing and management system
- Overview of sheep breeds
- Breeds are generally classified according to criteria such as:
- The United Kingdom
- Dorset horn
- Suffolk
- Romney
- Australia and New Zealand
- The merino
- Border Leicester
- Southdown
- Polwarth
- Turkdale
- South Africa
- Damara
- The dormer
- The dorper
- The South African mutton merino
- The Ile de France
- Ronderib Afrikaner
- Terminology
Unit 2 – Selection and Breeding
- Other terms that you should be familiar with include:
- Oestrus
- Gestation period
- Weaning
- Mouthing
- Selection – breeding sheep production
- Economically important traits
- Growth rate
- Reproductive efficiency
- Carcase quality
- Wool traits
- Culling old ewes
- Reproduction factors
- Physical factors
- Selecting replacement ewes
- Selecting replacement rams
- Culling for age
- Culling for reproductive performance and physical abnormalities
- Buying in a replacement ram
- Commercial sheep production
- Choosing a lambing time
- Autumn lambing (advantages and disadvantages)
- Spring lambing (advantages and disadvantages)
- Lambing more than once a year (accelerated lambing)
- Managing the ewe prior to mating
- Using hormones to control reproduction
- Managing the ram prior to the breeding season
- Joining (mating) methods
- Flock joining (group mating)
- Hand mating
- Individual mating
- Anatomy of the ewe reproductive organs
- Anatomy of ram reproductive organs
- Ultrasonic scanning of ewes
- Mating records
- Signs of lambing
Unit 3 – Nutrition of Sheep
- Sheep nutrition
- Condition scoring
- Loin transverse cross section
- When to condition score
- Factors affecting feed requirements
- The animal’s production
- Environmental influences
- Feed requirements
- Feeding rams
- Feeding ewes
- Reproduction stage
- Lactation stage
- Feeding lambs and fatteners
- Nutrition and wool production
- Mineral needs
- Vitamins and waters
Unit 4 – Diseases in Sheep
- Common sheep diseases
- Viral and rickettsial diseases
- Contagious ecthyma (ORF, contagious pustular dermatitis, scabby mouth)
- Contagious ophthalmia (ovine infectious keratoconjunctivitis)
- Blue tongue (BTV)
- Rift valley fever and Wesselbron disease
- Bacterial diseases
- Clostridial diseases
- Pulpy kidney (enterotoxaemia)
- Blackleg
- Tetanus (lock jaw)
- Malignant oedema
- Black disease (infectious necrotic hepatitis)
- Caseous lymphadenitis (cheesy gland)
- Ovine Johne’s disease (OJD)
- Pleurisy and pneumonia
- Mastitis (blue bag)
- Navel ill, foot rot and anthrax
- Metabolic diseases
- Acidosis
- Twin lamb disease
- Milk fever (lambing sickness)
- White muscle disease
- Other metabolic disorders
- Protozoal diseases
- Toxoplasmosis
- Coccidiosis
- Poisoning and plant poisoning
- Copper toxicity
- Vaccination
- The sheep farmer’s medicine chest
- Giving injections
- Subcutaneous injections:
- Intramuscular injection
- Intravenous injection
- Disease prevention through sound management
- Parasites
- External parasites
- Some important external parasites include:
- Sheep keds (ticks)
- Blow flies
- Nasal bots
- Scabies (sheep scab, psoroptic mange, wet mange)
- Lice, treating external parasites
- Internal parasites
- Categories of drenches
Unit 5 – General Management of Commercial Flocks
- Handling facilities
- Dipping facilities
- Shower or power spray dips
- Footbaths
- Race
- Drenching
- Drenching practices
- Injecting
- Hoof trimming
- Shearing
- Weighing and recording
- Tail docking
- Castration
- Blowfly strike
- Factors influencing strike
- Species of flies
- Types of blowfly strike
- Control of fly strike
- Breeding & selection:
- Tail docking:
- Mulesing and crunching
Unit 6 – Lamb Care
- Lamb care
- Care at lambing
- Abnormal presentations
- Presentation: one front leg back
- Presentation: both front legs back
- presentation: hind legs first
- presentation: head back, both front feet forward
- Presentation: breech or tail first
- Presentation: twin lambs presented together
- Care of young lambs to weaning
- Drenching
- Vaccinations
- Rearing orphan lambs
- Feeding the orphan lamb
- Water
- Shelter for the orphan lamb
- Tail docking, castration drenching and vaccinating
- Lambing records
- Managing the fattening lamb
- When to wean for intensive feeding
- Health program
- Sheep housing
- Feeding the fattening lamb
- Creep-feeding lambs
- The creep pen
- Cultivated pastures
- Maize silage
- Lamb marking
- Earmarking
Unit 7 – Wool
- Wool
- The unique characteristics of wool
- Classes of wool
- Wool classing
- Wool processing
- Factors influencing the estimation of yield
- Piece picking
- Wool scouring
- Carding
Unit 8 – The Marketing of Sheep and Sheep Products
- Wool sales
- Basic characteristics of the wool industry
- Marketing methods
- Industry regulatory and marketing authorities
- Australian wool innovation
- Australian wool exchange
- Australian wool testing authority
- The British wool marketing board
- South African marketing authorities
- New Zealand wool testing authority (NZWTA)
- Wool marketing in Australia (example)
- Wool broking
- Sampling grid
- Sale by separation
- Duties of the wool valuer
- Wool selling charges
- Common terms (Australia)
- Private selling
- Wool buying
- AWC appraisers
- The wool exchange and wool auctions
- Transfers and false packing
- Delivery and dumping
- Lamb and mutton marketing
- Paddock sales and saleyard auctions
- Over-the-hook sales
- Electronic marketing
- Live sheep exports
- Forward price contracts
- Actors affecting the value of lamb or mutton
- Carcase weight and skin value
- Payment bases: hot or cold weight
Study Hours
Estimated duration 50 hours
Course Delivery and Start
Start anytime, self-paced and 100% online
Assessment
Assessment will be comprised of written exercises, including short-answer questions, reflective tasks, short reports and/or projects. There are no examinations or due dates for assessment. As a result, you can complete training in your own time and at your own pace with the assistance of unlimited tutor support.
Approval and Recognition
Australian Online Courses Pty Ltd is an approved and recognised member of IARC. The IARC is an International association that recognises quality and excellence in tertiary education providers.
Testimonials
It has been 20 years since I completed my University degree, so I was excited to return to study for the first time, but nervous that it would be a difficult process. I really enjoyed the course, felt I was given the support I needed, and the assessment review and turnaround time was excellent. I would highly recommend Australian Online Courses, and would definitely consider undertaking another course. Thank you so much
Karley | St Ives, NSW | Certificate of Sheep Farming
Graduation
A Certificate of Attainment and Statement of Results will be issued upon successful completion of this course.
How to Enrol
Enrolment Form – Employment Services and Rehabilitation Providers
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Enrol via Telephone 1300 76 2221 (Business Hours)
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Course FAQs
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- Professional development that is widely recognised and respected;
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- High-quality professional development programs written by industry experts;
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- Unlimited tutor support via email;
- We offer twelve (12) months’ access, with extensions available upon application (fees apply);
- Course may be tax deductible; see your tax advisor.
Are there any entry requirements or pre-requisites?
There are no course or subject pre-requisites for entry into our programs. However, our professional development programs are generally intended for people over the age of 18. In some circumstances, enrolments from younger people may be considered. Please complete the AOC Parent Guardian Consent Form prior to enrolling and submit here.
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To study online with Australian Online Courses you will need a computer (desktop PC/laptop) running a current/updated operating system with reliable high-speed internet access. You will need to use the Google Chrome browser to access your course.
When can I start this course?
You can start within 60 minutes during business hours when you enrol and pay in full with a credit card!
Credit card: Within 60 mins during business hours.
BPAY: Within 1-2 working days.
Afterpay: Within 1-2 working days
Internet Banking: Within 1-2 working days.
Cheque/Money Order: Upon receipt of mailed cheque.
How is this course delivered?
This course is delivered online via our easy-to-navigate Learning Management System (LMS), where you will discover interactive online learning/written content, resources and assessment.
Do I need to attend classes or undertake any work placements?
No. All courses are delivered online via our LMS and there are no work placement requirements in this course.
What support can I expect from Australian Online Courses?
Unlimited tutor support is available throughout your studies via email only during business hours Monday to Friday. Our Administrative team are available Monday to Friday via email, live chat and telephone.
I am an international student. Can I enrol into this course?
Yes! We accept enrolments from individuals both within Australia and internationally; location is no barrier to entry into our programs.
Career Pathways
Future growth
Strong
Unemployment
Low
Professional Develop for:
- Farmer
- Farm Hand
- Farm Supervisor
- Wool Broker
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