Sheep are artiodactyls. In ancient times, this animal was tamed and domesticated by humans, largely due to its edible meat and its thick wool. But in the course of development, a society of sheep began to be used, and soon bred for the production of sheep milk, from which cheese is made. Exactly the need for breeding sheep in large quantities and entailed a huge amount of research, the results of which met all expectations, opening new borders for people in the breeding of this domesticated animal.
- 1. Puberty
- 2. Timing of mating
- 3. Signs of readiness for mating
- 4. Animal selection
- 5. Animal preparation
- 6. Case
- 7. Caring for sugy sheep
1. Puberty
Average, puberty in sheep occurs at the age of 8-9 months. During this period, their growth and physical development have not yet ended, and that is why it is very dangerous to semen bright almost immediately after reaching puberty. Otherwise, you can notice a delay in the normal and natural development and growth of the animal, since all the necessary nutrients are sent to the formation of the fetus, and soon - to the formation of milk.
However, very late mating also has a negative effect on the body of the sheep as a whole, because all the nutrients will go to the formation of fatty tissues, and not aimed at the development of the fetus, which extremely negatively affects the reproductive functions of females.
Based on the foregoing, the bright of any breeds is desirable and necessary to happen in the period from 12 to 18 months, depending on the development of a particular animal.
2. Timing of mating
Only at certain times of the year can sheep mate. The sexual season for most breeds begins at the end of summer and ends until the middle of winter. It also depends on the climatic conditions of the sheep. A sheep case is a compulsory calculation: it is necessary to have a sheep in such a period of time so that favorable feeding conditions coincide with the lactation period.
In sheep, on average, the sexual cycle is 16-17 days, with possible deviations from 8 to 35 days. If during the period of the sexual cycle there was not a single insemination, after 16-17 days the sheep again go into the sexual cycle. In all sheep, the duration of the hunt does not change, but has one constant length of time.
3. Signs of readiness for mating
Speaking of the first mating for any breed of sheep, the surest sign of its readiness will be reaching a live weight of 65-75% of an adult animal. It is this phenomenon that occurs in the period of time from 12 to 18 months.
Nevertheless, there are less stringent time for mating sheep. Amateur livestock breeders have been bright in their mating before they are one year old. But the main permissive element of such mating is the live weight of the sheep, which must reach 40 kg and be well developed. Tribal rams, in turn, allow mating in twelve months, but also provided that they are well developed physically, which means they have up to 80% of the mass of an adult animal.
The current is the main sign of sexual activity. Redness of the tissues of the genital organs is accompanied at this time by swelling of the mucous membrane, as well as increased functioning of the glands of the vestibule of the vagina, oviducts and cervix, when disclosing from which mucus is secreted. At the very beginning of estrus such mucus is transparent, soon it gradually darkens. It is the changes in viscosity and color of the vaginal mucus that are the main and clear indicator for determining the ovulation period or the estrus stage.
In uterus, the hunt begins at a time when the sex cells in the ovary are ripe, and it ends after ovulation. The length of the hunt itself depends on the breed and age of the animal, on the weather, the general condition of the animal, and ranges from 12 hours to 3 days. At this time, the sheep behave very calmly and in many ways lose their appetite. It is because of such calmness that the uterus stands quietly, and does not run away from the ram, when it tries to fertilize it.
Uterus, whose hunt lasts less than a day, very rarely bring two lambs, while uterus, which are in a hunting state for more than a day, very often bring two. This circumstance must be used when choosing a sheep for receiving a heritage.
Speaking of ovulation, it often occurs 30 to 32 hours after the start of the hunt. The best time for mating sheep is the final 5 or 6 hours of hunting, which, unfortunately, is very difficult to establish. In consequence of this, double insemination of queens is recommended: after the detection of estrus and exactly in a day.
4. Animal selection
Of great importance for successful mating is the direct organization of the correct selection of queens that are on the hunt. For this purpose, sampling rams are used (up to 15 heads per 100 queens). When selecting as probes very active and healthy sheep that do not have pedigree values, they are put in excellent conditions of existence and increased supervision of feeding, in order to maintain their sexual activity. In the inconsistency of the sheep with all healthy and active parameters, it quickly gets tired and allocates not all queens, which, in turn, leads directly to their barley.
Those queens that are intended for fertilization, are driven into the pen, where they launch active sheep-probes. Those queens that are calm and do not run away from these sheep are selected and sent for artificial insemination.
Increased sexual activity is observed in vasectomized sheep, which are selected as probes. Those uteri that were covered and fertilized were artificially kept in separate flocks for 24 hours, after which a test probe was again launched to them, which again covered unfertilized uterus.
5. Animal preparation
It is important to always maintain tribal sheep in breeding condition. They should not allow any obesity, not exhaustion, as in such cases they will be very bad uterine fertilizers.
Somewhere a month before mating, sheep check the amount of sperm, soon - the amount of concentrates increases in the amount.
By the occasion, the uterus begins to prepare after the beating from the nah of the lambs, for this they are transferred to much better places for grazing.
Before the immediate encroachment of the sheep of the uterus, it must be kept in an excellent state of nutrition. In the autumn months, sex hunting is more pronounced when the animals are in a good state of well-being, as a result of the cessation of feeding of lambs and grazing. Slowdown occur in winter and summer.
It is advisable to conduct the mating in a shorter time - from 30 to 40 days. This is what can be the key to better lambing and obtaining excellent uniform young stock, which will be much easier to grow in the future.
6. Case
In turn, the applied natural bonding can be varied: hand-made individual, free and cool. In general, the true essence of the manual mating of sheep is that the sheep in the hunt mates with the ram, which was previously chosen for it in accordance with the mating plan. During the mating itself, usually, a special machine is used. In some cases, the ram or the uterus itself is held by the hands. The very next day, the uterus, which was previously covered by a ram, is being tested with a probe. If she is still in the hunt, then it happens a second time.
The main features of manual mating of sheep are such important aspects: the possibility of individual selection and selection of an animal in a herd, independent scheduling of lambing, and reduction of the females, because identifying unfertilized queens is quite simple and they can be repeated. But lately, the spread of artificial insemination pushed this kind of mating to another plan.In addition, so the rams wear much faster than with a manual mating. Nevertheless, in the selection of sheep and group selection, this type of mating is mostly justified.
On farms, where the livestock of sheep enough loosely used mating. It has a large number of shortcomings, therefore, it must be eliminated from our society. The rams "work in shifts," every day they are sent to the herd, they rest one day. In such conditions, manufacturers wear out prematurely, it is almost impossible to select sheep, as well as to establish the timing of lambing. In addition, in the farm itself, the number of sheep that need to be kept is much larger than with other types of mating.
7. Caring for sugy sheep
As soon as the lamb was born, it is necessary to remove the mucus from the mouth and nasal cavity with your hand. The umbilical cord is cut at a distance of 7-8 cm from the abdomen, then burned with iodine or alcohol. Yagnenko needs to be wiped with a dry and clean sacking cloth, covered with a cloth so that the dry newborn does not overcool.
The infant should receive its first food from the mother (colostrum), which has bactericidal and immunological properties, as well as great nutritional value.It is the immune bodies that are contained in colostrum that increase the resistance of the newborn organism against various infectious and catarrhal diseases. Lambs that are born low-milk uterus, you can safely admit to rich milk.
Already at the age of 2-3 weeks, the young begin to teach for small hay, carrots and concentrates. It is imperative that the feeding of lambs should be carried out in a place separated from the adults, nevertheless, arranged near the machine of the queens where the lambs can penetrate through the partition. In the period of being and coexistence with ewes, they can suck them arbitrarily.
Already after the release of the lambs in other, individual machines, their admission to the uterus must be limited to 5-6 times a day within a month, preferably with a three-hour and equal interval. For living with uterus half an hour Thus, the next month, feeding is reduced to four times a day, and a month later - to three. To the womb, at night, the lambs are no longer allowed.
In lambs that are accustomed and adapted to feedings in time, the development of the digestive tract is greatly accelerated, and the growth of the organism and its development are directly supported. For lambs you need to stock up plenty of excellent hay, lick salt, and concentrates in the amount of half a kilogram. If all feeding of the lambs took place under the auspices of proper feeding, then by the time of the beating, their live weight will be about fifty percent of the mother's live weight.
