In the modern world, quite a lot of people are involved in livestock breeding. In fact, this is a profitable occupation, just remember that any living creatures need proper care. Among the farming sectors, sheep breeding is considered a pretty lucrative affair. These animals are hardy and unpretentious. This sphere of animal husbandry allows you to get a fairly large list of products: these are hides, and wool, and meat, and milk. For successful sheep farming it is necessary to have a good understanding of the physiological characteristics and subtleties of keeping animals. Only in this case you can give them quality care. So where do you start? Let's look at this issue in more detail.
Choose a breed of sheep
So, you decided to learn more about sheep breeding. Where to start a farmer? First of all, it is necessary to determine the goals of breeding. Based on this, you can choose the right breed. Here the choice is quite wide: meat-wool, meat, fat tail and so on.
To obtain high-quality wool, it is recommended to purchase animals of the following breeds:
- Stavropol
- Altai;
- Caucasian;
- merino.
Breeds related to meat-wool, allow you to get a fairly thin coat. They can still be further divided into short-haired and long-haired. The last type includes breeds: Tien Shan, Russian longhair, Romney march, Kuibyshev, North Caucasus. Short-haired sheep are Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian. Individuals grow rapidly. The meat of this breed is of excellent quality. If you plan to engage in the production of cloth, carpets, and fur, then Georgian and Tsigai sheep are best suited for this purpose. Those who are interested in fur coat should pay attention to the Romanov and Karakul breeds.
Romanov's view deserves special praise. Firstly, it is considered universal. Individuals of this breed demonstrate high rates in both milk and meat productivity. Plus, they grow well and almost do not get sick. This option is considered optimal for beginners. If you have never been involved in sheep farming, then the Romanovskaya breed is perfect for you.
Tushino, Karachay and sausage breed are distinguished by high rates in milk, wool and meat. Many farmers are trying to find the perfect breed for lard, wool, meat and felt. In this case, preference is best given to the Hissar or Edilbayev sheep. Animals of these breeds are considered the largest. The weight of an adult can reach 200 kg.
We select a room
If you plan to engage in sheep farming, you should carefully study the conditions for raising sheep.
Animals in the shepherd should feel comfortable, so a number of requirements are imposed on the premises:
- The temperature in the room is from 7 degrees.
- 1/15 of the space should be occupied by windows. Sheep needs good lighting.
- The area of the room should be quite large. Per adult, from 2.5 to 3 meters. A lamb should account for approximately 0.7 square meters.
- The floor in the shepherd must be hard and warm. It is best if it is wooden or clay.
- The room should be equipped with large double-leaf gates.
The shepherd needs regular cleaning and airing. Also, the room must be equipped with a high-quality ventilation system. The area is better to lay a little more. In this case, you will have room to keep the sheep along with the offspring.
Sheep conditions in summer
In the warm season, you can use a simple shelter with a canopy for keeping animals. In addition to grass, sheep need to be given extra cake, hay, root crops and more. It is imperative to provide animals with water. Sheep needs to be drunk twice a day. Water is usually drawn from a well.
When choosing a place for pasture, you need to pay attention to the fact that there is a pond nearby. Wetlands are not suitable for grazing sheep. Animals may react poorly to dampness. The herd must be in the pasture at least 14 hours a day.
How to keep sheep in the cold?
In winter, sheep are usually kept in a shepherd. Grazing the herd in the rain is not recommended, this can lead to an increase in the incidence. A sufficient amount of food should also be prepared for the winter. An adult can eat up to 4 kg of hay per day. In the event that you plan to start a large herd, you may need special equipment. With the help of equipment, you can easily provide livestock with food in the cold. You will also need grain to feed the animals. 1.5-2 kg are laid per sheep per day. In addition, bean silage and root crops can be used as top dressing.
Diet
In summer, sheep spend most of their time on pastures. The basis of their nutrition is fresh grass. Cereal hay and corn silage can be used as feed. Sheep can also be fed with grain mixtures, vegetables and hay. Regardless of the season, the diet of animals should include table salt at the rate of 10-15 grams for an adult sheep and 5-8 grams for a lamb. The daily menu must include chalk. It is a source of calcium, phosphate and bone meal. With the onset of cold weather, when food on pastures becomes more scarce, animals need to beets, carrots, cereals, legumes, oilcake, bran and so on. If you want sheep to gain weight and be healthy, they need good nutrition. In the event of a lack of feed, weight loss may be observed.
How to feed young growth and queens?
Breeding sheep at home necessarily involves the issue of developing a diet. For example, the uterus needs a quality balanced feed.
The following components must be included in daily nutrition:
- cereals and grains;
- legumes;
- vegetables;
- straw;
- salt.
Cow's milk can sometimes be used to feed lambs. About a month before birth, the sheep should be fed with feed instead of hay. When the lamb is born, on the day the uterus can be given 1 kilogram of hay, 4 kilograms of vegetables and half a kilogram of concentrates.
As for the lambs, they only feed on their mother’s milk for the first 5 days. If this is not possible, at first they can eat special mixtures or cow's milk. Upon reaching one month of age, lambs can begin to be transferred to concentrated feed. From two months a day you can give 150 grams of feed.
Disease prevention
Many beginner farmers are interested in the question: where to start raising sheep? It will be useful to learn about the main diseases of these animals. It is believed that dampness is the main enemy of sheep. Staying in a humid place for a long time can lead to pneumonia.
With this disease, the following symptoms may occur:
- labored breathing;
- heat;
- cough;
- loss of appetite.
The course of treatment necessarily includes taking antibiotics. To prevent animals from getting sick, it is recommended to keep them warm and dry. Also, you cannot graze sheep in the rain.
Another common disease is flatulence of the scar. There is a malaise in case of improper feeding. The sheep loses its appetite and begins to get nervous. There may also be signs of flatulence and bloating. To eliminate these symptoms, a sheep is inserted into the mouth to remove gases. In emergency cases, even surgical intervention may be required.
What problems can still involve raising sheep at home? For beginners, one of the most pressing issues is pasture poisoning. A sign in this case may be loss of appetite, diarrhea or vomiting. At the first symptoms, it is necessary to wash the sheep’s stomach using glauber's salt and vegetable oil.
Another common problem that novice farmers may encounter is the suppuration of sheep hooves. In this case, growths need to be cut, otherwise the animal will limp. In order to prevent the development of the disease in time, you need to monitor the condition of the sheep. Animals should be given only balanced foods rich in trace elements for food.
Sheep breeding basics
What other questions can a farmer face in raising sheep? The Romanovskaya and Edelbaevskaya breeds are highly fertile. For one lambing a sheep can bring 5 lambs. Delivery usually takes place without complications and takes up to 40 minutes. Sometimes the fetus comes out with the bladder. If you do not tear it in time, the lamb may die. During the first two hours, the lamb must be fed. If the sheep cannot feed him on his own, then he must give the lamb milk on its own. Individuals grow quite quickly. They feed on milk for the first two months. The first complementary foods can be administered after reaching the age of 4-5 weeks. Lambs grow very quickly. Already in a month they can begin to try food for adult sheep.
A haircut
Breeding Romanovsk sheep is usually associated with issues of shearing. The time for this procedure usually depends on the climatic features of the region. With the onset of warm days in sheep of coarse and semi-coarse-haired breeds, you can begin to remove the hair covering. If this is not done on time, there is a risk of losing part of the cover. As a rule, a haircut is carried out twice a year - in autumn and spring.
Sheep of fine-fleeced breeds do not molt in the warm season. It is not recommended to cut them too early. Such animals should perform this procedure only once a year.
Useful Tips
What else awaits those who decide to deal with such a difficult matter as raising sheep?
For beginners, you can give some valuable recommendations:
- the hair of the animal when cutting needs to be moistened;
- Do not cut the animal immediately after watering or feeding;
- two weeks after shearing, the animals must be washed with a special disinfectant.
Conclusion
Breeding sheep is a rather complicated process. But if you take into account the recommendations presented in this article, you can easily cope with all the problems that arise. The main thing is to provide animals with comfortable conditions, draw up the right diet and constantly monitor their condition. In this case, you can achieve positive results, and your herd will always be in perfect order.