How to breed sheep at home for beginners

They begin to breed sheep for the purpose of obtaining milk, meat, lard and valuable wool. The process of raising sheep is related to the peculiarities of keeping and feeding. In the field of sheep breeding, traditions and certain conditions have been formed. If you follow the rules and follow the advice of experienced sheep breeders, you can raise healthy animals and make good profits.

Biological features

Sheep provide wool, meat, milk, lard, interior fat. After dressing, skins are used as a decorative coating, as well as a material for making warm clothes and shoes. The characteristics of the animals allow planning the rearing process while simultaneously making a profit from the accompanying products of the animal's vital activity:

• sheep gain weight quickly;
• females are able to give birth twice a year;
• sheep are resistant to diseases, temperature extremes.

Reference! Farmers argue that caring for artiodactyls is easier than caring for cattle.

Choosing a breed for breeding

When choosing a breed, prioritized priorities are taken into account. Growing for fattening involves a short-term maintenance and an increased amount of protein feed. If sheep are kept for obtaining dairy products, then special breeds are chosen.

Meat

Meat breeds are distinguished by their large size, high rate of weight gain. It is recommended to purchase the following breeds for meat:

• Romanovskaya;
• West Siberian;
• Kuibyshevskaya;
• Volgograd;
• dopper;
• sufflock.

Meat-greasy

Meat-greasy breeds are called fat-tailed. Animals tend to accumulate fat. The following breeds are recommended:

• Hissar;
• Kalmyk;
• edilbaevskaya.

Dairy

Dairy breeds are purchased to obtain cheeses from sheep milk. Breeds with a narrow specification are almost never used in home breeding, since cheese production has many nuances:

• zwartbles;
• East Frisian.

Woolen

One wool sheep gives up to 23 kilograms of wool annually. breeding of the following breeds is widespread:

• karakul;
• tushinskaya;
• lincoln;
• Caucasian.

Recommendations for beginners

For novice breeders who plan to keep at home, it will be easier to start by growing versatile breeds:

1. Romanov breed.Sheep are able to adapt to different conditions, they are fertile and reach large sizes. Males weigh about 100 kilograms, females - 50 kilograms.
2. Gorky breed. It is intended for obtaining meat, wool, milk. Males and females quickly gain weight and muscle mass. Animals are resistant to disease.
3. Kuibyshev breed. Suitable for pasture keeping. Female sheep reach 70 kilograms, are capable of producing offspring of 3-4 lambs.

Household farming should be organized in such a way that it is convenient for both pets and owners. It is not recommended to keep even one ram or sheep in an apartment. Breeding several heads requires the construction of equipped premises. In this case, it is necessary to make special pens for sheep so that they can move freely inside the fenced area.

Keeping 50-100 heads requires a special approach. Special premises are built for sheep, which must be equipped in accordance with the basic requirements. To maintain the farm, qualified personnel are required.

Room preparation

The house for keeping sheep is called a sheepfold. It is being built in a specially selected place that meets the basic requirements.

Site requirements

In sheep breeding, the practice of using summer and winter premises is widespread. For the summer, a temporary hut is built for the animals, and for the winter the sheep are transferred to a warm heated room. This technique helps to solve several problems. In summer, at a temporary place, animals receive sunlight, walk freely around the territory, feed on grass. In winter, they live under artificial lighting at a comfortable air temperature. If you choose a place for the construction of a temporary summer dwelling or a winter sheepfold, then it should be borne in mind that the room should be erected on a flat surface, protected from dampness and drafts.

Installation of feeders and drinkers

An important condition for growing is the organization of food. Animals should have access to food and drink throughout the day. Feeders and drinking bowls are installed at a height of 1-1.5 meters from the floor. To prevent the loss of feed, special traps are installed under the feeders to collect the remains. The simplest option for a feeder device is to install a long rack installed along the stalls. For free, but controlled access, the stall is surrounded by a special grid. It allows you to keep food from spoilage and stick the sheep's head to the feed. Feeders and drinkers are made common or individual, if the animals are kept separately.

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Reference! Many farms have hourly feeding rules, but it is necessary to leave grass feed and water available around the clock.

Necessary equipment and inventory

Sheep breeders recommend purchasing special equipment in advance. When keeping and caring, you will need a cleaning and cleaning tool, as well as a sheep shearing machine.

When slaughtering animals, you will need special equipment:

• carcass knives;
• scissors for cutting wool;
• cold rooms for storing meat.

To receive milk from sheep, a milking machine is provided. This device helps to milk the animal freely. The milking machine is a specially designed device with a ladder for raising the animal, a platform and a head mount.

Organization of a walking area

Without walking, the sheep's muscles begin to weaken. Each sheep needs an area of ​​2 to 4 square meters for walking. To avoid the loss of the animal, the walking area should be fenced around the perimeter with a fence at least 1.5 meters high.

First aid kit

A veterinary first aid kit is formed in case of an unexpected illness in sheep.

The following elements should be kept in the sheep breeder's arsenal:

• spray for treating skin damage;
• tar;
• antihistamines;
• enema;
• syringes;
• cotton wool;
• harnesses.

Information! If serious damage is found, changes in the behavior of the animal should be called a veterinarian.

Rules for keeping and caring for animals

There are many ways to keep and raise sheep. The choice depends on the capabilities of the owners, as well as on the direction of the goals of the content.

There are 3 main types of breeding:

1. Pasture. The best option for a large farm, when the area allows you to provide pastures for sheep to walk.
2. Stoilovy. This is a way when the sheep are looked after in the sheepfolds, for grazing it is necessary to accompany the animals to the herd, to pay for the services of the shepherd.
3. Mixed. A method in which sheep are kept in the yard with other domestic animals and in contact with birds or cattle.

Each of the methods dictates its own rules. Sheep owners find unique solutions for their own household that make care easier.

Diet

Catering is an important condition for keeping. The elements that should be in the diet of each animal can vary depending on the age and purpose of rearing.

For adults

Feeding adult sheep should be regular and balanced. The basis of the diet is plant food, as sheep are herbivores. In summer, herbs make up 80% of the total. Young tree branches are useful for animals.

In addition to herbs, the following items are included in the diet:

• hay, vegetables, cereals;
• juicy feed;
• meat and bone meal;
• a piece of chalk;
• salt.

Adult animals are fed with combined feed. These are mixtures in which vitamins and minerals necessary for animals are mixed in advance.

You can determine the lack of elements by the behavior of the sheep:

• if they start chewing on rags, tree bark or wool, this indicates a lack of calcium and phosphorus;
• involuntary muscle contraction indicates a lack of magnesium;
• skin cracks, eczema, hair loss requires the addition of zinc.

An excess of vitamins can be harmful to health, therefore, a balanced diet of an animal is of great importance for a beginner and experienced sheep breeder.

Advice! Warm, clean water should be readily available to the sheep around the clock to compensate for the natural loss of fluid.

For young animals

The young stays with their mother during the first weeks. If the female cannot feed for some reason, then the young are offered cow's milk diluted with water, or infant formula prepared according to the rules.

Breeding features

One of the conditions for sheep breeding is directed sheep breeding. Females reach reproductive age by 7 months. Males reach this age by 1.5 years. For mating, plump, calm animals are chosen that do not have any deviations.

They start raising sheep in the warm season. The female is brought to the ram for 5-7 hours, then taken away for good rest. One ram can cover up to 10-15 sheep, but experienced breeders advise to have two rams on the farm for this. Breeding tips:

• the period favorable for mating lasts from late July to early October;
• male animals during this period are kept in a dark room, away from sheep, released for directional shrinkage;
• the cycle in females lasts from 14 to 19 days;
• the onset of pregnancy can be diagnosed by laboratory methods or determined by changes in behavior;
• a sheep's pregnancy lasts about 5 months.

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The female may have 2-3 lambs. It is better to keep lambs in the first weeks of life next to the female. The animal will be able to provide adequate nutrition only to two lambs, therefore, if there is a third or fourth lamb, it is necessary to organize supplementary feeding.

Diseases and their treatment

Livestock health is one of the priority conditions of keeping. It is necessary to monitor the condition of the animals.

Dangerous signs of illness include the following symptoms:

• a sharp increase in body temperature;
• unreasonable twitching of the ears;
• lack of appetite;
• development of conjunctivitis;
• weight loss;
• lameness;
• cough.

Common diseases in sheep are cured if timely measures are taken.

The appearance of lice on the body of sheep brings a lot of inconvenience. Animals begin to itch, behave restlessly. If the sheep are lice, it is necessary to wash them with special products. Specially sheared sheep are treated with a solution of "Diazinon". The next treatment is carried out after 2 weeks.

Sheep breeding business plan

Before you start raising sheep, you need to draw up a clear plan that takes into account the necessary costs. Product implementation is an important part of the plan.

Expenses

The initial capital for the purchase of sheep is planned taking into account the costs of maintaining the site. A spacious area is needed for the sheep. If it is owned, then they plan only to pay utility bills. A separate line of expenses is the rent or purchase of a land plot. Prices will be different for each region of the country.

The financial plan for breeding 80-100 heads includes the following items:

• expenses for the necessary equipment (laptop, printer, cash register, refrigerators, trade equipment) - 440 thousand rubles;
• investments for opening an individual entrepreneur (rent, purchase of sheep, construction of premises) - 1.5 million rubles;
• staff salaries.

Reference! Risk factors at each stage can be the risk of a consumer's absence of goods, as well as the risk of loss of goods due to unpredictable conditions.

Profit and payback

The payback of the business plan is calculated for a period of 19 months. At the same time, it is planned that the losses will be fully paid off for 4 months of the existence of the farm. Investment of funds should be returned by profit from the sale of products: milk, meat, wool. One of the conditions for payback is the sale of raised sheep. At the same time, the replacement of the sold heads should be justified by raising young animals from females.

Selection of sales channels

The sales market must be taken care of in advance. Agreeing with whoever will buy the product is an important part of the implementation plan.

Ways of selling goods:

• slaughter of raised sheep and sale one by one through our own retail outlet;
• sale of reared young animals without exception;
• butchering meat, sale to retail chains and intermediaries;
• sale of wool, milk for cheese production.

The meat can be sold through retail chains, cafes or restaurants. Self-realization brings good income. When working with intermediaries, it is recommended to use special marketing moves. Provide special discounts for the conclusion of long-term contracts. When planning implementation, it is necessary to consider the principles of product promotion: advertising in the media, distribution of leaflets.