Management techniques of raising small-tailed Han Sheep

I. feeding and management of bred sheep

Breeding sheep refers to the sheep raised from weaning to the first mating (ewe 3-8 months old; ram one year old). The quality of raising at this stage is directly related to the physical development, production performance and quality of sheep. Therefore, we should do a good job in the following aspects:

(1) strengthen nutrition and promote physical maturity

The feeding of bred sheep is mainly from milk and concentrate to roughage. At this time, the plasticity of sheep is very strong, and the growth and development will be hindered if it is not properly managed. It affects the comprehensive production performance of sheep. Should always provide sufficient high-quality hay or green feed, and supplement a certain amount of concentrate, so that sheep get enough nutrition to speed up the growth and development.

(2) male and female grouping and timely breeding

Small-tailed Han sheep can achieve sexual maturity at the age of 5-6 months. if they are allowed to mate in estrus, early pregnancy will inevitably affect the growth and development of ewes, so male and female should be grouped, and the first mating age of ewes should be limited to 8 years old, or the body weight should reach 40 kg.

(3) castration at the right time

For some male lambs that can't be used as seed. Castrated at the right time, fattened for a short time and sold.

2. Feeding and management of ewes

The feeding and management of ewes has a great influence on the development, growth and survival of lambs. The replacement pregnancy period of small-tailed Han sheep is 5 months and the lactation period is 3 months. After mating and conception, in order to make the embryo fully develop and ewes have sufficient milk after delivery, there should be sufficient nutrients as the basis. Therefore, we must always pay close attention to the feeding and management of ewes throughout the year.

Small-tailed Han sheep have the reproductive characteristics of "two births a year, multiple lambs in one year", so the continuity of organ production is very close, and should be fed according to the nutritional needs of sheep in each physiological stage. Two feeding and management methods are introduced below.

(1) Segment feeding method

The method of segmented feeding is to take the corresponding nutritional supply according to the nutritional needs of sheep in different physiological stages, which can be divided into pregnancy and lactation.

1. Pregnant ewes are all raised and managed.

The ewe is pregnant from mating and conception to lambing. The task of feeding and management during pregnancy is to protect the fetus and make the fetus develop well. Pregnancy is divided into pre-pregnancy and late pregnancy due to the slow development of the fetus, there is no significant increase in nutritional needs, in general, it can meet the nutritional needs of the fetus. In the later stage, due to the accelerated growth and development of the fetus, 90% of the birth weight of the lamb increased during this period. If the lamb is malnourished at this stage, it will result in small birth weight, low survival rate, weak resistance and easy death. Not only that, lack of nutrition at this time will lead to postpartum lack of milk in parturient ewes. Therefore, in addition to normal growth, 0.5 kg of mixed concentrate should be properly fed at this stage.

The gestation period of small-tailed Han sheep is 150 days. If the pregnancy is not properly managed, it is easy to cause abortion and premature delivery. It is strictly forbidden to feed mildew, spoilage, frozen or other abnormal feed, drink ice residue water on an empty stomach, and prohibit violent actions such as startling, sprinting, ditching and other drastic actions in daily management, especially when entering and leaving the gate or replenishing feeding, to prevent each other from squeezing each other. Ewes should not be vaccinated in the later stage of pregnancy. Make preparations for picking up and raising lambs for 10 days before delivery. Five days before delivery, attention should be paid to the observation on duty and midwifery of lambs. Ewes before delivery should be kept separately in a clean and hygienic delivery room with clean bedding grass. When ewes show signs of delivery, they should be waiting for them to give birth naturally. In case of dystocia, full-time veterinarians should be required to deal with them on the spot.

two。 Feeding and management of lactating ewes

The lactation period of lambs is from birth to weaning, and the lactation period of small tail Han sheep is generally 3 months. the main task of this stage is to ensure that ewes have sufficient milk to breast-feed, especially within one month after parturition. At this time, the growth and development of lambs mainly depends on breast milk. If the nutrition of ewes is poor, the amount of milk will be reduced, which will not only affect the growth and development of lambs, but also lead to their own weight loss. In order to improve the lactation ability of ewes, we should feed more fresh, hay and succulent feed, properly supplement concentrate, pay attention to the supply of minerals and trace elements, decrease the lactation strength of ewes in the later stage of lactation, and lambs have been fed with crushed mixed concentrates. mainly do not rely on breast milk to survive, in addition to normal feeding, can appropriately reduce supplementary feeding.

During breastfeeding, the enclosure should always be kept clean and hygienic, and the placenta, wool mass, stones and mildew should be cleaned in time, so as not to lick the lambs to cause disease.

To often check ewe breasts, such as milk hole blockage, breast inflammation, suppuration or too much milk, etc., should take corresponding measures to deal with in time.

When lambs are weaned, the supplementary feeding amount of succulent feed, silage and concentrate of ewes should be reduced several days in advance to prevent mastitis.

(3) balanced feeding

This feeding method is based on the approximate nutritional requirements of sheep, regardless of stages, before and after, in addition to normal feeding roughage, a certain amount of concentrate, this method is simple and easy, but not as reasonable as the former in terms of scientific rationality.

III. Feeding and management of breeding rams

The quality of breeding ram plays a decisive role in sheep production. As the saying goes, "good ewe, good litter; good ram, good slope" is this truth. Small-tailed Han sheep are mostly raised separately, and there is no need for households to look like rams. Generally, it is more appropriate to match 40 ewes with one ram according to 30 murals. Breeder rams must be raised alone and should maintain a balanced nutritional status throughout the year, neither fat nor thin, and full of energy. Although the breeding task of the ram is not heavy because the ewe is in estrus all the year round and the breeding is not concentrated, the small-tailed Han sheep can be divided into the peak season and the off-season. Therefore, the breeding management of the sheep can be divided into two stages: the peak season and the off-season. In general, spring and autumn are the peak season, and winter and summer are the off-season. It is very important to do well the feeding and management of mating season.