Sheep fattening meat It is produced either on pasture - “foraging”, or in a stall. Fattening of sheep begins in mid-August and ends in late September or early October. Especially good sheep fatten on the steppe pasture. You can also feed on artificial or seeded pastures. If pastures are bad, of course, you have to feed them with grain. Fattening in stalls is carried out in autumn and early winter. With stall fattening, young animals can be fattened for 6-8 months. age, as well as adult sheep. You just shouldn’t fatten sheep aged from 1 year to 1 year 3 months, since at this time their milk incisors-toes begin to change, and the sheep eat poorly.
Before fattening, it is good to shorn the sheep, since shorn sheep have a better appetite. It is only necessary that the fattening room be warm enough.
Feed for stall fattening: hay, oats, barley, corn, cake, fodder beets , turnips, carrots , potatoes. Straw can be fed in addition to hay if the hay is good. The cake is given by weight of the given grain. Daily live weight gain during fattening depends on the breed of sheep and age. Lambs of wool breeds produce 0.13-0.2 kilos of gain per day. Lambs of English early-maturing meat breeds, as well as crosses of ordinary sheep with English ones, give from 200 to 400 g per day. Adult sheep give from 65-130 g per day - English breeds give slightly more.
Subtleties of reproduction
The breeding season for meat sheep begins in the fall, in October, and lasts until January. The gestation period is 5.5 months. During the mating period, breeding rams are supplemented with oat and barley chaff and hay. Sheep need to diversify their diet with vegetables and provide plenty of fluids.
For lambing, the premises must be clean, manure must be removed and bedding changed. Sheep can stand or lie down while giving birth. Therefore, you need to put a thick layer of clean straw on the floor to prevent the baby from getting injured or contracting an infection.
A sheep licks a newborn lamb and feeds it milk. If there are more than two cubs in the litter, they will have to be artificially fed. One female can feed no more than two lambs.
After childbirth, you need to check whether the afterbirth - the membrane of the fetus - has come out. Usually it comes out immediately or after feeding newborns. If the placenta does not come out or comes out partially, you need to contact a veterinarian. Due to the retention of the membrane during the day, inflammation of the uterus develops.
Sale
Keeping sheep brings income from three areas:
- wool
- meat.
Selling wool and milk is an additional income, but not the main one. Since the price for 2022 has fallen in the market.
Milk is purchased in small quantities to create cheese products.
All income comes from the sale of meat.
There are three ways to sell meat:
- slaughter animals individually for further sale
- sell wholesale
- secure your goods for sale in factories.
Farmers who run rural businesses prefer to sell meat from their own personal point in the market.
The presence of regular customers makes it possible to increase profitability, for whom animals are slaughtered and subsequently sold.
At what rate do sheep gain weight?
Young animals have the highest rates of live weight gain. Depending on the grass stand on the pasture, fertilizing and species affiliation, the daily gain is 300-500 grams.
Be sure to read:
Sheep of the Romanov breed: characteristics, description and advantages of breeding
The limit of 600 g is exceeded every day by the champions in the fastest growth - texels and dorpers: these animals can be called “broilers” of the mutton family.
general information
If we talk about the profitability of raising sheep, as a business, such a project, as a rule, pays off very poorly, only 25%. This is explained by the fact that very large capital investments will be required at first. To raise livestock, it will be necessary not only to purchase the livestock itself, but also to organize normal living conditions for the animals.
If you consider raising sheep for meat as a business, then you need to be prepared for the fact that a lot of money will be spent on feed and personnel who will look after the livestock. In this regard, a profitability of 25% can be called a relatively normal indicator. However, it is not always worth referring to statistics. If you have experience in breeding such animals, then experienced sheep farmers and owners of livestock farms can boast of a fairly good and stable income.
If you survive the most difficult first stage, then in this case you can make excellent profits. It is worth noting that sheep are very unpretentious animals. They require minimal care, reproduce well and gain weight at a fairly high rate. Therefore, there will always be meat for sale.
Average weight of a yearling ram
By the age of one year, the growth of the animal stops, the ram reaches the mass of an adult individual of its species. On average, a meat ram at the age of 12 months weighs 90-100 kg.
If the animal is intended to be fattened for meat, it is not advisable to keep it further. As a rule, younger individuals are slaughtered - at the age of 7-10 months. Lambs of early maturing breeds can be slaughtered at the age of 4 months, obtaining the most tender lamb.
The most convenient for use is considered to be a carcass of 18-20 kg.
Lamb weight after cutting
The above values apply to live animals.
Slaughter yield within the same breed of sheep may vary depending on the sex, age and fatness of the animal
After slaughter, minus the weight of the skin, head, legs and entrails, the carcass loses more than half its weight. The average meat yield per sheep is 48%.
The slaughter yield of lamb varies among different breeds ; it is higher among meat varieties. For example, when slaughtering a Romanov lamb with a live weight of 42 kg, a carcass of 14 kg is obtained.
The slaughter yield was 45%. For a Gissar sheep, an individual weighing 50 kg will produce a carcass of 27 kg, with a slaughter yield of 54%.
Slaughter weight of sheep and rams
The concept of slaughter weight includes the mass of meat on the bones and fat deposits, both internal and fat tail. Weight is determined by pre-slaughter weighing of the sheep and subsequent weighing of the meat.
Sometimes the weight of an animal is determined using measurements with a special tape or using a table. But in this case the error may be several kg.
Slaughter yield within the same breed of sheep may vary depending on the sex, age and fatness of the animal.
Thus, breeding animals culled by age are inferior in quantity of meat and carcass quality to young, fattened animals.
An important indicator of the quality of a carcass is the ratio of the amount of pulp and bones. In other words, how much of the skeleton is covered with meat. For young animals this ratio is the most favorable.
Advice! You can distinguish young lamb from the meat of an old animal by the color of the fat. Young lard is white, while old lard has a yellowish tint.
The weight of females is significantly lower than that of rams - up to 40%. For example, an adult lamb of the Kuibyshev variety weighs 100 kg, and a sheep only 60 kg. Based on this, they prefer to select males for meat fattening. The eggs go to repair the herd.
Be sure to read:
Breeds of sheep for meat production: characteristics and indicators of the largest rams
Sheep fat deposits (lamb fat)
You can distinguish young lamb from the meat of an old animal by the color of the fat.
Fat on a sheep carcass can be:
- internal - it is deposited on the kidneys, stomach, intestines (it is also called the “omentum”);
- subcutaneous - it forms a “watering” of the entire surface of the meat under the skin layer;
- intermuscular - it is deposited in the layers between individual muscle groups.
The total amount of fat is distributed throughout the carcass depending on the specialization of the breed. In wool animals, it is deposited on the internal organs.
In meat, fat is evenly distributed between the muscles, giving the meat juiciness and tenderness when cooked.
Experts consider the ideal fat content in a lamb carcass to be about 25%, of which half is subcutaneous fat and at least 9% intermuscular.
Yield of sheep by-products
Offal refers to the edible parts of the sheep's innards and head. These are: heart, liver, kidneys, tongue, brains - category 1; scar, spleen, lungs, trachea – category 2. The overall carcass yield of this product is about 9%.
Setting up a sheepfold for sheep
A good sheepfold should be spacious, without drafts, with a dry, preferably adobe floor, with a rainproof roof, and with good ventilation. For dryness, the floor level inside the sheepfold is raised by 9 cm. Sheep are not afraid of the cold, as their wool protects them well. In a warm and stuffy room, sheep feel worse, eat poorly and become prone to colds. The windows are small, but there should be enough of them to provide light in the sheepfold. For every 9.3 sq. meter of floor area should be at least 0.18 square meters. meters, or even better 0.37 square meters. meter of glass. The size of the sheepfold based on the number of sheep can be calculated as follows: for small sheep, at least 0.9 square meters. meters of floor surface, for large sheep 1.4 sq. meters. The doors to the sheepfold should be wide enough to prevent the sheep from crushing each other as they exit. Exhaust pipes are installed for ventilation.
Sales of lamb
It is the process of marketing lamb that constitutes a business. Lamb carcasses can be donated to the following places:
- restaurants and cafes;
- supermarkets and shops;
- meat processing plants;
- to the market (independent sale).
When selling products, you will need certificates confirming the quality of the products, which should not be forgotten. To arrange supplies, a contract is concluded for the sale of lamb through other organizations. Lamb can be sold either whole (in huge carcasses) or individually.
Fresh lamb is a sought-after delicacy that is always appreciated. In addition to your own sheep farm, you can open a meat sales point. Treating customers conscientiously and selling quality products is the key to thriving sales.
Slaughter
Animal preparation and procedure:
- hair is cut a month before the procedure;
- transferred to a separate room one day before;
- They don’t feed you, but they give you something to drink;
- the sheep is tied up and its throat is cut in a lying or hanging position;
- drain blood;
- skinned and butchered.
The carcass should be cut into large pieces, since small ones are stored less. Sheep are calm and intellectually undeveloped animals. Therefore, they do not anticipate danger before slaughter.
Factors affecting weight
In addition to whether a sheep belongs to a certain breed, the rate of weight gain and its amount are influenced by the gender of the animal, its age, feeding and housing conditions.
Young animals have the highest rates of body weight gain
It is customary to keep sheep on pasture for most of the year. On rich grass stands, animals develop quickly. If camps are organized with the possibility of feeding with grain, then the highest quality carcasses are obtained from the sheep.
During the stall period, sheep are driven into sheds - covered pens protected from the wind.
The animals' diet includes meadow or bean hay, concentrates (barley, oats), and salt is required in the feeders. Nursing queens are fed vegetables - carrots, beets, pumpkin.
How to attract more clients
To expand your customer base, it is recommended to visit agricultural fairs and send your offers to potential buyers who are ready for wholesale purchases. It would be a good idea to create your own website and indicate prices for products on it. If finances allow, you can order advertising on television or distribute advertising booklets on the street. Some organize school trips. Children love animals, and parents may become interested in fresh meat while visiting such areas. It is worth offering customers favorable discounts and promotions. This is especially true for those who are asking for meat not for the first time.
You can also talk about your activities in the newspaper, start a channel on YouTube and much more. The more people know about such a farm, the faster decent income will come.
Thus, we can say that such an idea for business is quite relevant. At the same time, we should not forget that the owner of such a farm, as well as his entire family, will always eat fresh meat completely free of charge. Therefore, the monthly profit is much higher. If you involve children and relatives in working on the farm, you can also reduce labor costs.
Properties of goat meat
Despite the fact that store shelves are full of various types of meat products, it is quite difficult to find goat meat in a wide range. Goat meat is not in great demand among modern consumers, and this is completely in vain, because it has a range of useful components that make it possible to normalize the functioning of many internal systems of the human body.
Taste qualities
Despite the fact that there is an opinion about the specific taste and aroma of goat meat, it has an excellent taste and a neutral smell. An unpleasant aroma can occur in goat meat only if the basic rules for cutting the carcass are not followed, when, during removal of the meat, the contents of the bladder or intestines get into the flesh.
The meat of an old or uncastrated animal has an unpleasant aroma and rough texture. With proper skinning, the meat of a young goat turns out to be very juicy, tender, extremely tasty and also delicious. 100 g of product contains 216 kcal.
Its nutritional value is:
- proteins - 18–20%;
- fats - 16–18%;
- carbohydrates - 0%;
- water - 80%.
You might be interested to know how much milk a goat produces per day.
Benefit
The rich chemical composition of goat meat determines a wide range of its beneficial qualities.
It includes:
- Vitamins: group of vitamins B, A, E, PP.
- Amino acids: valine, lysine, leucine, threonine, tryptophan.
- Micro- and macroelements: phosphorus, sodium, sulfur, magnesium, zinc, chlorine.
However, the greatest value is protein, which makes up more than 20%. The protein composition is represented by a number of unique proteins that are easily absorbed by the human body.
By regularly consuming goat meat, you can:
- normalize the functioning of the digestive organs: gastrointestinal tract, intestines;
- strengthen the immune system, increase the body's protective functions;
- restore the functions of the reproductive system, in particular the prostate gland;
- reduce the level of “bad” cholesterol in the blood;
- strengthen the walls of blood vessels, improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system;
- improve the condition of the skin, hair and nails;
- normalize metabolic processes.
Harm and contraindications
There are no special contraindications to eating goat meat. The only prohibition for taking goat meat is considered to be individual intolerance. However, according to statistics, such negative reactions to goat meat are extremely rare.
Goats are of high value in the household and are a source of not only healthy dairy products, but also dietary meat. However, in order to obtain fresh, nutritious meat, without a specific odor, when slaughtering an animal, you should strictly observe the basic principles of slaughter and cutting technology.
Preserving the skin
Once the carcass has been bled, the skin is removed. An incision is made around the head behind the ears with a knife and the body is separated from the head - between the occipital bone and the first cervical vertebra. To prevent the contents of the esophagus from leaking out, the organ must be tied up with twine in advance. Next, a transverse incision is made along the bottom of the neck and chest in the center of the abdomen to the anus. Then, circular incisions are made in the forelimbs along the carpal joints and a skin incision is made along the inside of the legs through the armpits, at a right angle, to the middle transverse incision of the chest.
Note: Once the skinning of the front legs, chest and lower neck is complete, begin skinning the hind legs. To do this, make circular incisions on the hock joints, from them with straight incisions on the inside of the legs to the groin, and then in the direction of the anus to the central transverse incision of the abdomen. Parts of the lower hind legs at the hock joint are separated with the skin. An incision is then made around the anus, however, in females, incisions are made around the external genitalia.
The skin is removed from the remaining part of the hind legs with a knife (carefully so as not to spoil the tendons), from the stomach, groin, about 5-10 cm from the cut. The procedure is then continued using a fist or the handle of a knife, from the center of the carcass to the shoulder blades, and then towards the thigh. If the carcass is lying down, it must be lifted. The skin is separated from the thigh part of the carcass with the handle of a knife or a fist, after making an incision in advance and removing it from the tail, it is torn off from the neck and back by hand. During this, you need to be careful and make sure that no lard or meat remains on the skin.
Figure 3. Recommendations for cutting lamb carcass
After cooling, they immediately move on to preserving the skin, since it is damaged by rotting bacteria, which, if not removed in a timely manner, begin to become slimy after 6 hours (a sign of the initial stage of rotting). The most common method of canning is dry pickling. For this method of canning, ordinary salt is used, without foreign additives. Fine salt is best used for small skins. They are laid with the wool down, spread on a clean floor sprinkled with an even layer of salt, carefully straightened and sprinkled with salt on top (proportion of 300 grams of salt per 1 kg of weight). Upon completion of thorough rubbing of salt, the skin is rolled up in the form of a bag with the wool inward. The folded edges are also sprinkled with salt.
Business registration
An important stage in starting any activity is the correct execution of documents. However, unlike a number of other activities, sheep breeding can be entered into the register as a farm or peasant enterprise. In this case, a novice businessman receives a lot of advantages. First of all, he can use unlimited land plots. At the same time, the state provides assistance to such projects. Therefore, there is every chance to receive a grant and financial assistance.
After entering into the tax register, you need to make a corresponding entry in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and register with the peasant farm. After receiving all the documents, you must appear at the SES and obtain the necessary permission.
Sheep shearing with hand scissors and machine
Sheep are sheared two or three times a year. In the spring, before being put out to pasture, so that the wool does not get dirty from liquid feces, then in the summer, usually at the end of June, and in the fall before the onset of cold weather. Double and triple shearing produces more wool, but it is less valuable because it is shorter. Shearing is done with hand-held sheep shears or clippers (like hair clippers). Cutting with a clipper is easier, it goes faster, and the hair is removed closer to the skin. It is difficult to cut Merino sheep with folded skin using a clipper. Sheep are sheared in barns, on plank floors or on tarps. They try to cut closer to the skin, avoiding injury.
Wool is washed either on sheep, before shearing or after shearing. If the sheep are kept clean, in dry shepherds, with plenty of bedding, they do not need to be washed before shearing. You can wash it in the following ways:
1) Distillation washing. Sheep are driven several times through a pond in which a passage made of planks is constructed. During the haul, wash off the dirt in water with your hands.
2) Cascade washing. The sheep is washed with water falling in a stream from a height.
3) Artificial washing. Sheep are washed in special pools or vats with heated water to which some kind of alkali is mixed.
