Question 1

This little lamb went to market

Accepted Answer

What kinds of products do we get from sheep?

Meat

Meat is the primary product from sheep. Meat is an important component of the human diet, and lamb and mutton supply us with many of the vital vitamins, minerals, and proteins we need for healthy living. Lamb is the meat (flesh) from a sheep that is less than one year old. Mutton is the meat from a sheep that is over one year of age. The terms yearling mutton are applied to the meat from a sheep that is between one and two years of age.

World Meat Consumption
 
Source:  Food & Agricultural Organization of the United Nations

While sheep (and goat) meat only account for 5 percent of the world's meat consumption, they are the principle meats in regions of North Africa, the Middle East, India, and parts of Europe. The European Union is the world's largest lamb consumers and number one importer of lamb, whereas 99 percent of the lamb imported originates from Australia and New Zealand.

Wool
People have been spinning wool for more than 10,000 years, probably longer. Wool is widely used in clothing from knitwear such as socks and jumpers to cloth used for suits and costumes. It is used in the furniture trade both for making chair covers and for upholstery. Many of the better carpets produced traditionally and today are made from wool. Wool is used to fill mattresses. It is used in diverse products, such as tennis ball covers, pool table baize, and hanging basket liners.

Alternative uses of wool are increasing. Wool is a very useful product when oil spills occur. Pads made from wool can be used to soak up the oil. In 1999 when an oil spill occurred near Phillip Island, Australia, the Phillip Island penguins were fitted with wool sweaters. The sweaters helped maintain the tiny penguin's body heat and prevented them from being poisoned by the oil.

There is a company in the United Kingdom that makes caskets out of wool. Prince Charles is a big supporter of the eco-friendly wool caskets. Several companies are making insulation from wool. Wool has a higher R value than many traditional materials. Mulch pads made from wool offer an environmentally-friendly alternative to plastic mulches.

Bricks reinforced with wool (and seaweed) are less toxic than those reinforced with traditional alternatives. Plus, they're stronger. An entrepreneur in England is making packaging material out of left over wool. Not only are the wool-insulated boxes more environmentally-friendly, but they have out-performed poly-based insulating material, keeping items twice as cool.

Increasingly waste wool and other low value wool is being make into fertilizer pellets. The composition of the pellets is 9-0-2.  Wool pellets are a slow release form of natural fertilizer. One of their best attributes is the ability to hold water, up to 30 percent of their weight. When placed around plants, they protect against pests, such as slugs.  Loose wool has been used as a mulch.

Lanolin

Raw wool contains 10 to 25 percent grease or "lanolin," which is recovered during the scouring process. Lanolin consists of a highly complex mixture of esters, alcohols, and fatty acids and is used in adhesive tape, printing inks, motor oils, and auto lubrication. Lanolin is also used in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Virtually all cosmetics and beauty aids, such as lipsticks, mascara, lotions, shampoos, and hair conditioners, contain lanolin.

Skins

Sheep skins are removed from the carcasses after slaughter. They are treated in a process called tanning and made into soft leather. Sheep skin is commonly used for making the chamois cloth that you wash your car with. A small number of skins are preserved as sold as sheepskins, with the wool still attached.

The skins from hair sheep produce the highest quality leather. This is because the numerous fine wool fibers, as compared to the lesser number of coarse fibers of the hair sheep, cause the skin to be more open and loose in texture.

Persian lambskin

One of the main reasons for keeping Karakul sheep commercially is for the production of Karakul lambskin, the skin of a newborn lamb, 1 to 3 days old. Newly born lambs have tightly-curled, shiny, black fur. Karakul lambskin is also known as Persian lambskin or Astrakhan. It is typically used in full-fur garments, such as coats and skirts, and as trimming, edging, lining, and for accessories.

Karakul lamb fur accounts for almost 12 percent of the world's fur trade, second only to mink. Karakul sheep are raised mostly in Central Asia, Afghanistan, and Namibia, where they are the only animals that can survive the harsh environmental conditions, while providing both a food source and income to local people.

Dairy

Sheep cheese comprises about 1.3 percent of the world's cheese production. Some of the world's most famous cheeses were originally made from sheep's milk (and still are): Roquefort, Feta, Ricotta, and Pecorino Romano. Sheep's milk is also made into yogurt, butter, and ice cream. The United States is a large importer of sheep milk cheeses.

Science and medicine

Sheep make many contributions to the fields of science and medicine. They are used as research models to study disease and perfect surgical techniques. They are used in stem cell research. Their blood is the ideal medium for culturing bacteria. Sheep are used to produce pharmaceuticals in their blood and milk. Using nanotechnology, scientists are using wool proteins to create new wound dressings, bone graft implants, and medical sutures.

Landscape management

While sheep have been used for centuries to control unwanted vegetation, grazing as a fee-based service is a relatively new business (for most). Along with goats, sheep are the best livestock to use to control unwanted vegetation, such as noxious weeds and invasive plants. Sheep are the best companion enterprise to solar farming, as they can control vegetation under the solar panels, while producing an income and improving soil health.

Question 2

Meat lovers know

Accepted Answer

Nutrient-dense

Lamb is a prime source of high-quality protein, vitamins, and minerals. As with other red meats, its protein is nutritionally complete, with all eight essential amino acids in the proper ratios. A 3-ounce serving of lamb provides 43 percent of an adult male's recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein. Lamb is high in B vitamins, zinc, and iron. Red meats, especially lamb and beef, are amongst the best sources of absorbable iron (heme iron). For those watching their carbohydrate intake, lamb has zero carbs.

Lean and mean

Compared to other meats, lamb contains very little marbling (fat in the meat). Since lamb fat is on the edges of the meat, it is easily trimmed off, which means fewer calories, only 175 in an average 3-ounce serving or 7 percent of the average daily caloric intake recommended for a 23 to 50-year old male. Only about 36 percent of the fat in lamb is saturated fat. The rest is mono or polyunsaturated fat, the "good" fat in one's diet.

3 ounce serving of American lamb
 
Source:  American Lamb Board

Good fat

Lamb contains varying amounts of fat, depending upon how much the carcass has been trimmed, as well as the lamb's diet, age, sex, and feed. Lamb fat is mostly saturated and monosaturated, with small amounts of polyunsaturated. Lamb tallow contains a family of fats known as ruminant trans fats. Unlike trans fats contained in processed foods, ruminant trans fats are believed to be beneficial to human health. The most common ruminant trans fat is conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Lamb contains more CLA than beef or veal.

For the health of it

For years, red meat consumption was blamed for all sorts of human ailments, but especially cardiovascular disease and cancer. Finally, scientists have backed off of this claim, admitting it was based on flimsy evidence. In fact, there is no strong evidence linking red meat consumption with heart disease or cancer. Red meat, including lamb, should be part of a healthy, varied diet.

Lamb vs. mutton

The meat from a young sheep (less than 12 months of age) is called lamb. It is naturally tender and mild in flavor. The meat from an older sheep (over one year of age) is called mutton. It has a more intense flavor than lamb, but is preferred to lamb in some cultures. Yearling mutton is the meat from a sheep that is between one and two years of age. It is intermediate in flavor intensity between lamb and mutton.

Flavor

There is no flavor difference in the meat from a young intact male and the meat from wethers (castrated male lambs) and ewe lambs. As rams sexually mature, their hormones may cause a slight taint in the taste of the meat. Mature rams are more difficult to harvest than ewes and wethers. In some cultures, the meat from intact males is preferred to the meat from females and castrates. Sometimes, an unblemished lamb is required for slaughter.

The sacrificial lamb

Since ancient times, lamb has been regarded as a religious symbol. Jesus is often referred to as the "Lamb of "God." Sheep were commonly used for sacrifice. Lamb was served during the Last Supper. Lamb is traditionally eaten at Easter (especially Orthodox or Greek) and Passover.

Muslims (followers of Islam) are probably the largest consumers of sheep meat in the World. Lamb is commonly consumed by Muslims during their major holidays. During Eid al-adha (the Festival of Sacrifice), it is common for Muslim families to sacrifice a lamb in commemoration of Abraham's sacrifice of a lamb in place of his son. The meat is divided into thirds and shared with family, friends, and the poor. Lamb is also widely consumed during Ramadan (month of fasting) and Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of fast breaking). It is also common for Muslims to sacrifice lambs to celebrate the birth of a child (two lambs for a boy child; one for a girl). The sacrifice is part of the traditional "aqiqah" ceremony.

Per capita consumption

The world per capita consumption of lamb is approximately 4 lbs. Consumption is highly concentrated with Mongolia leading at roughly 145 to 151 lbs. per capita. n recent years, the per capita consumption of sheep meat has increased in Asia and Mexico, due to increasing personal incomes and urbanization. Lamb and mutton are the primary source of animal protein in regions in North Africa, the Middle East, India, and parts of Europe.

Source:  FAO, United Nations

In the US, the per capita consumption of lamb (and mutton) is low, only about 1.0 to 1.5 lbs. per capita. However, many of today's immigrants to the US originate from regions of the world where lamb (and goat) are commonly consumed. Thus, the US continues to import lamb to meet consumer demand. In fact, lamb imports account for about one-third of U.S. lamb consumption. There is a growing demand for lamb in the US, especially among people of specific ethnic backgrounds. In recent years, there has been an up-tick in the consumption of lamb in the US.

Question 3

Got milk?

Accepted Answer

History

Sheep have been raised for milk for thousands of years and were milked before cows. The world's commercial dairy sheep industry is concentrated in Europe and the countries on or near the Mediterranean Sea. Sheep dairying is growing in New Zealand. The dairy sheep industry is still in its infancy in the United States. There are only about 200 dairy sheep farms in the U.S. They are found mostly in New England and the Upper Midwest. There are several large commercial sheep dairies in New York and California. Each year, the Dairy Sheep Association of North America holds a conference.
 
Source:  FAO United Nations (2020)

Highly nutritious

Sheep milk is highly nutritious, richer in vitamins A, B, and E, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and magnesium than cow's milk. It contains a higher proportion of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which have recognized health benefits. For example, short-chain fatty acids have little effect on cholesterol levels in people. They make milk easier to digest.

According to a German researcher, sheep milk has more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than the milk from pigs, horses, goats, cattle, and humans. CLA is a cancer-fighting, fat-reducing fat. The fat globules in sheep milk are smaller than the fat globules in cow's milk, making sheep milk more easily digested.

Sheep milk

Sheep milk can be frozen and stored until a sufficient quantity of milk is available to sell or make cheese. Freezing does not affect the cheese-making qualities of the milk.

Sheep milk has a higher solids content than goat or cow milk. As a result, more cheese can be produced from a gallon (or liter) of sheep milk than a gallon (or liter) of goat or cow milk. Sheep milk yields 18 to 25 percent cheese, whereas goat and cow milk only yield 9 to 10 percent.

While sheep usually produce less milk than goats and much less than cows, sheep milk sells for a significantly higher price per pound, almost four times the price of cow milk.

Composition of different milks
 
Source:  USDA Food Composition Database

Cheese

Most of the sheep milk produced in the world is made into cheese. Some of the most famous cheeses are made from sheep milk: Feta (Greece, Italy, and France), Ricotta and Pecorino Romano (Italy) and Roquefort (France). The U.S. is a large importer of sheep milk cheeses. Sheep milk is also made into yogurt and ice cream. It is not common common to drink (fluid) sheep milk.

Dairy sheep breeds

While lactating ewes of any breed can be milked, as with other species of livestock, it is better to milk the specialized dairy sheep breeds. Worldwide there are more than a dozen dairy sheep breeds, but only a few are available in the United States: East Friesian, Lacaune, and Awassi. Specialized dairy breeds produce 400 to 1,100 pounds of milk per lactation, whereas the milk production from conventional sheep breeds is only 100 to 200 pounds of milk per lactation. Non-dairy breeds also have shorter lactations.

The East Friesian is the most common and productive breed of dairy sheep in the world. Their average production is 990 to 1,100 pounds per 220 to 240-day lactation. Two other highly productive breeds of dairy sheep are the fat-tailed Awassi and Assaf breeds from Israel. In France, the Lacaune is the breed of choice for making the country's famous Roquefort cheese.

Worldwide, most sheep are milked seasonally by hand. This is because many dairy sheep are raised in remote areas where no cow could survive. Modern sheep dairies use sophisticated machinery for milking: milking parlors, pipelines, bulk tanks, etc. Ewes are milked once or twice per day.

Management of dairy sheep

In the United States, dairy ewes are managed in different ways. On some farms, ewes are not milked until their lambs have been weaned at 30 to 60 days of age. Another system allows lambs to suckle their lambs for 8 to 12 hours per day, after which time they are separated for the night and the ewes are milked the following morning. After the lambs are weaned at 28 to 30 days, the ewes are milked twice per day. Maximum milk yield is obtained when the lambs are removed from their dams within 24 hours of birth and raised on artificial milk replacer, as is common in cow and goat dairies.

Cheese from the ewe, milk from the goat, butter from the cow . . . Spanish proverb.

Question 4

Real men wear wool

Accepted Answer

One sheep

Approximately 90 percent of the world's sheep produce wool. One sheep produces anywhere from 2 to 30 pounds of wool annually. The wool from one sheep is called a fleece; from many sheep, a clip. The amount of wool that a sheep produces depends upon its breed, genetics, nutrition, and shearing interval. Lambs produce less wool than mature animals. Due to their larger size, rams usually produce more wool than ewes of the same breed or type.

Long wool sheep

Long wool sheep usually produce the heaviest fleeces because their fibers, though coarser, grow the longest. Hand spinners tend to prefer wool from the long wool breeds because it is easier to spin. Some sheep produce very coarse fibers. This type of wool is called carpet wool, and as the name suggests is used to make carpets and tapestries. According to the International Wool Textile Organization (I.W.T.O.), 41 percent of world wool production is classified as coarse wools.

Medium wool sheep

Medium wool sheep, raised more for meat than fiber, produce the lightest weight, least valuable fleeces. Medium wool is usually made into blankets, sweaters, or socks or it is felted. According to the I.W.T.O., 22 percent of world wool production is classified as medium wools.

Fine wool sheep

Fine wool sheep produce fleeces which usually have the greatest value due to their smaller fiber diameter and versatility of use. Garments made from fine wool are less likely to itch. According to the I.W.T.O., 37 percent of world wool production is classified as fine wools.

Hair sheep

Hair sheep shed their coats and produce no usable fibers. The "fleeces" from hair sheep and hair x wool crosses should be discarded. Their inclusion in a wool clip can contaminate the entire clip. Even raising wool sheep along side hair sheep or other shedding animals could potentially affect fleece quality of the wooled sheep. Hair will not accept dye.

Fleece characteristics of various US sheep breeds
 
Source:  American Sheep Industry Association

Value of wool

The value of wool is based on its suitability for specific end uses, as well as the fundamentals of the world wool market. Raw wool is usually purchased on the basis of grade. Grade denotes the average fiber diameter and length of individual fibers. The grade (or price) is reduced if the wool is dirty and contains a lot of vegetable matter or other contaminants.

Color

In the commercial market, white wool is more valuable than colored wool because it can be dyed any color. Even the wool from sheep with white faces is more valuable than the wool from sheep with dark or speckled faces because the fleeces from non-white face sheep may contain colored wool or hairs which cannot be dyed. In contrast, naturally-colored wools are often favored in the niche markets.

Wool marketing

In the United States, large producers of wool usually sell their wool to warehouses or directly to wool mills. Sometimes, the wool is sold on a clean (scoured) basis with the lower quality belly wool being removed from the clip. Small producers often sell their wool (raw) through wool pools.

A wool pool is a collection point for wool from many producers. At the pool, wool is sorted and packaged into different lots. The entire pool is sold to one mill, often via silent bid. Some producers sell their wool to hand spinners or have it made into yarn or blankets. When prices are low, some producers throw their wool away or give it to their shearer.

In the United States

In 2025, the average price paid for wool sold in the United States was $1.40 per pound (grease) for a total value of $28.7 million. In 2025, 20.5 million pounds of wool was harvested from 3 million sheep and lambs. The average fleece weight was 6.8 pounds (3.1 kg), compared to almost 10 lbs. (~4.5 kg) in Australia. In the US, Nevada sheep boasted the heaviest fleeces weights: 9.3 lbs. in 2025. Sheep producers can get more money for their wool if they direct market it to hand spinners or add value to it. In niche markets, there is no upper limit as to what wool can sell for.

Globally

Wool is a freely-traded international commodity, subject to global supply and demand. While wool represents only 3 percent of world fiber production, it is important to the economy and way of life in many countries. Though China is the largest producer of wool, Australia dominates the world wool market. China is the largest wool buyer. The United States accounts for less than 1 percent of the world's wool production and is a net importer of wool. In the US, the top states for wool production are California, Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah.

Wool production - Top 10 countries and US states
 
Sources:  FAO United Nations (2023) and USDA NASS (2026)

Question 5

Gardening with wool

Accepted Answer

Wool pelleting is a two-part process. First the wool (raw, dry) is chopped into smaller pieces by a wool crusher. Shredding is necessary to prevent the wool from getting jammed in the pellet mill. Next the shredded wool is fed into a pellet machine.

The machine uses friction and heat to process the wool into dense pellets. It is the same machinery that is used to pelletize wood and feed. Production yields are usually high, with close to 100 percent of the raw wool weight being converted to pelleted material.

Lanolin (the grease in wool) is crucial, acting as a natural, water-resistant binder. Besides its value in the wool pellet, it allows for better compaction and forming of the pellet.

Question 6

Science of the lambs

Accepted Answer

Research

Each year thousands of sheep and lambs are used in research in the United States. Sheep have been used as a model in heart valve research. Research with sheep led researchers to perfect and implant the arteriovenous shunt, a device that allows patients with kidney failure to be connected to dialysis machines for long term treatment. Sheep have been used in the development and testing of a device that assists lung function in infants soon after birth. Sheep have been used as a model to develop techniques for fetal heart surgery.

Orthopedics
The use of sheep for orthopedic research continues to increase. This is due to sheep's similarity with humans in weight, bone and joint structure and bone regeneration. Sheep models have been used to study bone healing and test synthetic bone replacements. The spina cord of the sheep is similar to the spina cord of humans, so sheep can be used as models for spinal cord research.

Ovaries

Scientists in Israel successfully transplanted frozen and thawed ovaries in sheep, retrieved oocytes from the ovaries, and triggered them in the laboratory into early embryonic development. This holds out hope that this approach could become a feasible treatment for women facing premature ovarian failure. The new freezing techniques may also have potential for other human transplants. Sheep were chosen for this research because their ovaries are similar.

Source: Medical News Today

Artificial lung

The MC3 BioLung® (artificial lung technology) is a device designed to support the respiratory needs of adult patients as a bridge to lung transplantation or lung recovery. The technology is being tested in adult sheep.

Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis sufferers could soon have sheep to thank for new types of therapy. Scientists have demonstrated how even gentle, but regular shaking of the limbs can ward off the weakening of the bones associated with the disease. The researchers showed this by mechanically stimulating the hind legs of adult sheep for 20 minutes every day for a year by standing them on a vibrating platform. By the end of the study, the density of spongy bone in the animals' thighs was 34 percent higher than in sheep not receiving the treatment.

Source: BBC News

Osteoporosis reduces the density and quality of bone, leading to weakness of the skeleton and an increased risk of fracture. The bones most at risk are the vertabrae, wrist, hip, and pelvis. Approximately 1 in 9 people suffer from osteoporosis or low bone mass.

Huntington's disease

A nervous system disorder in sheep might someday help people who suffer from Huntington's disease. Some sheep are carriers for GM1 gangliosidosis, an inherited disease that progressively destroys nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. GM1 gangliosidosis is a therapy for Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, spinal cord injury, and strokes. GM1 can be extracted from the tissues of slaughtered lambs that are infected with the disease. Currently, funding is being sought for clinical trials.

Huntington’s disease is a hereditary, degenerative disease that diminishes the ability of those who have it to walk, talk and reason. There is no cure for it.

Source: Aberdeen News, December 23, 2014

Tay-Sachs disease

Research has revealed that Tay-Sachs disease exists in some flocks of Jacob sheep. Jacobs are a rare breed of small, piebald, multi-horned sheep. Tay-Sachs is a deadly disease of the nervous system passed down through families. Jacob sheep are being used as a model to study Tay-Sachs disease and develop gene therapies that may one day provide a cure for the deadly disease.

Question 7

A sheep named Dolly

Accepted Answer

British scientists made world headlines in 1996 with the cloned sheep named Dolly. Dolly was world's first cloned mammal. Scientists say cloning sheep and other animals could lead to advances in medical research, including cloning animals to produce human antibodies against disease. At the same time, rapid progress in stem cell research and genetics has raised widespread debate about the ethnics and boundaries of science and medicine.

Mending broken hearts

Embryonic cells from mice can help mend the broken hearts of sheep. This cross-species experiment is one more step in finding out whether human embryonic stem cells can mend the damage done by heart attacks. A heart attack damages the muscle and blood vessels that allow a heart to pump blood around the body.

Doctors have long sought a way to repair this damage, and some experts say that embryonic stem cells hold the answer. Michel Pucéat of the French National Centre for Scientific Research in Montpellier and his colleagues performed the research. Pucéat says that this form of cardiac therapy holds much future promise.

Source: BioEd Online

Potential organ donors

Esmail Zanjani, Chairman of Animal Biotechnology at the University of Nevada, Reno, hopes to use sheep to incubate organs that one day can be transplanted into humans or cells that can be injected into human fetuses to treat genetic diseases in vitro.

The project involves taking human stem cells from the bone marrow of adult volunteers or from one of the federally approved embryo lines and injecting them into the fetuses of sheep before the unborn lambs’ immune system develop enough to reject the human cells.

The hybrid animals created by this transgenic mixing of cells are known as chimeras. Zanjani’s work has captured national and international attention. Each year, thousands of people die waiting for an organ to transplant.

Animal Pharming

The first transgenic farm animal was a sheep created in 1985. Biotechnology firms and research institutes involved in pharmaceutical development and production use transgenic animals for three different purposes: as a research model, as a test kit, and as pharmaceutical production units.

This new branch of transgenic animal production which has emerged in recent years has a new name: pharming. Pharming is the production of pharmaceutical human proteins in transgenic farm animals.

In most cases of pharming, changing the composition of milk is the main strategy. Transgenic sheep have been used to produce Factor IX and VIII to treat hemophilia, human protein C to treat thrombosis, CFTR to treat cystic fibrosis, and alpha- 1-antitrypsin (AAT) to help prevent emphysema.

Question 8

A bloody good idea

Accepted Answer

First blood transfusion

The first fully-documented blood transfusion was carried out by Dr. Jean Baptiste Denys on June 15, 1667. He transfused the blood from a sheep into a 15-year old boy who later died. The doctor was charged with his death. The first successful blood transfusion did not occur until 200 years later in 1818. By this time, doctors had discovered mixing blood types posed serious health risks.

Sheep as blood donors

Different kinds of culture media can be used to isolate microorganisms and diagnose infection. Horse and sheep blood are the most widely used animal blood products in culture media. The choice of the animal is largely traditional, with the U.S. and much of continental Europe preferring sheep blood. While some sheep blood is obtained from abattoirs, some sheep are raised specifically to produce blood for biomedical purposes.

Sheep as drug factories

Protherics is a drug development company specializing in critical care products derived from sheep polyclonal antibodies. The raw material (serum) for their products comes from their sheep flock in South Australia. The 4,500 strong first cross Merino/Border Leicester wethers are immunized every four weeks for 18 weeks to produce antibodies against either a snake venom or particular drug.

At 18 weeks, they reach their peak antibody level and are then bled every four weeks in a fashion similar to what happens at the Red Cross. Animals are first bled at about 20 months of age and generally remain in the research flock until they are 7.5 years old.

Once the blood has been harvested, it is transported to the manufacturing facility where the bags are spun in centrifuges to separate the red blood cells from the serum, containing the antibodies. It is then filtered, frozen, and exported to the parent company manufacturing site in Wales. The antibodies are extracted and purified to form the end product.

Rattlesnake anti-venom

Products include North American rattlesnake anti-venom, an antidote for overdoses of the heart drug Digoxin, CytoFab™ for the control of sepsis-syndrome or septic shock, a Prolarix™, a novel anti-cancer drug. Protherics is one of a handful of companies worldwide that uses sheep to produce polyclonal antibodies.