Raising Romanov sheep at home. What do sheep get sick with? Which breed is best for

Sheep raising is not one of the most profitable businesses. However, with a reasonable approach, the owner of the farm will provide his family with meat, milk and skins, and, if desired, organize a small production on the basis of his farm. Beginners should consider meat farming: today it is the most promising. Additional profit will be brought by the sale of pedigree young animals.

Sheep: pros and cons

The question of whether it is profitable to raise sheep is a concern of all farmers.

Sheep and bright are much less demanding than cattle, they do not need extensive insulated stalls, being content with light shelters.

However, sheep management systems provide for extensive pastures that need to be sown on their own. Without the required amount of land, it will not be possible to organize a break-even economy.

Sheep farming is a profitable business in the countryside

Breeding sheep at home has the following benefits:

Fertility of females. The best breeds produce 2 litters per year.
Animals are hardy, have good health, do not suffer from temperature extremes.
Pasture keeping allows significant savings on the construction of premises for livestock.
Sheep provide not only meat, but also skins, six, milk. Even the sale of the litter can bring some income.

The disadvantages of the project include:

the need for large one-time investments for the acquisition of livestock;
the business needs additional working hands (shepherds, livestock specialists, shearers, milkers);
requires fertile land for meadows for fattening.

It is better to breed sheep on the territory of the former state farm. Suitable land can be bought or rented. Conveniently, if there is a settlement nearby, you can hire workers for the future enterprise.

Before purchasing livestock, you must register as a farm or peasant holding. The organization of a legal entity is not required, but many people prefer to register an LLC or obtain the status of an individual entrepreneur.

This makes it possible to purchase a profitable loan, select an investor and save on taxes. In addition, many large buyers prefer to work with a legal entity, so timely registration will be beneficial in the long term. Livestock raised must obtain veterinary passports.

Finding the right plot for your farm is not easy. In some regions, there are practically no territories left that can be leased profitably. Among them are Kalmykia, Stavropol Territory, North Caucasus, Astrakhan Region. But in the region of the Central strip and in Siberia, there are still suitable areas. The disadvantage of renting in these regions may be insufficient soil fertility, which does not allow transferring animals to grazing. However, there are also advantages - lower prices for grain and the possibility of fattening animals in stalls.

Livestock formation

The future owner of the farm must decide what kind of animals he will raise. Much depends on the specific region. For example, fat-tailed breeds are traditionally in demand in the south, meat varieties are popular in central Russia. Farmers rarely raise sheep for the sake of skins, but collecting fine-wool wool may well become the beginning of a separate business.

Romanov breed is hardy and unpretentious

Modern sheep breeding is focused on the cultivation of meat breeds. The demand for high-quality mutton is growing; it will be easier for the future farmer to organize a sales market. It is cheaper to raise sheep for meat, there is no need to hire milkers or purchase special devices, which are necessary when creating a dairy farm.

The selection of breeds is quite large.

In the southern regions, fat-tailed sheep with dense meat and a lot of fat are popular.

In this category, Karachai and Edilbaevskaya rams are especially popular. They grow very quickly, are distinguished by good fertility, endurance and good health. Animals quickly fatten meat, it tastes good, high in calories, suitable for preparing a variety of dishes.

A good choice for novice farmers is the especially large Gissarov sheep. They develop very quickly, do not require special feed, being content with pasture maintenance. Hisars reproduce successfully and allow to increase the herd as soon as possible. The only disadvantage of fat-tailed breeds is thermophilicity. They put up with daily weather changes, but do not tolerate long cold winters.

Karachay and edilbaevsike rams give a lot of tasty and juicy meat

For the harsh conditions of central Russia and Siberia, Romanov sheep are more suitable. This breed is a real record holder for fertility. Uterus usually lamb with twins, the offspring are distinguished by good immunity, the survival rate of young animals is high. The Romanovites have tasty meat without excess fat, they provide milk suitable for cheese production and high-quality wool. The breed is quite affordable, young animals can be purchased in most sheep-breeding farms dealing with pedigree cattle.

For those who want to get the most delicious and delicious meat, the Tekkelites are suitable.

The breed was bred in Holland, it is difficult to acquire young animals, but after organizing the herd, sheep can be raised for sale. The meat of the Tekkel sheep does not have a characteristic smell and is suitable for preparing the most refined dishes.

A separate area is fine-wool sheep breeding. Before betting on animals with long, high-quality wool, it is worth finding a sales market, it is quite specific. Experts are sure that today this area is less in demand than raising sheep for meat.

The raw materials require preliminary processing and the hiring of additional staff for the shearing.

Reliable shelters will also be needed, as unfavorable weather conditions can spoil the delicate cover. Fine fleece sheep farming is not a good idea for novice farmers; it is suitable for experienced breeders who have enough space to maintain a large herd.

Animal care

There are many beginner farmer's guides to help you understand how to care for your sheep. However, some of the nuances can only be learned from personal experience.

It is important to take care of the quality of the grass: the higher it is, the better the animals develop. Meadows with herbs will do; most farmers are not content with the gifts of nature, preferring to sow the area on their own.

To graze healthy sheep, you need good pastures with edible forbs.

A variety of legumes, bluegrass, sweet clover, fescue, winter rye, clover, granary, sorghum are good for good nutrition of animals. It is advisable to organize several pastures where you can breed herbs of different varieties. While pasture-raised cattle graze in one field, another is sown with fast-growing seeds. After the emptying of the first plot, the animals are transferred to a new plot.

Separate fields are organized for the preparation of forage. To prevent cattle from suffering from starvation during the cold season, it is important to correctly calculate the stocks.

An adult sheep needs about 2 kg of high quality hay per day. Keeping sheep in winter also requires more nutritious supplements in the form of barley and oats. However, you should not abuse this type of food, since with an excess of grain, animals will begin to intensively accumulate fat, which impairs the taste of meat. Lambs additionally receive steamed bran.

Winter keeping of sheep requires the organization of a spacious corral. Animals must be protected from wind, rain and snow, so special attention is paid to the quality of the roof. The house for keeping sheep does not need special heaters, animals can easily tolerate lower temperatures. In the common pen, a room for pregnant and lactating females with young animals is necessarily fenced off. If the ewes bring large offspring (this is typical for Romanov sheep), the lambs are fed artificially. Goat's milk is suitable, it is absorbed better than cow's milk.

In winter, lambs are additionally fed with bran

In especially cold winters, heating can be arranged in these enclosures, or at least the floor can be filled with a lot of hay.

Raising rams for fattening implies a predominant stall keeping. However, pastures help save money on feed, meat becomes tastier and less fatty.

Keeping young animals: subtleties for beginners

Raising sheep at home begins with the organization of special conditions for the lambs. It is not difficult to understand how to keep young animals; it is enough to familiarize yourself with several popular manuals for zootechnicians. In the first days of life, the offspring is fed with colostrum. For several days, the lamb is kept together with the queen in a separate pen, then the family can be united with other sheep that have offspring.

Young individuals are the weakest, so special care is needed for them.

Young lambs are released into the general herd after 3 months. At this time, animals become completely independent and graze on a par with adults. The most difficult thing is to raise a lamb before 3-4 months, at this age it is especially vulnerable to infections and needs constant supervision. At the age of 8 months, young animals begin to estrus; closer to 11 months, they are brightly capable of producing offspring.

Sheep breeding usually takes place in the fall. By this time, the organizers of the farm must calculate how many young animals are left for fattening and breeding, and how many will be slaughtered or sold. Depending on this, the stock of feed for the winter is calculated.

Raising lambs is a challenging but lucrative business. Better to bet on purebred cattle.

Animals need more careful care and quality feed, they need to be vaccinated on time, and, if necessary, isolated from the general herd and treated. But properly grown thoroughbred young animals can be profitably sold.

Before starting work, a detailed business plan is drawn up, including a feasibility study of the project. This information can be useful when obtaining a loan or selecting a partner. For more information on how to raise sheep for meat, see this video:

For breakeven production, it is important to correctly calculate the size of the future herd. It is better to start a family business with 1000 heads; by the fall, it naturally increases by 700 - 800 individuals. Breeding animals for meat does not require long-term rearing; products from young animals are in great demand on the market.

If it is not possible to provide the required livestock, 200 heads can be purchased.

Experts believe that this is the minimum amount to ensure the operation of the farm throughout the year. It is worth considering that some of the animals may fall (this percentage is especially high among young animals).

The correct selection of personnel is very important. It is advisable to have at least one specialist with a veterinary education on the staff. Sheep breeding methods can be different, but you cannot do without a good shepherd (or better than two) with free grazing. The welfare of the herd depends on these people, so there is no need to save. An experienced shepherd must understand how to properly maintain sheep, he is responsible for all livestock. Sometimes this role is played by a member of the farmer's family. For information on how much money will be required to open a farm, see this video:

The main care of the sheep will be taken over by unskilled workers who come under the supervision of the shepherd. They can be hired in the nearest settlement, the salary depends on the region and can be calculated by the hour.

Sales of products

A very important issue is the sale of meat, skins, wool. Most often, farmers negotiate with wholesalers. This guarantees a constant distribution channel, but brings a minimum of profit, since raw materials are purchased at the lowest price. It is much more profitable to negotiate direct sales with retail buyers.

Food chains, single restaurants and cafes, recreation centers, small shops and stalls can become regular consumers of high-quality lamb.

For independent trade, you can rent a counter in the market or open an online store, this will expand the circle of buyers. It's not a bad idea to team up with other farmers and organize cooperative shops. The owner of a sheep farm can supply not only meat and fat, but also milk.

Another lucrative idea is the organization of production directly on the farm. You can make smoked delicacies, semi-finished products, sausages, stew from meat. Sheep milk is easy to make healthy yogurt and delicious cheese.

Equipment for a meat or dairy workshop can be leased; used machines purchased at an auction are also inexpensive.

The success of a home sheep breeding business depends on the funds invested in the project, the efficiency of the organizers and, of course, luck. Even at the start, you should prepare for the upcoming difficulties and failures. If successful, the farm can be recouped in 2 - 3 years, and in the future it will bring stable profits.

Sheep breeding in Russia has its own long-standing traditions. These domestic animals are bred in all regions of the country where there are pastures. Animals are unpretentious, but very sensitive to high humidity. This is taken into account when choosing pastures and setting up a home sheepfold. Existing sheep breeds are selected for meat, milk or animal wool. Large farms are specialized. For home breeding, universal breeds are used.

Animal wool is used to make fabrics, warm things are knitted from it and felted shoes are made. Sheep cheese is prepared from milk, and lamb meat is a dietary product. The life expectancy of sheep at home can range from 20 to 25 years. For so long no one has kept them in peasant farmsteads. Animals intended for meat production are fattened up to a year or 1.5 years, and queens for breeding offspring are used for breeding purposes up to 10 years.

The best sheep breeds for home breeding

The most widespread in domestic sheep breeding in Russia are meat and wool breeds. The most popular of them is Romanov. It is versatile. Such animals are able to give a person meat, milk and wool.

Other versatile breeds are also well suited for domestic breeding. Among them are balabas, Tushinskaya, Karachaevskaya. In total, 39 main breeds of animals suitable for domestic breeding are cultivated in the country.

To obtain fat, meat and wool, which goes to felt, fat-tailed breeds are bred. The most popular of them is Hissar.

They buy animals for growing and breeding in breeding farms that exist in various regions of the country. Today, there are 175 of them in the country. Of these, 98 are engaged in breeding fine-wool breeds, 28 - semi-fine-wool, 45 - coarse-wool, 4 - semi-coarse-wool and 2 - meat.

Each region of the country is focused on breeding certain sheep breeds. This is due to local climatic conditions. The main areas where domestic sheep breeding are widely developed are the North Caucasus, the South FD, the Volga region, the Central Black Earth belt of Russia and the South Urals. Sheep are also raised in other regions of the country, but this is not widespread.

Table 1. The most common sheep breeds in peasant farms in various regions of the country

Region	Sheep breeds suitable for raising in the region
Middle lane	Romanovskaya, Tsigayskaya, Volgograd, Kuibyshevskaya
South of Russia	Tashlinskaya, corridor, North Caucasian, Romanovskaya
North Caucasus	Karachaevskaya, Tushinskaya, Ossetian
Desert areas and steppe areas	Edilbaevskaya, Romanovskaya
Siberia and South Ural	Tuvinian fat-tailed, Tsigai, Gorkovskaya, Lincoln, Kulundinskaya, northern short-tailed, Siberian short-fat-tailed, Edilbaevskaya

When buying sheep of any breed, you must carefully examine the animals. A healthy sheep or ram should have a good physique, dense skin and a thick, shiny coat. The hooves of a healthy animal are shiny, do not have cracks, and the teeth do not wobble. You should not buy an animal that has mucosal inflammation, epidermal formations and growths.

Building a home sheepfold

Sheepfolds are built to keep sheep in the cold period. They should be warm enough, light and dry. The temperature in the lamb room should not be allowed to fall below + 10 ° C and for adult animals + 7 ° C. Wood or brick is used as material for the construction of the walls of the sheepfold. The choice depends on the breeding location of the animals and its climatic conditions.

House for adult sheep

Good illumination of the room is achieved by installing windows in it. They should occupy an average of 1/15 of the total wall area. They are located at a height of at least 1.2 meters from the floor surface. At night, the sheepfold is illuminated by lamps placed under the ceiling.

A huge role in keeping sheep is played by the sex and size of the space intended for keeping one animal. For the normal development of lambs in the sheepfold, 0.7-0.8 sq. meters for each. An adult ram needs at least 3 sq. meters. Up to 3-4 months, the lamb is next to the mother. For their maintenance in the sheepfold, a separate corner is fenced off. The standard area for keeping animals includes a place for placing a feeder and a nursery.

The main requirement for the floors of a sheepfold is hardness. They can be of various types. The most common are adobe floors. They are made of clay, on top of which there is wood flooring and straw. The floor of the sheepfold should be 20-30 cm above the surface of the ground in the area. The straw bedding should be changed periodically. Dampness of the premises can lead to illness and death of animals. For litter per animal, up to 150 kg of straw is required. Ventilation is installed in the sheepfold room. With its help, supply and exhaust air circulation is provided, which allows you to get rid of the accumulation of excess moisture and unpleasant odors in the sheepfold room.

In large sheepfolds, two types of gates are installed. Large double-leaf gates with a wicket are installed at the entrance. Their width can be 2.5-3.0 meters, and their height is 2.0-2.5 m. The width of internal doors rarely exceeds 1.5 meters. They are installed in the opening dividing the vestibule of the sheepfold from the premises for animals. The optimal size of the vestibule is 1.2 * 3.5 meters. For small sheepfolds, one door 1.5 meters wide is enough, which can be closed with tarpaulin or other material as insulation.

A base (yard for sheep) is arranged near the sheepfold, always placing it on the leeward side

How to feed the sheep?

The diet of sheep consists of plant foods. In the summertime, animals are driven out to pastures. They feed on grass, which during this period of time grows everywhere in sufficient quantity. The sheep eat all grasses, including weeds and thorns. Water meadows and marshlands are not used for grazing. Do not drive sheep to pastures in the dew and after heavy rain. Pastures for them are selected only in arid places.

The best food for feeding animals in the pen is considered to be small grass and leguminous hay, as well as straw made from such grains as oats, millet and barley. They are best absorbed by animals and contribute to their good growth and development. They will diversify the diet of sheep with root crops. Sheep eat well pumpkin, potatoes, beets, carrots and zucchini. At the end of summer, there comes a period when the herb begins to lose its beneficial properties. At this time, it is necessary to start feeding the animals. Their diet includes cereal greens specially grown for these purposes. It can be oats or rye. Corn, alfalfa and peas are added to the diet.

Silage mixed with roughage or leguminous hay perfectly increases the meat and milk productivity of animals. Daily it can be fed to a sheep from 3 to 4 kg. The nutritional value of hay depends on the conditions of its storage and the composition of the herbs included in it. The best hay for sheep comes from contains a lot of vitamins, sugars and protein. They are all very important for the growth of animals.

Of the root crops, sheep love fodder beets, pumpkins, squash and carrots the most. Beets and carrots are especially important as they improve the digestion processes in the animal's body. These vegetables contain a lot of coarse fiber, vitamins and other trace elements necessary for the growth of sheep. Melon crops are necessarily included in the diet of suagging and lactating females. This contributes to an increase in milk production in the animal and the bearing of healthy offspring by the uterus. Improves such food and the quality of their wool. The cut is significantly increased. A sheep can be given no more than 4 kg of such vegetables per day.

Concentrated feed plays a special role in the nutrition of sheep. They represent a balanced diet and are prepared from barley, oats, wheat, beans, peas, corn, as well as oilcake and bran. They are high in nutrients, starch, protein, fat and minerals. Concentrated feed is indispensable in the nutrition of highly productive sheep breeds, but the high cost limits the possibilities of its use.

Table 2. Seasonal diet of sheep

Feeding diet of queens

Females are fed only high quality, balanced feed. In the four weeks before lambing, the amount of hay consumed by the animals is reduced in the diet. It is replaced with compound feed. The daily diet consists of cereal hay, which is given to the uterus in an amount of up to 500 g, legumes - 300 g and straw - 500 g. Hay and straw are supplemented with 3.0-3.5 kg of vegetables or juicy feed. concentrates and 12-15 g of mineral salt. After lambing, the amount of hay in the diet of a sheep can be increased to 1 kg, vegetables to 4 kg, and concentrate to 500 g.

Young cattle feeding ration

For the first five days after birth, the lambs feed on colostrum from the uterus. If for some reason such feeding is impossible, then the lambs are fed during this period with special mixtures or cow's milk. Milk feeding continues until the lambs are two months old. By this time, they should switch to a two-time feeding regimen. Until the lambs reach the age of one month, they are given 50 g of concentrated feed as bait every day, after two months this rate increases to 150 g per day.

What do sheep get sick with?

Dampness and draft can cause pneumonia in animals. The cause of this disease is often the gases of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, which accumulate in the premises of the sheepfold. The disease can be identified by its characteristic features. With pneumonia, the animal coughs, loses its appetite, has difficulty breathing, and its temperature rises. Sometimes the disease is accompanied by a purulent rhinitis.

The main way to prevent pneumonia is to ventilate the premises of the sheepfold and maintain a dry and warm microclimate in it. Treat the disease with antibiotics such as:

benzylpenicillin;
bicillin-3;
streptomycin;
neomycin;
oxytetracycline;
biovit-80.

Give drugs to the animal along with food and drink. For the duration of the animal's illness, it is better to isolate it from the herd.

Very often, sheep suffer from such a non-communicable disease as rumen flatulence. It is associated with poor stomach function and is the result of improper feeding of the animal.

Disease symptoms:

bloating;
loss of appetite;
increased anxiety.

In order to alleviate the suffering of the animal and improve its well-being, a special gas tube is inserted into the mouth. If this does not help, then a scar puncture is made. It is better to entrust such treatment to a veterinarian.

Eating poisonous grasses on pastures causes poisoning in sheep, which is accompanied by diarrhea, loss of appetite, vomiting and stoppage of the stomach. They cleanse the sheep's body of poisons by washing the stomach with vegetable oil and Glauber's salt. They are mixed with warm water. For 0.5 liters of water, 100 g of oil and 50-100 g of salt are taken.

During periods when the sheep lacks food, it begins to eat its own wool. This leads to bezoar disease. The essence of the disease is that the gastrointestinal tract of the animal is clogged with a ball of wool. Very often, such a disease can be found in small lambs, whose uterus has poor milk production.

The hooves of animals can infect purulent bacteria that cause inflammation of the pulp. This makes it difficult for the animal to move and can cause lameness. The rot formed on the hoof must be cut off.

It is very important to monitor the composition of trace elements in the diet of animals. A lack of vitamin E in it, as well as some other trace elements, can cause dystrophy of the muscles of the skeleton of an animal. A very effective means of preventing this disease is a vitamin complex, which is introduced into the diet of an ewe. Small lambs should also be given vitamin E.

Infectious diseases are the most dangerous for animals. They are the most difficult to deal with and are very quickly transmitted from one sheep to another.

The worst infection for sheep is listeriosis. It is caused by bacteria that are very resistant to environmental influences. The nervous form of this disease causes 100% mortality in animals. This disease is practically not cured.

Bradzot is no less dangerous. It is a general poisoning of the body. This disease leads to 100% death of livestock. As a prevention of this disease, animals are vaccinated and do not allow them to be walked on wet pastures.

Pulmonary adenomatosis or hyperplasia causes coughing, frothy nasal discharge, and difficulty breathing in animals. If a disease is detected, the animal is immediately removed from the herd, liquidated, and the case is recorded.

Another infectious disease unpleasant for an animal is mastitis. With this disease, the udder of the animal becomes inflamed and pus may be released from it. The most common cause of this disease in sheep is improper housing and inappropriate care. The disease can be treated, but it is necessary to start fighting mastitis immediately after its detection.

Timely vaccination is an effective prevention of infectious animal diseases such as smallpox and enterotoxemia.

The wingless fly causes melophagosis in sheep. This skin condition is accompanied by severe itching, which causes the animal to tear its fur. The disease can cause intestinal upset and a rapid drop in animal weight and milk production.

Improper care of sheep can lead to the appearance of worms in their body. The disease is treated with medication. The dosage and type of preparations for the animal is determined by the veterinarian.

Book: Diseases of Sheep and Goats. You can download the file here.

Diseases of sheep and goats

To prevent scabies in animals, they should be bathed 2-3 weeks after spring cutting in a solution containing disinfectants.
Lambs for breeding do not need to be taken younger than 4 months. At this age, they need special care and milk feeding.
After 5 months, lambs and daisies cannot be kept together. During this period, puberty begins. Closely related mating, which can occur between animals, leads to infertility and the birth of weak, non-viable offspring.
It is better to mating animals when they reach the age of one to 1.5 years.

Video - Sheep Shearing and Clippers

Video - How to properly keep sheep

Video - Maternity ward for sheep

Video - How to properly raise sheep

Excellent meat, rich milk, sheepskin and the warmth of quality wool are the main reasons for breeding them.

The products that are obtained from these animals directly depend on the breed. Let us consider in more detail the maintenance of sheep, their breeding, care and feeding ration.

It is not difficult to keep sheep on your own backyard. These are hardy animals, they are unpretentious and get sick in rare cases, they are quite fertile. If the sheep are compared with the rest of the livestock, then they are distinguished by high early maturity. Sheep are not picky about a capital-built structure:

On summer days, animals have enough pens and grazing areas.
On winter days, they are kept in sheepfolds, where the temperature regime is slightly above zero.

Even the smallest vegetation is enough for individuals to grow, build hair and gain weight. They grow excellently on nutrition that will not be enough for other types of animals.

With proper care of animals, breeding them even for inexperienced breeders will not be a difficult and difficult process. Competent care, adherence to the rules of feeding and maintenance is guaranteed even in the initial year, will respond with high rates of meat products, excellent milk and warm wool.

Biological characteristics

Among all the individuals living in the courtyard, they became famous for their herd and sclerosis.

Often, farmers are forced to face a problem, because individuals who have gone to the pasture are unable to find their homes.

Therefore, it is advised to release sheep to pastures, accompanied by clever goats or cows.

In such a company it is only necessary for one sheep to go after the "leader", so all the others will follow it.

The life span of sheep reaches twenty years. But, being kept in a personal backyard, only producers and thoroughbred females are able to live up to eight years. Young animals that are raised for meat are slaughtered for up to a year, and representatives of the wool line are kept a little longer.

The main indicator of the superiority of a breed or an individual animal is the number of lambs per year and the number of calves brought. Often, sheep bring a brood once a year by the end of winter or early spring days. The gestation period lasts about five months, as usual, in most breeds, the birth of one calf is the norm. But there are also special cases.

For example, the Romanov species is very relevant among Russian breeders due to the frequent birth of several cubs at once and the possibility of lambing twice a year. Such a pedigree feature and early maturity of individuals in general makes it possible to draw up a successful, actively profitable business plan for breeding livestock.

Keeping sheep in the summer season

Sheep belong to the pasture type of animals, in spring and summer days they should be grazed on pastures. In particular, greens in the pasture form the basis of their diet during these periods. Pastures are distinguished by the following options:

artificial appearance when the soil is sown with herbs
natural natural appearance
with the presence of perennial plants
with the presence of annual plants

Not all cattle breeds are actively switching from the winter feeding season to the summer season. This means that animals need to be gradually switched to green fodder. And not all grazing grasses are suitable for. Damp and wetlands are not suitable for grazing, because unbalanced feeding provokes the appearance of various ailments in animals.

Due to the fact that sheep are not particularly agile, and they have a particularly developed herd instinct, it is not easy to graze them.

Their slowness and disorientation in space are associated with low vision, so the sheep try to stay close to each other.

It happens that after grazing, the cattle still find their way home, in the event that they are fed there.

On summer days, sheep consume up to ten liters of water, therefore, it is necessary that a drinker or a reservoir is located near each pasture. The system of keeping animals implies a clear grazing schedule. Namely: from 5-6 in the morning to 8-9 in the evening. In the event that we grow them for fattening, then both in summer and winter days they are kept in stalls.

Keeping sheep in the winter season

On winter days, the animals are kept in stalls. They perfectly tolerate the cold, which means they are not demanding on the special conditions of detention. Feeding sheep in the winter at home is practiced on the basis of feeding hay, harvested from the summer, and also by adding a variety of purchased feed. During the winter, an adult animal consumes at least five hundred kilograms of hay, at least five hundred kilograms of silage and other juicy food, and fifty kilograms of concentrates.

When there is a shortage of hay, thirty percent of it is replaced with straw of oat and spring wheat, as well as straw of legumes. Animals also eat well branch fodder, which is harvested on summer days from young shoots of trees with foliage.

Almost everyone feels much more favorable if they stay in dry climatic territories.

They should walk constantly throughout the year.

This is impossible to achieve only in our latitudes.

Although these animals tolerate confined spaces worse than others, you need to build a kennel or sheepfold for them.

This is exactly the place where the cattle will come from grazing, where they will spend the winter, and also lamb.

Sheep housing is required to be as close as possible to their natural environment. Wooden walls, clay floors, there should be good ventilation, but no through winds.

The room must be dry, equipped with lighting, which implies the presence of windows and an additional light source. The interior of the barn assumes the presence of a nursery, feeders, partitions. The total area will be determined based on the calculation: four hundred square meters for two hundred head of livestock. An adult needs two square meters of free space, a lamb needs one square meter. As usual, the layout of the building is angular with windows for a normal amount of light.

We will divide the room into two parts (for the lamb and for the non-lamb). In the middle of the building we will set aside a room for the staff. It is more successful to build an additional annex, it will separately provide the opportunity to place rams so that they do not attack females during the period of decline in sexual activity.

The warmth inside the building on cold days is maintained by the animals themselves. In winter, depending on the temperature regime, the stall must be sheathed with insulation if the temperature is below -10. It happens that a stove is installed so that the lambs do not freeze, because their wool cover is still not enough to heat themselves.

In the event that walking the animals is not possible due to the lack of pasture, we will acquire an aviary. We fence off the open air area, which will adjoin the sheepfold. Sheep do not tolerate moisture well. In order for them to have a shelter from the rain, an additional covered building is needed, in which a watering place can also be organized.

For lambing sheep, a specially equipped separate room is required, where the female will not be disturbed. The temperature regime of the air in this room should not be less than ten degrees. The usual temperature range is from 10 to 18C. Therefore, when lambing on winter days, this compartment is additionally heated. It is better to take into account all these parameters even in the planning of the construction of a sheepfold.

We save food for animals. The diet

Adequate nutrition takes into account the daily intake of two kilograms of hay, about three hundred grams of concentrates, about ten grams of table salt, as well as feed chalk and a mixture of vitamin supplements. The menu should be based on hay. Its volumes in the Russian Federation are stored once a year for the entire period, such is our specificity of animal husbandry. In other words, hay will need to be purchased during the summer.

The duration of grazing in greenery varies depending on the regions of Russia. In one area, animals are recommended to graze for six months, in another - only three months. Based on this, the required volume of hay is calculated. It is sold in the form of rolls from two hundred and fifty kilograms or in bales. The average weight of a bale with hay is fifteen kilograms, but much depends on the strength of the hay press by the machine. The dimensions of a normal bale, as usual, are 1.2 by 0.6 by 0.4 m. Taking into account the dimensions of the bale and our own possibilities of stacking them in a pyramid, we can calculate the place needed to save hay.

It is especially important to remember that it cannot be laid out directly on the ground, you need to put food for your pets on cargo pallets and cover it with banners on top, providing protection from precipitation. The more compacted the hay, the less moisture it will absorb.

If the farmer pursues the idea of improving the quality characteristics of meat, then the work of caring for the lamb should be taken into his own hands and he will have to be taken away from the female on the third day after birth. These should be fed artificially.

Such a variation is beneficial for a small subsidiary farm and provides an opportunity after a short time to wait for new offspring. To increase the number of individuals, both artificial insemination and natural fertilization are practiced.

Caring for sheep is not particularly difficult. It only takes a few months to grow them for meat. From the age of three months, young lambs can be slaughtered. It is better to carry out this event before reaching the age of nine months.

The coat is trimmed twice a year.

In spring, most often, it is produced from rams with a uniform coat.

In the event that they have a mixed coat, then it is better to transfer the haircut to the autumn period.

Breeding animals in the northern regions, while keeping individuals of the coarse-haired type, they are sheared three times a year.

If this favorable period for shearing is skipped, then there is a risk of losing half of the wool as a result of the molt that has begun in the lamb.

Sheep breeds

A novice breeder should decide on the purpose of breeding sheep and, based on this, make a choice in favor of a certain breed: meat, meat-wool, fat-tailed, etc. Caucasian view, Altai view.

The wool-meat type of sheep gives out moderately thin wool and is subdivided into representatives with a long coat and a short coat.
Long-haired representatives include varieties:

Kuibyshev type
Tien Shan type
North Caucasian species
Romney March view
Russian long-haired species

The short-haired subspecies are represented by Lithuanian, Latvian and Estonian sheep. They grow actively, and their meat is of high quality. To create carpets, cloth and furs of excellent quality, it is advised to look at the Tsigay and Georgian sheep representatives. And also the Karakul and Romanov species belong to the fur coat subspecies.

It is noted that the Romanov sheep are universal: they have excellent meat and dairy products, high offspring. The animals are actively growing, they hardly get sick and can be considered one of the best variations for inexperienced breeders.

Balabas, Tushinskaya and Karachai varieties give excellent marks for meat, wool and milk. For breeding fat-tailed individuals in order to obtain meat, lard and wool products from them to create felt, it is worth turning your interest to Edilbaev or Gissar species. Such individuals are the largest among their counterparts, their mass sometimes reaches two hundred kilograms.

The profitability of sheep breeding

An inexperienced breeder who decides to start raising sheep is initially interested in whether he will benefit or not. To do this, we will calculate the planned financial costs.

When raising livestock at home, preference should be given to species common in a particular area. Firstly, such individuals are better prepared for the climatic and forage conditions of the region. Secondly, to replenish the livestock, you can buy sheep from the nearest large livestock farms. And thirdly, the insemination process is greatly simplified, since you can find a good breeder ram all at the same local breeding stations.

From the article you will learn how to start breeding sheep, how to select the right individuals for mating and breeding young animals, and what features this area of animal husbandry has.

Breeding sheep at home - video

Breeding sheep at home is a profitable direction of agriculture. But, despite the calm nature and unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention, the sheep still need some care.

Features of the care and breeding of sheep are shown in detail in the video. From it you will learn how to properly keep animals, how to feed them and what other features are different in sheep breeding.

For the production of healthy offspring, only healthy individuals of a strong constitution are needed. Therefore, during selection, the general health of the animal, its skeleton and the development of individual parts of the body are assessed.

In addition, breed-specific features play an important role.:

In individuals of the wool direction, the skin and bones are well developed, and muscle tissue and fiber are weak;
In animals of the meat direction, the opposite is true: the main development falls on muscles and cellulose;
Productive dairy sheep should have a well-developed udder and digestive organs;
In one-year-old animals of fine-wool breeds, the length of the coat should be at least 7 centimeters. Thin coat indicates a fragile constitution of the animal, which is not suitable for breeding;
Representatives of the meat-wool and semi-fine-wool direction should have good body weight and thick wool covering the legs and head;
For meat-bearing breeds, the decisive role in the selection of sires is played by the exterior, the size of the fat tail, its shape, as well as body weight;
For karakul sheep, the most important indicator is the quality of smushka, but it can be assessed only in the first few days after the birth of the lamb. At other times, the assessment of smushka is not an objective indicator for the selection of queens and rams for breeding;
When choosing sheep of the Romanov breed, it is necessary to pay attention to the ratio of awn and down in the wool, as well as the level of fertility and milk production of females;
Sheep of meat-wool and dairy breeds are intended for obtaining a large amount of meat and milk. That is why, when selecting, you need to choose animals of medium size and strong constitution. Females should have a well-developed udder, the coat should be white, rough, shiny and strong. The deposition of fat on the tail and belly should be medium.

Figure 1 shows the characteristic features of sheep of various directions. If there are any difficulties or questions in the selection process, it is better to consult with a veterinarian or breeding specialist. The age of the animals also plays an important role in replenishing the herd. If there is no relevant documentary evidence, the age of a sheep can be determined by its teeth.

Figure 1. Breeds and directions of productivity of sheep: 1 - meat and wool direction, 2 - sheep of the Romanov breed, 3 - sheep of meat and lard direction of productivity

In total, sheep have 32 teeth. Of these, 8 incisors are on the lower jaw and 12 molars each at the top and bottom. From one year of age, the central teeth change from milk to permanent, they are larger and have an ivory color. With age, all other teeth change, and already from the age of four, their destruction begins, and gaps appear between the teeth.

Sheep Basics

In order for sheep and ram breeding to be successful, you need to draw up a business plan in advance and determine the main areas of activity. First of all, several pastures will be required for cultivation, on which the flock will spend most of the time in the warm season. It is desirable that the pasture is near a natural body of water (Figure 2).

Note: The pasture for keeping sheep should be large enough, since one hectare with a lamb per year requires about a hectare of area. If there is no such site, you will have to purchase additional feed.

For winter breeding of rams, it is necessary to build a sheepfold with a walk. The building is insulated, and the walking area is fenced. Ventilation is arranged in the room and, if necessary, heating equipment is installed.

After preparing the pasture and sheepfold, you can begin to acquire the sheep themselves. At the initial stage, you can limit yourself to a few females without a breeder ram, but in the future, for mating, you will have to carry the females to the male or carry out artificial insemination.

Figure 2. Summer and winter content

Sheep can be bred not only for meat, but also for wool. The average life span of an animal is 20-25 years, but it is optimal to send them for slaughter at 7 years, since in the future, both females and males significantly decrease productivity.

It is better to raise lambs under a female. Despite the high viability and the possibility of artificial feeding through the teat, it is better for lambs to feed on breast milk directly (Figure 3).

Note: Raising lambs under the uterus lasts an average of 4 months. After that, the young are transferred to a separate pen and accustomed to an adult diet.

Figure 3. Keeping newborn lambs under the uterus

In addition, a separate warm room with clean feeders and constant access to water will be equipped for lambs and queens. During the warmer months, it is desirable for animals to be outside for most of the day, but since many lambs are born in winter, they spend a lot of time indoors. At the same time, it is impossible to reduce the number of walks and daily take young animals to fresh air.

Breeding sheep for meat

Breeding sheep for meat is a fairly profitable direction of agriculture, since animals quickly gain weight and are ready for slaughter in a few months. As a rule, young rams are selected for this purpose. The most active and viable are left to reproduce, and the rest are transferred to a special diet for rapid weight gain.

During fattening for meat, the basis of the diet is cereal concentrates, which are supplemented with juicy, green and roughage. It is also advisable to shear the rams before fattening to increase their appetite.

Conditions for raising sheep

Females (bright) reach sexual maturity at about 7-9 months. But it is not recommended to carry out the first mating during this period, since the animal's body has not yet fully formed. Early pregnancy (pregnancy) will delay the development of the sheep, as all nutrients will be absorbed by the growing fetus, and after birth, will be spent on milk production.

However, too late mating harms the animals. If pregnancy does not occur before 12-18 months (the most favorable age for the first pregnancy), nutrients are transformed into fat mass. In the future, the overweight of the female will interfere with fertilization (Figure 4).

Hunting in females is accompanied by estrus. It has the following features:

The tissues of the external genital organs turn red;
The mucous membrane of the vagina and cervix swells;
Mucus begins to be secreted, which first gets from the cervix into the vagina, and then outside;
At the initial stage of hunting, the mucus is transparent, but gradually becomes thicker, and at the end of the cycle it acquires a mushy consistency. It is by this indicator that you can determine the time of the onset of ovulation.

Figure 4. The main symptoms of hunting in females

Often, the hunt is caused by the maturation of the germ cells, and the process ends when the egg leaves the ovary. The duration of the hunt can range from several hours to several days, depending on the breed, the general condition of the animal and the climatic conditions of its keeping.

Determining hunting in sheep is easy enough. In addition to discharge from the genitals, the following symptoms are observed:

Loss of appetite;
Nervousness and restless behavior;
The female does not run away from the ram and stands calmly when he tries to cover her.

In most bright birds, ovulation occurs about 30 days after the start of the hunt. The last few hours of hunting are considered the most favorable for insemination, but since this period is quite difficult to determine, mating is carried out twice: at the very beginning of the hunt and a day after that.

Note: When selecting females for replenishment, it is important to keep in mind that those who hunt for less than 24 hours often bring in one lamb at a time. If the hunt lasts longer, there is a chance of getting a multiple offspring.

If fertilization has not occurred, the sheep will show signs of heat again after a few weeks.

To obtain a healthy and numerous offspring, both females and breeders must be properly prepared for mating.

To do this, you need to adhere to the following recommendations:

The queens are allocated areas of pasture with good food, they are watered at least twice a day;
It is necessary to include in the diet a mineral supplement, and, if necessary, concentrated feed. It was found that queens that were fed high-quality green food before mating were fertilized much faster than animals that were on a different diet (Figure 5).
Breeders are fed oats, crushed barley and high-quality hay. In winter, when a non-accidental period begins, the daily diet of a ram should consist of a kilogram of hay, half a kilogram of concentrated feed and 3-4 kg of root crops;
Sheep are fed with salt without fail; During the breeding period, producers need to be given more concentrated feed (peas, barley, oats), and preparation for mating should begin one and a half to two months before it.

Figure 5. Basic feeds for queens and breeders (from left to right): juicy, concentrated feed, compound feed and lick salt

As a rule, sheep mating takes place at the same time of the year: from late summer to mid-winter. However, in different climatic zones, these times may differ. When mating, it should be borne in mind that the sucking period should fall on the season with the greatest variety of feed.

Note: On home farms, mating is recommended at the same time as on large farms. To do this, you can conclude an agreement on the lease of a ram or the provision of artificial insemination services.

Depending on the type of mating, it is necessary to carry out preparatory work:

Females are collected in one flock and kept in a separate enclosure near the site of artificial insemination;
If free mating is carried out, rams and queens are kept in the same pen for one and a half to two months. In order for the ram to remain sexually active, it is allowed to the uterus only during the daytime, and at night it is transferred to a separate paddock and intensively fed.

You can also give the ram a rest during the day, transferring it to the queens at night.

Preparation and lambing

To give birth to healthy and viable lambs, it is necessary to provide nutritious food for the pregnant queens. At the end of pregnancy, the need for nutrient-rich feeds increases to 75 percent.

In no case should pregnant queens be given frozen or spoiled food, and the feeders should always be clean. In winter, females are kept in the yard in the daytime, and indoors they are transferred only in frosty weather and at night.

You also need to closely monitor the condition of a pregnant sheep, and at the first sign of malaise, seek help from a veterinarian. This measure is necessary, since many infectious diseases or helminthic infestations can cause abortion and death of the uterus.

You need to prepare in advance for lambing. About ten days prior to the expected lambing, the room where the lambing will take place is cleaned. The floor is thoroughly cleaned of manure and covered with a clean mat. The room should not be damp or drafted. The internal temperature should be 15-17 degrees. It is also recommended to trim the hair between the hind legs of the queens.

Figure 6. Natural lambing process in sheep

Sheep are often easy to give birth. The onset of lambing is evidenced by the restless behavior of the uterus, she begins to bleat, often looks back and constantly lies down. Such an animal must be transferred to the lambing room.

Note: Normal labor begins with pushing, during which the amniotic sac leaves the genital tract. It bursts quickly and the front legs and head of the lamb can be seen. The average duration of labor in healthy and strong queens is 40 minutes (Figure 6).

However, there are times when the lambing is delayed and in this case the animal needs help. Potential complications include an oversized or misplaced fetus:

The legs come out of the birth canal, and the head is thrown back;
The legs are tucked under the lamb's chest;
The lamb comes out with its legs bent backwards.

Possible pathologies during childbirth in sheep and cattle are shown in Figure 7. To facilitate and speed up lambing, you need to thoroughly wash your hands, grease them with iodine or liquid paraffin and insert into the sheep's vagina. Between attempts, the fetus is slightly pushed back and straightened. If the lamb comes out backwards, the legs should be tied with a clean rope and slightly pulled outward during the pushing. How to correctly carry out pathological lambing in a sheep is shown in a short video clip.

A trained veterinarian will be able to provide the correct assistance during lambing, so seek assistance if this is the case.

Note: Approximately two hours after giving birth, the afterbirth should be detached from the sheep. In no case should it be cut or pulled out, it must separate on its own. If the placenta does not come out within five hours, you need to seek help from a veterinarian, since the preservation of the placenta can cause blood poisoning and death of the animal.

Figure 7. The course of pathological labor: 1 - turning the head to one side, 2 - throwing the head behind the back, 3 - legs bent at the wrist, 4 - legs bent at the hock

After that, the afterbirth and dirty bedding must be removed, the room must be disinfected, and the sheep must be washed with warm soda solution and wiped dry with a clean cloth.

Growing and caring for young growth

Newborn lambs are sometimes very weak, but even if the animal is healthy, it requires careful care. If complications arise, you need to proceed as follows:

If the lamb does not show signs of life after birth, its nose and mouth should be cleaned of mucus as quickly as possible. After that, the animal is placed on a litter and the air is inhaled through the mouth, while simultaneously contracting the front legs and patting the lamb on the sides until breathing appears.
If a lamb is born in an unexploded amniotic fluid, the membrane is pierced to prevent the animal from suffocating.
Normally, in newborn lambs, the umbilical cord is separated on its own, but if this does not happen, it can be cut off 8-10 centimeters from the abdomen, and the edge of the cut can be treated with iodine solution.
Immediately after birth, the lamb should be warmed and dried. For this, heaters are installed in the premises.

About forty minutes after giving birth, the sheep is ready to feed its cub for the first time. The first few servings of milk must be milked into a separate jar and discarded. In the first few days, the lambs suckle the mother every few hours, and in order for the baby to find the udder faster, it must be kept under the uterus during feeding.

After lambing, attention should be paid to the uterus. Usually, after giving birth, animals are very thirsty, so after two hours they need to be given warm water to drink. In the first few days after giving birth, the queens are not given concentrated feed, and the basis of the diet is high-quality hay. Juicy feeds, concentrates or other components of complete nutrition can be introduced only 3-5 days after lambing.

Note: An hour and a half after each feeding, the queens must be given water, and there must always be salt in the feeder. If the lamb does not completely suck up the udder, the sheep must be additionally milked.

In the first month of life, lambs need a lot of nutrients, which they can only assimilate with milk. Therefore, it is important to establish a complete diet for the sheep. As they grow older, the lamb begins to be fed: hay, concentrates and chopped juicy feed. Already from the second month of life, the amount of feed is gradually increased, transferring the young to solid feed.

Queens and lambs should be kept separately, and an open enclosure should be arranged near the premises for animal walks. The site should be warm and calm. Separate keeping of queens and babies is necessary in order to preserve lactation as much as possible. With this method of keeping, the uterus can eat peacefully, since the lambs do not bother them. Cubs also get stronger from such maintenance, as they quickly become accustomed to complementary foods and become more resistant to diseases (Figure 8).

To feed such a lamb, you need to follow these recommendations.:

First of all, it should be planted in a high-milk uterus, which has only one lamb;
In order for the female to accept someone else's lamb, it is smeared with mucus from the uterus of a nursing sheep or lightly sprinkled with milk. So the uterus will not distinguish the smell of her lamb from someone else's;
It is better to feed someone else's lamb in the morning or in the evening, when the sheep are calm and have poor vision;
You can teat lambs using goat's or cow's milk. The initial daily rate is 200 grams, and already from the age of two weeks, the dosage begins to double.

When the lambs reach three or four months, they are weaned from their mothers. Young rams are immediately transferred to a separate pen, and the females are weaned from their mothers for about two weeks, after which they can be kept in the same pen again.

Figure 8. Equipment of the room for keeping and walking queens with lambs

For a quick cessation of lactation, after weaning of lambs, queens are given more dry food for a week and watered only once a day. After weaning, lambs are fed with succulent feed and concentrates, and watered at least twice a day. It is better to graze lambs during the weaning period near the corral, so that in case of bad weather they can be quickly transferred from the open pasture to the premises.

Note: Tail trimming is an important step in caring for fine-wool and semi-fine-wool lambs. The procedure is carried out on the 5-7th day of the lamb's life. This measure is necessary because the long tail of lambs is constantly contaminated with feces and urine, which can lead to infection or deterioration of the wool.

Trimming the tail is a fairly straightforward process. One person holds the lamb by the legs, and the second, using a sharp disinfected knife, trims the tail at the border of the third and fourth vertebrae, after which the cut is treated with iodine.

It is also necessary to castrate rams unsuitable for breeding in time. Castration is performed at two or three weeks of age. This will allow adult castrated rams (walukhs) to gain weight faster.

Sheep breeding for beginners

Raising sheep at home is no different from raising sheep. Males, like females, need constant walking in the pasture in the summer and a warm room for the winter.

The only difference is that in most cases the rams are fattened for further slaughter for meat, selecting one or two for reproduction. The rest of the rams are transferred to a special diet that promotes rapid weight gain.

In the household?

The main task of the farmer comes down to the fact that for the life of these animals it is necessary to create conditions identical to their natural habitat.

Sounds simple, however, when talking about caring for sheep, livestock breeders also warn of additional factors to consider.

What does a person need to know if, like our great-grandfathers, he encroached on a magnificent fleece, warm sheep's skin and tasty meat?

To begin with, you have to decide on the breed. It has little effect in terms of caring for livestock and, basically, determines the resources and the amount of meat obtained from them (8 resource areas). The following breeds are worth noting:

Fat tail (meat and greasy breed). Fat-tailed animals are given by nature the so-called fat tail - a fatty bag in the tail. They are suitable for fat extraction.
Romanovskaya (meat and skin direction) is the most common and viable. It is prized for its skin and wool, which are used to make light and warm clothes. It gets along well in central Russia.
Stavropol (wool breed). Strongly knit animals with thick skins and a lot of wool. Used for harvesting wool and fat.
Kuibyshevskaya (meat direction). Fine-fleeced, fleshy and prolific representatives. The current breed of Russian farmers selling sheep meat.

Livestock breeders can also give preference to crosses - crossing 1, 2 or even 3 breeds for better productivity.

Herd

Using this quantity (100 pcs.) As an example, we give the following proportion, which must be observed by the farmer:

three breeder rams
40 rams for slaughter
the rest are lamb-lambs that will kitten in early spring

Mostly male animals go under the butcher's knife. Sheep are necessary to maintain the reproduction of livestock. They give birth 2 times a year (gestation period 5 months), 2-4 lambs. The uterus is clogged after 4 years of "service".

Schedule

The ideal sheep breeding option would be the pasture-stall method, in which animals combine walks in the fields and life under a roof. Their reproduction will depend on this - a sedentary lifestyle has a bad effect on the offspring. Outings must be subject to a strict schedule:

5:00 - first departure to the pasture
12:00 pm return to the stall for a drink
15:00 - leaving for the fields
23:00 - return for the night

For small farms it is not necessary to strictly adhere to this schedule.

Sheep shelter

Usually the building plan is L-shaped with windows for adequate lighting. It is divided into two parts (for lambing and non-lambing). There is a staff room in the center of the building.

It is advisable to build an additional extension, where it will be possible to place the rams separately so that they do not interfere with the females during the period of decline in sexual activity.

On cold days, the inside of the house is kept warm by the sheep themselves. For the winter, depending on the temperature (if below -10 ° C), the stall is sheathed with insulation. Sometimes a stove is installed so that the lambs do not freeze: their wool is still not enough to warm themselves.

How to care for sheep at home if it is difficult to walk the sheep due to the lack of pasture? In this case, the farmer will acquire an aviary - a fenced outdoor area adjacent to the sheepfold.

It is advisable to build a covered corral from additional buildings, where the herd will enter the watering place, as well as to shelter from the rain. Sheep do not tolerate dampness well.

Nutrition

- herbivores. On average, they eat 2 kg of hay per day.

They also eat oats - 500 g per day.

You can also feed barley or bran, but not for long, due to the fact that animals are rapidly gaining weight.

Clover or legumes are considered the most nutritious.

Sedge and rushes will be unusable.

Combo feeds are expensive. They are used exclusively on an industrial scale in sheep breeding.

Animal food must be natural. The food of sheep in the summer is grass that grows in the pasture. Free walking makes up for the lack of vitamins.

This is enough for their healthy development. However, the farmer should ensure that the sheep's diet contains iodized salt (15 g / individual) and chalk as a source of calcium.

Experts who understand how to care for sheep in winter say that in winter you should stock up on hay at the rate of 30 tons per 150 head.

Sometimes the farmer is forced to monitor the nutrition of the young.

The lamb depends on the breed.

For example, a Romanov sheep brings about 4 lambs at a time, however, it is able to feed only two.

Therefore, the breeder must take care of those newborns who will not have enough food.

For feeding, use cow's or goat's milk. After 4 months, the lambs are challenged from the uterus and are taught to feed on their own.

Wool

The animals are trimmed once a year in May or June. Sheep overgrown in a year can hardly tolerate shedding - the wool falls off in pieces, causing them pain, rolling into tangles. Individuals sent for slaughter also go through the shearing process first.

The procedure is carried out by two people, one of whom holds the individual, and the second removes the hair from the animal.

Health

The herd lives according to the law "the strongest survives." Therefore, if she is sick, it is easier to send her to slaughter than to treat her. However, the farmer should not leave this to chance. There are certain rules for caring for the health of sheep:

To vaccinate animals 2 times a year (the veterinary service deals with this issue).
Before leaving for the winter for stall maintenance, disinfect the room and equipment. The second disinfection procedure should be carried out in the spring.
All newly arrived "newcomers" should be sent to a monthly quarantine and only after that they should be allowed into the enclosures.

Most often, sheep suffer from helminth infection and ailments associated with suppuration of the hooves. This is due to the poor tolerance of damp premises, lowlands, swampy pastures.

Experts advise keeping the livestock in dry conditions, trimming the hooves before the start of the grazing season (spring).

The folk method helps with worms: vodka diluted with water (1: 1) with the addition of 3 heads of garlic (pour the animal inside).

To maintain the health of your sheep, invite your veterinarian at least 2 times a year.

Resources

The mass of an adult ram can reach 180 kg. With the correct selection of meat breed, it turns out to bail out up to 60% of meat and 6 kg of wool from it. The slaughter of an animal occurs at the age of 1-2 years, if it is not castrated.

And sheep's down can be used to make yarn and create clothes, quilts, felt boots. Fat-tailed animals provide valuable fat that is good for men's health.

Among the farmers, sheep and