For meat and wool: how to raise sheep on your farm

By approaching the development of a business plan and planning the profitability of sheep farming correctly, the farmer will be able to build a profitable and highly effective business! Having become familiar with the nuances of growing and breeding sheep, every novice entrepreneur will see their unpretentiousness and high usefulness of products (milk, meat, wool, hide and fat).

Sheep farming is currently considered one of the most promising and popular types of livestock farming. Many new farmers begin their activities by raising sheep. This is facilitated by a number of unique characteristics of the animal, such as unpretentiousness to environmental conditions, ease of maintenance and feeding. It is worth noting that rams and sheep are resistant to death and their young animals fight diseases well. One of the main factors in the cultivation of these artiodactyls is the presence of large areas of pasture. Before a beginner plans to set up a profitable farm for raising these unique domestic animals, accurate calculations of costs and profitability should be made. Sheep are not one of the agricultural species that brings maximum profits. However, with an integrated approach, you can get about 25% of income per year from one individual.

Keeping sheep as a business

The advantages of the business of raising sheep for meat are as follows:

• Animals are simply ideal for beginners: they are unpretentious in maintenance and nutrition.
• The farmer chooses the required number of heads depending on the potential of his farm.
• Sheep can be raised almost anywhere.
• Animals are resistant to most diseases.
• They allow you to get several products at once: nutrient-rich meat, wool, milk, and offspring.

Such an impressive list of advantages has led to the widespread use of sheep farming for meat as a family business.

Purchase

The first step to creating your own business raising sheep for meat is purchasing a flock.

Important! Experts strongly recommend purchasing livestock from special breeding farms, this will allow you to be confident in the breed and the health of the animals. In addition, serious manufacturers provide buyers with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with certificates of conformity

However, rams for breeding can often be purchased at a lower price from private owners

Before purchasing, it is very important to find out in as much detail as possible what conditions the sheep are kept in, and to be careful

In order to avoid mistakes at the stage of planning your own business, it is extremely important to decide on the breed of sheep. All breeds can be classified as follows depending on productivity:

• meat-fat;
• woolen;
• meat and wool;
• wool and meat;
• meat-fur coats;
• meat-wool-dairy.

If you plan to breed sheep for meat, then you should opt for meat-fat breeds. You should also take into account the ability of a particular breed to feel comfortable in the climatic conditions of your region.

Beginners can opt for the Romanov breed of sheep; they are surprisingly unpretentious and are highly fertile. The advantages of the breed are:

• Excellent wool, which can be used in the production of yarn (indicators: a ram produces from 2 to 4 kg, a sheep - 1.5 - 2 kg).
• Haircut three times a year.
• The first haircut is possible at the age of 9 months.
• Remarkable fertility (one ewe gives birth to up to 4 lambs per lamb).
• Excellent meat productivity, rams quickly gain weight.
• Sheep produce milk in normal quantities (up to 100 liters per lamb when artificially feeding lambs). It can be used to produce cheese or other fermented milk products.

If the business plan involves obtaining more meat, the choice should be made on fat-tailed breeds that came to us from Central Asia. Such breeds include Gissar, Kalmyk, Edinbaevskaya. The advantages are:

• The body weight of a ram is up to 190 kg, while the meat yield is 60%.
• They perfectly adapt to living in dry climatic conditions, so keeping them will not cause any difficulties.
• Wool, of course, is of low quality, but can be used to make felt.

The following meat breeds are also popular: Edilbaevskaya, Gorky, Belt-March. They are more capricious in maintenance and care, they will not be able to gain weight normally in dry conditions, therefore they are suitable only for the middle zone or southern latitudes, but they allow you to get a lot of meat. Foreign breeds that are also suitable for beginners:

• Zwartbles. Fragrant, sweetish meat is an advantage of this breed.
• Dorper. It has amazingly tasty delicacy meat.
• Vendée.
• Texel. He has a peaceful disposition and gets along well with other breeds.

It is important to decide what exactly will be the main goal of the business - breeding or fattening for slaughter; the choice of breed also depends on this. If the goal is to slaughter an animal for meat as quickly as possible, then it should quickly gain weight - from 300 to 600 grams daily, but if breeding is more important, then less attention can be paid to this characteristic

Where to start raising sheep?

When drawing up a plan for a sheep farm, it is recommended first of all to pay attention to the following points:

1. Registration of individual entrepreneurs.
2. Breed selection.
3. Conditions of detention and care.
4. Features of feeding in summer and winter.
5. Hired personnel.
6. Implementation.

Start-up capital and material and technical base will depend entirely on the size of the herd. With a small quantity, you can build a stall yourself and graze on accessible and free land, which significantly reduces costs. Equipment for the pasture method is found in any rural yard. This is another positive factor for beginners to start raising such livestock profitably from scratch.

It is not recommended for beginners to immediately start herds of thousands of animals. To master this business, you should start with 7-10 sheep. In this case, registration of activities is optional. However, if you are engaged in sheep farming on a large scale, this must be done officially. The OKVED code “Sheep and goat breeding” will allow carrying out breeding work and selling products. If you decide to process milk, you will need to expand your legal powers and re-register.

Advantages and disadvantages of business

The idea of ​​starting a farm and starting sheep farming has the following advantages:

1. You don't need a large amount of money to start a business.
2. Since many breeds tolerate cold weather, you won’t have to spend money on expensive buildings.
3. There will be no problems with feeding, since a large number of herbs are suitable for animals. Their teeth are designed in such a way that the sheep bite off the stems near the ground. This means they do not need a large grazing area.
4. Compared to other livestock sectors, sheep farming requires less labor. Sheep are not as large as cows or pigs and are not aggressive. They also don't destroy trees like goats do.
5. They don't need a lot of space to keep them. You can place sheep together with other farm animals.

The disadvantages of the business are the relatively low level of profit, although a figure of 25-30% is considered high for livestock farming. The main thing is that you avoid mistakes and immediately discard the stereotype that any wool can be sold. In fact, the beginner does not organize selection work to obtain high-quality raw materials at the output, and you can forget about cutting and grading techniques. To avoid mistakes, focus on meat production: lamb obtained from sheep of the current year of birth is in demand.

Immediately pay attention to the fruitfulness of the area: how many animals will feed themselves without depleting the soil? The best way for a beginner is to turn to an expert. If he says that 1 hectare will feed 1 sheep, do not try to breed a large herd

Otherwise, soil erosion will occur and you will have problems with feeding.

Preparing sheep for stabling

To increase the productivity of sheep products, it is necessary to follow certain rules during the preparation for stabling of animals.

• Carry out deworming, anti-scab baths, veterinary examination.
• It is necessary to gradually transfer sheep from confinement to grazing. At first, you can supplement the animals with roughage.
• Plan the care and compliance with the standards for the arrangement of places of detention (sheds, bases, stalls). The premises should be dry, spacious and bright. There are also standards that determine the size of the premises; it should be calculated as the product of the number of sheep and the norm per head (for an adult this ranges from 2 m2 to 3 m2).
• The floor must be raised to a height of at least 20 cm from ground level. It is necessary to have dry straw bedding at a rate of at least 200 grams per head.
• Windows should be located at a height of 1.2 meters from the floor.
• Feeders most often used are nursery type. It is necessary to provide simultaneous access to the feeder for all sheep. The approximate calculation for an adult sheep is 25 linear cm. For a lamb, 15 linear cm is enough.
• Maintain temperature conditions. For adults, at least 6 degrees, and for young animals and during the lambing period, at least 15 degrees.
• Provide artificial and natural lighting, since its absence has an adverse effect on the health of animals.
• Animals are given water at least 1-2 times a day. It is important to remember that sheep have a very hard time with a lack of water.

Features of sheep farming as a business

Thirty to forty years ago, sheep farming was one of the leading branches of agriculture, especially in the Volga region and Central Asia.
During political cataclysms, collective farms and large farms went bankrupt, as a result of which the livestock of small animals decreased fourfold. Currently, the number of animals in Russia is growing again by 2–3% per year, but this is happening mainly due to private and subsidiary farms. Therefore, raising sheep at home as a business has some prospects for beginning farmers who have fertile pastures at their disposal. These are found in abundance in the following regions:

• Ciscaucasia and Caucasus;
• Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories;
• Tatarstan, Chuvashia, Kalmykia;
• Saratov, Volgograd and Astrakhan regions;
• Bashkiria, Orenburg and Chelyabinsk regions.

In the USSR, wool was considered the main product of sheep farming. However, along with the collective farms, the processing plants that purchased raw materials from the population also disappeared. Therefore, farmers today have no choice but to focus on the production of meat and milk, because organic products are actively becoming fashionable. There are other reasons explaining the relevance of this industry:

• Lambs gain 300 g of weight per day, and by the time of slaughter at ten months they already have a marketable weight of 50–70 kg;
• Sheep of productive breeds can give birth to one or two babies twice a year for eight years;
• Adapted animals make do well with a meager food supply and tolerate frosts down to –25°C without harm;
• In Russia, sheep are almost not bred on an industrial scale, and therefore the farmer does not have to fear competition;
• The state considers sheep farming a priority industry, which allows you to think about how to get a grant for farming development.

Advantages of stabling sheep

Keeping sheep in stalls all year round or for 7-8 months has both advantages and disadvantages.

Let us first consider the housing of sheep:

1. The food supply is controlled by humans. Animals receive the amount of food they should. The food is checked for signs of spoilage, which eliminates the possibility of poisoning and other health problems.
2. Animals gain weight faster because they do not expend energy on long journeys. The quality of the meat improves, it is tender and juicy.
3. Animals that live permanently in sheds are less susceptible to infection by helminths and ectoparasites.
4. This method of keeping sheep eliminates dependence on weather conditions.
5. Animal fur remains clean, weed seeds do not cling to it, and dirt does not stick.

The disadvantages of keeping sheep in stalls include:

1. Increased costs for purchasing feed. When sheep graze on pasture, they are hardly fed, but when they are constantly indoors, they need to be provided with a complete diet.
2. Animals are more susceptible to stress due to monotony.
3. There is a possibility of developing obesity. Without movement, pets develop a layer of fat, which gives the meat an unpleasant odor.
4. Low mobility negatively affects the condition of the hooves.
5. In animals deprived of walks in the fresh air, their appetite worsens and their metabolism slows down.

Helpful advice! Considering the advantages and disadvantages of stabling, it is recommended to combine it with grazing in the summer.

With the onset of warm and dry weather, lambs with their queens should be released to pasture.

What to feed sheep

Sheep farm

The diet of sheep consists of plant foods. In the summer, animals are driven out to pasture. They feed on grass, which grows everywhere in sufficient quantities during this period of time. Sheep eat all herbs, including weeds and thorns. Water meadows and marshy areas are not used for grazing. Sheep should not be turned out to pasture in dew or after heavy rain. Pastures for them are selected only in dry places.

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

Sheep diet approximate

Approximate diet structure

Silage mixed with roughage or legume hay perfectly increases the meat and milk productivity of animals. It can be fed to a sheep of 3 to 4 kg daily. 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 is made from hay that contains many vitamins, sugars and protein. All of them are very important for the growth of animals.

Features of feeding sheep

Of the root vegetables, sheep most like fodder beets, pumpkin, zucchini and carrots. Beets and carrots are especially important, as they improve the digestive processes occurring in the animal’s body. These vegetables contain a lot of coarse fiber, vitamins and other microelements necessary for the growth of sheep. The diet of pregnant and lactating females must include melons and melons. This helps to increase milk production in the animal and the uterus to bear healthy offspring. Such food also improves the quality of their wool. The clipping rate increases significantly. A sheep can be given no more than 4 kg of such vegetables per day.

Feeding sheep

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

Table 2. Seasonal diet of sheep

Feeding diet for queens

Feeding the uterus and newborn lambs

Pregnant queens are fed only high-quality, balanced feed. Four weeks before lambing, the amount of hay consumed by animals is reduced in the diet. It is replaced by mixed feed. The daily diet consists of cereal hay, which is given to the queen in quantities 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 succulent feed. 300 g is mandatory in the diet of pregnant sheep concentrates and 12-15 g of mineral salt. After lambing, the amount of hay in the sheep’s diet can be increased to 1 kg, vegetables to 4 kg, and concentrate to 500 g.

Feeding diet for young animals

Lambs eat concentrated feed

For the first five days after their birth, lambs feed on colostrum from the uterus. If for some reason such feeding is not possible, then the lambs are fed during this period with special formulas 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. Before the lambs reach one month of age, they are given 50 g of concentrated feed daily as bait; after two months, this norm increases to 150 g per day.

Raising lambs

The weight of lambs at birth varies significantly and depends on the breed characteristics, their number in the offspring, gender, size of the mother, her age and feeding conditions during the mating period. Their subsequent development largely depends on the weight of lambs at birth. As a rule, larger lambs develop faster, gain increased weight at weaning, and are more likely to grow into highly productive animals.

The most common reason for the loss of lambs is their starvation after birth, untimely intake of colostrum, their insufficient resistance to low temperatures, keeping them in damp rooms, and non-compliance with hygienic requirements.

Lamb survival is closely related to their birth weight. With a newborn lamb weighing 2 kg - survival rate is about 10%, 2...2.5 kg - more than 40%, 3...4.5 kg - 77-80%, 4.0...5.5 kg - 90%, 5.5 …6.0 – 80%, 6.0…6.5 kg – 77% and with a mass of 7 kg – 60%.

In the first weeks of life, lambs feed first on colostrum (the daily requirement for colostrum is 250...300 g per 1 kg of live weight), and then on mother’s milk (about 5 kg of mother’s milk is consumed per 1 kg of lamb growth). The correlation between the amount of milk from mothers and the live weight of the lamb at the age of 20 days is +0.90...0.95.

From the age of one week, lambs should have free access to water and mineral supplements (table salt, chalk, defluorinated phosphate, etc.).

From 2 weeks of age, lambs require more nutrients, so from 7...10 days of age they begin to be accustomed to eating concentrates, mineral and other feeds. During the first month of life they are given 50 g, during the second - 100 and after 2 months of age - about 200 g of concentrates per day. By the time of weaning, feeding should fully satisfy the nutritional needs of the young body. Feed for lambs is crushed grain (barley, peas, corn), bran, cake, high-quality hay, corn silage.

At the age of 2...2.5 months. before beating 4...4.5 months. in the lamb’s body, the digestive system is improved, its dependence on mother’s milk is reduced: in the first two months of life, the share of milk is 85%, and in the next 2 months. - thirty %.

The usefulness of feeding lambs can be judged by the average daily gain. They must be at least 200 g.

For lambs up to 2 months of age, starter feed mixtures are recommended, from 2 to 4 months. finishing and from 4 to 7 months. – feed mixtures for fattening.

Recently, a whole milk substitute has been used to raise lambs.

Before drinking, milk replacer powder is diluted with warm water (40-50 °C) in a weight ratio of 1:4 or 1:5 (4 or 5 liters of water are taken per 1 kg of milk replacer). Dilution is carried out with active stirring (homogenization) of the milk replacer powder. The resulting solution is filtered (to remove lumps) and poured into drinking bowls. Various equipment is used to drink milk replacer.

When rearing artificially, it is best to provide lambs with free access to milk replacer throughout the day (ad libitum). It is soldered cooled to room temperature (10...16 °C). This method of feeding milk replacer allows you to increase the level of feeding, prevent overfeeding and sharply reduce the incidence of tympany, which is usually observed in lambs for 2...2.5 decades, starting from 3 weeks of age, as well as increase the safety of young animals. The norms for giving milk replacer are presented in Table 2.

Table 2 - Standards for giving milk replacer depending on the age of the lambs

From 2 weeks of age, in parallel with the provision of milk replacer, lambs must be fed with hay, grass meal, silage, concentrates, provided with drinking water and mineral supplements.

Milk replacer is fed to lambs up to 45…60 days of age. Depending on the method and duration of feeding during the milking period, from 9...10 to 12...15 kg of dry milk replacer, from 3 to 7 kg of hay and 7...9 kg of concentrates are required per lamb.

Keeping lambs indoors (in the fresh air) under the influence of sunlight and with active exercise helps to strengthen the hardening of their body.

In fine-fleece sheep farming, two methods of raising lambs are common: in sakman and sheep-basic. In the first case, during spring lambing, the lambs are constantly with the queens; in the second, they are kept with their mothers until 5...7 days of age, and then after morning feeding they are separated and left in the base in good weather, and in the sheepfold in cool weather. The queens are brought back from the pasture every 2…3 hours. The lambs are left with their mothers at night. The sheep-basic method of raising lambs is widely used in the steppe zone of sheep breeding.

Formation of sakmans. To preserve the entire offspring, it is necessary to keep the lambs in small sakmans for the first 5...10 days of life. In this case, they quickly find their mothers and suckle them regularly, while in large sakmans some lambs sometimes cannot find their mothers and remain hungry, which is the cause of their illnesses and often death. It is advisable to include lambs in sakmans that are fairly uniform in age and development. An approximate scheme for the formation of sacmans is given in Table 3.

Table 3 – Size of sakmans

Feeding replacement and breeding young animals. Lambs are usually weaned at the age of 3.5...4.0 months. The rearing of young animals from 4 to 8 months of age occurs during the grazing period. In order for the lambs to develop well at this time, they are provided with the best pastures and fed with concentrates in the amount of 0.2...0.3 kg per head per day.

On pastures for lambs, stationary or transportable sheds are built, which protect them from direct sunlight while resting. Mineral nutrition (the presence of salt, chalk) and regular watering of lambs are important - in the summer they experience extreme thirst.

Raising lambs from 8 to 12 months of age usually takes place during the stall period. They tolerate stall housing worse than adult animals, which must be compensated for by proper feeding and good care.

During the stall period, the diet for females weighing 35 kg should consist of 0.5...0.8 kg of cereal and legume hay, 1.52 kg of corn or grass silage, 0.25...0.30 kg of a mixture of grain concentrates and 8...10 g table salt. Breeding rams' diet includes slightly more easily digestible feed and protein concentrates: cereal and legume hay - 0.5 kg, corn or grass silage - 2.5, sugar beets - 0.5, sunflower meal - 0.2, corn grain - 0 .1 kg, salt – 10...11 g.

With proper organization of feeding on pasture and during the stall period, rams of fine-fleece and semi-fine-fleece breeds reach a weight of 55...60 kg by 12 months of age, and lambs - 45...50 kg.

Advice for a beginner businessman

You need to draw up a competent business plan. It will help determine the approximate size of the initial capital

Usually, when calculating, the amount obtained is less than what is actually required, so there should be a reserve of funds just in case. Before choosing any breed, you need to carefully study its characteristics. It is important to consider the location of the drinking bowl so that the sheep can drink at any convenient time. Seek advice from farmers who have been raising sheep for years. If necessary, use professional help. Pastures that need to be sown are always pre-fertilized. Before you start raising sheep, you need to read all the information regarding their care and nutrition. It is advisable to organize work on the farm taking into account a certain daily routine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oi0iz6fNOyE

Covered sheep stall

Sheep raised in this stall produce more wool than normal ones.

Lamb growth time: 12 hours.

Break: 6 hours

If the stall becomes worn, it can be repaired using a pack of construction wood. In case of illness of its inhabitants, medicine for livestock will be useful.

Recipes to create

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What should be included in a business plan

A sheep farming business plan must take many things into account. Among them:

• availability of land for storing food for the winter and walking in the summer;
• lambs or adults will be purchased;
• farm workers;
• vehicles;
• premises for animals;
• tools needed on the farm;
• preparing food for the winter.

Sheep require a pasture on which they can graze during the warm season, and on which they can make hay for the winter.

The normal area is 0.1 hectares per individual.

The cost of land varies depending on the region in which your farm will be located.

If you have not decided whether you want to buy lambs or adult animals, then you should know that keeping and caring for young animals involves much higher costs. Therefore, it is more profitable to buy already sexually mature individuals. An adult ram can cost about 15 thousand rubles. The cost, for example, of the Edilbaevskaya breed is calculated by weight - suppliers quote the amount from 140 to 160 rubles per kilogram of live weight.

You will need shepherds and milkmaids on the farm if you plan to create a livestock of more than a few dozen. Also, the services of a veterinarian are periodically required, which cannot be avoided. You may also need the help of a shearer, but you can learn to do this work yourself, reducing the cost of specialist services.

As for transport, you will need a truck to transport products, including meat carcasses. And for harvesting hay, a tractor with a trailer will be necessary. The presence of this transport significantly increases labor productivity.

During the winter period, it is necessary to provide each animal with food. The norm is about 2 kg of hay per female per day.

It is best to make hay yourself. To make hay, alfalfa is usually sown, which is considered the favorite food of sheep.

As for farm equipment, you will need a lot of it. Required items include:

1. Feeders and shelves.
2. Milking machines.
3. Milking clamps.
4. Trimmers.

This is not a complete list of what you will need. One milking machine costs about 30 thousand rubles. Thus, in order to start your own business and acquire a livestock of 300 animals, you will need at least 1 million rubles, only a quarter of which you can get back from the sale of wool, meat and milk. It will be possible to work out all the nuances and build a profitable business only by starting with a small number of animals and gradually increasing volumes.

Main rules of content

Sheep are herd animals with natural insulation. They huddle in groups and are able to warm themselves. This should be taken into account when arranging premises for their maintenance. The unpretentiousness of artiodactyls makes it possible to build simple pens. They are made with or without doors. If the gates are installed, then even in winter they often remain open to create a favorable temperature regime, when elevated, parasites will begin to bother the lambs. If the microclimate is optimal, the flock itself is capable of fighting pests. Another feature of the building for maintenance is the raised floor. It is enough to place it 20 cm above the ground. Also, a nursery and drinking bowls need to be built in the sheepfold. As you can see, the conditions are quite simple, however, you need to promptly monitor cleanliness and morbidity.

When and what to feed the herd?

In summer, feeding sheep is completely easy and inexpensive. It is enough to simply organize simple grazing. Lambs and adults find food on their own and, moving across vast pastures, quickly gain weight. They prefer fresh grass in all its diversity. When driving, you need to pay attention to the speed of the cattle. There is no need to stop in one place for a long time, as the herd will simply begin to trample the plantation and will not fully consume food.

The winter diet is different from the summer one. It includes hay and supplements. Compound feed and root crops are used as feeding. It is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of water, since thick wool can lead to impaired thermoregulation of individuals.

Hired personnel

If you have a small herd, then, of course, you can care for it yourself. For a full-scale business project, you will need shepherds. It is best to choose staff from local residents who are well versed in the locations of abundant pastures and will easily “herd” the flock. Shepherds must have a good understanding of the animals themselves. So, lambing often occurs right during grazing and it is necessary to properly receive the lambs, preserving them until they go into the stall. For keeping a small group of 300-400 animals. With proper organization of work, 3 people are enough. You need to feed and water animals in a timely manner, accept offspring and be able to cut their hair. It is not difficult to master these techniques, so in a group of shepherds, one professional is enough to teach others his skills.

How to start a sheep breeding business

It is best to start a business for raising sheep for residents of villages, since it is there that there are all the conditions for keeping these animals, from pastures to a place for creating a mini-farm. To keep these animals, a spacious barn without dampness and drafts, a walking paddock and pastures for grazing Romanov sheep will be sufficient. Sheep are not picky about climatic conditions, but they do not like to be reclusive, so they need a large area for walking.

Many novice farmers make the stupid mistake of trying to save money on buying young animals, and instead of purchasing truly purebred sheep with good performance, they purchase home-grown sheep of unknown breed and end up facing numerous problems that cause complete disappointment in sheep farming. For this reason, you should not save money when buying young animals. It is best to purchase young animals from special farms, since it is there that you will be offered truly purebred animals with good characteristics.

When choosing among many breeds of sheep, farmers prefer the Romanov sheep, as it produces high-quality fleece, is large in size, prolific and has good weight characteristics, thanks to which the young stock fully pays for itself after only a year of keeping.

The advantages of the Romanov breed include the rapid growth of young animals. After five months, the sheep can be sheared for the first time, obtaining delicate and soft wool. At six months, animals produce high-quality fleece, at seven months - young lamb, at eight-nine months, females can already bear offspring, which they carry for up to one hundred and forty-five days.

Farmers receive the main income from Romanov sheep from meat. Young animals are ready for slaughter by seven months and can produce from twenty to thirty kilograms of meat per carcass.

In order to obtain young lamb, farmers use an intensive feeding scheme for young animals. To obtain juicy meat, moderate fattening is used, and to obtain fatty meat, you need to use grain feeding of already adult livestock. Sheep live up to fifteen years, but keeping them for more than eight years simply does not make sense.

Sheep breeding. Content

The great diversity of natural and economic conditions in our country, different levels of intensification of agriculture determine the use of different systems and methods of feeding and keeping sheep. In modern conditions, when the production of sheep products is being transferred to an industrial basis, they mainly use stall-pasture or pasture-stall, and in some areas year-round stall keeping of sheep.

The most widespread is stall-pasture housing, in which sheep are kept indoors for a certain period, depending on climatic conditions and the organization of the food supply, and in the summer - on cultivated or natural pastures. This method of keeping sheep is used mainly in areas of intensive agriculture. Its advantage is that it allows more rational use of not only stall feed (rough, succulent and concentrated), but also the pastures available on the farm, since the dry matter of young grass in terms of overall nutritional value it is close to concentrated feed, but the cost of a feed unit of pasture feed is significantly lower_. Pasture-stall keeping of sheep is widespread mainly in the southern regions of Kazakhstan, in the republics of Central Asia and Transcaucasia, Eastern Siberia and some other areas, where basically all They also use natural feeding grounds. Here, sheep spend most of the year on pastures and only in winter (2-3 months or more) are they kept indoors.

In areas of intensive farming with very limited areas occupied by forage grasses (in the south of Ukraine, the North Caucasus, etc.), some farms use year-round housing; in winter, sheep are fed loose, granulated or briquetted feed. Crops of various forage crops in such farms are not used for grazing. The grasses are cut and transported to the feeding areas where the sheep are located. At the same time, a very high coefficient of land use is achieved, adequate feeding of sheep is ensured and their productivity is increased.

Sheep are given food of plant and animal origin and industrial production. In terms of physical properties, chemical composition, digestibility, and physiological effects on the animal body, all feeds differ significantly from each other. Feeds of plant origin include green feed, hay, silage, haylage, grass meal, straw, grain, bran, various cakes^, Green feed - the dry matter of these feeds contains 20-25% protein, 4-5% fat, 35% 50 - nitrogen-free extractive substances, 9-11 - mineral substances, 10-15% fiber. In terms of its chemical composition and general nutritional value, the dry matter of young grass is close to concentrated feed, and the biological value of the protein is even higher. 1 kg of grass contains 40-70 mg of carotene.

In the overall balance of feed used in sheep farming, green feed from natural and cultivated pastures makes up a large share. In the republics of Central Asia and Transcaucasia, in the central and southern regions of Kazakhstan, in Eastern Siberia and some other areas, pasture grass accounts for 60-90% of the annual feed consumption for sheep. Even in areas of intensive agriculture in many collective and state farms, the floor is covered with fresh, clean straw. Timely removal of manure not only protects the wool on sheep from contamination (contamination), but also improves the sanitary conditions in the room. When keeping sheep on deep bedding, in the period between complete removal of manure, the room is periodically covered with a thin layer of straw. The daily routine on complex mechanized farms, feedlots and ordinary individual flocks is developed by specialists and approved by farm managers.

Winter grazing of sheep. In Kazakhstan, in the republics of Central Asia and Transcaucasia, in the North Caucasus, in the Lower Volga region and Eastern Siberia, there are large areas of steppe, desert and semi-desert pastures, quite suitable for grazing sheep in winter. In warm weather, perennial plants with a strong root system grow very quickly in the fall and create abundant grass. On steppe pastures in winter, sheep eat well feather grass, sheep fescue, tonkonogo, tipets, creeping wheatgrass and wormwood, mainly blue grass, and on semi-desert and desert pastures - white wormwood, various saltworts, prutnyak, etc.

Winter pastures are divided into distant pastures, if they are located at some distance from the main land use of the farm, and on-farm pastures, which serve as an integral part of the main land mass. As winter pastures, many collective and state farms use state land funds, provided for different periods of use.

Rational use of winter pastures includes uninterrupted full feeding of sheep, ensuring the preservation of their high fatness, correct alternation of grazing of individual areas, adherence to the necessary sequence in use (at the beginning of winter they use remote areas, and then approach the place where emergency feed stocks are stored) areas, supply livestock with uninterrupted watering and mineral feeding, etc.

To protect sheep from cold winds and snowstorms, light sheds or open bases with insulated walls are installed (at the rate of 0.4-0.5 m2 per sheep). In Eastern Siberia, semi-open spaces called katons are used for this purpose. To avoid colds, sheep bases and catons are covered with a layer of straw or other material.

An indispensable condition for successful wintering on distant pastures is the creation of carry-over insurance reserves of feed at the rate of 100-120 feed. units per sheep depending on the duration of wintering. It is best to use complete granulated feed mixtures. Such feed is easy to transport and suitable for long-term storage. When keeping sheep on winter pastures, the established daily routine must be strictly observed, ensuring normal feeding of the sheep, good care for them and maintaining their health.

Summer feeding and keeping of sheep. With the transition to summer grazing, the issue of providing sheep with feed becomes even more important. This is explained by the fact that the most crucial period is beginning in the rearing of young animals of the current and last year of birth, left for breeding and for sale for meat, in preparing the herd for the upcoming wintering. Successful implementation of these activities requires; providing the livestock with nutritious feed and good care.

Issues of summer feeding of sheep in each farm are resolved depending on the level of intensification of feed production. In the area of ​​intensive agriculture, long-term cultivated pastures are mainly used. The practice of many collective and state farms shows that highly productive cultivated pastures with the construction of permanent fences and watering holes on them are an indispensable component of large complex mechanized sheep farms. This method of producing green fodder allows for more efficient use of land. In the Stavropol Territory, on farms located in a zone of unstable moisture, an average of 130-150 c/ha of green fodder is obtained from cultivated long-term pastures, and on conditionally irrigated pastures the green mass yield reaches 250-270 c/ha. Particularly large harvests are obtained by farms on conditionally irrigated pastures when fertilizers are applied. For example, on the Mirny state farm in the Neftekumsky district of the Stavropol Territory, on conditionally irrigated lands without applying fertilizer, the yield of green mass over a number of years amounted to 305 centners, and with the application of fertilizers - 494-544 centners / ha. On the recommendation of VNIIOK. To create legume-cereal grass mixtures in areas with arid climates, Manych or yellow Kuban alfalfa, burnet, prutnyak, wheatgrass, volosnets, gray wheatgrass, and fescue are used. On irrigated lands and in areas of sufficient moisture, the grass mixture includes Manych alfalfa, white and red clover, cocksfoot, meadow fescue, perennial ryegrass and awnless brome. The share of cereal components should account for 70-80% of the seeds of the total seeding rate.

An important reserve for increasing the productivity of cultivated pastures is the use of rational methods of their use. Haymaking and pasture use of grass stands of cultivated pastures is very effective. In this case, approximately 75-80% of the feed stock should be used by grazing the green mass 3-5 times, and the remaining 20-25% goes to making hay. In the experimental farm of VNIIOK “Temnolesskoe”, with hay-pasture use of legume-cereal grass mixtures, the yield of air-dried forage over a number of years was on average 35.8 c/ha, with pasture use - 31.2 c/ha, and in dry years the difference in favor of haymaking and pasture use was significantly greater. The average cost for creating 1 hectare of cultivated pastures in the Stavropol Territory on non-irrigated lands with permanent fences and a watering hole is 140-160 rubles, and on irrigated lands - 500-550 rubles. As practice shows, these costs pay off in 3-4 years. On the Turkmensky state farm in the Stavropol Territory, located in an arid zone, on average over the last seven years, 24.1 quintals of feed were obtained from 1 hectare of cultivated pasture. units and 4.6 quintals of digestible protein, or 3-4 times more compared to natural lands. Cost of 1 quintal of feed. units amounted to 1.4 rubles. If the wool shearing when keeping sheep on natural pastures ranges from 4.5-4.9 kg, then on cultivated ones it reaches 5.6-6.1 kg per head. At the same time, the cost of wool is reduced by 13-14%, and lamb - by 10-11%.

Natural forage lands are important in the development of sheep farming, large areas of which are located on the farms of Kazakhstan, the republics of Central Asia and Transcaucasia, the Northern Caucasus, the Lower Volga region, Western and Eastern Siberia and some other regions. The productivity of these lands is very different and depends on a number of reasons: soil and climatic conditions, botanical composition of grasses, organization and methods of using pastures, etc. In farms where these lands are properly exploited and appropriate agrotechnical measures are carried out, natural pastures are of great importance in the feed balance and providing livestock with feed. Cost of 1 feed. units from natural forage lands is significantly lower compared to feed obtained from crop rotation fields and cultivated pastures.

Depending on climatic conditions, the nature of pastures, the growing season of plants, the yield of green mass, and the water supply of the territory, keeping sheep on pastures in different regions of the country lasts 5-10 months or more. Usually, during the grazing period, the need for green mass is determined and the sources of its production are planned. When drawing up a feeding plan, along with natural and cultivated pastures, the areas after harvesting grain, silage and other crops are taken into account, since crop residues serve as good feed for sheep in the autumn.

The most effective use of natural and especially long-term cultivated pastures is achieved by using driven (caged) grazing, which ensures better plant consumption and the preservation of land from excessive grazing. Periodic change of pastures also protects animals from helminthiasis and other diseases. Free, unsystematic grazing of sheep in a short time brings pastures into disrepair. With this use, it is impossible to carry out measures to care for forage lands, as a result of which the botanical composition of grasses sharply deteriorates and their yield decreases,

Currently, in connection with the specialization and concentration of sheep production, measures are being taken to expand the area of ​​long-term cultivated pastures and increase the productivity of natural forage lands, as well as their rational use. Many years of experience have established that dividing long-term cultivated and highly productive natural pastures into cells with the construction of permanent fences and watering holes on them allows: by periodically (every 5-6 days) changing cells, it is possible to rationally use forage lands and provide animals with uninterrupted, adequate feeding. With this use of pastures, 20-25% more green mass per unit area is obtained compared to free grazing; it is easy to determine the optimal load of sheep on different types of pastures by season and produce the maximum amount of sheep products with the least expenditure of labor and other means; at the same time, labor productivity during the grazing period increases by 2-4 times; carry out in a planned manner the necessary agrotechnical measures to ensure an increase in pasture productivity; prevent the spread of a disease that has arisen in any group (flock) among sheep.

Highly productive cultivated long-term pastures with the construction of permanent fences on them are an indispensable component of an integrated mechanized sheep farm. The number of cells and their size are determined depending on specific conditions: the average yield of pastures, the ability of grasses to regrow after each shedding, the duration of the grazing season, the size of the flock and other factors. The best use of pastures is achieved when the plant height is 10-15 cm. Such grass is more nutritious, easier to digest and better eaten by animals. When grass grows faster, animals do not have time to eat it. To prevent the stems and leaves of plants from becoming coarser, mowing is used.

Hay or silage is made from cut grass. If there is a lack of moisture in the soil and slow grass growth, the duration of keeping sheep in cages is reduced, since excessive grazing of pastures negatively affects their productivity in the future. In zones of moderate moisture, the flock is kept in a cage for 5-6 days; for re-grazing, the flock is returned after 25-30 days. On irrigated pastures, where grass regrowth occurs more intensively, the flock is kept in a cage for no more than 2-3 days and the cage size is made smaller. In steppe regions, cages are much larger and sheep are kept in them longer. Permanent fences in pastures are made of galvanized wire or metal mesh, fixed to reinforced concrete and, less commonly, wooden posts. Currently, the industrial production of standardized support posts and other parts necessary for the construction of permanent fences has been organized; special wire and mesh, devices and equipment for their installation are produced.

Methodological guidelines have been developed for the construction of permanent fences on pastures in relation to various natural and economic conditions. The support pillars are made 110-120 cm high and are buried approximately the same amount into the ground. The cross-section of reinforced concrete pillars is 12-14 cm, and that of wooden ones is 10-12 cm. Wooden pillars are pre-treated with creosote or other antiseptics. Pillars made of strong wood, treated with antiseptics, stand idle for 20-30 years or more. But due to the transition to the industrial manufacturing method, reinforced concrete pillars are becoming more widespread. The support posts to which the wire is attached are placed at a distance of 200-400 m, and the intermediate posts on which the wire is suspended are placed at a distance of 6-8 m from each other. In recent years, with the release of high-strength wire, the spans between posts have been increased to 20 m. Sheep fences can be made from eight rows of wire with a diameter of 2.4-3 mm or from a metal mesh 1 m high. Galvanized wire is more durable. To prevent lambs from crawling through the fence, the gap between the bottom rows of wire should be no more than 10-12 cm, the middle ones - 15-17 and the top ones - 18-20 cm. Sometimes two rows of barbed wire are included in the fence (the second from the bottom and the first top row ).

Each type of pasture is used during the period when the plants contain the maximum amount of nutrients. Therefore, depending on the nature and condition of the grass stand, pastures are used seasonally in most cases. Steppe pastures are mainly intended for keeping sheep in spring and autumn, desert and semi-desert pastures in winter, and mountain pastures in summer. The peculiarity of steppe, semi-desert and desert pastures is that, due to the reserves of winter moisture in the spring, with the onset of warmth, plants quickly grow. In the summer, due to lack of precipitation, plant growth stops and pastures often burn out. This circumstance forces us to seek additional opportunities to provide the livestock with feed at such a critical moment. For this purpose, areas of perennial and annual forage crops are allocated, flocks are transferred to mountain pastures, etc. In autumn, with an increase in precipitation, vegetation (twigs, wormwood, etc.) begins to grow quickly and pastures are covered with good grass. Therefore, watering pastures in such zones and creating, through oasis irrigation, areas of perennial and annual forage crops with guaranteed yields is the most important condition for the most complete and rational use of forage lands.

On natural pastures, a certain sequence is used in grazing individual areas, which achieves uniform and fullest use of the summer feed resources available on the farm and provides the animals with adequate, uninterrupted feeding. Unsystematic grazing or excessive load of sheep per unit area inevitably leads to the fact that the most valuable grasses fall out, and pastures become overgrown with inedible plants and lose their feeding value. In the spring, as soon as the soil dries, closely located virgin fescue and fescue-wormwood pastures are first used, and after lambing of the queens and shearing of the sheep, the flocks are transferred to distant pastures, where by this time a good grass stand has formed. The best areas are allocated for queens with lambs, breeding rams and young animals born last year.

In the eastern, south-eastern and southern regions of Kazakhstan, the republics of Central Asia and Transcaucasia, the North Caucasus, the western regions of Ukraine and some other areas, mountain pastures rich in alpine and subalpine vegetation are used for summer sheep keeping. In these regional areas, after shearing, the flocks are driven to the foothills and mountains, brought to high standards, and at the end of summer they are returned closer to the farms. Here, artificial insemination of queens is carried out and all livestock are kept in stalls or winter pastures available on the farm are used.

In the central regions and the Middle Volga region, in the forest-steppe zone of Ukraine and some other areas, sheep are grazed on dry pastures. Such lands are especially valuable in spring and early summer, when they are rich in small-stemmed cereals and legumes with a high content of digestible protein, vitamins and minerals. Rational use of natural pastures requires not only proper grazing, but also constant care. First of all, it is necessary to destroy weeds in pastures that clog sheep's wool, inedible grasses and shrubs, level the soil surface and remove foreign objects (stones, hummocks, etc.). To provide the sheep population with feed during the grazing period, it is necessary to know the reserves of feed mass and organize the correct use of pastures. For this purpose, each farm promptly draws up a summer feeding plan, taking into account the feed reserve (yield and area of ​​different types of pastures, duration of the grazing period, etc.). When determining the need for green fodder, they proceed from the botanical composition of pastures, the condition of plants, breed, sex, age, breeding value and productivity of animals, as well as established feeding standards. Proper use of pastures not only provides the livestock with nutritious feed, but also helps maintain forage lands in good condition. Each area is used in a timely manner without excessively grazing the plants, otherwise they will not grow well or die

During the grazing period, as well as in winter, sheep must regularly receive water. During the hot season, animals' need for water increases, as greater heat transfer occurs. In areas with green, lush grass, the need for water decreases, but regardless of the condition of the pastures, sheep should receive water at least 1-2 times a day. The water should be good quality, fresh and not particularly cold. When using water from deep wells, large tanks are placed at the watering hole to heat it. In the summer, sheep on fenced pastures are watered from group drinkers AO-3.0 or AS-0.2. Water is transported to pastures by water trucks, trailed tanks, or water pipelines are installed. On unfenced pastures, when alternately grazing areas for watering sheep, mobile tanks with a capacity of 3-4 tons are installed. To fill the tanks, water trucks or trailed tanks are also used. Watering of sheep on walled, semi-desert and desert pastures is carried out depending on the methods of watering them and providing them with water management facilities.

It should be remembered that often pastures with good vegetation cover remain unused due to lack of water, and pastures located around wells and other water sources are severely overexploited as a result of overexploitation. In the summer, in the absence of permanent fences on pastures, sheep grazing begins at sunrise, at approximately 5-6 am. Before being sent out to pasture, the sheep are watered. In the middle of the day, the sheep usually do not graze, but are on the tyrle (the flock's parking place), located on an elevated place, well blown by the wind. In autumn, during cold times, on the contrary, tyrlo is made in the lowlands to protect animals from the wind. After a day's rest, the flock is again watered and sent to pasture. In the evening, the sheep are grazed until late and the flock is returned to the rear at nightfall. At night, the flock is guarded by one of the members of the shepherd’s brigade with dogs.

In the summer, special attention is paid to ensuring that the wool is not clogged with difficult-to-separate weeds (Crimean burdock, cocklebur, etc.), sand, dust, etc. To combat scabies, worms, estrose and pasture mites, therapeutic and preventive bathing of sheep is used . Such processing of sheep is usually carried out in mechanized baths of various designs, where 750-800 sheep are processed in 1 hour, spending only 2 man-hours, while bathing the same number of sheep in a non-mechanized bath requires spending at least 18-20 person-hour In the summer, therapeutic and prophylactic bathing of sheep is carried out 2-3 times, depending on the veterinary and sanitary condition of the farm.

The daily routine during the grazing period is based on the same principle as for stall feeding of sheep. The order of work is established depending on natural and economic conditions, the organization of pasture farming, taking into account the sex, age and condition of the livestock. The main goal of the established routine is to provide sheep with complete feed and good care with the least amount of labor and money spent on servicing the livestock. Due to specific conditions on the farm, the daily routine may be clarified and changed. The use of dogs in sheep farming. Dogs are shepherds’ indispensable assistants when servicing flocks. When keeping sheep on fenced pastures, at the command of the shepherd, dogs drive the flock from one cage to another; with the necessary combination of high wool and meat productivity, there are sheep breeds of the meat-wool direction of productivity - North Caucasian, Soviet meat-wool, Romney-marsh, Russian long-wool and etc.

Where to buy livestock

When breeding sheep, it is necessary to carefully select the stock. You cannot buy animals from private owners who keep 100-200 heads, as they often sell defective rams, for example, with cryptorchidism (with this disease it is impossible to procreate). Outwardly, the animal will look healthy and will even attempt intercourse, but this will be of little use, since the ram will be completely infertile.

Therefore, you need to buy livestock from farms that have veterinary certificates and other documents that will be needed in the future, when authorities check the meat for compliance.

The cost of rams depends on the breed, as well as the place where they are raised. For example, adult animals of the fat-tailed breed can be purchased for 10-12 thousand rubles, a sheep will cost about 5 thousand rubles. Therefore, the starting investment will directly depend on which animals will be selected for breeding. Since the profitability of this business is low, keeping less than 500 head of rams is not profitable.

To breed sheep for meat, it is better to choose the Romanov breed, which is the most popular in Russia in terms of early maturation and productivity. In 7 months, the offspring of this breed can gain weight up to 200 kilograms.

Precos is a French breed of sheep and rams, raised by European breeders. Thanks to the work of specialists, individuals of this breed have high vitality and resistance to diseases. The average weight of a ram is 130-140 kilograms.

The Kuibyshev breed is also often used for breeding sheep for meat. Individuals have an impressive appearance, thick hair and excellent meat performance. They are resistant to temperature changes and can withstand cold and heat. A ram weighs on average 100-105 kilograms.

These are the main breeds of sheep suitable for breeding sheep for slaughter, with further sale of meat.

Raising sheep in a stall

Stall speciesA species is an evolutionarily established set of individuals, characterized by a single... farming has a number of differences from pasture. It can be called forced. This method is practiced in areas where there is not enough green space. Stall farming has extremely low profitability and a number of other negative factors that make it currently less attractive in Russia than free-range farming. These include:

1. Low economic efficiency.
2. High incidence of disease in the herd.
3. Poor care and maintenance.
4. Unnatural conditions for sheep.

The possibility of stall breeding is more relevant in arid areas with dense urban areas. It is typical for Western countries with a different vector of livestock development. There, the housing in the stall is constantly modified and developed.

Reasons for low profitability

1. Spending on grains is increasing, as the main species. A species is an evolutionarily established set of individuals, characterized by a single ... food.
2. Expenses for employee wages, transportation costs, and maintaining appropriate sanitary conditions are sharply increasing.
3. A section on the prevention of various diseases is included.

Sheep breeding

Sheep of different breeds reach puberty at different times (from 4 to 9 months), but mating should not be allowed in the first year of a lamb’s life, as this can harm both the sheep and the newborn lamb.

Pregnancy lasts about 4-5 months. Childbirth generally takes place naturally, with minimal assistance from the farmer (if the lamb cannot rupture the amniotic sac itself, you need to help him with this). A few days before giving birth, the ewe’s hair around the udder and tail should be trimmed.

Fertilization of a sheep can occur in two ways: natural and artificial. With natural fertilization, it should be taken into account that one ram can fertilize about 20 sheep. If the herd population is large, then it would be more expedient to carry out artificial insemination.

The methods of breeding sheep are quite simple and do not require specific knowledge. With proper care and diligence, the farmer’s work will soon pay off several times over.

Preparing for lambing

The uterus should also be prepared for the upcoming birth. To do this you need:

1. Trim the hair along the back of the limbs, near the anus and genital opening.
2. Move the sheep to a separate pen or corner of the barn.
3. Lay a thick layer of straw in this place.

The fact that the start of lambing is approaching can be determined by the following signs:

• the queen begins to build a nest;
• the vulva becomes swollen;
• mucous discharge becomes completely transparent;
• The mammary glands enlarge, and colostrum is released from them during pressure.

After detecting the described signs, you should visit the uterus as often as possible. The animal gives birth in a lying or standing position. When lambing is over, it is necessary to check the uterus for the presence of placental remains. Then the new mother should be given warm water to drink and left with the cubs.

Before you write a business plan

Before you start registering a farm, you need to know the answers to the following questions:

1. Buy or rent land?
2. What will be the focus of the farm's activities? On the sale of lamb and wool or the activity of raising and selling lambs?
3. What number of sheep will you need at the initial stage?
4. Which feeding system to choose and where to get feed?
5. How many workers will be required to maintain the farm?

This is not a complete list, but these questions are enough to understand what you should pay attention to first. To determine the amount of land required to feed rams, it should be assumed that at least one hectare is required to feed one sheep with its offspring for the year

But this figure is true only for the southern regions of Russia, where all the land suitable for pastures has long been dismantled. Therefore, the cost of purchasing or renting them is very high.

Walking area

The walking area is an important part of the barn. Here animals can simply breathe fresh air and build muscle tissue.

For these purposes, a large area should be fenced off on the southern side of the sheepfold. Its dimensions must be calculated based on the following standards:

• one brightness requires 1 m2;
• an adult ram needs 10 m2.

If the size of the farm allows, the space for walking should be equal in area to two areas of the barn. Moreover, the surface of the site must be hard. This will help prevent possible injuries and also make the process of cleaning up feces easier.

Popular breeds for breeding

Sheep breeding as a business involves selecting breeds in such a way that the bulk of the income will come from the sale of meat. You can choose a breed based on your own preferences, if the owner has a sheep farm and some experience. If you are interested in raising sheep at home, it is better to purchase breeds that have gained popularity:

1. Romanovskaya. A well-known breed, distinguished by the quality of its wool and excellent fertility. In some cases, the litter is so large that the ewe does not produce enough milk to feed the offspring. Several goats are raised to feed the lambs, and their milk is used for additional feeding. Breeding ewes of this breed at home as a private business, with proper organization and marketing of production products, can bring good profits.
2. Gissarskaya. Representatives of this breed are quite large in size. Breeding rams can gain weight up to 170 kg, and females - about 120 kg. The breed is considered profitable because lambs, even under normal growing conditions, quickly gain weight.
3. Karachevskaya. The breed quickly adapts to any climate; it is characterized by stable immunity, thanks to which breeding sheep have excellent wool that lends itself well to processing.
4. Texel. It takes root well in the middle climate and has high endurance. The meat of this breed is characterized by the absence of a specific odor, which stimulates the breeding of sheep for subsequent sale.
5. Edilbaevskaya. Fat-tailed sheep of this breed are bred in climates with warm winters. Although they belong to the low-fruiting type, their meat is very tasty and also healthy. Under appropriate conditions, Edilbaev sheep can be released to pasture all year round.

Regardless of the breed you choose, it is best to consult a veterinarian before you start breeding sheep. This will avoid purchasing discarded specimens. To purchase animals, it is advisable to visit a sheep farm or livestock market that has permission to sell livestock.

According to collected statistics, a small private sheep farm is only 25% profitable.

Diet of females

The diet of queens is practically no different from the diet of other sexually mature animals. Although the serving size needs to be increased. Enhanced nutrition should be provided to ewes already 6 weeks before mating and the animal should continue to be fed in this way until 10 weeks of pregnancy.

When the gestation period reaches 2.5 months, the sheep should be provided with grazing on pasture with the best green grass. To increase the energy value of food, you need to introduce concentrated food in an amount of 100-400 grams. The use of fertilizers is also required: chalk, phosphates, pine needles, special vitamin and mineral complexes.

In winter, pregnant queens need to be fed:

• hay – 1.5 kg;
• silage – 2-2.5 kg;
• root vegetables – 2 kg;
• grain and other concentrates – 250-300 grams.

Important! When the lamb is born, the portion of concentrated feed, silage and vegetables must be increased. This will help increase the female's milk production.

How to care for sheep

In the warm season, flocks are grazed from dawn to dusk. However, this does not mean that animals can be left unattended. Keeping and breeding Romanov sheep in any case requires compliance with some recommendations:

• The herd is sent to graze when the grass grows at least 5–10 cm. At first, before grazing, the animals are given a little hay;
• In cold weather and when there is dew, grazing is carried out only during the day. In summer, sheep are kept on pasture in the morning and afternoon, allowing them to rest in the midday heat;
• When it rains, food is provided under a shelter or in a sheepfold. The thick layer of sheep's wool takes a very long time to dry, which can cause a cold;
• The veterinarian conducts a monthly inspection of the herd, identifying weak, sick or pregnant sheep. In order not to look for them in the pasture, you can do this near a watering hole;
• When warm weather sets in in May-June, the animals are shorn. A timely procedure is especially important for fine-fleece breeds;
• To prevent scabies, sheep are bathed twice with the addition of disinfectants - a week after spring shearing and after weaning the babies;
• When grazing on dry soil, the hooves are trimmed and cleaned every month and a half. If the ground is characterized by high humidity, the procedure is carried out more often;
• As the sheep grow, the wool around the tail and on the inside of the legs is trimmed. This prevents the accumulation of dirt and the appearance of fly larvae;
• Twice a year, animals are vaccinated, skin parasites are removed, and deworming is carried out.

With the onset of cold weather, the animals are transferred to a warm room in the sheepfold. Here they sleep, but during the day, in the absence of severe frosts, they walk and feed on the site. This content helps them acquire thick hair, improves appetite and strengthens the body. In winter, breeding meat sheep includes the following activities:

• When switching to winter mode, premises and equipment are washed and treated with disinfectant solutions. The procedure is repeated again in the spring;
• If the weather permits, the sheep are fed in the paddock all winter. Feeding in the sheepfold is carried out only during rain or snowfall;
• In cold areas, the floors of the sheepfold are covered with a layer of straw. A little material is added daily after the manure has been removed;
• Feeders and drinkers are cleaned and washed of dirt weekly. Old food should not be allowed to accumulate in them;
• Every two months the sheep's hooves are cleaned. Sheep of long-haired breeds regularly have the obstructive wool around their eyes trimmed.

Construction of a sheepfold and paddock

Any suitable space can be adapted to keep sheep on a private farm or farm.

When building a sheepfold, the following points must be taken into account:

• Good ventilation must be provided.
• The floor in the machines must be hard. They make concrete floors on which boards are placed.
• There should be no dampness or drafts in the room.
• Nursery-type hay feeders (one or two-sided) with a grid, this does not allow sheep to scatter and trample down the feed, are installed so that the sheep have free access to them, at the rate of 25 cm per sheep, 15 cm per lamb. In order for the lambs to get food, they make a 10-12cm stand.
• In regions with a cold climate, heating is done so that the air temperature in winter is not lower than 10-12 degrees. In regions with warm climates, sheds are well insulated.

Premises intended for keeping sheep are divided into stalls. They can be either single or group.

• There should be a separate room for ewes with small lambs.

When calculating the area of ​​a barn for keeping sheep, it is necessary to proceed from the following:

• For a ewe with young animals, 2-3 square meters are needed. meters.
• For an adult ram -1.5 sq. m.
• For lambs - 0.8-4 sq.m.
• The windows in the sheepfold should be 1.5 meters high to prevent the sheep from reaching them.
• For better entry and exit of sheep from the sheds, it is better to make the doors double-leaf.

Wood, brick, etc. are used as building materials for walls.

We provide space for large drinking bowls in the room.

Walking . The sheep paddock is located on the south side of the sheepfold. The area should be twice the size of the sheepfold or at the rate of 1 sq.m. for brightness and 10 sq. m. per adult ram. The walking surface must be hard.

Sheep are characterized by stages and forgetfulness, therefore, in all flocks of sheep, a goat is kept as a leader, so that the sheep do not get lost in the pasture and come home.

The average life expectancy of sheep is about 10-12 years (rarely up to 20). The average age of economic use is 6-7 years. The live weight of sheep, depending on the direction of productivity, breed and individual characteristics, ranges from 60 kg to 180 kg for adult rams, from 28-30 kg to 100-110 kg for queens. Fattened sheep of fat-tailed breeds weigh up to 190 kg.

Owners keep breeding stock of sheep for economic purposes for no more than 6 years. Young sheep raised for meat are slaughtered before they are one year old, and wool-producing breeds are kept a little longer.

Sexual maturity in most sheep breeds occurs at 5-6 months of age. In conditions of extensive sheep breeding, the optimal mating period for all areas of productivity is considered to be 1.5 years of age. However, with intensive cultivation of early maturing breeds, it is advisable to breed at the age of 8-9 months, when their live weight reaches 45 kg. The Romanov breed can also be covered at 8-9 months of age with a live weight of at least 37 kg. Rams begin to be prepared for mating 1.5 months before the start of the breeding season. They are transferred to enhanced nutritious feeding. Two weeks before mating, the rams' sperm is checked.

The sexual cycle of a sheep lasts on average 17-18 days, heat lasts from 1 to 2 days, ovulation occurs 22-32 hours after the start of heat. Most breeds of sheep come into heat in the second half of the year.

Sheep of the Romanov breed, Finnish Landrace and northern short-tailed sheep are in heat all year round, and they can produce two litters per year or three litters in two years.

Sheep are mated in such a way that lambing occurs at the most favorable time of year for specific conditions. Large sheep farms use both artificial insemination with the producer's sperm and natural mating, which is divided into class, manual and free mating. During class mating, rams tested for the quality of the offspring are allowed into a flock of queens of a certain class for 35-40 days, at the rate of one ram per 30-50 queens. In manual mating, queens that are in heat are mated with specially selected rams. During free mating, the rams are kept together with their ewes.

Pregnancy (pregnancy) in sheep lasts an average of 150 days (with fluctuations from 145 to 157 days). Fertility in most breeds is most often 100-120 lambs from 100 ewes. Romanov sheep annually give birth to an average of 200-250 lambs from 100 queens. Sometimes individual ewes of the Romanov breed produce 5-6 lambs or more per lambing. Ewes of the Romanov breed are polyestrous, that is, they are able to be fertilized and bear offspring at any time of the year. Thanks to this, they can lamb twice a year or three times every two years.

Feeding and daily care

The main component of the sheep's diet is grass, fresh or dry. In summer, they need up to 9-10 kg of succulent green feed per day, in winter - 5-6 kg of hay, but it can be replaced with straw. It is forbidden to contain alfalfa or clover, they are dangerous for these animals. They need to eat about three times a day to keep their digestive tract working properly.

Salt and special mineral complexes are used as mandatory additives. It is also necessary to ensure that there is fresh water in the drinking bowls. One animal needs about two liters per day, and even more in hot weather.

Hay is prepared for the winter

Animals need daily walking for many hours. The pasture should be fenced so that the herd does not wander away, or a shepherd is hired for this. It is necessary to ensure that the rams are not injured; after serious injuries they will have to be slaughtered. In hot weather, animals are driven out early in the morning so that they have time to eat, and during the day they are necessarily transferred to the shade. A veterinarian is regularly invited to visit purebred sheep for preventive examinations. Adults take care of their horns and hooves independently.

Grass is the basis of the diet

The horns are cut down with a hacksaw if they begin to grow incorrectly and threaten the organs of vision. Hooves are cleaned and trimmed for preventive purposes, because animals spend all their time on their feet, which is why the horny growths can be damaged and cracked.

Table 3. Hoof care instructions

Rules for building a sheepfold

Any rules for keeping sheep, like other farm animals, begin with the construction of the main premises - a sheepfold.

The finished structure must meet a number of specific rules:

1. The area should be calculated in such a way that there is at least 3 square meters per adult.
2. High-quality lighting should be provided in the room.
3. Particular attention is paid to the floor covering. The most suitable option is a clay or wooden floor with necessarily insulated flooring.
4. The gate is a swing gate with a sufficiently sized opening.
5. It is important to organize heating or insulation of walls in order to maintain the air temperature in the building at least 7 degrees. In the lamb compartment the air temperature should not fall below 10 degrees.
6. Be sure to pay attention to ventilation. Stagnant air promotes the development and proliferation of pathogenic bacteria. High humidity is the main risk factor for mold on walls. Pathogenic fungi, in turn, lead to the development of a number of serious respiratory tract diseases in sheep.
7. A separate area with a more comfortable temperature regime should be provided for lambing and young animals.
8. For walking animals, a pen should be provided in which there will be feeders and drinking bowls.

It is better to build a shed for storing tools and cleaning equipment at some distance from the main room.

As an alternative, you can create an area for cleaning work tools. It is better to immediately build a barn with good ventilation near the paddock for storing hay, straw, and grain crops.

This issue is especially relevant when keeping sheep without grazing, since it is necessary to constantly replenish the lack of plant food. If there is free space nearby, a plot of land is sown with cereals, legumes and other types of vegetation.

Recruitment of personnel for farming

Recruiting staff requires planning, especially in the early stages when you have limited funds. For a herd of 200-300 sheep, several employees will be needed:

• shepherd;
• milkmaid;
• employee to feed animals and maintain cleanliness.

To save money, duties can be combined. You will also have to contact a veterinarian and a shearer, but if there are a large number of heads, they are hired on a permanent basis.

Choose a shepherd carefully, because you are not going to hire an ordinary shepherd. Find a hereditary specialist: he performs the functions of a veterinarian, shearer, and livestock specialist. On what terms will he agree? When hiring, many people ask to transfer 50 heads into their possession, stipulating a percentage of income, bonuses for the safety of offspring, etc. But giving sheep as payment makes sense when you start with a herd of 1000 heads. In other cases, agree on a monetary form of remuneration.

The problem arises with the staff for feeding the sheep and cleaning. Since the work is dirty, candidates are often marginalized. If possible, pay more, but hire decent, ideally light-drinking people.

Hygienic care of animals

Due to the presence of long and thick wool, in practice there are certain peculiarities in keeping sheep and hygienic care. If there is stuck dirt, it is necessary to wash the animal, for example, using a hose. An alternative option is swimming in a pond.

Haircut rules:

1. Special scissors are used for cutting.
2. The most suitable periods for removing fur are April and the end of August.

Timely haircut allows new fur to grow and the animal to feel more comfortable, especially in hot weather.

Once every 2 months, it is necessary to trim the sheep’s hooves, having first securely fixed the animal in one position (as a rule, the manipulation is performed with an assistant).

Sales

Lamb is considered very healthy and is valued higher than pork and beef among gourmets. From the time of birth or purchase of a lamb to the receipt of an adult weighing from 100 to 200 kilograms, it takes about a year. One-year-old individuals can be shorn and sent for slaughter.

To sell wool, you need to find wholesale buyers, most often they are specialized factories located in rural areas. Lamb wool is used for high quality yarn.

It is much easier to establish sales of meat; you can sell sheep by live weight or sell cut meat. You can enter into a contract with a cafe or restaurant that has lamb dishes on their menu. Then the entrepreneur will supply fresh meat on an ongoing basis, receiving a stable profit. Another sales option could be delivery of carcasses to a meat processing plant.

How to make a stall for a goat?

A stall for livestock, including goats, is of great importance. Proper organization of this room allows you to avoid many problems associated with keeping animals. If it is not built correctly, it can lead to the development of chronic diseases and death.

First of all, it should be noted that goats are herd animals that are kept at least two individuals per pen.

In addition, it is necessary to ensure sufficient ventilation in the goat shed, otherwise the air will stagnate, an unpleasant odor will be transferred to the food and the goats will not eat it. You can ensure sufficient air exchange by installing a ventilation pipe in the room with a throttle valve, which allows you to regulate the exhaust force.

This makes them feel much better. The area of ​​the pen for 2 goats must be at least 4 m2. If possible, the goat's stall should be made as large as possible. The floors in the stall are made of hard materials, such as metal or flat slate, with a slope of 2-3cm. so that animal waste products are removed by gravity into some container. It is not advisable to make floors from wood, because it is not the most hygienic material. It absorbs moisture and various odors well. The fencing of the stall is made of boards. Its height must be at least 1.2 m. The door must be made of galvanized steel mesh fixed to the frame. Inside the pen you need to place a feeder and a water trough. If a separate building is built to keep goats, then the height of its foundation should rise by 10 cm. above the ground to prevent water from entering from the street. The height of the building must be at least 2.5 m. The building also needs to provide sufficient lighting: natural and artificial. To do this, the goat house must have at least one window and one light bulb. In winter, goats are required to spend at least 8 hours in a lighted area.

In the room where goats are kept, the following conditions must be provided: temperature not lower than 6-10 degrees, humidity not more than 75%. High humidity and low temperature create preconditions for the development of infectious diseases and contribute to the spread of viral infections.

In the same way, you can build a stall for sheep, since the maintenance of these animals is quite similar. They are also kept in groups without a leash in the same room. It should be remembered that the most pugnacious and aggressive individuals should be placed in a separate pen.

Since goats are kept in rather cramped spaces, it is imperative to provide a place for walking. As a rule, for this purpose the area near the goat's rue is fenced off. The height of the fence must be at least 1.2 m.

As you can see, building a stall for goats is quite a simple matter, but it has its own nuances, failure to comply with which can significantly harm the animal and complicate the life of the owner. By following all the tips given above, you can build a pen that meets all the needs of the animals.

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Business registration

Having decided on the site and the desired number of livestock, proceed to registering the activity. A farm can be registered under the same conditions as an individual entrepreneur. Collect a package of documents for the relevant authority:

• a copy and original of the passport, as well as the birth certificate of the person registering the household;
• registration application;
• power of attorney for a multifunctional center (MFC);
• permission from the sanitary station;
• a receipt confirming that you have paid the state fee.

The documents are submitted to the tax authority according to the registration of the applicant. The decision is made within 5 days, after which the data is entered into the Unified State Register of Individual Entrepreneurs.

Covered sheep stall

Sheep raised in this stall produce more wool than normal ones.

Lamb growth time: 12 hours.

Break: 6 hours

If the stall becomes worn, it can be repaired using a pack of construction wood. In case of illness of its inhabitants, medicine for livestock will be useful.

Recipes to create

Code for the forum

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Why sheep

Sergei and I discussed which livestock sector could bring real income. Pig farming - not immediately due to the unstable situation with ASF (African swine fever - note "About business"). To raise cattle (cattle), considerable land is needed. They decided to place their bet on sheep breeding, an undervalued industry. Among its advantages:

• Relatively fast payback period - 3 years
• The need for feed is not as high as, for example, when raising cattle
• Getting wool as a bonus

One of the main problems is product sales. We studied the market, talked to networkers and realized that there is a demand for meat, and it is quite high, but there is little supply. Of course, there is farmed lamb in the country. But there is no supplier who would provide the required volume, timely deliveries and stable quality. So it turns out that you rarely see Belarusian lamb in stores; it costs 15 rubles per 1 kg. Imported meat in vacuum packaging is better in quality, but also several times more expensive - about 40 rubles. Don’t forget that the cost of the latter includes costs for logistics, supplier margin, and marketing. I am sure that a Belarusian farmer can offer a product no worse, but at a lower price. However, we must take into account the rules of the game in this market.

The culture of lamb consumption in Belarus is not developed. After the Chernobyl disaster, sheep began to be exterminated, because... how animal fur accumulated radionuclides. If before the accident there were 1 million sheep in the country, now there are about 100 thousand. And that number has grown significantly in recent years.

Obviously, Belarus alone will not be enough. But literally 700-800 km from us there is an immense market - two large “Muslim” cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg. To get there, the manufacturer must take into account the canons of Islam and adjust production processes, equipment, documentation, storage facilities, raw materials, ingredients and even personnel to them. Is the game worth the candle? I think yes. A company that enters these markets with new high-quality products will play alone, since there is practically no competition.

How to make a stall for a goat?

A stall for livestock, including goats, is of great importance. Proper organization of this room allows you to avoid many problems associated with keeping animals. If it is not built correctly, it can lead to the development of chronic diseases and death.

First of all, it should be noted that goats are herd animals that are kept at least two individuals per pen.

In addition, it is necessary to ensure sufficient ventilation in the goat shed, otherwise the air will stagnate, an unpleasant odor will be transferred to the food and the goats will not eat it. You can ensure sufficient air exchange by installing a ventilation pipe in the room with a throttle valve, which allows you to regulate the exhaust force.

This makes them feel much better. The area of ​​the pen for 2 goats must be at least 4 m2. If possible, the goat's stall should be made as large as possible. The floors in the stall are made of hard materials, such as metal or flat slate, with a slope of 2-3cm. so that animal waste products are removed by gravity into some container. It is not advisable to make floors from wood, because it is not the most hygienic material. It absorbs moisture and various odors well. The fencing of the stall is made of boards. Its height must be at least 1.2 m. The door must be made of galvanized steel mesh fixed to the frame. Inside the pen you need to place a feeder and a water trough. If a separate building is built to keep goats, then the height of its foundation should rise by 10 cm. above the ground to prevent water from entering from the street. The height of the building must be at least 2.5 m. The building also needs to provide sufficient lighting: natural and artificial. To do this, the goat house must have at least one window and one light bulb. In winter, goats are required to spend at least 8 hours in a lighted area.

In the room where goats are kept, the following conditions must be provided: temperature not lower than 6-10 degrees, humidity not more than 75%. High humidity and low temperature create preconditions for the development of infectious diseases and contribute to the spread of viral infections.

In the same way, you can build a stall for sheep, since the maintenance of these animals is quite similar. They are also kept in groups without a leash in the same room. It should be remembered that the most pugnacious and aggressive individuals should be placed in a separate pen.

Since goats are kept in rather cramped spaces, it is imperative to provide a place for walking. As a rule, for this purpose the area near the goat's rue is fenced off. The height of the fence must be at least 1.2 m.

As you can see, building a stall for goats is quite a simple matter, but it has its own nuances, failure to comply with which can significantly harm the animal and complicate the life of the owner. By following all the tips given above, you can build a pen that meets all the needs of the animals.

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Feeding sheep in winter is somewhat different from summer, primarily in that the animals are not driven out to pasture, but are fed exclusively with prepared feed.

Sheep are gradually transferred to a winter-stall diet as they stop eating enough on pasture. With the deterioration of the grass stand, the sheep begin to be fed with hay before grazing at the rate of 0.3-0.5 kg per head, and then they begin to carry out evening feeding after returning from the pasture.

The best feed is fed at the beginning of stall housing so that the sheep do not lose fatness, and at the end of wintering to pregnant ewes. Coarser varieties of hay and straw are given to lambs entering their first winter with the onset of frost. Feed better quality hay in the fall and early winter, and less valuable hay in late winter. From succulent feed, at the beginning of winter, all groups of sheep are fed root crops, and at the end of winter - silage. Throughout the wintering period, concentrates are fed to growing young animals, pregnant and suckling ewes, and breeding rams.

When feeding sheep during the day, a certain distribution order is followed. Hay and straw are fed separately. In the morning and at night, coarse hay and straw are given. During the day, the best quality roughage is fed. Juicy feed is given to sheep before watering, before the daytime and evening distribution of roughage. They are introduced to succulent food gradually, starting from 200-300 g, and on the fifth day they bring it up to normal. Concentrated feed is given after watering, before the second distribution of hay.

The daily ration is fed two to three times, but the food is distributed when the animals are not present in the animal base, so as not to litter the wool. The suckling queens are given water twice: in the morning, after distributing roughage and silage, and in the evening. The rest are fed once - after feeding the first or second portion of hay.

Fattening and fattening of sheep. The duration of fattening sheep is 3-4 months. In those farms where a sufficient amount of hay has been stored, sheep are fattened mainly on roughage with a slight addition of succulent feed.