How to fatten meat sheep quickly? These ten tips are very practical
Ten tips for quickly fattening meat sheep
Rapid fattening of meat sheep can bring lambs to market in 2 months, with body weight reaching 15-20 kg and a survival rate of over 98%. In terms of management techniques, the following tips must be well implemented.
1. Select good breeds. That is, choose the best crossbreeding combination of sheep and make full use of heterosis to increase production. For example, using Boer goats and others as the sire and local white goats as the dam for multiple crossbreeding, the resulting meat-type goats have the characteristics of large body size, stable genetic performance, high reproductive performance, strong disease resistance, high meat yield, white wool, good luster, and good elasticity.
2. Build pens and sheds. Meat sheep pens and sheds should be warm in winter and cool in summer, and should be built in a place with high and dry terrain, good drainage and ventilation, and clean sanitation. Facing south with the back to the north, they should be semi-slope style. Generally, the rear wall is 1.8 m high and the front eave is 2.2 m high, with an exercise yard outside, creating a good living environment for fattening sheep.
3. Raise ewes. Ewes should graze on high-quality pasture or mountain land, or be kept in barns and fed high-quality forage. At the same time, each ewe should be fed 0.4-0.7 kg of mixed concentrate per day. The composition of the mixed concentrate: corn 60%, wheat bran 8%, cottonseed cake 16%, soybean meal 12%, salt 1%, calcium hydrogen phosphate 3%.
4. Select lambs for fattening. From the lamb flock, select lambs that are large, well developed, strong in feed intake, and free of disease to form a post-weaning fattening group. It is best to choose male lambs, because male lambs grow quickly and at this time have not yet reached sexual maturity.
5. Supplementary feeding for lambs. Grain feed can be used with an appropriate amount of soybean cake (meal), or mixed concentrate can be used, such as corn 45%, wheat bran 22%, soybean meal 30%, salt 1%, fish meal 2%. The amount of concentrate fed to lambs increases with age in months. At 20-30 days of age, each lamb is fed 50-70 grams; at 1-2 months of age, 100-150 grams; at 2-3 months of age, 200 grams, with supplementary feeding 2 times per day.
6. Timely tail docking. Tail docking of lambs can accelerate the growth of meat sheep, improve meat quality, and reduce mutton odor. Lambs can have their tails docked at 2-21 days of age, but 2-7 days of age is most suitable. Tail docking is best done on a sunny morning. Methods: ① Rubber band tail docking. Use a rubber band with good elasticity and place it between the 2nd and 3rd caudal vertebrae of the lamb, so that the lower part of the tail cannot receive nutrition and atrophies, and it will fall off on its own after 10 days. ② Sharp knife tail docking. First tie the base of the tail with a thin rope to cut off blood circulation, then use a sharp knife to cut it off 4-5 cm from the tail, and bandage it with gauze. On the afternoon of the same day, the tying rope can be untied, and it will heal after 5-7 days.
7. Castration to promote growth. Castration of male lambs is generally carried out at the same time as tail docking, and the rubber band method and surgical method can be used. The commonly used method is the rubber band method. The testicles of male lambs within 7 days of age are pushed into the scrotum, and the spermatic cord area together with the scrotum is tightly bound with a rubber band. After 20-30 days, the scrotum and testicles will dry up and fall off naturally.
8. Timely disinfection. In the feeding and management of meat sheep, there must always be a sufficient and clean supply of drinking water, good ventilation in the shed, dry ground, bedding straw spread out, and feed not contaminated. Sheep pens, sheep sheds, feed troughs, and water troughs should be cleaned and disinfected frequently; lambing bedding straw, forage, utensils, and other items should frequently be placed in the sun to dry; work clothes and medical instruments should frequently be boiled for disinfection.
9. Prevent disease. According to the local epidemic characteristics of sheep diseases, adhere to the feeding principle of "prevention is more important than treatment," and carry out drug prevention and immunization of the sheep flock in a planned way to prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases and parasitic diseases.
10. Choose the right time for marketing. Once fattening sheep are full-fleshed and strong, they can be marketed in a timely manner according to market conditions, which can shorten the fattening cycle of meat sheep and also improve the economic benefits of sheep raisers.
1. Select good breeds. That is, choose the best crossbreeding combination of sheep and make full use of heterosis to increase production. For example, using Boer goats and others as the sire and local white goats as the dam for multiple crossbreeding, the resulting meat-type goats have the characteristics of large body size, stable genetic performance, high reproductive performance, strong disease resistance, high meat yield, white wool, good luster, and good elasticity.
2. Build pens and sheds. Meat sheep pens and sheds should be warm in winter and cool in summer, and should be built in a place with high and dry terrain, good drainage and ventilation, and clean sanitation. Facing south with the back to the north, they should be semi-slope style. Generally, the rear wall is 1.8 m high and the front eave is 2.2 m high, with an exercise yard outside, creating a good living environment for fattening sheep.
3. Raise ewes. Ewes should graze on high-quality pasture or mountain land, or be kept in barns and fed high-quality forage. At the same time, each ewe should be fed 0.4-0.7 kg of mixed concentrate per day. The composition of the mixed concentrate: corn 60%, wheat bran 8%, cottonseed cake 16%, soybean meal 12%, salt 1%, calcium hydrogen phosphate 3%.
4. Select lambs for fattening. From the lamb flock, select lambs that are large, well developed, strong in feed intake, and free of disease to form a post-weaning fattening group. It is best to choose male lambs, because male lambs grow quickly and at this time have not yet reached sexual maturity.
5. Supplementary feeding for lambs. Grain feed can be used with an appropriate amount of soybean cake (meal), or mixed concentrate can be used, such as corn 45%, wheat bran 22%, soybean meal 30%, salt 1%, fish meal 2%. The amount of concentrate fed to lambs increases with age in months. At 20-30 days of age, each lamb is fed 50-70 grams; at 1-2 months of age, 100-150 grams; at 2-3 months of age, 200 grams, with supplementary feeding 2 times per day.
6. Timely tail docking. Tail docking of lambs can accelerate the growth of meat sheep, improve meat quality, and reduce mutton odor. Lambs can have their tails docked at 2-21 days of age, but 2-7 days of age is most suitable. Tail docking is best done on a sunny morning. Methods: ① Rubber band tail docking. Use a rubber band with good elasticity and place it between the 2nd and 3rd caudal vertebrae of the lamb, so that the lower part of the tail cannot receive nutrition and atrophies, and it will fall off on its own after 10 days. ② Sharp knife tail docking. First tie the base of the tail with a thin rope to cut off blood circulation, then use a sharp knife to cut it off 4-5 cm from the tail, and bandage it with gauze. On the afternoon of the same day, the tying rope can be untied, and it will heal after 5-7 days.
7. Castration to promote growth. Castration of male lambs is generally carried out at the same time as tail docking, and the rubber band method and surgical method can be used. The commonly used method is the rubber band method. The testicles of male lambs within 7 days of age are pushed into the scrotum, and the spermatic cord area together with the scrotum is tightly bound with a rubber band. After 20-30 days, the scrotum and testicles will dry up and fall off naturally.
8. Timely disinfection. In the feeding and management of meat sheep, there must always be a sufficient and clean supply of drinking water, good ventilation in the shed, dry ground, bedding straw spread out, and feed not contaminated. Sheep pens, sheep sheds, feed troughs, and water troughs should be cleaned and disinfected frequently; lambing bedding straw, forage, utensils, and other items should frequently be placed in the sun to dry; work clothes and medical instruments should frequently be boiled for disinfection.
9. Prevent disease. According to the local epidemic characteristics of sheep diseases, adhere to the feeding principle of "prevention is more important than treatment," and carry out drug prevention and immunization of the sheep flock in a planned way to prevent the occurrence of infectious diseases and parasitic diseases.
10. Choose the right time for marketing. Once fattening sheep are full-fleshed and strong, they can be marketed in a timely manner according to market conditions, which can shorten the fattening cycle of meat sheep and also improve the economic benefits of sheep raisers.