The Sheep Show Podcast with Jill & Andrew Noble

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Non, je ne regrette rien! No, I do not regret anything! Ok that is a bit of a stretch to say there are not things we regret doing but there are six things we definitely do not  regret doing. on our farm and with our sheep. 

In this episode I share six key things that we don't regret doing since we bought our farm in 2015.  

What are the things that you don't regret doing on your farm? 

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Cud spilling or broken cud is a colloquial term for an abnormality in sheep. We typically notice dark staining around the bottom lip and jaw when the sheep is eating or chewing their cud. Affected sheep are usually culled and definitely not breed with as they usually do not grow or thrive well. But what causes cud spilling and how come it is such a mystery?

What causes the staining?

The staining around the mouth is due to the animal dribbling saliva and ingesta during rumination. This is most likely from an inability to control the cud efficiently. Although the nature of cud spilling is generally not understood very well in either farming or research circles there is one piece of research on the topic in the archives which we can look at to shed some light on the mystery.

WIB Beveridge researched cud spilling. His research was reported in The Australian Veterinary Journal in 1936, eight out of the 13 cases examined were due to partial or complete absence of the free end of the tongue. Of the five remaining cases that Beveridge looked at, two showed no obvious structural abnormality, one had deformed cheek teeth and one had a cyst in the pharynx and one had an old fracture of the mandible (jaw bone). 

Beveridge concluded that the staining was most commonly caused by the partial or complete absence of the free end of the tongue. He noted that the amount of staining varied as did the degree of deformity of the tongue. The cause of the deformity of the tongue is not known. Interestingly in Beveridge’s paper he suggested that the tongue issues may have been caused by foxes who are partial to lamb’s tongue it seems. 

Other causes or theories on cud spilling

Dysphagia is difficulty swallowing — taking more time and effort to move food or liquid from the mouth to the stomach. Dysphagia can be painful for the animal. 

The technical word for cud spilling is that the sheep or lamb is dysphagic and drops it cud, this can arise for a number of reasons. It can be an indication of diseases of the teeth, gums, or conditions that would cause a sore mouth. Less commonly it has been seen in sheep with high stomach acidity or on poor feed. This arises because the acidic cud has a sharp pH, bad taste, or because of pain.

If you have a sheep who is dropping cud, then the first step would be for you/your vet to perform an oral examination. The teeth, soft tissues, and bone should be examined and palpated, as you need to check for dental disease but also inflammation or abscessation of the gums, ulcerations/lacerations/vesicles of the mucosa, changes to the tongue (for example, wooden tongue) and swellings of the bone (like lumpy jaw). The lymph nodes under the jaw should be checked as these can enlarge with infectious and inflammatory causes of oral disease. 

The most common cause of throat injury is from improper use of a drench gun. Where anthelmintics have trace elements added, especially copper, the damaged throat lining can become ulcerated. Poor bolus administration can cause the same problem. Many with this injury do not improve.

Some suggest that lambs with cud spilling will grow out of it once their mouth and teeth have developed fully. Most stud breeders have zero tolerance and simply don’t risk it and cull from the first sight of cud spilling regardless. 

So the jury is still out on what we and the researchers think causes cud spilling. What ideas do you have? 

If you are interested you can find the full Beveridge article online at Wiley Online library which is a paid online library service.

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How can we encourage the sort of sheep behaviour that is good for us and makes our life easier and the sort of behaviour that is nature and easy for our sheep too? In this episode we explore sheep behavioural traits, how sheep react, how sheep see and hear and how sheep move. 

This episode will get you thinking like a sheep!!

 Specific Behaviour Traits
Sheep are created with specific behaviour traits. Knowing 
what these traits are can make handling them much easier.
 Sheep are social animals, so try and prevent seclusion.
 Sheep by nature are followers; let them follow - you or each other
 Sheep are docile animals by nature.
 Sheep have good memories; these memories need to be 
positive ones as much as possible.


Sight and Hearing
Sheep and other farm animals have a well developed sense 
of hearing. They capture a wider frequency of sound than is 
audible to our ears.  So talk to them in a calm, 
reassuring voice. When they sense that you mean no harm, 
they will turn to their usual business of eating, drinking and 
feeding their young.
Humans have binocular vision, focusing both eyes 
simultaneously to achieve good depth perception and 
clarity for objects directly in front of them. However humans 
peripheral vision is very limited. Sheep see the world through 
a different set of eyes than ours. Sheep have their eyes set 
on the side of the head. They have a narrow field of 
binocular vision in front of their head and wide peripheral 
fields of monocular vision.
The area in the back of the sheep's head is a blind spot 
when their head is raised. If a sheep is approached from the 
rear, a handler can remain undetected visually and have a 
better chance at catching the animal. With its head down in 
a grazing position the sheep can see in all directions; a good 
defensive adaptation whereby the sheep can see predators' 
from all sides while grazing.

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Subscriber-only episode

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Want to know how much we earn from sheep? How much meat do we sell and what revenue do we make from it? How much do we make from selling livestock? How much do we generate per acre on our farm? 

In this X rated episode (not really just kidding but I am being very intimate and revealing with information here) I share with you the actual figures we have earned in the last three tax years from sheep, including the current tax year of 2022/2023. I calculate how much per acre we generate and share this with you. See how X rated it is!! This is extra intimate content for you as a subscriber, you desire a bit of spice in your sheep life! Thank you for subscribing X

We also explore what you can do to generate more income from sheep on your farm even if you have couple of acres. 

Share with me how you are going with your revenue per acre - [email protected] 

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We all know the wonders of sheep but did you know they can spark creativity in artists! I do hope you enjoy meeting Ryder, Liz and Hazel, (their sheep spirit animal) from the Dust Bowl Faeries in this rather creative episode of The Sheep Show Podcast! Both Ryder and Liz are passionate about music and animals and in this episode we learn about how they create harmony between music and animals, particularly sheep, in their lives.

 A faerie-tale fusion of dark cabaret, gothic polka and post-punk music, Dust Bowl Faeries are a dark-carnival band from the New York Hudson Valley. The band's eclectic repertoire of songs draw inspiration from animals (including sheep!, animal advocacy, circus songs, murder ballads and Eastern European folk music. Ryder & Hazel are joined by musicians Rubi LaRue, Jon B. Woodin, Liz LoGiudice & Andrew Stein. 



To donate, listen or follow the band head to:
https://www.and-hof-animals.org/donate-today
https://dustbowlfaeries.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWSmL9uBZE7Ng3-eGsMBI-A

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We have tried a number of agri-ventures on our farm - not all have worked! But the ones that have worked have now tripled our farm income!
In this episode, interfaced on YouTube we explore what is agriventuring, what might work for you and how to choose which agri-venture works for you! 

Watch this session on YourTube via @hallstonvalleyfarm 

https://www.youtube.com/@hallstonvalleyfarm

https://studio.youtube.com/video/EqyjYKt5hpY/edit

Case studies
Blue Tree Honey Farm Dunbalk 
I Love Farms Delburn
Unyoked.co

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What is hybrid vigour in sheep?
Pros and cons
What should I do with my sheep - cross or pure/straight breed? This pod will help you make your decision!

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Worried about having rams fighting when you introduce them to each other? In this episode we explore some rather novel ways to help rams adjust to having each other around without it resulting in blood and guts all over the place. 

Have you tied any of these strategies - what worked for you?? Get in touch at [email protected] to let me know your experiences with ram jams! 

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Learn about the Babydoll breed in this episode with Sheep Show Podcast listener Elaine Hausser from Five Bears Farm  in Queensland and Sue Curliss from Sugargum Farm in Victoria. 

This is the first episode looking at different breeds of sheep. What is your breed of sheep? Get in touch with me at [email protected] and let's talk about getting your breed of sheep featured on the pod this year!!

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So can sheep help you manage weeds on your farm? In this episode we look at three weeds that impact us on our farm and how we manage them and where sheep have been useful for us? 

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