How much does a ewe cost? Methods to improve the reproduction rate
Sheep is one of the twelve Chinese zodiac animals and one of humanity's domesticated livestock, able to provide humans with meat, milk and meat, so the scope of farming is still quite wide. So how much does a ewe cost now? How to improve the reproduction rate of ewes?
1. A brief introduction to ewes
1. Selection of ewes
(1) The quality of a ewe directly affects the quality of the lambs later on, so when selecting you should choose according to your own actual situation and local environment. If raising them in pens, choose sheep that grow fast, have strong reproductive capacity and are suitable for pen-raising, such as Hu sheep, small-tailed Han sheep and Du-Han crossbred sheep; if you have the conditions for raising sheep, you can choose Boer goats, Boer crossbred goats or other goat breeds.
(2) Generally, ewes of the same breed will also differ in reproduction rate, so after selecting, just keep the high-yielding ones and cull the low-yielding ewes.
(3) When selecting a ewe, you must choose one with a uniformly sized head, a slender and long neck, a long body, a large frame, especially wide hips, and well-developed udders, as such a ewe is better suited for breeding; moreover, a healthy young ewe is the best choice, as a healthy raised one has glossy hair, good body condition and quick reactions.
2. Judging whether a ewe is pregnant
(1) If the ewe no longer comes into heat 20-30 days after mating, and there is no discharge from the vulva, and over time its feed intake increases, and its body condition and abdominal circumference increase, it means it is pregnant.
(2) After becoming pregnant, the ewe shows a gentle temperament and cautious movement, has no sexual desire toward rams, and does not accept mounting by rams, which also indicates pregnancy.
(3) After the ewe becomes pregnant, the vaginal mucosa turns pale white, and after opening it with a speculum, it will turn from white to red again in a short time, which can also be used to judge pregnancy.
2. How much does a ewe cost now?
Generally, the prices of ewes of different breeds, quality and origin are all different, so here is a brief introduction.
1. Purebred Boer goats in Jiaxiang County, Shandong, weighing 25 kg, with a body length of 150 cm and a chest circumference of 35 cm, are priced at 400 yuan/head, with a minimum order of 10;
2. Price of Nubian black goats in Linyi, Shandong: 900 yuan/head for purchases of 10 or fewer, 750 yuan/head for purchases of 10-30, and 600 for purchases of more than 60;
3. Price of ewes in Jiaxiang, Shandong with a body length of 136 cm, a weight of 30 kg and a chest circumference of 62 cm: 560 yuan/head for purchases of 10-19, 530 yuan/head for purchases of 20-29, and 500/head for purchases of more than 30.
The above prices can only be used as a reference; the actual local market price shall prevail.
3. How to improve the reproduction rate of ewes?
The reproduction rate of ewes affects the profitability of the farm, so improving the reproduction rate is especially important.
1. Select rams and ewes from multiple litters as breeding stock
Twins or multiple lambs are hereditary; when selecting and retaining breeding rams and ewes, their parents should preferably be selected from reserve flocks where the parents produced twins or more in a single litter. Keeping these rams and ewes with a good genetic basis for breeding can fully bring their genetic potential into play in raising and increase the chance of a ewe producing multiple lambs in one litter.
2. Ensure adequate nutrition for rams and ewes
Rams maintain strong sexual desire, and at mating the semen has a large number of sperm, strong vitality and high fertilizing ability; strengthening ewe nutrition is an effective measure to improve the reproduction rate of ewes. When the ewe is strong, the fetus develops well, there is enough milk after birth, and the lambs have a high birth weight and survival rate. Therefore, the better the ewe's body condition, the greater the lamb weight and the higher the multiple-lamb rate.
3. Carry out double mating
When the ewe is in heat, carry out double mating or two inseminations to increase the chance of fertilization. The commonly used method: for a ewe confirmed to be in heat, breed and inseminate once each at 12 and 24 hours later, generally with an interval of 10-12 hours between the two inseminations.
4. Increase the proportion of young and adult ewes in the flock
Young ewes mating for the first time and old or weak ewes are less fertile than adult ewes. Over a ewe's lifetime, its reproduction rate is strongest at 3-4 years of age, and the breeding life is generally 8 years, so it is necessary to properly supplement young ewes, appropriately increase the proportion of 3-4 year old ewes in the flock, and promptly identify and cull old, weak or low-fertility ewes.
In addition, shortening the ewe's nursing time can also prompt the ewe to come into heat earlier and achieve more births in a year. The above is all the content that the Tuliu.com editor wants to introduce to everyone; when buying ewes, be sure to pay attention to the above points.