Points to Note When Raising Sheep in Summer: Farmers Should Do These Eight Things Well

Prevent Heat and Cool Down

In summer, do a good job of preventing heat and cooling down. Often clear the weeds around the sheep shed, open air convection windows at the bottom of the north and south walls of the sheep shed, and strengthen ventilation to help lower the temperature; set up a sunshade on the sunny side of the sheep shed to avoid direct sunlight; if the sheep shed has a flat tile roof, it can be brushed with white lime, or a sunshade can be built over it; increase the green area around the sheep shed to improve the microclimate. In addition, the sheep shed should also be fitted with screen doors and screen windows to prevent flies and mosquitoes from entering.

Rational Grazing

In the hot summer, sheep like to gather in groups, so they do not eat their fill. For morning grazing, they should go out early and return early; generally they can be sent out to graze once the dew has just dried. From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., let the sheep rest and eat forage in the pen, and in the afternoon they can be brought back at 7 p.m. In hot weather, choose shaded woodland for grazing to prevent heatstroke.

Cool Down and Air the Sheep

In summer, sheep are very prone to excess internal heat and illness, so to ensure the sheep's health, airing the sheep every day is very important. At noon, do not rush the grazing flock into the sheep pen; you can directly let the sheep rest and drink water under the shade of trees. After evening grazing, let the sheep air for a while before entering the pen. Each time they go out to graze and are brought back, do not rush the sheep; let them walk and move slowly to air their bodies and dissipate heat.

Strengthen Nutrition

In the hot summer and autumn seasons, strengthen the sheep's nutrition, increase the nutrient concentration of the daily ration, and further enhance the sheep's ability to resist high-temperature environments. For adult sheep, supplement about 200 grams of concentrate feed per day; for newly weaned lambs, supplement about 100 grams of concentrate feed per day. Because sheep's feed intake decreases in summer, the number of feedings should be increased to make up for the nutritional deficiency caused by the decrease in feed intake.

Increase Water and Supplement Salt

In the hot summer and high-temperature season, keep the sheep's water basin continuously filled with clean water so the sheep can drink freely. Also add 0.2 grams of salt per kilogram of clean water to maintain the acid-base balance in the sheep's body.

Prevent Rainstorm Strikes

There are many thunderstorms in summer. After sheep are drenched by rain, they are prone to colds and fever, causing weight loss. When grazing, if conditions permit, bring a large tarpaulin that can hold the flock, tie its four corners firmly to the roots of large trees, and prop up the middle with a thicker wooden pole so the flock can take shelter from the rain in time. In addition, never graze on steep slopes when there is lightning and thunder, to prevent the sheep from being startled and falling and getting injured.

Do a Good Job of Environmental Hygiene

In summer, pay attention to the environmental hygiene of the sheep shed, pay attention to ventilation and moisture prevention, and often clean the sheep shed to keep it clean and dry.

Pay Attention to Disease Prevention and Treatment

In summer, always pay attention to the sheep's mental state, appetite and manure condition, and pay special attention to the prevention and treatment of diseases in lambs. When an infectious disease or suspected infectious disease occurs, immediately isolate, promptly ask a veterinarian to observe and treat, and properly handle the carcasses of dead sheep by deep burial or burning, so as to cut off the source of the disease, control the spread of the disease, and promptly stamp it out once discovered.