Analysis of Sheep Farming Costs and Profits in 2017

Sheep are relatively easy animals to raise, with strong flocking behavior and adaptability, making them convenient for both grazing management and housed management. Choosing good quality stock makes it even easier to raise sheep well, and mutton has always been quite popular. Many people want to get rich by raising sheep, but they are not very clear about the costs and profits of sheep farming. Let us take a look together below at the costs and profits of sheep farming in 2017!

Costs of Sheep Farming

1. Sheep shed: Suppose a shed for 200 sheep is built. Usually, the space required per sheep is 1.5-2 sq m for an adult ram, 1-2 sq m for an adult ewe, 0.8-1 sq m for a young sheep, and 0.3-0.4 sq m for a lamb. A lambing room is set up at one end of the adult ewe shed, with the lambing room area accounting for about 20% of the adult ewe shed area. Overall, a simple sheep shed requires an investment of about 30,000-40,000 yuan.

2. Lambs: Suppose there are 200 lambs. The price of lambs is mainly determined by breed. The price of one lamb is roughly between 300 and 600, so 200 lambs require an investment of about 60,000-120,000 yuan.

3. Feed: Suppose there are 200 sheep, and on average each sheep consumes about 2 yuan worth of feed per day, so 200 sheep require 400 yuan per day. From the start of raising to marketing, a sheep takes about 4 months, so the cost of raising 200 sheep to marketing is about 40,000 yuan.

Summary: The cost of sheep farming is roughly between 150,000 and 200,000 yuan.

Profits of Sheep Farming

1. Ewes: The profits from ewe breeding are very large. If one large ewe produces six lambs per year, the net profit can reach about 1,400-1,600 yuan.

2. Meat sheep: Meat sheep are also called fattening sheep, and their profits are relatively low. Raising one sheep in confinement costs about 1.5 yuan per day for forage, and it is marketed after about four months of raising, with a profit of more than 200 yuan per sheep.

Summary: If 200 sheep are raised, the profit is roughly between 40,000 and 50,000 yuan, and the annual profit is about 100,000 yuan.

How to Increase Sheep Farming Profits?

1. Change mixed-flock grazing to single-flock grazing: Graze lambs in single flocks nearby according to their physiological characteristics and living habits, strengthen early rearing, and ensure lambs drink milk well, wean early, eat grass early, and receive supplemental feed early to speed up growth and development. From this it can be seen that learning sheep-raising techniques well is indispensable.

2. Change pure grazing to a combination of grazing and supplementary feeding: During the dry grass period, it is difficult for a flock to meet its nutritional needs by grazing alone, so in winter and spring, practice half-day grazing and half-day supplementary feeding. This can both prevent the sheep from consuming too much energy and achieve the goal of maintaining condition in fattening sheep.

3. Change spring lambing to winter lambing: Lambs born in winter have a growth period of as long as 10-11 months in that year, which is very favorable for fattening after autumn and marketing in the winter of that year. It can also avoid sheep losing condition over winter while saving manpower and material resources, speeding up flock turnover, improving economic benefits, and reducing sheep farming costs.

4. Change extensive feeding management to fine feeding management: Autumn is the golden season for grazing, so graze as much as possible and let the sheep eat more grass; when the winter climate is cold, graze less and just exercise moderately, while supplementing high-quality hay and concentrate. Make full use of self-produced green and concentrate feed for supplementary feeding. Especially for lambs, pregnant ewes, and breeding rams, grazing alone cannot meet their nutritional needs, so sheep feed and forage must be supplemented continuously.