Key Points of Black-Boned Sheep Breeding Technology and Detailed Rearing Methods

Black-boned sheep meat is delicious and rich in melanin, with the dual health benefits of nourishing yin and supplementing yang. The black-boned sheep is treasured in every part, and holds inestimable value for in-depth development into medicines and nutritional health products.

Grazing Technology for Black-Boned Sheep

1. Key points of four-season grazing management

① Spring grazing: Because the sheep have gone through the long winter and spring of withered grass, the sheep are in poor condition and greedy, and are prone to overeating young grass, causing diarrhea, or accidentally eating poisonous grass and being poisoned, or bloating on green grass (rumen bloat). Therefore, spring grazing must first prevent the sheep from “running after green grass”; second, prevent the sheep from “bloating”. There is often a saying: “Graze the sheep by holding back the head, and they will be full of fat; graze the sheep without holding back the head, and they will run into a skinny monkey.” Spring grazing requires a tight hand. At the beginning, graze on old grass slopes or feed some dry hay, and then graze on green grass slopes. Spring grass is tender and high in water content, and the mornings are cold, so the sheep must not be allowed to eat dew-covered grass, otherwise diarrhea is easily caused. In spring, after the sheep graze and eat green grass, feed salt once every 5-6 days. When feeding, it is best to fry the salt until slightly yellow, and add some crushed heat-clearing, appetite-stimulating feed and necessary additives. This can help digestion, increase appetite, and supplement nutrition. At the same time, the flock must be given drinking water at least once a day.

② Summer grazing: The climate characteristics of summer are heat, rainstorms, and many mosquitoes, so work to prevent heatstroke and lower temperature should be done well. During grazing, pay attention to going out early and returning late. At the hot midday, prevent the sheep from “huddling in a pile”, and let the flock rest in a ventilated, shady place. When necessary, give appropriate rest during grazing. At the same time, do a good job of mosquito prevention and deworming. Give the flock more drinking water and feed salt appropriately.

③ Autumn grazing: In autumn, the sky is high and the air is crisp, forage grass is abundant, and grass seeds gradually mature. It should be the season of “good sheep grazing all over the mountains and plains.” Autumn is the season for the flock to put on fat and breed. During grazing, pay attention to letting the sheep eat their fill and graze well. This is important not only for fattening and marketing in winter, but also for safely overwintering and for sheep reproduction.

④ Winter grazing: In winter, the weather gradually turns cold, plants begin to wither, and there are rain, snow, and frost. During grazing, pay attention to cold prevention, warmth, maintaining body condition, and protecting lambs. Winter grazing often takes place in front of and behind the village and around the sheep pen, letting the sheep eat some leaves and dry grass. On sunny days, let the sheep move and bask in the sun more. Pregnant ewes must absolutely not be allowed to cross ditches and ridges. At the same time, repair the sheep shed well. There has long been a saying: “A warm pen adds three parts of fat.”

2. Organization of the flock

① Reasonably organizing the flock can both save labor and facilitate flock management. Generally, according to different grazing conditions in different regions, organize the flock by sex and age.

② In pastoral areas and areas with large grassland, generally 200-250 breeding ewes and growing ewes form one flock, 150-200 castrated fattening rams form one flock, and 80-100 breeding rams form one flock.

③ Farming areas generally do not have large grassland. Flock grazing mostly uses field edges, roadside, forest land, and riverbanks, and grazing is subject to certain restrictions, so the flock should not be too large. 30-50 breeding ewes and growing ewes form one flock, 20-40 castrated fattening rams form one flock, and about 10 breeding rams form one flock.

④ Farming-pastoral areas and hilly and mountainous areas can be determined according to grazing conditions.

Living Habits of Black-Boned Sheep

Black-boned sheep have 2 breeds: black-boned sheep and black-boned goats. Black-boned sheep have strong adaptability, a wide feeding range, and tolerance of coarse feed. They can eat various coarse feeds such as all kinds of weeds, branches and leaves, straw, vine stems, and forage grass. This sheep grows and develops quickly and has a large body size. Adult sheep can reach more than 90 kg. Sexual maturity is early, with first conception at 5-6 months of age, an average estrous cycle of 21 days, an average gestation period of 148 days, generally 2 lambs per litter, and postpartum estrus averaging 20 days.

Biological Characteristics

The appearance characteristics of black-boned sheep are similar to Tibetan sheep, and can only be distinguished by careful observation. Black-boned sheep are large and fat, with strong disease resistance, tolerance of coarse feed, and strong adaptability. They can adapt to humid, cold, and dry climates. When introduced to Shandong and other places for raising, they can all grow well. Under better feeding conditions, at 6 months of age the sheep are about 55 cm tall and weigh 30-40 kg, and the lamb survival rate is above 98%.

Breed Formation

Black-boned sheep originated in Nugong Village, Tongdian Town, Lanping County, Yunnan Province. At present, the black-boned sheep raised in various provinces and cities across the country all trace their source to this village. It is a rare local species resource unique in the world. Black-boned sheep grow in the Yuping Mountains at an altitude of 1900-2800 m, and the rearing range is 1 township and 2 administrative villages, within a 30 km range. The local grain crops are mainly tartary buckwheat, potatoes, oats, and so on. The pasture vegetation is mainly alpine meadow grassland, bamboo, valley shrubs, Yunnan pine, chestnut oak, and forest grassland. The pasture water source is mountain forest springs. The sheep raised within Lanping are Tibetan short-wool-type mountain coarse-wool sheep. The flock has long been self-breeding and self-raising, and rarely exchanges breeding rams with the outside. In 1999, experts from Yunnan Agricultural University went deep into the black-boned sheep production area to investigate and understand the situation, and dissected black-boned sheep. Their black bones and black meat characteristics were obvious. In 2001, the Yunnan Provincial Department of Science and Technology instructed Yunnan Agricultural University and the Lanping County Animal Husbandry Bureau to establish a special research project on black-boned sheep. The research results concluded that under long-term rearing in a specific regional environment, water quality, climate, and grassland, with forage as feed, some sheep among the originally raised Tibetan sheep underwent gene mutation and produced new traits. The black bone and black meat characteristics of black-boned sheep are obvious, and the inheritance is stable.

Raising black-boned sheep has high economic benefits and low feed costs. Because this breed of sheep is rare and precious, supply falls short of demand. Each sheep sells for 6000-18000 yuan, and even then there is no goods at the price, and the market supply falls short of demand. Raising black-boned sheep has become a new good project for becoming wealthy with short, stable, fast, and high income.