Sheep Speak

To make it easier to understand my posts I thought it would be a good idea to make a glossary of sheep and agriculture related terms. Hopefully I include all the important terms, but if there is something you don't understand post a comment and I will answer to the best of my ability!
A
Abomasum- fourth stomach compartment in sheep where they digest their food
Abortion- loss of lambs before the end of pregnacy
AI- Artificial Insemination is a process whereby semen is placed within a female's uterus artificially
B
Banding- the method of using a rubber band to dock tails and castrate lambs
Bloat- accumulation of gas in the rumen (stomach compartment) that can usually be diagnosed by observing an enlarged left side
Breech- when a lamb is positioned backwards during birth
Burdizzo - castration method that uses a large clamp to crush the blood vessels leading into the testicles
C
Card- a brush containing bent metal teeth used when grooming and preparing wool for spinning by pulling the crimp(waves) out of the wool so the fibers are aligned
Castrate- to remove or inhibit the effectiveness of the testicles of male sheep
Colostrum- the initial milk made by the ewe after lambing that contains antibodies that are essential for newborn lambs 
Crimp- the natural wave of wool
Culling- a process that involves selecting animals to be removed from the breeding program and sold based on age, health and production factors
Creep Feeding- a system that allows lambs access to a ration of feed separate from the rest of the herd
Cross Breeding- different breeds of sheep being bred to each other
Crutching- the shearing of wool around the tail and rear of a ewe, usually done before lambing for cleanliness and viewing purposes
Cud- regurgitated food that is chewed again by the sheep
D
Dam- mother
Dock- to shorten the length of the tail for cleanliness reasons, to prevent parasites, make shearing easier and for easier viewing of a ewes udder
Dressing Percentage- the percentage of a live lamb that ends up as a carcass
Dystocia- difficulty when lambing
E
Elastrator- device used to apply rubber bands for castrating and tail docking
Estrus- aka heat, when the ewe is fertile
Ewe- female sheep
F
Fleece- wool from a sheep
Forage-edible plant material that is used to feed animals
G
Genotype- genetic make-up of an individual sheep
Gestation- length of pregnancy
H
Heterosis- aka hybrid vigor, a noticeable difference in performance in crossbreds over purebreds
Heritability- the degree to which traits are passed from parents to offspring
I
Immunity- resistance to disease
Inbreeding- the breeding of closely related animals
Intramuscular- into the muscle
Intravenous-  into the vein 
J
Jug- a pen into which a ewe and newborn lambs are put in
K
Ked- an external bloodsucking parasite
L
Lactation- when a ewe is producing milk to feed her lambs
Lamb- a young sheep under a year old
Lanolin- natural oil produced by sheep
Live Vaccine- a vaccine that contains parts a weakened form of the virus is used to build an immunity without causing full blown symptoms
M
Mastitis- inflammation of the mammary gland
Mutton- meat from an aged sheep
N
O
Omasum- third compartment of the sheep stomach
Ovine- pertaining to or being a sheep
P
Pasture- vegetation covered fenced area where sheep graze
Parturition- giving birth
Pedigree- family history of a purebred animal
Phenotype- the visible traits that an animals possesses
Polled- hornless
Purebred- of only one breed
Q
R
Ram- uncasterated male sheep
Reticulum- second compartment of the sheep stomach
Rumen- first compartment of the sheep stomach
Ruminant- an animal with a stomach that has multiple compartments like sheep and cattle
S
Shear- clipping wool from a sheep
Sire- father
Stillborn- A lamb born dead
Subcutaneous- under the skin
T
Teaser- a male sheep that cannot reproduce but is used to determine when ewes are in heat
U
Udder- contains and releases milk 
V
Vaccination- an injection given to animals to build immunity to disease
W
Weaning- when lambs are separated from their mother when they are big enough
Wether- a castrated male sheep
X
Y
Yearling- an animal that is between one and two years of age
Z