Study Guide for Sheep Skillathon
Individual testing for Beef, Sheep, Swine, Meat Goats and Dairy Cows
1.
2.
3.
4.
Anatomy
Whole Sale Cuts
Breeds
Animal Handling
Group Test
1.
2.
3.
4.
General Livestock Questions
Vet tools and how it is used
Herd Health for each species
Individual Species Health Questions
 Sheep-Scrapies
 Swine-Enteritis
 Beef-Brucellosis
5. Feed Questions for each species
6. EPD’s for each species
Study Guide for Sheep Skillathon
General Livestock Questions
1. List 5 items you need to bring to fair?
Answers such as:
 Feed/Feed Buckets
 Water Bucket/Water Tube
 Brush
 Show Clothes
 Show Stick
 Animals
 Clippers/Combs/Tack

2. What time should you check your animals last or take them out to the pens? 9:00 PM
3. Who takes care of your animals after the sale until the fair ends and the exhibits are released?
Me or I do
4. How often do you need to water your animals? As often as needed or every 2 hours
5. What is a Bulls-eye and what do you need to do if you get one? Bulls-eye is put on your pen if
your animal is not being taken care of properly such as no water, lack of pen clean-up or no
feed. If you receive a bulls-eye then the species supperintendent needs to be contacted within 3
hours and the problems corrected. If the problem is not corrected with the allowed time frame
then you will be asked to remove the animal from the fair.
Study Guide for Sheep Skillathon
At swine weigh in on May 5th, your pig weighed 97 pounds. Today, June 29th your pig weighs 204
pounds and has eaten 300 pounds of feed. On fair weigh day, July 30 you want him to weigh 275
pounds.
Answer the questions below, round each answer to one decimal place.
(Hint: May has 31 days, June has 30 days, and July has 31 days)
1. How many pounds did your pig gain between weigh in and today?
204 pounds today MINUS 97 pounds on May 5=
Answer: 107 pounds
2. How many pounds of feed has your pig consumed each day from weigh in day until today?
May 5 to June 29 is 55 days
300 pounds of feed consumed DIVIDED by 55 days=
Answer: 5.5 pounds of feed per day
3. What is your pig’s feed conversion rate (pounds of feed consumed to produce 1 pound of body
weight)?
He consumed 300 pounds of feed and gained 107 pounds of body weight so 300 pounds of
feed DIVIDED by 107 pounds of gain=
Answer: 2.8 pounds of feed for one pound of pain or 2.9:1
4. Assuming the same feed conversion rate and intake, what will your pig weigh at fair weigh in on
July 30?
June 29 to July 30 is 31 days
It takes 2.8 pounds of feed for one pound of gain and he is eating 5.5 pounds of feed per day of
gain per day.
31 days MULTIPLIED BY 2.0 pounds of gain per day=62 pounds of gain in the next 31 days
62 pounds of gain PLUS current weight of 204=
Answer: 266
5. Because you cannot change feed conversion rate, you need to adjust daily intake in order to
meet your target weight of 275 pounds. How many pounds of feed per day do you need to feed
your pig to have him weigh 275 pounds at fair weigh-in on July 30?
275 pounds target weight MINUS 204 pounds current weight=71 pounds of needed gain
71 pounds of needed gain DIVIDED by 31 days left on feed=2.3 pounds of gain per day needed
2.8 pounds of feed per pound of gain MULTIPLIED by 2.3 pounds per day needed=
Answer: 6.4 pounds of feed per day
Study Guide for Sheep Skillathon
Neck
Rear Flank
Top of shoulder
Belly
Back or Rack
Fore Flank
Loin
Cannon
Hips
Knee
Rump
Forearm
Dock
Middle
Breast or Brisket
Shoulder
Twist
Leg
Hock
Muzzle
Face
Forehead
Pastern
Hoof
Poll
RACK
Study Guide for Sheep Skillathon
At the Market Goat weigh-in, May 4, your goat weighed 46 pounds. Today, June 15 your goat weighed
67 pounds. On fair weigh-in day July 29 you want the goat to weigh 90 pounds. The goat has consumed
62 pounds of feed from weigh-in till today. May has 31 days and June has 30 days.
Answer the questions below, round each to the one decimal place.
1. How many pounds did your goat gain between weigh-in and today?
Today’s weight minus starting weight (67 pounds – 46 pounds) = 21 pounds
2. How many pounds of feed has your goat consumed each day from weigh-in until now?
May 4 – 31 = 27 days, June = 15 days
27 days + 15 days = 42 days
Consumed 62 pounds of feed
3. What is your goats conversion rate (i.e. pounds of feed consumed to produce 1 pound of body
weight)?
62 pounds of feed consumed, gained 21 pounds
62 divided 21 = 2.95 or 3.0 pounds of feed per 1 pound of weight gained
4. Assuming the same feed conversion rate and feed intake, what will your goat weigh at fair weigh-in
on July 29?
June 16 – 30 = 15 days, July = 29 days
15 = 29 = 44 days until fair
1.5 per day gain rate divided 3.0 conversion rate = .5 pounds gained per day
.5 gained per day x 44 days until = 22 pound projected gain until fair
22 pounds projected gain plus 67 pounds current weight = 89 fair weight
5. Because you can’t change feed conversion rate, you will need to adjust daily feed intake in order to
meet your target weight of 90 pounds. How many pounds of feed per day do you need to feed your goat
to have it weigh 90 pounds at the fair weigh-in on July 29?
90 pounds target weight – 67 pounds current weight = 23 pounds need to make weight
23 pounds divided 44 (days until fair) = .52 (.5) pound daily gain needed
3 conversion rate x .5 daily gain = 1.5 pounds of feed for 1 pound weight gain
Answer = 1.5 pounds of feed per day until fair