Key Technical Points for Hu Sheep Farming and Scientific Feeding Management Methods
The ancestors of the Hu sheep came from Mongolian sheep. According to records, in the early 10th century AD, residents of the Yellow River basin moved south in large numbers, and at the same time brought the “large white sheep” (today's Small-tailed Han sheep) raised in the Hebei, Shandong, and Henan regions to Jiangnan. Under the natural conditions of Jiangnan, through long-term pen feeding and selective breeding (natural selection and artificial breeding), an excellent local breed was formed. Because it was mainly raised in the area around the Taihu Lake basin at the border of Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces, it was named the Hu sheep.
Feed Management for Hu Sheep Farming
1. Forage
Solving the forage problem solves two-thirds of the problems in sheep farming. Forage includes fresh green grass, green hay, vine-type forage, silage, fruit tree leaves, and mulberry leaves, etc. When sheep are raised by individual households, they often eat whatever grass is in season and whatever is available, eating the same kind of forage every day (for example, in spring and summer, when fresh green grass is abundant, they are fed only fresh grass every day). This is not only monotonous in taste, but more importantly, too monotonous in nutrition, which can cause certain diseases due to nutritional deficiencies. Some green hay and fresh grass should be fed, and if conditions permit, some silage should be added as well, feeding them together in a mix, so as to better balance nutrition and raise the sheep well.
In autumn and winter, green grass withers, and there is no source of green feed for Hu sheep. Large-scale farms should prepare silage well in summer to prepare for overwintering, and household raisers with the means can also use silage. In addition to silage, sufficient hay and rice straw should also be stored as overwintering feed (crushed and properly soaked in water before feeding). One Hu sheep consumes 7-8 kg of fresh grass, 3-4 kg of green hay, and 4-5 kg of corn silage per day (including waste); in one year, one Hu sheep needs about 2,600 kg of fresh grass, 1,200 kg of green hay, and 1,500 kg of corn silage. On average, 0.067 hectares of pasture can support 5-6 sheep (pen-fed). Farmers should plant grass and store forage according to the size of their flocks.
To summarize forage in two phrases: store enough forage, and mix it reasonably.
2. Concentrate
Concentrate is mainly a supplementary addition and should not be fed in large amounts. Generally, when forage is abundant, it is mainly added for ewes before mating and in the early and late stages of pregnancy, lactating ewes, breeding rams during the mating period, lambs, and thinner sheep, with the amount controlled at about 0.25 kg per day (which can be appropriately increased or decreased according to the body size of the flock). Adding it in the morning or evening is more suitable. The main ingredients are generally: wheat bran, soybean meal, corn, rapeseed cake, and green rice bran, etc.
To summarize concentrate in two phrases: proceed from actual conditions, and focus on economy and savings.
Recommended concentrate formula: corn 30%, soybean meal 10%, wheat bran 30%, rapeseed cake 16%, green rice bran 10%, salt 3%, mineral additive 1%.
Daily Management of Hu Sheep Farming
1. Rams and ewes should be raised in separate pens
After young Hu sheep are weaned from the ewe, rams and ewes should be raised in separate pens. Young ewes can conceive normally after reaching 4 months of age, but conception at this time will affect the ewe's future individual development (for example, a ewe that could originally grow to 50 kg can now only grow to 35 kg); separate-pen raising can also avoid inbreeding and keep the bloodline from declining. Hu sheep like to live in groups, so they should be raised together in pens at an appropriate density.
2. Feed enough and good feed and water
Hu sheep eat a hundred kinds of grass, so the forage is required to be diverse, and the forage must be clean (Hu sheep will not eat forage that has been trampled by them; when feeding, use the method of small amounts and multiple times to reduce waste), and it must not be moldy, overheated, or yellowed. As for drinking water, if conditions permit, use automatic drinkers as much as possible (automatic drinkers make drinking water hygienic and save water, and the flock can drink at any time). If a water trough is used for watering, the trough should be cleaned thoroughly every day, and enough clean water should be provided for the flock to drink freely.
3. Keep the pens dry and ventilated
For sheep pens with straw bedding, dry, non-moldy rice straw should be spread every day, and the straw used for bedding should be cut short, otherwise it will wrap around the sheep's legs and cause unnecessary losses, such as miscarriage, etc.; for sheep pens with board floors, they should be swept every day, and manure must not accumulate; whether straw-bedded pens or board-floor pens, sheep manure should be regularly removed and piled up for fermentation to reduce pollution.
4. Regularly trim hooves, and promptly shear wool and carry out medicated bathing
After Hu sheep reach adulthood, the front edge of the hoof becomes keratinized, and the “nail” grows long, so the hooves must be trimmed regularly, otherwise it will affect their standing and walking, and in severe cases will cause hoof disease. The flock should be shorn and given medicated baths in spring and autumn each year, which can remove external parasites and prepare them for the beginning of summer and overwintering.
5. Do a good job of regular disinfection and epidemic prevention
In daily production, regular disinfection is also required. Household raisers can use quicklime, plant ash, or disinfectants sold on the market for disinfection, 1-2 times per month; large-scale raisers or major farming households must formulate disinfection plans and disinfection systems, and be equipped with complete disinfection facilities, such as disinfection pools, disinfection changing rooms (equipped with UV disinfection lamps), disinfection sprayers, etc. Disinfection must be carried out no fewer than 2 times per month. Generally, disinfectants sold on the market are chosen, and the disinfectants used should be changed frequently. One kind or one type of disinfectant should not be used for a long time, otherwise bacteria will develop resistance to the disinfectant. A reasonable vaccine immunization plan should be formulated for the flock, and vaccines must be injected on time. This is the most important link in disease prevention.
Management Methods for Hu Sheep Breeding Ewes
1. Non-pregnant ewes
For non-pregnant ewes, body condition should be well managed. They should not be too fat (being too fat will affect mating), nor too thin (being too thin will cause prepartum or postpartum paralysis). Generally, short-term superior feeding is carried out 1 month before mating, adding concentrate (0.25 kg per sheep per day); feed more green, succulent feed, which is beneficial to the ewe's normal estrus; feed forage in small amounts and multiple times, and the last feeding in the afternoon should appropriately increase the amount of forage for nighttime consumption; during the mating season, if conditions permit, use a teaser ram 1-2 times a day for estrus detection, and keep good records.
2. Pregnant ewes
In the early stage of pregnancy, high-quality green feed and a small amount of concentrate should be fed. In the later stage, the fetus grows rapidly, and the mother's nutritional needs increase. Therefore, nutrient-rich forage should be fed, and attention should be paid to the reasonable mixing of various forages (adding some legume forage, high-quality green hay, silage, etc.); the pen for pregnant ewes should be kept quiet to prevent suddenly startling the flock; before the ewe is about to give birth, observe the signs of parturition (red and swollen udder, flattened milk groove, yellow milk can be squeezed out, the ewe is restless lying and standing, frequently drinks water, constantly urinates, vulva is red, swollen, and slack, with transparent pale yellow mucus flowing out), strengthen care, and if a ewe with abnormal fetal position or dystocia is found, assist in delivery promptly.
3. Lactating ewes
At this time, the ewe's milk production should be increased as much as possible. Ewes should be fed high-quality, succulent green feed, green hay, and an appropriate amount of concentrate to meet the ewe's needs for various nutrients; for lactating ewes with weaker body condition, after their lambs finish colostrum, foster them to ewes with fewer lambs, good body condition, and good mothering ability.