Breeding techniques of Han Sheep with small tail to get rid of Poverty and become Rich

Small tail Han sheep

Small-tailed Han sheep, which is a kind of animal under the subfamily Bovidae and Sheep subfamily, is a dual-purpose sheep breed for meat and fur in China. It has the advantages of rapid growth, early maturity, strong fecundity, stable genetic performance and strong adaptability. It is regarded as the "national treasure" of China, "super sheep" and "high-legged sheep" in the world. And was included in the "national livestock and poultry genetic resources conservation catalogue". It is not only one of the best projects for farmers to shake off poverty and become well-off, but also the safest project for the government to help the poor, and it is also an important measure for the country to close mountains and return farmland, recommend raising sheep and build ecological agriculture.

(1) the enclosure standard of small-tailed Han sheep

Should choose in the high dry terrain, the population is not dense, does not have the environmental pollution and the forage feed supply convenient place, the water source, the water quality is good or not and so on the factor, the average required area of each sheep, adult sheep is about 1.6~2cm2, bred sheep is 1~1.2cm2, pregnant sheep, lactation sheep and ram area should be appropriately larger. The height of the sheep house is generally 2.3-2.5m. In order to build a sheep house, we should not only keep warm in winter, but also pay attention to ventilation and summer heat prevention. The door of the sheep house should be wider to prevent sheep from getting crowded in and out, causing ewes to have a miscarriage. The width of the door is generally 1.52m. The floor of the sheep house should be more than 20 cm higher than the ground outside the shed, so that the sheepfold is dry and there is no stagnant water. Building materials can be used locally, based on the principle of durability.

The house circle is rectangular with ridges in the center of the roof, steep slopes on both sides, walls made of brick, stone or earth, doors should be set in the south or north, and doors with a width of more than 1.2m should be installed. The windows of the south wall should have a large area and a large number, while the north wall should have only 1 or 2 small windows. This kind of coop can be ventilated and transparent in summer, which is relatively cool; in winter, it is sunny and leeward, which is warm, which is helpful to keep the sheep healthy.

Build another open-air circle outside the house circle, which is partially shaded and warm for the sheep to rest. There is plenty of sunshine in the open-air circle, which makes it easy for sheep to arrive and receive sunlight. This kind of ring is suitable for sheep raised in house all the year round.

(2) the basic characteristics of small-tailed Han sheep

Small-tailed Han sheep can reach 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 40kg.

The gestation period of small-tailed Han sheep is 150 days, and miscarriage and preterm delivery can be easily caused by improper feeding and management during pregnancy. It is strictly forbidden to feed mildew, spoilage, frozen or other abnormal feed, drink ice residue water on an empty stomach, and prohibit strenuous actions such as startling, sprinting and ditching in daily management, especially when entering and leaving the door 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 on the 7th and 10th day 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.

(3) feeding and management of small-tailed Han sheep

The feeding and management of ewes has a great influence on the development, growth and survival of lambs. The 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. Small-tailed Han sheep have the reproductive characteristics of "two births a year and multiple lambs in one year", so the continuity of production is very close, so it should be fed according to the nutritional needs of sheep in each physiological stage.

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.

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 more scattered breeding, there is no need to raise rams in every household, generally according to 30-40 ewes with a ram is more appropriate. Breeder rams must be raised alone and should maintain a balanced nutritional status throughout the year, neither fat nor thin, and full of energy. Generally, in the peak breeding season, each animal is fed with mixed concentrate 1~1.5kg daily, fresh and hay are fed arbitrarily, bone meal is 10g, salt is 1520g, if the number of breeding is too much, you can add 2 or 3 boiled eggs (crushed with skin, evenly mixed in concentrate), or skim milk 1kg, the diet volume of ram can not be too large, nutrition, small volume, in order to maintain a healthy condition.

(4) epidemic prevention and control measures of small-tailed Han sheep

1. Establish a quarantine system for imported sheep. When introducing sheep, a comprehensive inspection must be carried out. First of all, check the overall condition of the sheep, healthy sheep should be in good spirits, bright coat, standing posture, walking steadily, responsive and breathing normally. Imported sheep should only be raised and managed separately for 15 to 25 days, and should not be put into large flocks until they are confirmed to be healthy and disease-free. If diseased sheep are found in the flock, they should be isolated and treated in time. If it is a common disease, it should be raised in a large group immediately after being healthy; if it is an infectious disease, isolation measures should be taken immediately to thoroughly disinfect the sheep house and sports ground, and if necessary, vaccination or drug prevention should be given to the whole flock to cut off the source of infection. After recovery, sick sheep should be observed for about 10 days after the incubation period, and then be reared in groups when they are confirmed to be free of virus. If they are other severe infectious diseases, measures such as culling, burning and deep burial should be taken immediately.

two。 Do a good job in farm hygiene. Small-tailed Han sheep like to be dry and afraid of dampness, and often show restlessness, loss of appetite, growth retardation and parasitic diseases, foot rot or other diseases in humid and unhygienic environment.

(5) measures for fetal protection and other preparations for small-tailed Han sheep

1. Raised in groups. Pregnant ewes should not be mixed with other sheep, but should be raised in separate groups, so that different feeding and management methods can be adopted according to different stages of fetal development, so as to ensure the normal development of the fetus.

two。 Ensure nutrition. Good physical condition can ensure the normal development of the fetus. In order to keep ewes in good condition, better forage should be fed during pregnancy, and individual ewes with poor nutrition should be fed with some concentrate separately. The concentrate fed by ewes in the later stage of pregnancy should be supplemented with bone meal or minerals, vitamins and trace elements needed by the fetus.

3. Exercise in moderation. In order to enhance the physique of ewes, grazing should be strengthened. Ewes who do not exercise for a long time have poor physique and are easy to have dystocia. An appropriate amount of exercise plays a certain role in strengthening the fetal physique and improving the survival rate of lambs.

4. Early weaning. Small-tailed Han sheep give birth to 2 births a year or 3 births in 2 years, and their frequent cycles are relatively short. under the premise of not affecting the growth and development of lambs, lambs should be weaned as soon as possible to promote ewes to restore their physique as soon as possible and ensure the development of fetuses in their bodies.

5. To prevent epidemic diseases. The disease of pregnant ewes can easily lead to miscarriage, so it is necessary to strengthen the prevention of ewe epidemic disease in the whole production process of ewes, vaccinate and deworming on time, pay attention to the hygiene of enclosures, and do a good job of preventing cold and keeping warm. prevent forage deterioration or feeding poisonous forage.

6. Pregnancy. The period from conception to delivery of ewes is called pregnancy, also known as pregnancy. The average gestation period of small-tailed Han sheep was 148 days, which varied slightly with age or nutritional status, generally 146-152 days.

7. Preparation before picking up the lamb. Ewes must prepare for delivery before delivery, and should be equipped with a special delivery room, which requires adequate light, good ventilation and dry floor, comprehensive cleaning and disinfection must be done in the delivery room before delivery, and grass should be laid in the house in winter. The temperature of the delivery room is generally above 2 ℃ ~ 3 ℃. Secondly, to prepare the delivery of utensils (washbasins, towels, scissors) and utensils disinfection, but also prepare disinfection drugs, such as iodine tincture, alcohol, Lysol and so on.

8. The production process. Before giving birth, the ewe is restless because of labor pains, and then she can't afford to straighten her hind legs, moan and complain for a while, and when the amniotic membrane reveals her vulva, she will soon give birth to a lamb. Under normal circumstances, ewes give birth faster, and lambs can be born after a few minutes to 30min after amniotic membrane is broken. When the lamb is giving birth, the front hoof of the lamb is exposed first, and then the head and mouth of the lamb is sandwiched between the two front hooves. When the lamb head passes through the vulva, the rest of the lamb is produced sequentially. After the ewe gives birth to the first lamb, the lambs are generally born at intervals of a few minutes or so, and the time is longer, so we should check whether all the lambs are produced after delivery, and do not easily end the lambing work. The placenta is excreted about 1 hour after delivery, should be taken away in time, do not let the ewe swallow.

9. Nursing care of newborn lambs. After giving birth, the lamb should immediately hold the mouth of the lamb and wipe off the amniotic fluid in the mouth, nose and eyes to avoid asphyxiation or foreign body pneumonia caused by breathing or swallowing amniotic fluid. Under normal circumstances, the umbilical cord of the lamb is severed by itself. If not, it can be cut with sterilized scissors at the 8~10cm of the lamb's body surface or by hand. In order to prevent infection of the lamb, 5% iodine tincture can be applied or the umbilical cord fracture can be soaked. Ewes usually lick off the mucus of the lambs automatically after giving birth. If the ewes do not lick or the weather is colder, they should wipe the lamb dry quickly so as not to catch cold. In winter, pay attention to keeping the delivery room warm, which is good for both ewes and lambs.

After the ewe licks the mucus on the lamb, it is necessary to squeeze out the milk plug of the ewe's nipple and let the lamb eat colostrum as soon as possible. Colostrum refers to the milk produced within five days after delivery, which is rich in dry matter and rich in immunoglobulins. there is also a certain temperature, which can improve the body temperature, adapt to the environment and enhance the physique of the lamb. In addition, colostrum also contains more magnesium salts, which has the effect of dumping and can promote meconium excretion. Colostrum has many functions, so it is very important for lambs to eat colostrum as early as possible.

10. Nursing care of postpartum ewes. Ewes will lose a lot of water in the process of delivery, and their metabolic function and resistance will decrease. If nursing is improper, it will not only affect their health but also reduce their production performance, so it is necessary to strengthen postpartum ewe care. Postpartum ewes should pay attention to keep warm, prevent moisture, avoid wind, prevent colds, and make ewes have a quiet rest. About 1 hour after delivery, ewes should be given drinking water, preferably with salt and bran, and the water temperature should be slightly higher. Avoid drinking cold water for ewes.