Mastering the "four essentials" to improve the Lamb Survival rate of small tail Han Sheep

Small-tailed Han sheep have the characteristics of large physique, rapid growth, early maturity, multiple lambs (average lambing rate 281%) and so on. Two children a year or three children in two years, easy to raise, strong adaptability, both meat and skin, suitable for fat lamb production, plate skin suitable for layered leather fabric and other advantages. Therefore, one of the keys to improve the economic benefit of small-tailed Han sheep is to improve the survival rate of lambing. For this reason, the author thinks that it is necessary to achieve the "four essentials" in feeding and management:

First, take good care of the ewe

The estrus of small-tailed Han sheep is early, and ewes can be mated at the age of 6 months. It is in estrus all the year round, especially in autumn and spring. Estrus sheep showed congestion, redness and swelling of the vulva, mucus outflow from the vagina and climbing reflex. At this time, it is the best "hot time" for mating, so it is necessary to mate in time. The virgin sheep are not in estrus, and most of them refuse to climb, and stand Baoding when refusing to climb. The estrous cycle generally ranges from 16 days to 21 days, with an average of 18 days. If it doesn't match at one time, it can be mated in the estrus period. The gestation period is about 150 days. During the pregnancy period, the management of ewes should be strengthened, mainly by house feeding, supplemented by grazing, or complete house feeding. In the case of house feeding, in addition to meeting 2.5 kg ~ 3 kg of high quality fresh grass of pregnant ewes, 0.5 kg of mixed concentrate such as corn, wheat bran and soybean meal and appropriate amount of minerals and vitamins should be supplemented every day. In the winter and spring when there is a lack of high-quality green hay, the supplementary feeding amount should be increased to about 0.8 kg. Management should also pay attention to achieving "three stability and three precautions", that is, stable entry and exit of sheep barns to prevent crushing and collision; stable grazing, mountain areas should avoid herding sheep on steep slopes, avoid running and climbing ditches, to prevent miscarriage; and drinking water should be stable to prevent falls, so as to avoid abortion and stillbirth. In winter, pregnant ewes should be given warm water, not water with ice.

Second, take good care of the lamb

After childbirth, for the newborn lamb, the mucus in the mouth, nose and ear should be removed in time, the mucus on the body should be licked clean by the ewe, and a fire should be made to keep warm when the weather is cold. For the newly born lamb, the midwife should put the index finger into the lamb's mouth, let it suck, and let the lamb eat colostrum in time. Colostrum is rich in antibodies, magnesium and other substances, which can enhance the immunity of lambs to disease and promote meconium excretion. If the ewe has many lambs and there is a relative shortage of nipples and milk, artificial feeding is the best way to put fresh milk, milk powder and millet soup into a milk bottle. About 15 days after birth, most lambs have the bad habit of eating soil and hair, which is easy to cause gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, after the lamb is born, the enclosure should be kept clean and hygienic, cold-proof and warm. Food trough and water trough can also be placed in the lamb house or in the delivery room to allow the lamb to eat and drink freely, or high-quality dried vegetables can be tied up into small handfuls for the lamb play to eat, which can not only reduce the chance for the lamb to eat soil and wool, but also allow the lamb to eat plant feed as soon as possible to promote rumen development.

Lambs are weaned early

Weaning lambs as early as possible requires artificial training in their feeding ability. From 10 to 15 days of age, lambs are fed with fresh grass, vegetable leaves or soft and digestible hay and leaves to stimulate the early formation of digestive function in the digestive tract of lambs and the transition to independent feeding. In order to make the lamb eat as soon as possible, at the beginning, you can cook porridge with corn and bean noodles or mix it in water for the lamb to eat, or you can put the fried concentrate in a basin and let the lamb lick it by itself. generally, the lamb can eat normally after 20 to 30 days of age.

IV. Prevention and treatment of lamb diseases

The common diseases of lambs are nutritional diarrhea such as iron deficiency, selenium deficiency and bacterial dysentery. In this regard, under the guidance of veterinarians, blood iron preparation and selenium trace elements should be used, and bacillary dysentery should be treated in time. Pregnant ewes should be injected with lamb dysentery vaccine 20 ~ 30 days before delivery and 10 ~ 20 days before delivery to improve the immunity of lambs. Within 12 hours after birth, lambs can be given oxytetracycline 150000 ~ 200000 units once a day for 3 consecutive days, which has a good effect on preventing dysentery. For sick lambs, early detection, early isolation, early treatment, feces and bedding grass should be destroyed. The sheep house should be disinfected regularly with raw lime water or 3% to 5% Lysur, so as to completely cut off the vector and means of transmission of the epidemic, and put an end to the occurrence and epidemic of the epidemic.