Master the "Four Musts" to Improve the Lamb Survival Rate of Small-Tailed Han Sheep

The Small-Tailed Han sheep has characteristics such as a large body size, fast growth and development, early maturity, and multiple lambs per litter (average lambing rate 281%). It lambs twice a year or three times in two years, is easy to raise, has strong adaptability, is dual-purpose for meat and skin, is suitable for fat lamb production, and its skin is suitable for layering as genuine leather material, among other advantages. Therefore, one of the keys to improving the economic benefits of Small-Tailed Han sheep is to improve the lamb survival rate. For this reason, the author believes that the following "Four Musts" should be observed in feeding and management:

1. Manage and care for the ewes well

Small-Tailed Han sheep reach puberty early; generally, ewes can come into estrus and be mated at 6 months of age. They come into estrus year-round, most actively in autumn and spring. Ewes in estrus show red, swollen labia, mucus flowing from the vulva, and mounting reflex behavior. This is the best "moment" for mating, and they should be mated in time. The estrus of maiden ewes is not obvious, and they mostly refuse mounting; when they refuse mounting, standing restraint should be used. The estrous cycle is generally 16 days to 21 days, averaging 18 days. If mating fails once, mating across multiple estrous periods can be adopted. The gestation period is about 150 days. During the gestation period of ewes, management should be strengthened, mainly with barn feeding and grazing as a supplement, or entirely barn feeding. Under barn feeding conditions, in addition to providing 2.5 kg to 3 kg of high-quality fresh grass per day for pregnant ewes, they should also be supplemented with 0.5 kg of mixed concentrate such as corn, bran, and soybean meal, as well as an appropriate amount of minerals and vitamins. In winter and spring when high-quality green hay is lacking, the supplemental feeding amount should be increased to about 0.8 kg. In terms of management, the "three stabilities and three preventions" should also be observed: that is, entering and leaving the sheep barn should be steady to prevent crowding and collisions; grazing should be steady, and in mountainous areas grazing on steep slopes should be avoided to prevent fright, sudden running, and climbing over ditches and ridges, so as to prevent miscarriage; drinking water should be steady to prevent falls, so as to avoid miscarriage and stillbirth. In winter, pregnant ewes should be given warm water and must not be given water with ice bits.

2. Care well for the lambs

After parturition, for newborn lambs, the mucus in the mouth, nose, and ears should be removed in time, and the mucus on the body should be licked clean by the ewe; when it is cold, a fire should be lit for warmth. For newly born lambs, the person assisting with the birth should insert the index finger into the lamb's mouth to let it suck once, and promptly let the lamb suck colostrum. Colostrum is rich in antibodies, magnesium, and other substances, which can enhance the lamb's immunity to disease and promote the excretion of meconium. If a ewe has multiple lambs in one litter and the teats and milk supply are relatively insufficient, artificial rearing is the best method, that is, putting fresh cow milk, milk powder, millet soup, and so on into a bottle and feeding it to them. About 15 days after birth, most lambs have the bad habit of eating soil and hair, and during this period they are prone to gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, after lambs are born, the pen should be kept clean and hygienic, and protected from cold and kept warm. Feeding troughs and drinking troughs can also be placed in the lamb pen or delivery room so that lambs can freely eat and drink; high-quality green dried vegetables can also be tied into small bundles and hung up for lambs to nibble at play, which can not only reduce the chances of lambs eating soil and hair, but also let lambs eat plant-based feed as early as possible and promote rumen development.

3. Wean lambs early

To wean lambs early, it is necessary to artificially train the lambs' feeding ability. At 10 days to 15 days of age, feed them some tender fresh grass, vegetable leaves, or fine, soft, easily digestible hay and leaves, so as to stimulate the early formation of the lambs' digestive tract digestive function and their transition toward independent feeding. To make lambs eat feed as early as possible, at the beginning corn and soybean flour can be mixed and cooked into porridge for feeding, or mixed into water for the lambs to drink, or roasted concentrate can be placed in a basin for the lambs to lick on their own; generally, after lambs reach 20 days to 30 days of age, they can feed normally.

4. Prevent and treat lamb diseases

Common diseases of lambs include nutritional diarrhea such as iron deficiency and selenium deficiency, and bacterial dysentery. For these, under the guidance of a veterinarian, iron-boosting preparations and selenium-added trace elements, etc., should be used, and bacterial dysentery should be treated promptly with drugs. Pregnant ewes should be promptly vaccinated against lamb dysentery at 20 days to 30 days and 10 days to 20 days before parturition to improve the lambs' immunity. Within 12 hours after birth, lambs can be given 150,000 units to 200,000 units of oxytetracycline by mouth once a day for 3 consecutive days, which has a good preventive effect on dysentery. For affected lambs, early discovery, early isolation, and early treatment are required, and manure and bedding grass should be destroyed. The sheep barn should be regularly sprayed and disinfected with quicklime water or 3% to 5% Lysol, thoroughly cutting off the vectors and routes of disease transmission, and eliminating the occurrence and spread of epidemics.