Formation of flocks
A flock is a large flock of sheep created by man for their joint maintenance and grazing.
A flock is formed from young lambs. When they grow to a certain age and their mother’s milk becomes insufficient for them, they are gradually united into a herd and taken out to pasture.
For the first couple of weeks, young lambs are isolated from adults. They are kept in a separate pen. When forming flocks, the following factors are taken into account:
- Gender of the animal.
- Age.
- Breed.
- Class.
On large farms there may be flocks formed depending on the color, origin, size of the individual, etc.
Lambs are divided into flocks several months before the next mating of the animals. Before this, the sheep must undergo a medical examination by a veterinarian, receive all necessary vaccinations and get rid of parasites. As a rule, all these procedures are carried out in one day. Otara is a well-coordinated team. Therefore, sheep cope with all procedures quickly, clearly and in order.
What you need to know about grazing
The effectiveness of the scheme depends on how fully the pasture is used. Minimal movement around the pasture is the key to success. Firstly, it is tiring for the animals themselves. Secondly, the sheep need to be given physical rest day and night. This way the roughage they eat is better absorbed.
Grazing of the flock begins early in the morning. To do this, select an area that was used the day before. Hungry sheep will first eat everything offered in that area and then begin to move to neighboring ones.
After the migration, the animals will rest and graze. Then the procedure is repeated.
It is extremely important to complete grazing in the new field. This is necessary so that the flock is not hungry before going to bed and is fully rested.
Pastures are organized near rivers and lakes. Drinking stations are also installed near the grazing area. Animals need to drink more. The daily fluid requirement of a sheep is from 3 to 5 liters.
Sheep are required to receive water in the morning, and this is done until they are completely saturated. The next dose is carried out after each rest.
It is not advisable to drive the herd for watering. It is optimal to bring water to feed the flock.
Drinking from swampy or other stagnant water is unacceptable. In such reservoirs it is easy to become infected with helminths.
Dogs cope with the task along with shepherds
How many sheep are in the flock?
A flock, the definition of the term does not contain specific numbers, consists of many heads of small cattle.
The number of sheep in a herd depends on the size of the farm. The type of herd also affects the number. For example:
- A flock of adult walleyes can reach up to 1000 heads.
- The breeding flock is 850 heads.
- The flock of little lambs is 600-700 heads.
- Breeding lambs are kept the same number as lambs - 600-700 heads.
- The flock of producers is 100 heads.
- Sampler rams – 250 heads.
There are always more production animals in a flock than breeding ones.
Equipment
To ensure the livelihoods of sheep, you need to purchase a number of equipment:
- feeders designed for roughage and wet food;
- drinking bowls in the form of knocked together wooden troughs;
- sheep clippers;
- electric scythe for summer collection of herbs and preparation of food for the winter.
The sale of perishable meat products is possible only if there is spacious refrigeration equipment, so refrigeration units will be required.
You will also have to organize transportation of products. At first, you can hire a truck with special markings. Meat is transported exclusively in special transport, the requirements for which are regulated by sanitary and epidemiological standards (SP2.36.1066-01) and Federal Law No. 29.
Keeping a flock of sheep
Keeping sheep costs farmers much less than keeping any other animals. Sheep are able to find food for themselves even in the remote steppe, which cannot be said about cows, which need high-quality green pastures.
These animals are also unpretentious in housing. The flock spends most of its time in the fresh air, which helps to increase the amount of wool.
At night, the herd is led into pens under shelters to protect them from attacks by predators. In winter, sheep are kept in sheepfolds. They do not represent complex architectural structures. This is a dark room with an adobe floor. Bedding in a sheepfold does not require frequent replacement, because... Sheep waste does not have an unpleasant odor.
From this we can conclude that a flock is the most profitable way to make money from keeping small ruminants.
Breed selection
Most sheep farms in the Russian Federation are engaged in breeding the following breeds:
- Romanovskaya. This is a rough-haired breed. Rams and sheep can reach 100 and 90 kg respectively. Romanov wool is valued for its excellent thermal insulation properties. Young lambs make the best fur coats. The Romanovskys are prolific. For 1 lambing, 3-4 lambs appear, but there are problems with natural lambing. This should be taken into account when constructing premises and organizing supplementary feeding of lambs.
- Edilbaevskaya. The breed belongs to the rough-haired meat-and-fat breed. The weight of a ram can be 145 kg, a sheep - 110 kg. The wool is coarse and is used primarily for making carpets. A special feature of the Edilbaevsky ones is the presence of a fat tail. The weight of tail fat reaches 15 kg. This product is a valuable source of vitamins, but it is necessary to find points of sale, otherwise fat tail fat may be unclaimed. Edilbaevskaya grow quickly, and by 4-5 months they can be ready for slaughter, weighing 45-50 kg. The growth of the herd occurs slowly. The female brings 1-2 lambs, but they are very strong and healthy.
In addition to these breeds, breeding representatives of the meat industry is common:
- Kuibyshevskaya (fine-wool direction);
- Kutamskaya (smooth-haired sheep with rapid weight gain);
- Gorkovskaya;
- West Siberian;
- Suffolk.
Meat products include:
- Tajik;
- Gissarskaya.
Wool breeds:
- Karakul;
- Tushinskaya;
- Grozny;
- Lincoln;
- Merinoland;
- Caucasian
By crossing breeds, farmers get a herd of hardier individuals that quickly gain weight and have satisfactory wool quality.
Replenishment of the flock
A month and a half before mating, the sheep are transferred to a special diet. Her diet includes selected hay, root vegetables, etc. The main thing is to ensure that the sheep does not gain excess weight; nutrition should be complete and balanced. The lamb is pampered with cottage cheese, root vegetables and raw eggs.
Owners have a special attitude towards pregnant sheep. To prevent the expectant mother from having a miscarriage, she should not be frightened, worried or overtired. The diet should be supplemented with chalk and bone meal for an additional source of calcium.
As a rule, sheep do not require assistance during childbirth. But in case of complications, it is better to have the veterinarian’s number at hand. After the lamb is born, the sheep must be given drinking water. Then you need to express the first colostrum, because... it is highly concentrated, which can be harmful to the lamb. And then you can let your baby in for feeding.
You can switch the lamb to adult food after 20 days of life. This should be done gradually, starting with soft hay. The lamb can be put out to pasture in the fourth month of its life. After the lambs have begun to be brought out to pasture, the lambs and lambs need to be resettled. At five months they begin puberty, which can lead to mating of closely related individuals. Incest can result in weak and inferior offspring. Sheep reach sexual maturity at one and a half years.
Why do you dream about Herds of Sheep according to the Ancient Dream Book?
If you dreamed that you saw a sheep, then in reality this demonstrates your character in everyday conditions. You are shy, so you are often embarrassed to express your feelings towards your partner. You are unable to express your desires and share information about your passions with your partner. You accept everything that happens patiently and make no attempts to change the situation or improve it. Anything that goes beyond the ordinary and traditional will shock and frighten you. You urgently need to reconsider your feelings and your worldview - otherwise you risk breaking up with your partner.
Sheep care
A flock is not just a herd of sheep. Each of them requires individual care. Because Sheep spend most of their time outdoors; they are subject to systematic attacks by parasites. Baths with the addition of a 1% creolin solution help get rid of ticks.
In the winter season, sheep practically do not leave the stall, so you need to monitor their hooves. They can outgrow, which will cause pain to the animal.
Sheep's wool grows quite quickly, so they need to be sheared systematically. If you have never done this before, then it is better to entrust this matter to professionals. While grooming, you must not frighten the animal or cause it pain. The more comfortable a ram’s first haircut is, the more willing he will be to undergo subsequent ones.
Beware of the Rams
But with rams you should keep your eyes open, since they, as the owners of the harem, will strive to dominate and show their superiority at the first convenient opportunity.
This behavior is especially evident during the hunting season. The rams begin to butt heads and behave aggressively, both towards each other and towards humans. And while sheep and lambs are cute and pleasant to the touch, a blow from a ram's horns can easily cripple a grown man. Therefore, you should never lose sight of the rams, much less turn your back on them.
Is such a business profitable?
There are hundreds of profitable enterprises in this area of agriculture in Russia. This is the sheep-breeding farm of the Zaikins. This is one of the largest companies in the Lyudinovsky district of the Kaluga region. Currently, the farm contains more than 700 head of livestock. 380 of them are ewes. The main breed of meat sheep raised is the Romanovskaya. The farm is constantly growing and premises have now been built to house another 2,500 animals. The success of a company lies in effective care. Experienced staff adhere to all standards for the proper maintenance of these animals.
It is worth noting that the lamb market in Russia is experiencing a constant shortage. The presence of favorable climatic conditions and a huge amount of pastures in our country allows us to engage in profitable sheep breeding today.
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.
Tips and tricks
How to start herding sheep:
- during the first grazing, do not move frequently from one place to another, so as not to disturb;
- young animals and breeding stock are brought to the best lands;
- graze in a deployed formation so as not to trample the area;
- When choosing terrain, give preference to areas with a high content of white clover and timothy.
In summer, sites should be changed every 12 days to reduce the likelihood of infection with worms and parasitic blow flies;
Timing and organization of pasture use
How to use pasture rationally:
- analyze grass yields;
- calculate the timing of plants being eaten by animals;
- determine the permissible number of individuals per hectare of area.
The time of pasture use is limited by the maturation and restoration of grass cover. To prevent animals from trampling down the grass too quickly, the area is divided into squares and portable fences are installed. When the sheep eat the grass in one area, the partitions are moved to the next square and the animals are transferred there. The grass cover is restored within a month. Therefore, the flock is allowed into the first area no earlier than this time. The area of the plots is calculated so that the herd has enough food for a week.
