Causes of Slow Growth in Meat Sheep and Solutions

Doing a good job of crossbreeding meat sheep: Superior meat sheep with large body size and strong meat production performance should be introduced to crossbreed with local meat sheep, and hybrid goats should be bred in large numbers for farmers to raise. Hybrid sheep have the advantages of fast growth and strong disease resistance, laying the foundation for weight gain in meat sheep.

For generally raised meat sheep, the body weight at 12 months of age is no more than 15 kg, and the growth rate is very slow. The main reasons are: first, inbreeding causes physical degeneration; second, deworming is neglected, and parasites consume a large amount of nutrition from the meat sheep's body; third, there is no scientifically formulated feed, which cannot meet the nutritional needs for the growth of meat sheep. To increase the growth rate of meat sheep, the following technical measures must be taken:

Deworming: Parasites not only consume a large amount of nutrition from meat sheep, but also secrete toxins that damage the digestive system function of meat sheep, so deworming should be carried out. Use the highly effective deworming drug levamisole, at 8 mg per kg of body weight, dissolved in warm boiled water, prepared as a 5% aqueous solution for intramuscular injection, which can expel various nematodes and roundworms from the sheep's body; at the same time, use dichlorophenol sulfate, at 80 mg per kg of body weight, add a little flour, add 250 ml of water, and administer orally on an empty stomach before feeding, or use albendazole, at 15 mg per kg of body weight, mixed with water and administered orally, which can expel liver flukes and tapeworms, ensuring vigorous physiological function during the fattening period.

Scientifically formulated feed: Provide sufficient nutrition for fattening meat sheep, and all kinds of nutrients should be basically balanced, so that the sheep can grow quickly. Two practical feed formulas are introduced here:

1. Corn meal 45%, rice bran 20%, soybean cake 10%, rapeseed meal 15%, wheat bran 10%, combined with hay, allowing them to feed freely.

2. Corn meal 50%, soybean cake 15%, wheat bran 20%, rice bran 15%, combined with hay, allowing them to feed freely.

For the above two mixed feeds, either one can be selected for feeding green grass, dry grass, red clover and ryegrass and other forages, mixing them to feed, which can better meet their needs for trace elements. For young goats at 6 months of age, with a body weight of about 8 kg, under the condition that good hay meets their needs, the above mixed feed can be fed at 150 grams per day. As the months of age increase, the daily feeding amount can be increased to 200 grams. To supplement the deficiency of protein, urea can be added to the concentrate. Initially feed 3 grams to 4 grams per day, and later it can be increased to 5 grams to 6 grams. When feeding urea, a 5-day transition period is needed to let the sheep adapt, and note that they should not drink water within 1 hour after feeding. Rapeseed cake should be cooked before feeding to eliminate the toxic components contained in rapeseed cake. Also add 4 grams to 5 grams of salt, 4 grams to 5 grams of bone meal or shell powder, and 8 grams of sodium sulfate to the feed. If silage is fed, add another 5 grams of baking soda to the feed. Feeding sheep according to this new technology, the daily weight gain of hybrid meat sheep can reach 100 grams to 150 grams, and by 6 months of age, the body weight can reach 18 kg to 25 kg. Compared with the traditional extensive feeding method, the growth rate is increased by more than 1 time.

If feeding lactating goats, the above mixed feed can be fed at 300 grams to 350 grams per day, urea can be added to 8 grams to 10 grams, and salt can be added to 8 grams to 10 grams. With this feeding method, breast milk secretion is greater. From 20 days of age, lambs practice eating grass and feed, and the daily weight gain can reach more than 100 grams.

The above formula feed is designed for pen-raised sheep. For meat sheep grazing in the wild during the peak green grass season, the feeding amount of mixed concentrate can be reduced by 50%. But no matter how abundant the green grass is, supplemental feeding in the evening is still necessary. Only in this way can the rapid growth of fattening Boer goats be ensured.