Detailed Explanation of Key Points of Mutton Sheep Improvement and Fattening Technology

I. Technical Introduction
Mutton sheep improvement and fattening technology is a technique that uses various crossbreeding methods, with local mutton sheep as the female parent and introduced improved meat-type breeds as the male parent for crossbreeding, while utilizing local resources and appropriate concentrate feed to produce mutton sheep from the crossbred offspring. The commercial mutton sheep bred in this way retain the characteristics of local mutton sheep being extensive and highly adaptable, while also having the advantages of introduced improved breeds such as fast growth, high meat yield and good meat quality, and enable the rational use of local grassy hills and slopes and various agricultural and sideline resources, which helps farmers get rich and strive for a better life.
II. Technical Operations
1. Improvement of Mutton Sheep
(1) Main mutton sheep breeds: The main meat-type sheep breeds include Small-tailed Han sheep, Hu sheep, Charolais sheep, Texel, Polled Dorset sheep and Suffolk sheep. The main meat-type goat breeds include: Chengdu Ma goat, Nanjiang Yellow goat, Huaishan goat, Wanzai goat, Matou goat, Boer goat and Saanen dairy goat.
(2) Common crossbreeding combinations used for high-quality mutton sheep production include: Charolais (male) × Small-tailed Han sheep (female), all first filial generation (F1) used for fattening; Boer goat (male) × Chengdu Ma goat (female), F1 males used for fattening, F1 females crossed with Boer goat, all second filial generation (F2) used for fattening; Boer goat (male) × Nanjiang Yellow goat (female), F1 (male) used for lamb production, F1 (female) crossed with Boer goat (male), all F2 used for fat lamb production; Chengdu Ma goat (male) × local goat (female), F1 males used for fattening, F1 females crossed with Boer goat, all their offspring used for fattening.
2. Key Points of High-Quality Mutton Sheep Fattening Technology
(1) Key Points of High-Quality Mutton Sheep Feeding
① Fat Lamb Production
Fat lamb production is divided into housed feeding production system and grazing production system; only the housed fat lamb production system is introduced here.
Young lambs have two physiological characteristics: First, before 6 months of age, growth and development are very rapid, after which the growth rate slows down. Second, before 4 months of age, the rumen is not fully developed, and the decomposition function of rumen microorganisms is relatively weak; therefore, ingested concentrate feed undergoes only a small amount of degradation in the rumen before entering the true stomach, and is then converted into glucose and other organic substances for absorption, resulting in higher feed utilization efficiency and better economic benefits.
Select early-maturing and larger-bodied breeds. For supplementary feeding of lambs, grain feed can be used with an appropriate amount of soybean cake (meal), or mixed concentrate can be used. For example: corn 55%, wheat bran 22%, soybean meal 30%, salt 1%, fish meal 2%. The concentrate feeding amount for lambs increases with the growth of months of age. From 20 days of age to 2 months of age, the feeding amount per lamb is 50-70 grams, 1-2 months of age is 100-150 grams, 2-3 months of age is 200 grams, 3-4 months of age is 250 grams, supplemented twice daily. The concentrate feed fed should be high-quality legume forage, such as alfalfa. There is also the practice of allowing lambs to freely eat roughage from the trough along with the ewe.
Strengthen the feeding of ewes. Ewes should be grazed on high-quality pasture, or housed and fed high-quality legume forage. At the same time, each ewe should be fed 0.4-0.7 kg of mixed feed per day. Composition of mixed concentrate (%): corn 60, wheat bran 8, cottonseed cake 16, soybean meal 12, salt 1, calcium hydrogen phosphate 3.
Carry out early weaning of lambs. Under the current production level in China, lambs for housed fat lamb production can be weaned at 60 days of age; if supplementary feeding conditions are good, they can also be weaned after 42 days of age. When selecting sheep for fattening, choose lambs that are large, well-developed, have strong feeding ability and are disease-free from the flock to form the post-weaning fattening group. It is best to select male lambs, because male lambs grow fast and have not yet reached sexual maturity at this time.
Ensure stable and consistent feed supply. After weaning, the feed given to lambs should be consistent with the supplementary feeding, which helps alleviate the stress caused by weaning. The feed during the fattening period should also strive to maintain consistent composition.
Ensure appropriate nutritional levels. For fat lamb production, both the protein and energy levels of the diet are required to be high, with the crude protein level reaching or approaching 20%, an appropriate calcium-phosphorus ratio, and meeting the feeding standards for fat lamb production.
Rationally formulate and process the fattening diet. The fattening diet, in addition to meeting the requirements for energy, protein and fiber, should also contain vitamin and mineral feed additives and antibiotics (such as oxytetracycline).
Strengthen sanitation management. There must always be sufficient and clean drinking water supply, good ventilation in the shed, dry ground, bedding straw spread, and feed not contaminated.
② Lamb Production
At present, lamb fattening is the main body of China's mutton sheep industry, an effective way to increase mutton production and the efficiency of sheep production, and also a practice that conforms to rural realities and traditions. According to different production organization forms and technical systems of sheep production, it can be divided into grazing with supplementary feeding production system, housed production system and full grazing production system. Here only the grazing with supplementary feeding production system is introduced:
Arrange the optimal lambing season, implement the production system of lambing and fattening in the same year, so that the slaughter time of fattening lambs exactly falls before New Year's Day and the Spring Festival, which can achieve considerable economic benefits. At the same time, it is also beneficial for forage supply. In order to give lambs a longer growth and fattening period, the ideal lambing time should be in early spring each year; in this way, the slaughter weight of lambs at the end of the year can reach about 35 kg or even higher. Choose the ideal fattening time. Generally, starting from early to mid-October, mixed concentrate should be supplemented. If fattening starts early, the total feeding period must be shortened, which will affect the slaughter weight and skin quality of lambs.
The weaning time of lambs is generally 2-4 months of age; larger lambs can be weaned appropriately earlier, and for weak and small lambs, the weaning time should be appropriately delayed.
For weaned lambs, those not castrated should be castrated. Lambs should be dewormed and medicated bathed, grouped according to the principle of similar body weight and individual size, grazed separately, and supplemented and managed separately.
Ensure sufficient grazing time, which should be more than 7-9 hours per day, to increase lamb feed intake and promote growth and development. After returning to the pen at the end of grazing each day, lambs should be supplemented with roughage. After winter begins, the amount of roughage fed should be increased, and high-quality roughage such as peanut vines and sweet potato vines should be fed.
Supplementary feeding of mixed feed: when returning to the pen after grazing each day, mixed feed should be supplemented; some also supplement feed twice in the morning and evening. Supplementary feeding of mixed feed should be quantitative. As the feeding months of age gradually increase, the period about 2 months before slaughter belongs to the concentrated fattening stage and should be the focus of supplementary feeding, and the amount of mixed concentrate should be increased.
3. Key Points of High-Quality Mutton Sheep Production Management
(1) Castration of male sheep. Male lambs should be castrated about 18 days after birth; in case of cloudy days or weak individuals, it can be appropriately postponed. Castration is best carried out before 10 o'clock in the morning for easy care. Castration can use the knife-cutting method or the ligation method.
(2) Dehorning of male sheep. For sheep with horns, dehorning surgery should be carried out within 5-10 months after birth. There are two dehorning methods: burning method and corrosion method.
(3) Docking. Docking should be carried out within 10 days of lamb growth; at this time the tail is thinner and there is less bleeding. Docking includes the hot docking method and the ligation method.
(4) Shearing. For fat lamb production, sheep may not be shorn or shorn once; for lamb production, generally shear once or twice, that is, shear once each in spring and autumn. Goats are only shorn once a year in spring for coarse wool. Shearing should be chosen on a windless sunny day, so that the sheep will not catch a cold due to losing wool. After shearing, collect the wool by grade for sale.
(5) Medicated bath. Stop feeding 8 hours before the medicated bath, and give the sheep enough water 2-3 hours before entering the bath to prevent the sheep from drinking the medicinal liquid. Bathe healthy sheep first, and sheep with mange last.
III. Scope of Application
This technology is suitable for the vast number of farmers and small and medium-sized sheep-raising enterprises.