Sheep Farming

Sheep farming is the raising and breeding of domestic sheep. It is a branch of animal husbandry. Sheep with its multi-facet utility for wool, meat, milk, skins and manure. A male sheep is called a Ram and a female sheep is called a Ewe and a young sheep is called Lamb.

Sheep do not need expensive buildings to house them and on the other hand require less labour than other kinds of livestock.

The foundation stock are relatively cheap and the flock can be multiplied rapidly. Sheep will eat varied kinds of plants compared to other kind of livestock. This makes them excellent weed destroyer. Unlike goats, sheep hardly damage any tree. It is desirable to purchase healthy animals of 12-18 months of age.

Sheep should be vaccinated for important diseases like sheep-fox and enterotoxaemia.

The price of sheep depends on breed, age and health status. An entrepreneur should have a unit of 20-30 Ewes and one Ram. Pregnant, Parturient and Lactating Ewes

Careful management of the pregnant, parturient and lactating Ewes will have a marked influence on the percentage of Lambs dropped and reared successfully. So, the following steps may be taken to afford proper attention to these animals.

Do not handle the pregnant Ewes too frequently. Separate the advanced pregnant Ewes from the main flock and take effective care in their feeding and management. Extra feed during the later part of pregnancy (3-4 weeks before parturition) will be beneficial for the condition of the pre-parturient Ewes which will help in improving milk production of Ewes, birth weight and growth of lambs. Inadequate and poor nutrition may result in pregnancy, toxaemia, abortions and premature births of weak lambs. Bring lambing ewes into lambing corals 4-6 days before parturition and provide maximum comfort. If possible, provide soft, clean bedding and individual lambing pens.

Watch gestation length which ranges from 142 to over 150 days. Early maturing breeds have slightly shorter gestation period. Hope this will help you to set up your Sheep farming, Yours in the garden Farm2Markt.