Autumn Mutton Market Booms, Experts Offer Tips on Sheep Fattening Techniques for Putting on Autumn Weight
Mutton is warm in nature and is best suited for consumption in winter, so it is called a winter tonic and is deeply welcomed by people. Now that autumn has just begun, it is exactly the time when the mutton market “opens”, so what are the sheep fattening techniques? This question should be one of the questions that the vast number of sheep farmers care about most. Only with proper autumn management can sheep fatten up and put on weight, and only then can they fetch a good price after being marketed. For specialized sheep farmers and free-range farmers alike, this is of great significance to the breeding benefits achieved.
So what are the techniques for sheep fattening? Let us see how Chen Yulin, a professor at the College of Animal Science and Technology of Northwest A&F University, helps sheep “put on autumn weight”!
First, the professor reminds the vast number of sheep farmers that they must do a good job in autumn feeding management, feed scientifically, establish epidemic prevention records, and deworm regularly, so that mutton sheep can be fattened quickly. The specific methods are as follows:
I. Make good preparations before fattening
1. Mutton is in greatest market demand in winter and spring, and commercial sheep are more suitable for being marketed in winter, so it is best to choose autumn for fattening mutton sheep. At this time the temperature is suitable, and forage grass and crop straw are abundant, which is conducive to the rapid growth and sale of mutton sheep.
2. Preparation of forage and feed. Throughout the entire fattening period, each sheep should be provided with 2 kg to 2.5 kg of hay per day, or 3 kg to 5 kg of silage, or 3 kg to 5 kg of ammoniated feed, etc.; concentrate feed should be prepared at 0.3 kg to 0.4 kg per sheep per day.
3. Selection of fattening sheep. For fattening, lambs of the current year and young sheep should be selected, followed by culled sheep and old sheep. After selecting the fattening sheep, the sheep still need to be dewormed and castrated.
4. Preparation of the sheep shed. The stocking density of the sheep shed is 0.4 sq m to 0.5 sq m per sheep, so as to help limit sheep movement and increase the fattening effect. The sheep shed should be built in a place that is easy to ventilate, drain, and receive light, is sheltered from the wind and faces the sun, and is close to grazing land and feed warehouses.
II. Fine management and reasonable grouping
1. Master the ratio of concentrate to roughage. An appropriate ratio of concentrate to roughage can not only provide energy, but also meet the protein needs of fattening sheep, and also maintain normal activity of the sheep's stomach, ensuring the sheep's health. Therefore, concentrate feed should account for 1/3 of the daily ration. When combining concentrate feed with green hay, it is best to add silage as well to supplement vitamins, and compound vitamins and trace elements may also be added appropriately. The proportion of protein in the sheep's daily ration should be about 8%.
2. Feed the flock in separate groups. Adult sheep should be separated by sex, and feeding should be supplied according to nutritional needs to ensure the needs of ewes for lambing. Adult sheep in the fattening period should be placed in the fattening flock so as to quickly gain weight.
3. Preparation before entering the pen. Fattening sheep should be injected with the triple vaccine against enterotoxemia and dewormed. At the same time, sufficient water troughs and feed troughs should be set up in the pen, and the environment (sheep shed and exercise yard) should be cleaned and disinfected.
In addition, for helping sheep “put on autumn weight” in autumn, there are also some feed formulas that farmers can refer to. Of course, the specific implementation still needs to be based on the characteristics of one's own flock!
Formula One: 0.5 kg of gramineous hay, 4.0 kg of corn silage, 0.5 kg of crushed grain. This formula's daily ration contains 40.60% dry matter, 4.12% crude protein, 0.24% calcium, 0.11% phosphorus, and 17.974 megajoules of metabolizable energy.
After the beginning of autumn, the mutton market is booming, and there are techniques for sheep fattening. See how experts help sheep “put on autumn weight”!
Formula Two: 1.0 kg of gramineous hay, 0.5 kg of corn silage, 0.7 kg of crushed grain. This formula's daily ration contains 84.55% dry matter, 7.59% crude protein, 0.60% calcium, 0.26% phosphorus, and 14.379 megajoules of metabolizable energy.
Formula Three: 4.0 kg of corn silage, 0.5 kg of crushed grain, 10 g of urea, 0.5 kg of straw. This formula's daily ration contains 40.72% dry matter, 3.49% crude protein, 0.19% calcium, 0.09% phosphorus, and 17.263 megajoules of metabolizable energy.
Formula Four: 0.5 kg of gramineous hay, 3.0 kg of corn silage, 0.4 kg of crushed grain, 0.8 kg of succulent feed. This formula's daily ration contains 40.64% dry matter, 3.83% crude protein, 0.22% calcium, 0.10% phosphorus, and 15.884 megajoules of metabolizable energy.
There is also the pelleted feed type. This changed ingredient method is more suitable for areas with feed processing conditions and for raising adult mutton sheep or wethers. In pelleted feed, straw and hay meal can account for 55%-60%, and concentrate 35%-40%. The main feed formulas during fattening are the following two:
Formula One: 35.0% grass meal, 44.5% straw, 20.0% concentrate, 0.5% calcium hydrogen phosphate. Each kilogram of this formula's feed contains 86% dry matter, 7.2% crude protein, 0.48% calcium, 0.24% phosphorus, and 6.897 megajoules of metabolizable energy.
Formula Two: 30.0% gramineous grass meal, 44.5% straw, 25.0% concentrate, 0.5% calcium hydrogen phosphate. Each kilogram of this formula's feed contains 86% dry matter, 7.4% crude protein, 0.49% calcium, 0.25% phosphorus, and 7.106 megajoules of metabolizable energy.
After reading these, do you have some understanding of helping sheep “put on autumn weight” in autumn? The vast number of sheep farmers should seize the good season for fattening, strive to occupy the high ground in the mutton market, and earn a lot of money!