Breeding sheep: valuable tips for beginner sheep farmers

Breeding sheep - the process is not complicated and at the same time very profitable. If only there were good pastures in summer, and in winter - stocks of hay.

The productivity of sheep farming is known - food (the most delicate meat, cheese, milk, cottage cheese), as well as wool. These animals are characterized by endurance, mobility, adaptability to grazing on the slopes of ravines, semi-deserts, foothills, in other words, in those places that are inaccessible to cattle grazing.

And most importantly, the initial steps of sheep breeding do not require a lot of money for specialized buildings, fodder, since these animals are completely picky in their content, but, let's get everything in order.

The initial and most crucial moment in sheep farming is the choice of breed

If you decide to engage in sheep breeding, then, initially, it is necessary to determine the products you wish to receive from these pets, and, of course, to compare with the possible conditions of detention. And so, we all know that You can receive several types of products from sheep at the same time:

Dairy (cottage cheese, cheese, milk). The udder and digestive organs are well formed in dairy sheep, which makes it possible to teach good milk yield.

Meat, fat (fat tail, loy). Many breeds of these animals are well developed subcutaneous tissue and muscle tissue. The main indicators that determine this type of productivity are considered to be the exterior, size, weight, shape and size of the rump.

Wool (thin, semi-thin or coarse). Sheep wool is very widely used for the production of yarn and fabric, therefore, its sale can also be a good source of income.

Sheepskin (fur or fur coat). Sheepskin in a lamb appears already a few days after the birth.

After you have chosen the direction of productivity, you can move on to the stage of choosing the pedigree affiliation. In this regard, the choice is much broader.

Fine fleece. The wool of these animals is uniform, consists solely of downy hairs. Wool fineness from 60 to 80 is about 14-25 micrometers, the average length is 6-9 centimeters. Since modern bred fine-wool sheep have meat productivity along with wool production, fine-wool sheep breeds are differentiated by the following three areas:

Wool fine-fleeced. These animals have poorly formed muscles and adipose tissue, meat productivity is low (Salsk, Azerbaijani merino, Stavropol). Wool and fine-wool meat. Sheep have larger dimensions, good meat qualities and body shape (Askanian, Caucasian, Altai, Kyrgyz, South South Kazakh and North Kazakh, Transbaikalian merino).

Fine-wool meat. The skin does not have folds, the bones are moderately formed, the animals are ripening, meat signs are well marked, and the body is bulllike.The number of nastriga significantly inferior to other fine-fleeced sheep (Vyatka, prekos).

Semi-fine. Sheep, as a rule, large, early. Characterized by good meat productivity, the wool is uniform, but less thin, semi-coarse. The advantage is given to white sheep, because their coat has a large amount of down and transitional hair. Adult sheep of this trend are sheared twice a year. Among the breeds of fine-fleeced sheep it is worth mentioning the Tajik, Altai, saraja.

Grubosherstnye. From sheep of this direction receive sheepskin and meat. Following the direction of coarse wool productivity can be divided into:

Coat and meat. The most striking example of this trend is the Romanov breed.

Smushkovye (Astrakhan, Sokol).

Meat. Sheep of this direction have a strong construction, meat productivity prevails, well adapted to grazing, hardy. Examples of rocks: Hissar, Edilbaevskaya, Texel, Dorper, Barbadosian black-smelly, Wiltshire horned, Jaidar.

Meat-wool. A well-known representative is the Sante Ines breed.

Meat-Wool-Milk. The sheep of these breeds are of medium size, hardy, well adapted to grazing. The meat has high nutritional and taste qualities. Wool is coarse with a lot of down and transition hair. Often this wool is used for the manufacture of beads, felted shoes.

Especially valued for the manufacture of outerwear is a lambs (skins of young lambs). Representatives of the rocks of this trend are: Balbas, Karabakh, Tushino, Karachai, Mazeh, Tsvartbless, Nezhd.

How to organize the feeding of sheep throughout the year?

Feeding regimen: is it important to follow it and how to organize it?

In the pasture period, the basis of the diet are green fodder. Animals can not be fed anything. At the same time, it is necessary to adhere to a clear grazing regime. The period of daily stay in the pasture should not be less than 12-14 hours. Only for such a period of time the sheep will have time to get the required amount of food.

For rams this time is not enough, so their grazing can last about 15 hours. It will be enough for the young stock for 5-7 hours, for the syagny sheep, in order to be fed on pastures, it is necessary for 6-7 hours, for the hornbugs - 10-12 hours.

When stall maintenance, it is necessary to feed the sheep three times a day (it would be nice if this process occurred at the same time). It is desirable that the diet be such: morning - hay, day - juicy, concentrated feed, evening - straw and hay. It is necessary to feed the animals during each feeding, or install automatic drinkers.

Meals in the winter - make the right diet

In winter, food should be varied, high-quality, and necessarily useful. After all, not all animals endure the cold and they need a lot of fat reserves and energy. In the stall diet must be present:

Silage. This type of feed can be safely put in an honorable second place after green fodder. It is good in that it contains a large amount of nutrients and is efficiently absorbed, especially corn.The introduction of silage in the diet has a positive effect on the growth of wool cover, and also contributes to an increase in meat and milk production. Animals quickly get used to it. The average daily rate per head is 3-4 kilograms.

Melons, roots, vegetables. Animals love juicy food, they eat them with pleasure. This feed is especially relevant to the syagny and nursing ewes, as it contributes to an increase in lactation. The most popular are: carrots, pumpkins, potatoes, zucchini, fodder and semi-sugar beets. It is recommended to feed such forages with cut and sprinkled bran. The average daily rate of succulent feed - 2-4 pounds.

Concentrated feed. These include various cereals (from barley to oats), legumes (peas, soybean, lentils), corn and bran, oilcake. The average daily rate is 100-150 grams.

Hay. Universal coarse feed. The nutritional value of hay entirely depends on: the time of harvesting, the composition of herbs, the methods of storage. The highest quality is hay harvested at the initial stage of flowering. The most fortified can be called alfalfa hay. Young animals are best fed with hay from legumes.The average daily rate - 2-4 kilograms. Hay can be replaced with straw, but it is less nutritious.

Discussing the requirements and characteristics of pasture for sheep

A very important point in sheep farming is the availability of grazing land. After all, most of the year, animals are kept on free grazing, which is quite beneficial for the owner himself. This can be explained by the fact that:

• saves feed;
• improves the metabolism of animals;
• livestock healthier;
• strengthens internal organs and muscles;
• increases productivity.

In general, pastures can be divided into the following types: pen (with fences) and without fences; natural (natural) and artificial (self-seeded); with perennial or annual plants. Care must be taken to ensure that grazing places are always clean. Necessarily near pastures should have been places for watering, with clean water and accessible to animals at any time.

Sheep are animals that perfectly eat and low-value herbs. They are able to bite off a plant much lower than other animals. That is why, if you do not follow pastures, and regularly graze in the same place, in a short time they will become unsuitable.It is advisable to change pasture plots every week, as well as regularly sow grass, feed and fertilize the land.

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Premises for sheep are constructed, taking into account the climatic conditions of the region. If these are household farms, then specially adapted rooms become different types of sheepfolds. The material for the sheep farm can be wood, cinder blocks, bricks. The main thing is that in the room where the sheep are kept, it should always be spacious, light and dry. The area per sheep on average should be at least 2-3 m2.

This figure is derived from the drinking trough, nursery, trough. The floor can be wooden, clay, but the main thing is that it should be 20-30 centimeters above ground level. Windows should be placed at a height of 1.2 meters above the floor. Be sure to make additional lighting.

It is very important to change the litter in time, as the sheep feel bad in the damp. One sheep, in the stall period, accounts for about 120 kilograms of straw. Litter can also serve as sawdust. Keep in mind that the litter together with the faeces of the sheep is very densely trampled, so the pens should be cleaned as often as possible.

By the beginning of wintering, the premises should be well repaired and equipped with water troughs, feeders, mangers.The stable period is still quite long, and if the sheepfold is not prepared, then the sheep will be difficult to bear the winter.

Temperatures acceptable to the sheepfold

The room where the sheep are kept should be cool during the summer and in winter the temperature should not fall below +6 ° C. During lambing, the temperature must be maintained at + 15- + 18 ° C. For this it is very important to pre-warm the walls. Artificially warming the sheep is not desirable.

Some Sheep Care Tips

  Although the described animals are not whimsical, they still need care. In the winter period, it consists in observing the following conditions:

Animals must be kept in a spacious, insulated room with good ventilation. Sheep do not tolerate being damp. As already noted, you can even allow the temperature to drop to + 6 ° C, as long as the bed is always dry. For this it is necessary in the morning to organize the pasture of animals for urination.

Sheepfold, feeders and drinkers should always be clean. In frosty periods, it is desirable that the water be at room temperature.

Regular feeding

During the stall period, it is important to monitor the ration of syagnyh and nursing ewes, since the requirements of their nutrients increase. Four weeks before lambing in the diet increases the volume of feed, and the amount of hay decreases. It is categorically impossible to allow empty feeders. These animals eat slowly.

After lambing the daily ration gradually increases, so it is necessary to make sure that each ewe has access to the feeder. With increasing lactation, during this period, the need for nutrients also increases. At the heart of the daily norm should be food rich in nutrients and at the same time easily digestible.

If using the feeling of the ribs, you notice that the ewes lose weight quickly, then you need to increase the daily rate of feed. If dairy sheep do not feed their own lambs on their own, they should be milked and fed to the lambs using a bottle with a nipple.

Caring for lambs - the main stages in the life of the young

A small newborn lamb needs care. If the ewes gave birth successfully and the cub (and maybe several) was born healthy, then it is necessary to let the mother lick it. This will speed up the process of allocating the placenta.In the case when a newborn lamb does not show signs of life, it needs to breathe air through the mouth.

The umbilical cord, as a rule, breaks off by itself, if this does not happen, it should be cut as soon as possible, leaving about 8 centimeters from the belly. Then it should be dipped in iodine or a weak solution of potassium permanganate. If childbirth occurs in a cold barn, then the lamb must be wiped (with hay) so that it does not catch a cold or to arrange additional heating of the room.

Almost immediately, the lamb will reach for the mother's milk. Udder must be washed and wiped dry. It is important to ensure that the lamb sucks milk normally. In the first month of breast milk, the lambs completely lack. But if more than three lambs are born, you will have to feed them from birth.

In the second month of ewes lactation begins to decline. At the same time, the body's need for nutrients is increasing. Therefore, additional feeding should be introduced: hay, succulent feed, concentrates.

If lambing occurs during the grazing period, the queen can be released on pastures, but every 2-3 hours should be driven to feed the young. If for some reason an ewe cannot or does not want to feed its young with milk, then it can be recruited to another mother. In order to be taken for his own, it is necessary to smear the milk of the mother to which you will receive. So she will not distinguish by the smell of her from someone else.

In the third - fourth month, the lambs should be taken away from their mothers, they should be kept either in a separately fenced sheepfold or in a separate pen. It is possible to immediately return the bright to the general herd, and keep the valushki and rams to be isolated. Feed with succulent concentrated feed, water three times a day.