Key points of stage management of ewes whose physique is not suitable for breeding in different periods

Ewe

1. Empty period: the feeding and management of ewes in empty period is relatively extensive, and their dietary supply is usually slightly higher than the daily feeding level, with little or no hay supplement. However, due to the influence of age, parity, number and time of lambing, the body condition of ewes varies greatly. While the reserve young ewe is still in the growth and development stage before estrus mating, it needs to provide more nutrition, high lactation ability or double lamb ewes, during the lactation period, the nutrition consumption is large, the fat loss is fast, and the body condition is weak, so supplementary feeding must be strengthened to restore the body condition and condition of the ewe as soon as possible.

2. Pregnancy: pregnancy can be divided into two stages: the first trimester and the third trimester, about 5 months. The early stage of pregnancy, that is, the first 3 months of pregnancy, is characterized by slow fetal weight gain and the need for nutrition is basically the same as that of empty pregnancy. In summer and autumn, the ewes in the first trimester of pregnancy are mainly grazed with little or no concentrate feed. Concentrate or hay should be replenished in winter and spring.

In the third trimester, that is, 2 months after pregnancy, when the fetus grows rapidly, 80% of the fetal weight gain during pregnancy is completed at this stage. Therefore, it is necessary to provide nutritious and full-price feed for ewes at this stage. In this period, the nutrition of ewes is insufficient and the physique of ewes is poor, which will affect the growth and development of fetuses, resulting in small birth weight, sparse coat, imperfect physiological function, poor thermoregulation, weak resistance, diseases and low survival rate of lambs. At this time, in addition to grazing, ewes need to feed an appropriate amount of mixed concentrate and high-quality hay. According to the situation of ewe grazing, 0.45 kg of concentrate, 1.0-1.5 kg of hay, 1 kg of silage and 0.5 kg of carrots can be replenished every day.

In the management of ewe pregnancy, it is necessary to prevent early miscarriage in the early stage and premature delivery due to accidental injury in the later stage. Sheep should be avoided to eat frozen feed and moldy feed, not to drink water, to prevent sheep from being frightened, not to chase and catch up, to strictly prevent crowding when entering and leaving the enclosure, and to have sufficient grass racks, material troughs and sinks to prevent miscarriage caused by crowding when drinking and feeding. Ewes can be raised in the waiting pen for proper exercise about one week before the due date.

3. Lactation period: in traditional sheep raising, the lamb lactation period is 3-4 months, which can be divided into two stages: pre-lactation and late lactation. Pre-lactation, that is, 2 months before lactation, breast milk is the main source of lambs. If the amount of breast milk is large and sufficient, the lamb will grow fast, have good physique, have strong disease resistance, and have a high survival rate; on the contrary, it is disadvantageous to the growth and development of lambs. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the feeding and management of ewes in the early stage of lactation to promote their lactation. The early lactation period of ewes is in the early spring withering period, and the grazing conditions are poor. Grazing alone can not meet the needs of ewes for lactation, so it is necessary to supplement forage. The amount of supplementary feeding should be determined according to the body condition of ewes and the number of lactating lambs. Ewes producing single lambs fed 0.3-0.5 kg concentrate per day, 1.0 kg of hay and 1.5 kg of succulent feed. Ewes with twin lambs fed 0.4-0.6 kg concentrate per day, 1 kg of hay and 1.5 kg of succulent feed.

About 1 month after lambing, the milk yield of ewes reached the peak, and decreased gradually after 2 months. At this time, the growth and development intensity of the lamb is strong, the weight gain is fast, and the demand for nutrients is increasing. Breast milk alone can not fully meet the nutritional needs of lambs. At the same time, the gastrointestinal function of lambs over 2 months old tended to be improved, the dependence on breast milk decreased, appropriate amount of high quality grass and mixed concentrate could be used, and ewes entered the later stage of lactation. For ewes in the later stage of lactation, grazing should be given priority to, supplemented by supplementary feeding, and concentrate supplementary feeding should be gradually cancelled to replace the supplementary feeding of green hay. The supplementary feeding level of ewes should be properly adjusted according to the physical condition of ewes, with more supplement for those in poor condition and less or no supplement for those in good condition. After weaning, the ewes can be regrouped according to their physical condition and raised separately in order to improve the pertinence and effect of supplementary feeding.