Small-tailed Han sheep rearing methods and key technical points by solar term

Spring solar term rearing

Beginning of Spring: After Beginning of Spring is the best period for lambing, so mating should be done around November of the previous year; sheds, equipment, etc. should be disinfected once; daily supplemental concentrate: lambs 200 grams, ewes 250 grams, rams 600 grams, pregnant ewes appropriately more; pay attention to keeping warm, grazing should be late out and early back.

Rain Water: Pay attention to preventing and treating sheep pneumonia, inject sheep quadruple vaccine (namely braxy, sudden death, sheep dysentery, enterotoxemia); the daily supplemental concentrate amount is 50 grams more than at Beginning of Spring. On the two solar terms Awakening of Insects and Spring Equinox, the daily supplemental concentrate amount is 50 grams more than the previous solar term.

Pure Brightness: During this term, combine grazing and housing, mainly housing, and the daily supplemental concentrate amount is the same as at Beginning of Spring; when grazing, strictly prevent sheep from eating poisonous green grass.

Grain Rain: Strictly prevent the “dry-to-green” transition from being too abrupt; eating too much green grass easily causes bloating and green grass plague.

Summer solar term rearing

Beginning of Summer: Quickly shear wool; promptly remove manure and grass from the shed to prevent sheep from overheating; from this time until Frost's Descent, clean the shed every morning, and pay attention to whether there are blood streaks and parasites in the manure; ensure ventilation in the shed and disinfect thoroughly once; after sheep have eaten their fill of green grass, except for physically thin sheep and pregnant sheep, generally no more supplemental concentrate is given, but it should not be stopped abruptly either; it should be gradually reduced.

Summer Solstice: During this solar term, graze at 6 a.m. and return to the shed at 8 a.m., graze at 5 p.m. and return to the shed at 7 p.m., avoiding high heat; pay attention to ventilation in the shed, and by all means avoid dampness and overcrowding; sheep should often drink some Plantago seed water or dandelion water to clear heat and detoxify.

Minor Heat, Major Heat: This period is rainy, so ensure the shed does not leak rain and is not muddy, and prepare grass and feed in advance to feed sheep on rainy days; avoid sheep lambing (no lambing in July, no mating in March), and prevent heatstroke.

Autumn solar term rearing

Beginning of Autumn: Quickly graze to accumulate nutrition in preparation for overwintering; second deworming, second injection of sheep quadruple vaccine; this period is suitable for lambing.

Autumn Equinox: The weather gradually turns cool; every day sweep together the grass and feed left uneaten by the sheep for the sheep to lie on at night.

Cold Dew: Shear wool once. When the weather is warm, brush the sheep's body once with 0.1% trichlorfon solution to prevent mange.

Frost's Descent: Close the doors and windows of the sheep shed day and night, pay attention to keeping warm, and avoid drinking cold water.

Winter solar term rearing

Beginning of Winter: “When leaves and branches turn yellow, do not graze sheep.” Select special-grade and first-grade sheep as breeding stock, and sell the surplus. Keep male lambs to cultivate breeding sheep.

Minor Snow, Major Snow: It is suitable to raise them in sheds, with less exercise, to prevent colds and pneumonia; do not eat snow-covered grass, to prevent miscarriage.

Winter Solstice: Step up supplementing grass and feed, especially for pregnant ewes; each sheep should have 400 kilograms of overwintering grass stored.