What principles should be followed in winter fattening of mutton sheep?

I. Principles of grouping for fattening

Any male and female lambs not kept for breeding and culled old, weak, thin and disabled sheep can be used for fattening. First castrate them, deworm them, treat ringworm and trim their hooves, then divide them into groups by age, strength and sex. This is conducive to the peace of the flock and the growth and development of the sheep. But generally speaking, young sheep gain weight faster than old sheep, and the fattening effect is better. Lambs grow fastest from 1 to 8 months of age, and mainly grow muscle. Selecting weaned lambs as fattening sheep produces good-quality fat lamb meat and high benefits. Therefore, generally after the lambs are weaned, identified and sorted into groups, the lambs not suitable for breeding are grouped separately by sex and body weight for fattening in separate groups; culled adult sheep are grouped separately by age and body weight for fattening in separate groups. This is conducive to preparing feed according to different nutritional requirements.

II. Principle of highlighting benefits

The size of economic benefits is the key to measuring the success or failure of mutton sheep fattening, rather than blindly pursuing the maximization of daily weight gain. Under local conditions, seek the best economic benefits in accordance with the laws of the market economy. Especially under housed fattening conditions, maximizing mutton sheep weight gain is often based on a high-concentrate daily ration, and maximizing the daily weight gain of mutton sheep does not necessarily mean that the best economic benefits can be obtained. Therefore, when setting the expected fattening intensity, the best economic benefits must be the only criterion. In production, the feed composition, daily ration supply or supplementary feeding quota for mutton sheep should be determined according to feeding standards and in combination with the growth and development characteristics of the fattening sheep themselves, and adjusted promptly in light of the actual weight gain effect.

III. Principle of housed fattening

When the temperature is low or pastures, grassy slopes and fields are frozen and covered with ice and snow, sheep can be changed from grazing to housed fattening. Mainly feed high-quality dry green grass or silage, feed a certain amount of concentrate feed such as corn, dried melon, sorghum and soybean cake every day, and also feed some succulent feed such as carrots and pumpkins to improve palatability and increase the feed intake of the sheep. Let the sheep eat and drink their fill in a warm sheep shed, so that they can grow and develop rapidly and gain fat and meat.

IV. Principle of timely slaughter

In production, production should be reasonably organized and fattening sheep should be slaughtered at the right time. According to the growth and development stage of the fattening sheep at the beginning, determine the length of the fattening period. If it is too short, the fattening effect is not obvious; if it is too long, the feed conversion rate is low and it is not economically worthwhile. Therefore, after mutton sheep have been fattened for a certain period and reached a certain body weight, they should be slaughtered or marketed in time, rather than blindly pursuing the maximum body weight of the sheep.

V. Principle of determining scale

The size of the fattening scale determines the amount of profit. Generally speaking, the larger the scale, the greater the profit, but in actual production, the result is often the opposite. Because of blindly purchasing sheep and coveting scale while neglecting market operations and the carrying capacity of consumers, the phenomenon of large scale and large losses is caused. Therefore, when deciding the scale of raising, first, understand the meat consumption level and personal income situation in the sales area, and through these make a reliable prediction of the pre-sale price; second, pay attention to the prices of agricultural products related to animal husbandry, such as corn and soybeans. The prices of these products directly affect fluctuations in feed prices and are also a barometer of meat prices; third, determine the length and batches of the fattening period according to the quantity and total amount of stored forage and feed. During fattening, under a reasonable and scientific combination of forage and feed, the fattening period is generally preferably 60 to 70 days. The specific fattening time depends on the body condition, size and daily weight gain speed of the sheep entering the fattening pen. From the perspective of economic benefits, the fattening period should preferably not exceed 90 days.