Experience in Selecting Small-Tailed Han Sheep and Feeding Methods for Breeding Ewes

The Small-Tailed Han sheep is an animal species under the Bovidae family and the Caprinae subfamily. It is a dual-purpose meat-and-fur sheep breed in our country, characterized by fast growth and development, early maturity, strong reproductive capacity, stable genetic performance, and strong adaptability. It has been designated by the state as a famous and superior livestock breed, and is praised by people as China's “national treasure”, the world's “super sheep” and “high-legged sheep”. It has also been included in the National Catalogue of Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources for Protection. It is not only one of the best projects for farmers to escape poverty and move toward a moderately prosperous life, but also the most reliable project in government poverty alleviation work, and an important measure for the state to close hillsides for reforestation, plant grass and raise sheep, and build ecological agriculture.

With the rapid development of the Small-Tailed Han sheep, the vast number of breeders should learn to select high-quality superior breeds to avoid being deceived. When selecting Small-Tailed Han sheep, breeders should pay attention to the following points: 

First, check health: First, choose healthy sheep from large-scale sheep farms in disease-free areas. They should be lively in spirit and good in temperament; there should be no herpetic skin lesions on the eyes, lips, hooves, sparsely haired parts of the skin, or between the toes. Do not buy sick sheep just because they are cheap. 

Second, check appearance and body type: Large body and long trunk, face slightly elongated, raised nasal bridge, wide nose tip, large drooping ears, broad chest, tall body, evenly developed front and rear trunks, and slender but firm and tall limbs, which is why it is called the “high-legged sheep”. The back and loin are straight, the hooves are firm in texture, and the side view is rectangular. The ram's horns are triangular and spiral-shaped, while most ewes have small horns or horn bases. The tail is slightly oval, with a longitudinal groove in the middle of the lower end, the tail tip turns upward, and it grows above the hock. Tails that are slender, thick and fat, or broad should not be chosen. Pay attention to whether the tail has been tied with thin string. The coat is white, and a few ewes have dark brown mixed hair on the face. Carefully check whether black hair has been cut off and white hair pasted on. 

Third, check body measurements and body weight: Superior Small-Tailed Han sheep develop quickly, with high legs, broad chests, and large size, and give birth to many lambs; use these to distinguish counterfeit and inferior sheep. Ewes that are overly obese are mostly infertile sheep or intersex sheep. 

Fourth, check reproductive performance: For first-parity lambs, the special grade is 3 lambs and the first grade is 2 lambs; for multiparous ewes, the special grade is 4 lambs and the first grade is 3 lambs. Ewes have a pair of conical teats, with relatively large teat cisterns at the base, and each teat cistern has an opening of the teat canal at the top. Do not buy sheep with blind teats or inverted teats; the vulva should be long, drooping, and moist. Do not buy sheep with small and upturned vulvas. Rams' testes are oval, well developed, symmetrical left and right, and consistent in size. Do not buy sheep with cryptorchidism, orchitis, or only ewes. 

Fifth, check dental age: The teeth and dental pad should occlude neatly. Do not buy sheep with tooth defects. Lambs and young sheep have snow-white milk teeth, while permanent teeth are yellow and large. The longer permanent teeth are worn, the shorter their roots, and the older the age. There are 8 lower incisors; at about 1.5 years old, the middle 2 incisors are replaced, and afterward about one pair is replaced each year in sequence. When all 8 teeth have been replaced, it is called “even mouth”, that is, about 4 years old. The reproductive service life of rams and ewes is 5 to 8 years; old sheep should not be kept. 

Sixth, check the hooves: Due to large-scale raising, sheep do not exercise enough and may suffer from foot rot and swollen leg disease. Let the sheep move to see whether the gait is steady, whether there is lameness, and whether there is foot rot. The hoof surface of the sheep is relatively tender, moist, and pure waxy yellow; if there are abnormal lines, then it is not a Small-Tailed Han sheep. 

Suggestions: 

1. When selecting breeding sheep, it is best to ask professionals from the animal husbandry department to select them; 

2. It is best to buy 10-month-old sheep. At this time, the sheep are sexually mature and have well-developed bones, and can be bred and give birth immediately; alternatively, buy multiparous ewes and lambs at a ratio of 1:1 to shorten the capital turnover period; 

3. The ratio of rams to ewes should be about 1:10, and at most not more than 1:15. Too many rams wastes feed and increases costs; too few rams causes ewes to remain empty, and also causes ram impotence and inbreeding.  

Feeding of breeding ewes 

Feeding of ewes before mating and in early pregnancy 

Under a relatively high nutritional level, breeding ewes can promote ovulation, come into estrus neatly, have a concentrated lambing period, mostly give birth smoothly, and are easier to feed and manage. Therefore, 1 to 1.5 months before mating, breeding ewes should be given sufficient green feed, with a daily supplement of 20 g of digestible protein, so as to maintain good reproductive condition. 

Feeding of ewes in late pregnancy 

During pregnancy, ewes not only need nutrition to maintain themselves, but also need to supply the nutrition required for fetal growth. According to research on the energy metabolism of Small-Tailed Han sheep, the energy metabolism of ewes in late pregnancy is 17% to 22% higher than that of non-pregnant ewes, and the protein requirement also increases significantly. Ewes in late pregnancy can deposit 20 g of protein per day, so on the basis of maintenance needs, 40 g of digestible crude protein must be supplied daily from feed. Throughout the entire pregnancy period, the accumulation of pure protein is 1.8 to 2.3 kg, of which 80% is accumulated in late pregnancy. Within 4 to 5 months, the daily deposition of calcium and phosphorus is 3.8 g and 1.5 g respectively. Therefore, the feeding standard for ewes in late pregnancy should increase by 30% to 40% in feed units, 40% to 60% in digestible protein, and about 1 to 2 times in calcium and phosphorus per day compared with the earlier stage.

Feeding of lactating ewes 

For a certain period after birth, the only food of lambs is breast milk. The more milk the ewe produces, the faster the lambs grow, the better they develop, the stronger their disease resistance, and the higher their survival rate. In order to promote lactation in ewes, their feed standards and feed allowances must be increased accordingly. 

According to experimental research, lactating ewes should be grouped separately according to single or twin lambs. Ewes with single lambs should be given 0.2 kg of concentrate, 1 to 1.5 kg of silage, 0.5 to 1.0 kg of legume hay, 2.0 kg of green hay, and 0.2 to 0.5 kg of carrots per day, and should be given warm water and soybean milk. For ewes with twin lambs, the supplemental amount of mixed concentrate is increased to 0.3 to 0.4 kg. Such a daily ration combination can basically meet the feeding standard for lactating ewes.