This document discusses culling of sheep and goats, which is the process of removing undesirable animals from a breeding stock based on specific traits. It defines culling and describes categories for culling such as low producers, repeat breeders, animals with genetic defects or poor growth. The document outlines different types of culling including policy culling for traits like age or conformation, veterinary culling for untreatable illnesses, and emergency culling. Methods of culling like tandem, independent levels, and total score are also summarized. The importance of culling to maintain flock size and increase productivity is highlighted.

1. CULLING OF SHEEP
AND GOAT
Dr. AKHILA M. R.
2018-MVM-01
Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics

2. Vital practice
Best means to improve bands of goats
Selection and culling keeps problems at minimum
Undesirable animals removed

3. Development of ideal breeding flock
10 – 20 % every year from healthy flock
Replacement by new lambs/ kids

4. DEFENITION
In Biology, Culling is the process of
segregating organisms from a group
according to desired or undesired characters
In Animal Breeding, Culling is the process of
removing or segregating animals from a
breeding stock based on a specific trait

5. To exaggerate desirable characteristics or remove undesirable
characteristics by altering genetic diversity of population
For livestock and wildlife, Culling often refers to act of killing
removed animals

6. CATEGORIES TO BE CULLED
Undesirable animals
Low producers – less amount of milk for young twins/ triplets
Repeat breeders
Animals with stunted growth
All animals except future breeding bucks at 16-18 Kg body wt. in
4-5 months

7. Low prolificacy animals – if not 1.6 kids per year
Problem animals
Does of longer inter-kidding intervals - > 1 year
Does of longer dry period

8. Suffering from incurable and contagious diseases
Paralysis affected animals
Lame/ deformed bones/ fractures
Teeth defects, feet and leg defects

9. History of abortion
Udder defects in females
Testicle defects in males
Fail to breed and produce offspring

10. Wean less weight and low grade offspring
Lack desirable conformation, breed characters/ sex characters
Develop incurable physical defects
Evidence of hereditary diseases

11. TYPES OF CULLING
Culling classified in to 3 types
Policy culling
Veterinary culling
Emergency culling

12. POLICY CULLING
Not true to breed/ type
Parentage not known
Genetic defects
Poor production/ reproduction

13. Surplus stock : males and females not selected for breeding and
those cast off after breeding
Age : sheep and goats of six years and above
Animals with gummers and broken mouth condition
Poor body weight and growth rate

14. VETERINARY CULLING
Disorders refractory to treatment
Incapacitated/ become unsuitable for normal production life
Weak and debilitated animals
Loosing weight, static weight during growing phase

15. Loosing 25% or more weight during adulthood
Suspected/ confirmed case of animals ailing from contagious/
infectious/ zoonotic diseases

16. EMERGENCY CULLING
Whose prognosis is grave
Involved in accidents, predatory attacks
Suffering from non-specific diseases
Confirmed cases of TB, JD, Brucellosis

17. Other types
Tandem method
Independent level method
Total score method

18. Tandem Method
A form of selective breeding
Breeder addresses one characteristic of the animal at a time
Select animals that measure above certain threshold of trait
Other traits kept constant

19. Tandem Method
When level of quality in single trait achieved, breeder focus on a
second trait
Cull based on second trait quality
Improvement of one particular trait without losing quality of others
Applied in each successive generation of progeny
Ensure improvement in single characteristic of breeding program

20. Independent Levels Method
Animal that falls below a given standard in any single characteristic
Regardless of level of excellence of other traits
Not used in a breeding program
With each successive mating, the threshold culling criteria is raised

21. Independent Levels Method
Improving breed with each successive generation
Measures several characteristics together

22. Total Score Method
Method where breeder evaluates and selects breeding stock
Based on a weighted table of characteristics.
Breeder selects most important qualities and assigns them a weight
Weights of all traits should add up to 100

23. Total Score Method
When evaluating an individual for selection, the breeder measures
the traits on a scale of 1 to 10
Scores then multiplied by their weights and added together
Individuals fail to meet a threshold are culled (or removed) from
program

24. Total Score Method
Total score gives breeder a way to evaluate multiple traits on an animal at
same time
Most flexible of the three

25. IMPORTANCE OF CULLING
Maintain flock size
More productive and easier to manage
Increase usefulness of animals
Helps maintain good breeding bands
Efficient grazing ability

26. REFERENCS
N. S. R. Sastry, C. K. Thomas; Livestock Production Management;
5th Edn; 2015; Kalyani Publishers, New Delhi; Pg no. 495-496
Jagdish Prasad; Goat, Sheep and Pig Production; 2011; Kalyani
Publishers, New Delhi; Pg no.77
P. N. Bhat, C. L. Arora; Sheep Production; 2009; Stadium Press
(India) Pvt. Ltd.; Delhi; Pg no. 96-98; 291
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/culling

27. THANK YOU…….