Breeding beef sheep: how to organize a home farm. Effective breeding and raising of sheep at home

Igor Nikolaev

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Is it difficult to keep and raise sheep at home? In this article we will try to understand the basic rules for keeping this type of small cattle. Let's take a closer look at the peculiarities of keeping them in winter and summer and find out what conditions for feeding and keeping sheep will help them grow healthy and quickly gain weight.

Sheep farming is one of the agricultural sectors that has been most actively developing in our country recently.

Sheep have always been valued not only for their tasty and healthy meat, but also for such a valuable product as wool, which is a valuable and sought-after raw material for light industry enterprises. In addition, various types of cheeses and good butter are made from the milk of ewes. In the culture of Asian peoples, most national dishes are prepared using sheep fat, which is distinguished not only by its excellent taste, but also by acting as a natural preservative.

Sheep are very unpretentious animals; they easily adapt to a wide variety of climate conditions and are distinguished by a high level of endurance.

Just like cows, sheep are ruminants, and as a result their diet is based on naturally growing pasture forage. This economic factor makes this livestock industry very attractive from a commercial point of view, since during the spring-summer period there is no need for additional costs for the purchase of feed.

What kind of sheep is best to breed? The breeds of these animals, depending on the type of products obtained from them, are divided into the following areas:

• wool direction;
• wool and meat;
• meat and wool;
• meat and fat (fat-tailed breeds of cattle);
• combined (meat-wool-dairy);
• smushkovoe (Karakul breeds);
• fur coat meat.

A common important indicator for all existing breeds is their fertility.

It is determined as a percentage and calculated according to the principle: how many lambs per year can 100 ewes produce. According to this indicator, the undisputed leader in our country is the Romanov breed. The fertility rate of these animals reaches 250-270 percent.

One of the most important indicators of the productivity of meat sheep is the slaughter yield.

The first indicator tells how much marketable meat can be obtained from a killed animal. It is determined as a percentage of live weight and can reach up to 50 percent. The slaughter yield of rams is always greater than that of ewes. This indicator directly depends on the fatness of the animal. It can be determined at the stage of handing over the animal for slaughter by palpating the subcutaneous fat deposits on the back, in the ribs and on the lower back.

For wool sheep, the most important indicator is the quality of wool.

It can be fine-fleece, semi-fine-fleece, semi-coarse and coarse. The quality of wool material is determined by its fineness, length and structure. Wool obtained in autumn is more valuable than wool obtained in summer. Fine and semi-fine wool is used for the production of fabrics, and semi-coarse and coarse - for the production of carpets, felt and felted shoes.

The main qualitative characteristic for the dairy sector of sheep farming is the amount of protein and fat in milk.

Dairy sheep are highly productive. According to its characteristics, this milk is inferior to cow's milk, so it is used mainly as a raw material for the preparation of cheeses, cottage cheese, butter and other products.

A distinctive feature of this type of domestic animal is its precocity.

The first time they are allowed to mate at the age of one year, although sexually they mature at 6-8 months. Pregnancy in sheep lasts up to 165 days. The lifespan of these animals is up to 25 years, but breeding rams and ewes for their intended purpose can be used for a maximum of seven years.

Since sheep are grazing animals, they are kept on grazing in the spring and summer.

The basis of their diet is pasture, and it is during this period of time that grazing lands are especially rich in green forages necessary for normal development.

The following types of pastures are distinguished:

• artificially created (people sow land with fodder grasses);
• natural (naturally growing food);
• with a predominance of perennial plants;
• with a predominance of annual plants.

It should be remembered that not all sheep breeds quickly adapt when switching from one type of feed to another (from winter to summer diet). Therefore, when keeping sheep, it is recommended to gradually adapt them to green feed.

In addition, it should be taken into account that not all types of grasses growing on pastures are suitable for this type of animal. For example, sheep should not be grazed in damp or swampy areas, since improper feeding leads to various diseases that can lead to the death of animals.

Herding sheep is quite difficult, since they are not very agile and have a highly developed herd instinct, and are also poorly oriented in space.

In this regard, sheep are usually grazed together with goats, whose orientation in the area is fine. The herd instinct only helps here, since where the goat goes, the whole flock will move there. The disorientation in space and sluggishness of sheep is explained by their poor eyesight, hence their desire to stay close to each other. However, if after the start of grazing the sheep continue to be fed at home, they are quite capable of remembering the way to their native shed. In summer, sheep drink up to 10 liters of water per day, so there should be a drinking bowl or some kind of reservoir next to each pasture. The sheep keeping system determines a strict grazing regime: from 5-6 o'clock in the morning to 8-9 o'clock in the evening.

When animals are kept for the purpose of fattening (for meat or lard), year-round stall housing is often used.

The animals are kept in stalls throughout the winter period. Caring for sheep at this time requires special attention.

Since sheep are resistant to both high and low temperatures, there are no special requirements for room insulation. In winter, the basis of the diet of these animals is hay harvested from the summer and various types of purchased feed and feed additives. For the winter, one adult needs up to five hundred kilograms of hay, the same amount of silage and other succulent feed, as well as 50 kilograms of concentrates. If there is not enough hay, then up to a third of its amount can be replaced with oat, grain or bean straw. Sheep also eat well the so-called branch food (brooms). The branches for these brooms are harvested in the summer. Young shoots of trees with green leaves are best.

Room

Not only their health, but also their immunity and growth directly depend on the conditions in which animals are kept.

Premises intended for keeping sheep are divided into stalls. They can be either single or group. The area in the stall for one individual should be:

For ewes with lambs, a separate stall must be allocated, the area of ​​which must be at least 2.5 sq.m. If there is more than one baby per lamb, an additional 0.7 sq.m. is required. Despite the unpretentiousness of sheep, the sheepfold should be equipped with heating and ventilation systems.

Since sheep walk in large herds close to each other, the entrance to the room must be made wide. In addition, the sheepfold must be adapted for easy cleaning and ventilation. A lack of fresh air can cause a deterioration in appetite and a decrease in immunity, as well as a decrease in the quality of the coat and other not the most pleasant consequences. However, on the other hand, there should be no drafts in the room, so windows for ventilation should have no cracks. It is better if the paddock is close to the grazing.

Keeping sheep cannot be called a profitable type of farming activity. This business is very risky and only pays off if there are points for processing the resulting products and markets for their sales. For this reason, many villagers raise sheep for their own consumption. How to do this correctly?

A universal breed that is very popular is the Romanov. It belongs to the meat and wool sector and is characterized by high quality products, good offspring and a low level of morbidity. A sheep can be short-haired or long-haired.

If sheep are raised for meat, then preference is given to breeds with short wool, for example, Prekos, Jaidara, Tajik. They grow very quickly, and the meat has high taste. The leader of the meat breeds is the Edilbaevskaya. These animals are easy to care for, quickly adapt to any climatic conditions and have a large build.

To obtain wool, fine-wool sheep are bred: Caucasian, Stavropol, Altai breeds and merino sheep. There are also fat-tailed animals that, in addition to meat and wool, produce lard.

The beginning of the grazing period is considered to be mid-May, when the grass in the fields has grown a little after the winter. For grazing, it is recommended to select land in dry places, avoiding swampy lowlands.

During the first week, the flock is turned out to graze for 2-3 hours so that they get used to the climate and fresh grass. If the animals feel well and do not have intestinal disorders, then the walking time is gradually increased to 14 hours a day. Spending the night in the summer is also expected on the street, but under a canopy from the rain.

During this period, they are given water 2 times a day and protected from overheating in hot weather. If the conditions outside are unfavorable for grazing, the animals remain in the stall and are fed hay with mineral salt. Additional feeding of sheep begins at the end of summer, when the beneficial properties of the grass have been exhausted. Typically, rye, corn or oats are added to the diet.

Achieving sexual maturity in sheep occurs at the age of 6-8 months and depends on the breed. In order to obtain high-quality offspring and prevent the young from becoming ill, young animals are allowed to mate no earlier than 9 months.

Signs of hunting are:

• increase in size and redness of the vaginal vestibule;
• secretion of mucus from the genital slit;
• animal anxiety and loss of appetite.

The hunting period lasts from 18 hours to three days. The optimal time for insemination is the first hours after the establishment of estrus and the last 6 hours.

If it is not necessary to establish the exact date of lambing, then free mating is carried out. The idea is this: a pair of sheep are placed in one stall for a month, while they are separated during the day and kept together at night. In the absence of fertilization, the next period of hunting occurs after 15-17 days.

Pregnancy (pregnancy) in sheep lasts about 145 days. At this time, the queens need special care. They are protected from unwanted stress, are not allowed to get tired from long journeys across the land, and are fed with chalk and bone meal. If they are malnourished on pasture, then you need to add silage, hay or cake to the diet.

The following signs indicate imminent lambing:

• the belly begins to sag greatly;
• swelling of the udder occurs;
• there is an increase in the size of the genital gap;
• the animal often bleats and rakes the bedding under itself.

A person should not interfere with the process of normal physiological lambing.

The first drink for a newborn lamb is maternal colostrum. It is advisable to cut the hair from the udder of the uterus before giving birth so that it does not interfere with sucking and does not contaminate the nipples. Feeding frequency 5 times a day. If there is not enough colostrum, then substitutes or cow's milk are used.

After three weeks, concentrated feed in the amount of 50 grams per head, hay and oat decoctions are added to the diet of the young animals. By one month, lambs already drink milk three times a day and are content with vegetables (potatoes, pumpkin, carrots). For healthy development of lambs, the food must include: chalk, bone meal, salt and fish oil.

Walking in summer is prohibited for newborn sheep during the first three days. This time is allotted to them to get stronger and adapt to the environment. In winter, young animals are allowed to roam for an hour, provided that the air temperature is not lower than -25 degrees.

In winter, animals should be kept in a room where the air temperature should not fall below 7-10 degrees. It should also be light, spacious and dry. Such sheepfolds are usually built from brick or wood, equipped with feeders and drinkers, a stable and level floor. The size of the space for the shed is calculated at the rate of 3 sq.m per adult and 0.7 sq.m. m for one lamb. A separate corner is fenced off for pregnant sheep.

A walking area is set up near the sheepfold, which should not be in a draft. Small feeders for hay and feed are also built inside it.

During the cold season, the main feeds are hay, silage and concentrates (bran, meal, cake). An adult can also weigh up to 4 kg per day. washed and chopped vegetables, up to 250 gr. mixed feed, 2 brooms of roughage and 1 kg. oat or barley straw.

Legumes are mainly used for hay production: clover, peas, alfalfa, vetch. The possibility of adding an admixture of cereal crops, for example, timothy or ryegrass, cannot be ruled out. The most valuable food is collected from forest and dry meadows. The cut grass should not be exposed to rain and become moldy, so that the animal does not get sick when eating it.

Sheep are fed 3 times a day in winter. In the morning they give succulent and roughage, in the evening - straw or hay. At lunchtime, the animals are content with concentrates. The drink is given warm at the rate of 7 liters per adult.

Improper care can cause a lot of diseases in sheep. The most common of them are: bloating, poisoning, brucellosis and scabies. In such cases, it is necessary to call a veterinarian and treat the animal with medications.

Sheep have been raised as domestic farm animals for thousands of years. At the same time, depending on the breed, sheep are bred to obtain meat, milk, sheepskin and warm, high-quality wool.

In the conditions of a personal farmstead, keeping sheep will not be difficult. Hardy, unpretentious animals rarely get sick, are quite fertile and, compared to cattle, are extremely precocious. At the same time, sheep do not require capitally built premises:

1. In summer they are content with paddocks and grazing areas.
2. In winter they are kept in sheepfolds, where the temperature is slightly above zero.

Animals grow well on food, which is clearly not enough for other species to meet their physiological needs. For sheep, even sparse vegetation is enough to grow, produce wool and gain weight.

With due attention to animals, sheep breeding at home and for novice sheep farmers will not seem like a difficult and burdensome task. Good care, compliance with the rules of keeping and feeding will certainly result in high meat productivity, production of tasty fatty milk and domestic wool in the first year.

Biological characteristics of sheep

Modern breeds of sheep for raising at home can show high productivity in meat, milk and wool. Most often, the attention of sheep breeders is attracted to varieties with high fertility, rapid weight gain, pronounced unpretentiousness and good health. But in order for the animals to show the expected results, their needs and the biological characteristics of the sheep must be taken into account.

Among barnyard animals, sheep are famous for their herd behavior and forgetfulness. Often sheep farmers are faced with the fact that the livestock that has left for grazing cannot find its home. Therefore, sheep and rams are taken to walking areas together with intelligent ones or cows. In this case, as soon as one sheep follows the “leader”, the whole flock will follow it.

The average lifespan of sheep is 20 years. However, when keeping sheep in a private farmstead, only sires and purebred ewes can live up to 8 years. Young animals raised for meat are slaughtered until they are one year old, and animals with wool are kept on the farm for a little longer.

One of the indicators by which the merits of a breed or an individual are judged is the number of lambs per year and the number of lambs produced.

Most often, breeding sheep give birth once a year at the end of winter or in the first days of spring. Pregnancy lasts about five months, with most breeds having one lamb is the norm. But there are also exceptions.

For example, it is popular among Russian sheep breeders due to the frequent birth of several lambs at once and the ability to kitt twice a year. This feature of the breed and the precocity of the species as a whole makes it possible to develop a completely successful, quickly paying off business plan for sheep breeding.

What living conditions do animals need? How to organize their feeding? Where to start raising sheep at home for beginners?

Raising sheep at home in summer

Pasture keeping of sheep is the basis of their high productivity. By depriving animals of the opportunity to go out for a walk, a sheep farmer can seriously reduce his profit. In this case, costs increase:

• for feed, the collection and preparation of which is now a human concern;
• for the equipment of premises and pens for sheep.

If there are no suitable pastures near the farmstead, sheep are provided with walking areas, fencing the areas with shields. After the grass cover is depleted, the flock is transferred to a neighboring territory. Since sheep can bite grass lower than goats or cows, even in the most meager places, they find enough of their favorite food. In addition, moving grazing to another part of the pasture helps prevent infection of animals with helminths.

At home, when raising sheep without walking, the animals are given cut pasture grass.

It is also advisable to give the flock short runs, driving them out of a limited space for a walk. It is possible to keep sheep on a leash with regular transfer to a new site.

Sheep are released onto pasture with the arrival of spring and the appearance of the first vegetation about 8 cm high. If it is cool outside, the animals must be protected from excessive moisture, be it rain or dew. Wet wool does not dry out and becomes the cause of various animal diseases. The same rule is followed with the onset of autumn coolness. In the hot summer, on the contrary, going out to the meadow early will help the sheep find the lushest vegetation.

Despite being kept on pasture, the sheep are always offered water. The drinking bowls are replenished twice daily, and in especially hot seasons - three times a day.

This measure will help protect animals from dehydration and weakening. For the same purpose, sheds are equipped where the flock can wait out the hottest hours. Here, not only water bowls and feeders are placed for the sheep, but also pieces of salt lick.

Pasture grass is the most desirable and healthy food for sheep. However, sheep breeding also requires keeping them during the cold season. Therefore, the sheep farmer needs to prepare hay on time, and in the autumn, fallen leaves will be a good help in case of grass shortage.

In the summer, sheep can suffer from blood-sucking insects, which not only use the sheep as a source of food, but also lay eggs on damaged areas of the skin. To avoid diseases associated with this and make life easier for the wards, animals are examined, wounds are cleaned and disinfected, and special surveillance is established for weakened sheep.

The arrival of autumn for the sheep farmer means that the flock will soon move to winter sheepfolds and sheep pens. It is extremely important to protect children from drafts, excess humidity and crowded conditions. That's why:

1. The premises are equipped with ventilation.
2. Provide the animals with dry, deep bedding.
3. From 2.5 to 3 meters of area is allocated per individual.
4. The temperature inside the sheepfold is maintained at 6–8 °C during the stall period. This is quite enough for healthy, strong animals to feel good and, with a well-chosen diet, to grow.
5. During the most critical period in sheep breeding - during lambing, the air in the sheepfold should be heated to 15 °C.

In winter, the sheep's diet consists of silage hay harvested in the summer, chopped root vegetables and a small amount of concentrated feed. For 500 kg of grass hay and the same amount of root vegetables there should be only 100 kg of feed. This norm is enough to feed one adult during the stall period.

During the cold season, it is best to feed the livestock outdoors in an open sheep pen. In bad weather, food is given under a canopy. Do this 3-4 times a day. First the sheep get hay. For weight gain and growth, it is useful to feed hay from cereals and forage legumes.

The sheep are then offered succulent feed. This can be a mixture of chopped root vegetables, for example, carrots, turnips, potatoes with bran. Another option is silage. After such a meal, the herd is given a drink, and then it is the turn of concentrated and roughage. When raised at home, sheep quickly become accustomed to one feed distribution schedule. In the evening, hay and brooms prepared in the summer are placed in the feeders.

Sheep farming - video

In the household?

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

It sounds simple, but livestock farmers, when talking about how to care for sheep, also warn about additional factors that should be paid attention to.

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

First you need to decide on the breed. It has little effect in terms of caring for the livestock and mainly determines the resources received and the volume of meat (8 resource areas). The following breeds are worth noting:

• Fat tail (meat-fat breed). Fat-tailed animals are given by nature the so-called fat tail - a fat sac in the tail. They are suitable for fat extraction.
• Romanovskaya (meat-skin direction) is the most common and resilient. It is valued for its skin and wool, which are used to make light and warm clothes. Gets along well in central Russia.
• Stavropol (wool breed). Strongly built animals with thick skin and a large volume of wool. Used for harvesting wool and fat.
• Kuibyshevskaya (meat direction). Fine-fleeced, fleshy and prolific representatives. A popular breed for Russian farmers selling sheep meat.

Livestock breeders may 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 present the following proportion that must be observed by the farmer:

• three stud rams
• 40 sheep for slaughter
• the rest are little lambs that will kitten in early spring

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

Schedule

The ideal option for raising sheep 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. Releases must be subject to a strict schedule:

• 5:00 – first departure to pasture
• 12:00 – return to the stall to 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 housing

Usually the building plan is L-shaped with windows for sufficient lighting. It is divided into two parts (for sheep that have lambed and those that have not lambed). A staff room is located in the center of the building.

It is advisable to build an additional extension where the rams can be placed separately so that they do not disturb the females during the period of decline in sexual activity.

On cold days, the heat inside the house is maintained by the sheep themselves. For the winter, depending on the temperature (if below -10 °C), the stall is lined with insulation. Sometimes a stove is installed to keep the lambs from freezing: their wool is not yet enough to warm themselves.

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

As an additional building, it is advisable to build a covered enclosure where the herd will go for watering, and also 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 feed barley or bran, but not for long, due to the fact that animals quickly gain weight.

The most nutritious crops are clover or legumes.

Sedge and rush will be unsuitable.

Combined feeds are expensive. They are used exclusively on an industrial scale for sheep breeding.

Animal food must be natural. The food sheep eat in the summer is grass that grows in the pasture. Free range replenishes vitamin deficiencies.

This is quite enough for their healthy development. However, the farmer must ensure that the sheep's diet contains iodized salt (15 g per 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 heads.

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

Lambing depends on the breed.

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

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

Cow's or goat's milk is used for feeding. After 4 months, the lambs are removed from the uterus and accustomed to independent “adult” feeding.

Wool

Animals are trimmed once a year in May or June. Sheep that have become overgrown over the course of a year have a hard time molting - the wool falls off in pieces, causing them pain and rolling into tangles. Individuals sent for slaughter also first go through a shearing process.

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

Health

The herd lives by the law of “survival of the fittest.” Therefore, if she gets sick, it is easier to send her to slaughter than to treat her. However, the farmer should not leave it to chance. There are certain rules for caring for the health of sheep:

• Vaccinate animals 2 times a year (this issue is dealt with by the veterinary service).
• Before leaving for winter stabling, disinfect the premises and equipment. Carry out the second disinfection procedure in the spring.
• All newly arrived “newbies” should be sent to a month-long quarantine and only after that allowed into the enclosures.

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

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

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

To maintain the health of your sheep, invite a veterinarian to visit them at least twice a year.

Resources

The weight of an adult ram can reach 180 kg. With the correct selection of meat breed, it can yield up to 60% of meat and 6 kg of wool. The animal is slaughtered at the age of 1-2 years, if it is not castrated.

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

Among the farmers are sheep and

Sheep farming works well for those people who love animals, sheep in particular. Sheep are herd animals; they always graze together and do not scatter far. They can be grazed on any grass, even after the cows have passed. Many people allow a goat into the flock so that there is a “leader,” because the sheep and rams do not know their home well and will not go anywhere until someone confident in themselves leads them.

They are divided according to the quality of their wool into fine wool (their wool consists of only downy wool), semi-fine wool (the wool is not so fine) and coarse wool (they are bred for meat and sheepskin).

The most popular breed in central Russia is the Romanov. She gives 4-5 lambs per litter, while others give 1-2 lambs. This breed is also advantageous because their sheepskin is more valuable.

They live for a long time, up to 22-25 years, but they mate until they are 8-9 years old to produce strong, healthy offspring.

Raising sheep during the grazing period

The grazing season begins in May, when the grass has already grown a little. In the morning they are given water and driven to pasture. At the beginning of the grazing period, they are accustomed to fresh grass, that is, they are turned out to graze not for the whole day, but for 2-3 hours, then returned to the sheepfold. And so on for several days in a row.

When the grass has already grown well, all the herbivores are driven out to pastures for the entire long summer day, and they are left to spend the night in pens with a rain shelter. Despite the fact that young grass is quite juicy, they still need to be watered at least 2 times a day.

Stall period

For the stall period, it is necessary to prepare at least 500 kilograms of good hay per head, 500-700 kilograms of succulent feed (potatoes, root vegetables, silage) and 100 kilograms of concentrates, including salt, chalk, bone meal.

In the sheepfold, everything should be repaired by winter, the walls should be sufficiently insulated, doors and frames should be adjusted so that there are no drafts. If it’s stuffy in the sheepfold in winter, then the glass is removed from the windows, and the opening can be covered with fabric, then the air will pass through and there will be no draft. By the beginning of the stall period, you need to install feeders and drinking bowls. The room should not be cramped to avoid injury and disease to the livestock.

In an insufficiently insulated and equipped barn, they may not tolerate the stall period well, because in central Russia it lasts up to 7 months. The air temperature in the sheepfold in winter should be no lower than 6-8 °C, and when the lambs appear, then up to 15 °C. Suspended sheep must be kept separately. The sheepfold must be dry, clean, it must be cleaned regularly and the bedding must be changed.

Feeding during the stall period

It is better to feed lambs outside, in a pen, or under a canopy in bad weather.

It's best to do it 3-4 times a day. If you feed them at a certain time, then between feedings they behave calmly and do not scream. At night, each tree is left with 1-2 brooms from branches with leaves harvested in the summer. You definitely need to water them a lot, as they feed on dry food.

It is better to distribute feed over time: give hay in the morning, in the afternoon - hay, brooms plus succulent feed, cut into pieces and sprinkled with bran, in the evening - concentrates and hay. Individuals destined for meat are fed hay, mainly legumes and cereals. Don't forget to give them salt.

Possible diseases

To prevent lambs from getting sick, it is necessary to adhere to the basic rules of sanitation, treat the premises in which a sick animal was noticed with special substances, about which it is better to consult a veterinarian. Sick animals should be separated from others and should not be allowed to come into contact with healthy animals.

1. Diseases are not contagious

• Nutritional imbalance. Lambs may lack some minerals, and as a result, they begin to eat wool from other lambs. After this, they die because the abomasum (part of the stomach in ruminants) becomes blocked. A lack of phosphorus and calcium can cause rickets, and in adults – osteoporosis.
• Cold. One of the main enemies is dampness. It should be avoided in every possible way, both in winter and summer. Animals get sick from it. Colds may appear if they are exposed to rain, since wet wool cannot dry for a long time, and everyone will get sick.
• Poisoning. They can be poisoned by low-quality feed, some herbs, and excessive amounts of sugar beets.
• Wounds, fractures, bruises, mastitis in the uterus. In the summer, flies and other blood-sucking insects (horseflies, gadflies) lay their eggs in any wound, from which larvae grow. They begin to corrode the skin, causing the animals to experience pain and itching, and they are no longer interested in grazing. These larvae are removed and the wounds are lubricated with iodine or another disinfectant solution. It is best to lubricate wounds on the same day; for this, animals need to be examined more often for their appearance.

2. Contagious diseases

• Scabies
• Brucellosis
• Coccidiosis
• Worms. To avoid infecting your animals with worms, you need to graze them in a new place every week.

In all cases of malaise, which is expressed in lethargy, poor appetite, you should immediately contact a veterinarian.

And we should never forget that sheep are the most defenseless animals; a wolf or a large dog can not only frighten them, as a result of which the ewes may lose milk, but also destroy an entire flock, as has happened more than once.

They are ready for fertilization after six months of life, but this should not be allowed so early, as they may not be able to withstand the load on their fragile body and get sick or die. Low-quality offspring may also be born. Mating can be done at the age of 9 months and older. Best of all, after a year and a half.

Most people begin to feel the heat from the second half of summer to the end of September. This depends on the length of daylight and air temperature.

Hunting is expressed by the fact that the genitals increase significantly in size, and in some sheep they secrete mucus. Ewes become restless. This condition lasts from 18 to 36 hours.

With signs of heat, animals are separated from the flock and mated - left with the ram. In one day, a ram can cover 2-3 females. It’s not worth giving more, so that he doesn’t become overtired, which can affect the quality of the offspring. If yamkas graze in a large flock, then there should be 1 ram for every 30-40 females. In small flocks, a ram is needed for each flock.

We must not forget to ensure that there are no closely related matings, as the offspring suffer from this. To avoid this, it is necessary to replace the ram every 2-3 years. You can also change rams between flocks.

To ensure that no one gets infected with infectious diseases during mating, it is necessary to check them for these diseases at the veterinarian before this process.

Artificial insemination

If necessary or at the request of the owner, sheep are artificially inseminated. This is the highest quality insemination performed by qualified insemination technicians. This is done using special devices.

To do this, an individual is identified during the hunting period and placed in a special pen; it is located in a room with a temperature of 20-24 ° C. The sperm, tested for quality and health, is injected into the uterus. Then they mark it with easily washable paint and release it into the flock. To obtain a better result, insemination is performed again every other day, if she is still in heat. After that she is watched.

If you don’t fertilize the yarka during the first heat, she may want to breed again in 15-18 days. If she remains unfertilized the second time, then she may no longer be able to be fertilized, that is, she will become barren.

Pregnancy and childbirth

Many people do not know how long a pregnant sheep walks. The gestation period is about 145-155 days. Depending on the breed, there are 1 to 5 lambs. Ewes lamb in the middle of winter, because... They roam at the end of summer - beginning of autumn.

Towards the end of pregnancy they become more rounded and slower. Three weeks before the sheep gives birth, the diet should become more easily digestible and plentiful.

The udder 1-2 days before birth significantly increases and fills with milk. The skin under the tail becomes redder and swollen. The tail becomes soft and thick.

Before lambing, the queens begin to show anxiety, refuse to eat and look for a secluded place. They need it for a smooth birth. If possible, at this time the animal is moved to a separate lambing area or to a fenced area.

The ewe gives birth to her first lamb lying down. The birth lasts several hours in total, depending on the number of lambs and the health of the uterus. The birth of one lamb lasts up to 50 minutes. After the birth of the first lamb, the lamb licks it, licking off the waste of its birth: amniotic fluid and others. In the process of licking, she remembers his smell, so that later she will not confuse him with anyone else. She gives birth to the rest while standing. They fall onto the litter, but the fall does not harm them. She also licks the rest of the lambs. 3-6 hours after the birth of the last lamb, the placenta comes out. This means that lambing has been completed successfully.

If a ewe has problems with the birth of one of the lambs or the placenta does not pass, not to mention bleeding, it is necessary to urgently contact a veterinarian or an experienced sheep breeder.

Newborn lambs begin to suckle from the udder. This first milk (colostrum) is very beneficial for them. It contains many substances necessary for newly born babies. After 30 minutes, stronger babies can already stand, although, at first, swaying a little.

Ewes stand quietly while feeding, waiting until the lambs are full. When this happens, the babies fall asleep. In the first few days, they nurse and sleep almost all the time. The ewe is also resting; she is also very tired.