Sheep breeding is a rather profitable branch of animal husbandry . These artiodactyls are distinguished by their endurance, unpretentiousness in care, and also demonstrate high productivity indicators even with poor feeding. And in order to properly organize a private economy, it is necessary to study in detail the characteristics of the animals themselves and the features of their content.

Breed selection for a beginner sheep breeder

Sheep breeding should begin with the choice of breed. In terms of productivity, they distinguish between woolly, meat-wool and meat-and-milk, by the type of fleece - fine-wool, semi-fine-wool, coarse-haired and semi-coarse-haired. All these criteria must be considered when selecting animals for breeding.

For beginners, it is better to choose one of the following breeds:

• Romanovskaya;
• Kuibyshevskaya;
• Karakul.

Did you know? Sheep has a rectangular pupil. The pupil of the octopus has the same structure.

Romanovskaya

The main characteristics of the Romanovskaya breed of sheep:

Direction	meat and milk
Appearance	the skull is light; humpbacked profile; ears are erect, mobile; hoofs are strong, legs are even; there is no body fat on the body; the tail is short, up to 10 cm; the constitution is rude; coat color is grayish-blue; all specimens are hornless (hornless).
Weight, kg)
female	50–55
male	60–80
young	2–4
Performance
wool (kg)	1, 5-3
milk (l)	30-50
meat (slaughter yield, %)	fifty
uterine fertility (%)	130
Growth per month (kg)	6-7
Advantages	kololost; high performance in all directions; early maturity; good adaptive abilities.
disadvantages	timidity, especially with prolonged grazing.

Kuibyshevskaya

The main characteristics of the Kuibyshev breed of sheep:

Direction	meat and wool
Appearance	the head is wide; powerful constitution; legs are flat, strong; strong hooves; the coat color is silver-gray or sand-brown; all individuals are hornless.
Weight, kg)
female	46-60
male	70–95
young	3-5.5
Performance
wool (kg)	8-10
milk (l)	20-30
meat (slaughter yield, %)	60
uterine fertility (%)	130
Growth per month (kg)	6–8
Advantages	kololost; early maturity; high performance; excellent quality of wool; marbled meat.
disadvantages	fluctuations in the thickness of the coat in non-breeding individuals; not suitable for breeding on unproductive pastures and in arid climates.

Karakul

The main characteristics of the Karakul sheep breed:

Direction	meat and milk
Appearance	humpbacked profile; medium-sized head, elongated; the males have large, spiral-horned horns; in females they are slightly smaller; legs are thin, strong; the constitution is neat.
Weight, kg)
female	40-50
male	60–70
young	3-5.5
Performance
wool (kg)	2.6-3
milk (l)	30-50
meat (slaughter yield, %)	47–56
uterine fertility (%)	120-130
Growth per month (kg)	6.5-7.5
Advantages	precocity; high performance; high rates of immunity; good adaptability to cold climates; unpretentiousness in leaving; thoroughbred breed.
disadvantages	poorly tolerate a hot climate.

Construction of a shed (nightmares)

Throughout the warm season, as soon as fresh green grass appears, the sheep are kept in free pasture. But for the winter, even the most hardy breeds need to build a dwelling, or adapt an existing utility room for it.

Requirements for a shepherd (nightmare):

1. Good light.
2. The floor is above the ground at a height of 20-30 cm.
3. Organization of a stock system for diverting sheep waste products from the premises.
4. The flooring should be covered with litter (hay, straw).
5. From the floor to the bottom frame of the window you need to withstand a height of 1.2 m.
6. The presence of a thermometer - for monitoring the temperature regime in winter and during the lambing period of females.
7. The area should be divided into compartments for keeping uterus, lambs, rams.
8. The presence of feeders, drinking bowls.
9. The possibility of heating the room.
10. The presence of an elementary ventilation system.

Calculation of the area depending on the desired livestock

The first step in building a shepherd is to calculate the area of ​​the room. In accordance with sanitary standards, 1.5 m² per adult, and 3 m² per ewe with lambs.

Room equipment

The entire shepherd is divided into zones with the help of shields 1.2 m high, consisting of boards, between which there should be a clearance of 15 cm.

The width of the drinkers and feeders is calculated depending on the number of animals. These devices must have a height of 30–40 cm, a length of 20 cm per individual.

Find out what is the life span of a sheep.

The sanitary condition of the room

To prevent livestock from being sick, sanitary standards must be observed in the shepherd:

• litter change as it gets dirty, about 1 time per week (maybe more often);
• washing drinking bowls and feeders with gentle detergents, every 3-5 days;
• disinfection of premises when transferring animals to free range (in spring) and before running into a stall (in autumn) - involves the complete removal of floor litter, washing the floor and walls with bleach, treating the entire room with copper sulfate of 5% concentration, airing for a week.

Video: Shepherd device

Sheep acquisition

An important step is the acquisition of animals. Buying is best done at specialized farms. The value of a sheep is based on 2 main points:

• health status;
• age.

A young healthy sheep will produce many more lambs. The purchase of one-year-old females (not giving birth) and 3-4-month-old lambs should be carried out in May-June, older queens (already giving birth) and 8-10-month-old lambs - in September-October.

Important! After buying the females, you need to bring them home as soon as possible, to allow them to get used to the new situation before starting the breeding of lambs. The percentage of fertility directly depends on the time given to the animal to adapt - the more it is, the higher the female’s productivity.

Adult sheep and rams

If you plan to increase the number of animals as quickly as possible, you need to purchase several females 2-3 years old and one male. The first thing to evaluate is the appearance of the animals. They must be active, not exhausted. Weight indicators correspond to the descriptions of a particular breed.

The woolen cover is evenly distributed throughout the body, and not rolled up by clods in separate areas.

In females, it is necessary to check the teeth . To do this, the sheep open its mouth and first conduct a visual inspection - the front teeth should be even and white. Then they need to try to shake. If the teeth are loose, it means that the sheep is already about 7 years old, and you should not buy it, because it will be able to bring offspring only about 3-4 times. In addition, older individuals require more feed, which is not profitable for the farmer.

Particular attention should be paid to the state of the hooves. They must be intact, solid. The health and productivity of future offspring will directly depend on the insemination ram. A male who is being properly cared for can fertilize 40 females.

When buying a ram, it is evaluated according to the following parameters:

1. Teeth - carefully examine the incisors and molars. Do not buy animals with the wrong bite (snack or overshot).
2. Eyes - clear, not watery, no signs of souring.
3. Head, neck, shoulder joints - in these areas there should be no signs of struggle (rams often fight among themselves, competing for uterus). The neck is thick, flowing smoothly into the shoulders. A regular-shaped skull typical of a particular breed.
4. The constitution is powerful, the legs are straight, strong, the chest is rounded without scratches, abrasions, areas where there is no hair. The coat is clean, not smeared with feces at the back.
5. Legs and hooves - to inspect the presence of hoof rot, burns, and also to assess the mobility of the joints. The setting of the legs is more or less sheer. The limbs should be wide enough, and there should be no rapprochement in the knees. The hooves are firm, with well-developed putry bones.
6. Genitals - examine and feel the appendage (adjacent to the posterior edge of the testicles). It should be elastic, medium in size, without solid inclusions. Testes (testicles) also need to be felt. In a healthy male, they are solid, each moving easily in the cavity of the scrotum, which should be clean, heavy and soft to the touch.
7. The inner surface of the hips is pink, smooth.
8. Penis and foreskin - check for signs of injury and infection.
9. Horns - widely planted, thick, long, twisted in a spiral, with a pronounced surface relief.

Important! It is not recommended for beginners to choose females and sheep on their own, because it will be difficult for an inexperienced person to assess their health status and age. Given this, enlist the support of an experienced shepherd or take a veterinarian with you.

Young animals

Young growth is better to buy at the age of 8-10 months. Choose it according to the same criteria as adults. At this age, the normal weight of a healthy animal of this age should be 75% of the mass of an adult of the corresponding sex.

Lambs

Lambs should be bought at the age of 3-4 months. Animals must be active, well-fed. At this age, the lamb should already reach 45% of the adult mass. It is also worth paying attention to the condition of the legs and hooves. In a healthy lamb of this age, the limbs are strong enough, straight, set far apart. The knee joints are mobile. The hooves are solid, without signs of lamination, infection.

When buying, you need to evaluate the quality of the coat. It should be soft, evenly spaced throughout the body, not knocked to pieces.

The back surface of the hips should be clean, not smeared with feces. The rest of the assessment of the condition of babies is carried out in the same way as adults. When buying, be sure to ask the breeder for documentation of routine vaccinations, worm prevention.

Content

Growing sheep is quite simple, they are not demanding in nutrition and tolerate different weather changes well. The main thing is to properly organize the care of animals.

Diet

Keeping sheep suggests that with the advent of the first succulent greens, the animals will be free-range. It is pasture that forms the basis (85% of all food consumed) of the diet of all age groups in the warm season. For the winter, you need to buy combined feeds for different age groups, as well as prepare hay, silage and root crops.

The whole diet is as follows:

1. Juicy food - grass, silage, melons, root crops.
2. Coarse feed - hay, straw, haylage.
3. Concentrated additives - cereals (barley, oats), legumes, bran, sunflower and soybean meal, corn kernels, formulations designed specifically for different age groups of sheep.

The feeding regimen depends on the season. In the winter, when animals are constantly in the stall, they are given food 3 times a day. In the evening give the least nutritious feed. Concentrates should be offered to animals after drinking, and juicy before it.

Check out helpful information on how to care for weak lambs.

In the warm season, it is possible not to introduce feeding to the diet of sheep at all if they spend at least 14 hours on the pasture. The mode at this time looks like this:

• 05:00 - exit to the pasture;
• 12:00 - return to the stall to get drunk, or departure to the nearest body of water for the same purpose;
• 15:00 - exit to the pasture;
• 23:00 - return for the night.

It is important to ensure that animals always have access to clean drinking water. In the summer, each adult consumes about 6 liters of water, in the winter - 3 liters.

Adults

Nutrition for the seasons (calculation for one individual):

Spring	The flock is transferred to succulent feed gradually, during periods of rest, adding hay and silage (1.5 kg), up to 700 g of concentrates, 10-15 g of salt to the diet.
Summer	Fresh herbs make up 85% of the diet + up to 1 kg of hay, 200 g of concentrates, 10-15 g of salt.
Autumn	The herd is grazed to frost, the amount of hay is increased to 3 kg, add up to 4 kg of root crops, 10-15 g of salt.
Winter	4 kg of hay, 4 kg of silage, 300 g of compound feed, 4 kg of root crops, 10-15 g of salt.

A special diet should be organized for females a month before lambing. Menu of the ewe for the day:

• cereal and bean hay - 0.5 kg each;
• straw - 0.5 kg;
• succulent feed (root crops, pumpkin) - at least 3 kg;
• concentrates - 300 g;
• salt - up to 15 g.

Tribal males also need improved nutrition:

• hay - 2 kg;
• succulent feed - 3 kg;
• concentrate - 600 g;
• salt - 15 g.

During the mating season, the male breeding individual loses a lot of strength. Given this, 2 months before the insemination of the sheep, the male needs to change the diet as follows:

• hay - 1.5 kg;
• concentrate - 1.5 kg (oats should be the basis);
• boiled chicken eggs - 2 pcs. (or 200 g of cottage cheese);
• root crops - 500 g.

Young animals

From 3-4 months the lambs are already beginning to eat adult food. They are taken away from the uterus and gradually transferred to pasture.

Diet for young animals by age:

4-6 months	6-12 months
hay 0.5 kg	hay 1 kg
haylage 0.5 kg	root vegetables 500 g
vegetables 0.5 kg	concentrates 200 g
compound feed 300 g	salt 8 g
sunflower and soybean meal 150 g
salt up to 4 g

Lambs

During the first 5 days from the moment of birth, the lambs feed on breast milk. Up to 3 months, the cubs continue to feed on dairy products, but at the same time willingly dig in the feeders, absorbing roughage.

A week after birth, concentrated feed is introduced into the diet for the lambs. First give 50 g per day for a month. From the second month of life, the lambs are gradually increased in the amount of roughage so that by 12 weeks their amount in the daily diet is 300 g. Also, bean hay (0.3–1 kg each) must be added to the menu.

Video: When the lambs begin to eat hay

Care

Caring for sheep is easy. Throughout the year, it is necessary to carry out hygienic manipulations and carry out preventive measures to prevent the development of diseases of various etiologies.

Hygiene

Regularly after shearing or when the coat is smeared with dirt, the sheep should be washed. You can do this from a hose, or by running animals in a pond. Haircut - an event that allows you to improve the condition of animals in the heat and get excellent raw materials for making textiles or selling. Usually it is carried out 1-2 times a season - in the spring and at the end of August.

Hooves are cut once every 1-2 months. To carry out the manipulation, you will need a knife and scissors for hooves, as well as a regular knife. The sequence of actions:

1. Lock the animal in a standing position.
2. To clean the sole of the hoof with a knife, gradually removing the coarsened layer until elastic tissue appears.
3. Trim the hoof walls with scissors.
4. Trim the soft cloth from the sole with a knife.
5. Set the animal on a flat surface to assess the correctness of the work performed - the angle between the leg and the ground level should be 70 °.

It is necessary to constantly monitor the cleanliness of the hoofed crevice. If dirt, clay, etc., gets inside and dries up, it becomes difficult for a sheep to move around. Noticing that the cattle is limping, it is necessary to clean the hoof of dirt.

Important! Carry out water procedures only in warm, sunny weather so that animals do not catch a cold.

Disease prevention

The main condition that prevents the development of diseases is room hygiene. The content of sheep in the winter in too cold, wet shepherds leads to the development of tuberculosis.

In winter, the temperature should be kept at + 8 ° С in the koshar, + 15 ° С in the compartments where the soft and freshly nursed uterus with lambs are kept. Even in winter, sheep need to be released in the courtyard. If this is not done, due to low mobility the animals will begin to eat fat, which will negatively affect their performance.

It is important to follow the vaccination and deworming schedule, which is as follows:

1. Anthrax - twice a year in 1 and 4 quarters from 3 months of age.
2. Emkara - after 6 months, in the 1st quarter, but no later than 14 days before the start of the pasture period. If the sheep have been on free-run for more than 6 months, revaccination must be carried out.
3. Trichophytosis - the whole flock from two months of age, 2 times with an interval of 2 weeks.
4. Against diktiokauleza - March, then October-November.
5. From fasciosis - February - March and December.
6. Against moniesiosis - a month after entering the pasture, then 15 days later, again 25 days after the second manipulation. The fourth procedure is carried out 30 days after the transfer to the stall period.

Sheep divorce

Growing sheep involves the expansion of livestock. Hurry in this business is not worth it. Sheep reach puberty at the age of about 7 months, but they cannot be fertilized at this age, because their body is still developing and is not ready to bear children. A good reproductive age is considered to be 1.5–2 years.

Sheep can breed lambs several times a year.

But experienced farmers do not recommend bringing females with males more than 1 time per year, because frequent pregnancies greatly deplete the body of ewes, which leads to the birth of inferior cubs.

Sexual hunting in females occurs in September-October. This period is ideal for mating. Given that the gestation of lambs in these animals lasts 145 days, childbirth will fall in February-March. It is economically profitable, because already a couple of months after the birth of the lambs, juicy greens will appear and they can be transferred to the free range with the mother.

Case

Preparatory work before mating:

1. For 1.5–2 months before fertilization, transfer males and females to enhanced nutrition.
2. In 2.5 months, wean the lambs from already giving birth to the sheep, gradually stop milking them.
3. Carry out a veterinary examination of females and males, as well as all vaccinations and deworming manipulations according to the schedule.

Fertilization can be carried out naturally or artificially. Spend it when the females begin sexual hunt. This is determined by behavioral reactions and the condition of the external genitalia. Sheep become more docile, admit males to themselves. The labia swell a little, acquire a brighter red color, transparent pink mucus stands out from them. Sexual hunting lasts about 24 hours, in rare cases 48 or 86. At this time, the male is launched to the sheep. After 24 hours, they take him away.

Did you know? Lambs just born have a good ear. From the first minutes of life, they are able to find a mother by voice.

Если спустя 18 дней после случки половая охота не возобновилась, значит, процесс осеменения прошёл успешно. Чтобы подтвердить беременность, можно спустя 60 дней после спаривания пригласить ветеринара — он прощупает матку и скажет точно, есть ли беременность, а также даст рекомендации по поводу ухода за овцой в этот период.

Суягность у овец обычно протекает хорошо. Поведение самок не меняется, они остаются всё так же активны, хорошо кушают. За период суягности следует тщательно следить, чтобы во время выгула на улице зимой матка не ложилась на снег, иначе может быть выкидыш.

Okot

Перед окотом надо тщательно изучить информацию, касающуюся этого процесса. Обычно роды у овец проходят без человеческого вмешательства, но вам всё равно придётся контролировать их от начала до конца.

Если у матки обвисло брюхо, вымя раздулось, хвост стал толстым и мягким, а половые органы припухли и приобрели более яркий цвет, значит спустя 2-3 суток она начнёт рожать. Заметив эти признаки, следует отселить овцу в другое помещение. Сразу же надо остричь шерсть под хвостом на задних ногах, в паховой зоне.

Когда начнутся схватки, животное станет беспокойным. Будет ходить по загону, постоянно вставать и ложиться, нюхать и копать носом подстилку. Спустя 1-2 часа из половых органов появится околоплодный пузырь. Он лопается, отходят воды и начинается процесс изгнания плода. В этот момент животное ритмично двигает животом. В процессе схваток матка встаёт, облизывает околоплодные воды. Детёныш, при нормальном течении родов, выпадает из самки прямо на подстилку. В это же время рвётся пуповина. Матка облизывает малыша, очищает его нос от слизи.

От хозяина потребуется помощь в том случае, если ягнёнок неправильно располагается в утробе (об этом вам скажет врач на ветосмотре), пуповина сама не оторвалась или околоплодный пузырь не лопается долгое время.В любом случае, перед родами вам нужно заготовить полотенца, горячую воду, йод, стерильную спицу для прокалывания пузыря (можно взять в человеческой аптеке), острые ножницы.

The position of the fetus during childbirth: a - correct; b - wrong

Если вы видите, что пузырь не лопается, его следует проколоть, иначе ягнёнок задохнётся. Пуповину отрезают на расстоянии 8 мм от живота малыша, острыми ножницами, предварительно прошедшими кипячение и обработку йодом.

В случае, когда самка самостоятельно не убрала слизь из носа детёныша, вам нужно сделать это самостоятельно, при помощи влажного полотенца, или можно воспользоваться отсосом для слизи, предназначенным для детей.

Видео: Как принимать роды у овцы

Уход за новорождёнными ягнятами

Сразу после родов самке нужно помыть область задних ног, а также вымени. Первое молоко сцедить и подпустить ягнёнка к матери. Затем его забирают и на протяжении 7-8 дней приносят только на кормление каждые 2 часа. Дело в том, что в этот период самка может повести себя совершенно непредсказуемым образом.

Кроме того, окотившейся овце нужен тщательный уход и ежедневные осмотры, т. к. ещё на протяжении 8 дней могут проявиться послеродовые осложнения. Спустя 8 дней малышей переводят к мамам. Кормят по схеме, описанной выше, постепенно вводя им в рацион грубый корм.

Болезни и травмы

Если овцы содержатся в хороших условиях и правильно питаются, то проблем со здоровьем у них обычно не имеется. Что касается травм, то для их исключения необходимо подбирать для выпаса равнинные участки.

При неправильном уходе может наблюдаться заражение:

• ожирение — исправляется посредством изменения рациона питания, исключения комбинированных кормов;
• ринит, трахеит, бронхит — лечится антибиотиками, витаминами (назначает врач);
• проблемы с кишечником — решаются в зависимости от причины (их может быть много).

Shearing

Лучше всего проводить стрижку при помощи автоматической машинки. Она требует минимальных навыков и практически полностью исключает риск травмирования кожных покровов. Перед стрижкой следует подготовить солнечный, безветренный участок на улице или хорошо освещаемое помещение. На землю уложить кусок брезента, чтобы шерсть не пачкалась и её было проще собрать.

Последовательность выполнения действий по подстрижке:

Дойка овец

Доение овец осуществляют после того, как от них будут забраны ягнята. Осуществляется манипуляция 2 раза в день.

Перед началом доения нужно:

1. Помыть вымя овцы тёплой водой с мылом, затем сполоснуть, промокнуть мягким чистым полотенцем.
2. Вымыть руки.
3. Подставить под вымя чистый, сухой подойник, накрыть его марлей, сложенной вдвое (чтобы устранить риск попадания мелких частиц грязи с шерстяного покрова, мошек и пр. мусора в молоко).

Доение овец: а – раздаивание; b - alignment

В начале проводится раздаивание. Вымя придерживают левой рукой, осторожно прижав тыльной стороной хвост, а правой раздаивают соски. Первым суставом безымянного пальца несколько раз нажимают на каждый сосок, чтобы сдоить молоко, оставшееся с прошлого раза. Затем обхватывают обеими руками вымя и сжимают его. В результате этого жидкость начинает стекать в подойник. Did you know? Больше всего овец содержится в Китае — 144 млн голов. На больших фермах дойка проводится при помощи специальных машин. Овцы очень выгодны в разведении. Они отличаются неприхотливостью в уходе, а также редко болеют и быстро набирают массу тела на подножных кормах. Даже новичок может позволить себе завести сразу 10 голов, не переживая, что не справится с их выращиванием.