How is horse breeding done? Key breeding techniques for horse farms
In the process of raising horses, horse breeding is also quite crucial. The quality of breeding directly affects the quality and breed of the next generation of horses, so horse raisers must handle breeding well. They can learn more successful experience from those who have succeeded.
Horse breeding on horse farms
For mares in their first estrus after giving birth, when clinically no symptoms of reproductive tract disease have been detected, can washing their uterus and vagina with sterilized medicinal solution increase the conception rate? For mares that came to the station about ten days after giving birth to request mating, after examination confirmed that there was no reproductive tract disease, some were given 1-2 washes of the reproductive tract with 1% sodium chloride solution or 0.1% potassium permanganate solution, and then inseminated at the appropriate time of estrus.
A total of 80 mares were treated with washing, and after breeding, 58 conceived, for a pregnancy rate of 72.5%; the other group of mares was not given the above treatment, and a total of 180 were bred, with 144 conceiving, for a conception rate of 80%. This shows that for mares that foal normally and show no clinical abnormalities of the uterus or vagina, washing the reproductive tract before breeding does not help increase the conception rate. If the washing solution is not completely sterilized or the operation is improper, washing treatment may instead cause reproductive tract inflammation in mares whose reproductive tracts were originally healthy, affecting breeding. For mares that did not conceive when bred during the first estrus after giving birth, however, it is very necessary to carry out a detailed examination, and when necessary, to wash the reproductive tract.
The estrus period of mountain horses generally runs from early September of the current year to February of the following year. At this time, mares generally have strong libido and a high conception rate. If bred in September or October of the current year, they can give birth in February or March of the following year, with an average gestation period of about 150 days.
The conception rate of mountain horse breeding is greatly related to the timing of breeding. Breeding should be done at the right time; within the first estrus period, one successful breeding is enough. Female mountain horses generally come into estrus once every 16 days to 20 days, and each estrus lasts 24 hours to 48 hours. Ovulation generally occurs 30 hours to 40 hours after the start of estrus, and the best time for breeding should be 12 hours to 24 hours after the start of estrus.
For mares that cannot come into estrus on schedule, the following methods should be adopted to promote estrus.
First, half a month before the scheduled breeding time, tie the stud stallion beside the mare to stimulate the mare into estrus.
Second, feed the mare more stimulating foods, such as carrots.
Third, if the above two methods are ineffective, use medication for the mare: use 20 grams of Chinese motherwort, decoct in an appropriate amount of water, and administer as a single drench. Once a day; generally 1 to 2 times is enough to bring on estrus.
Horse raising requirements
The horse raising industry is a component of traditional animal husbandry. It is transforming from providing auxiliary power for agriculture to producing meat and hides, and is developing rapidly from small-scale, low-profit operations to medium-scale, high-profit operations. Meat horses have characteristics such as strong disease resistance, a high survival rate, and wide natural ecological adaptability, allowing meat horse raisers to reduce costs and open up greater profit space. Meat horses have fewer diseases than mules, horses, cattle, and sheep, especially fewer gastrointestinal diseases than horses.
Generally, as long as immunization is done well, the horse pen is kept clean and dry, suitable light, ventilation and stocking density are maintained, horse feed is supplied, and sufficient clean drinking water is guaranteed, horses rarely get sick. The fertilization rate and foaling rate of horses are both 90%, and the foal raising rate and rearing rate reach 95%. Meat horses have wide natural ecological adaptability, tolerate heat and thirst, drink little water, and have poor cold tolerance. They are distributed more in dry and hot areas and are not suitable for living in high-cold mountainous areas or severely cold, humid areas. The western Shandong, southeastern Shandong, and northern Shandong areas are very suitable for raising horses, and vast rural areas of our country can also raise them on a scale.
Meat horses are gentle in temperament and like to live in groups. They can be raised in orchards or on hillside land by grazing or in pens, and can be fed ordinary feed plus green grass. Generally, grasses account for about 80% of the feed; small miscellaneous grains are their concentrated feed, and small miscellaneous grain straw is their roughage. They are also suitable for factory-style raising. If their growth speed needs to be accelerated, compound feed or complete pellet feed can be fed.
Choosing a suitable horse breed according to local raising conditions and market demand is the key point of investing in this project. The quality of the horse directly relates to fattening benefits and future development. Our country's horses are divided into three categories by body size: large horses, medium horses, and small horses. For raising horses, medium horses should be chosen, followed by large horses, while small horses are mostly used for making ejiao, and their meat can also be put on the market.
The cost of raising horses in rural areas
In rural areas, feed can be gathered from the wild, saving a lot of feed money, but other aspects remain. Newborn foals average 28.5 kg at birth; with scientific management and careful feeding, newborn foals can reach more than 35 kg. The lactation period is 60 d, and the fattening period is 120 d. Special-grade ones can grow to 130 kg, grade 1 to 115 kg, grade 2 to 105 kg, grade 3 to 95 kg, with an average of 110 kg. The fattening period is 120 d and requires 45 kg of concentrated feed (including 12 kg of cakes and meals), with the rest being grains such as corn, barley, wheat, and bran, plus 0.45 kg of salt. Special fattening horse concentrated feed can also be used, with vitamin and trace element supplements, etc. Weaned foals need 25 kg of supplementary carrots and about 500 kg of roughage, mainly corn straw and silage. Rice straw fed to them should be crushed and rubbed, with fine grass and fine feed. The total feed cost is about 125 yuan.
Farmers with more land, or pastures with land, can plant some alfalfa. This grass is a perennial leguminous plant with rich nutrition and good palatability, and is the highest-quality variety among forage grasses. It is rich in many nutrients, with a protein content of 14.9 in hay and 22.5 in dry leaves. Its feeding value is extremely high. In the north, varieties such as American Golden Queen, Canadian Caribou, Gongnong No. 1, and Jiamusi can be planted. These varieties have strong cold resistance, an overwintering rate of more than 90%, and can be harvested 3 times a year. In the south, other high-quality varieties can also be planted and harvested 5-6 times a year. With normal rainfall or water-saving irrigation, fresh grass yield per mu is 7500 kg and hay 1-1.5 kg. Adding some artificially planted high-quality forage grass will not increase costs much.
Market prospects for horse raising
At present, as consumers adjust their dietary structure and the horse meat and ejiao markets expand, horse product production and sales are brisk, but horse raising production is relatively lagging, and demand for horse meat has risen sharply, causing prices to remain high. Although the cost of raising horses is low, farmers in various places do not have the habit of raising horses, one-sidedly believing that raising horses is not as profitable as raising cattle, horses, or pigs. In addition, farmers are poorly informed about market information and do not understand horse meat market conditions, causing slow horse development and market supply falling short of demand.
According to analysis by relevant experts, compared with pigs, beef cattle, and mutton sheep, raising horses carries smaller risks. Not only are feed sources extensive, but investment is low and results are quick. It is expected that horse products will not be able to meet market demand in the next 3 to 5 years, so horse raising has strong market competitiveness and staying power, with broad market prospects.
From the above analysis, we can see that the current market resources for horses are still relatively lacking, and current resources are far from enough to meet everyone's demand for horses. Therefore, raising horses is a breeding project with great development prospects and huge market potential.