Home › Livestock Farming › Article

Several key points to note when grazing sheep in early spring

Livestock Farming 0 views
1. Choice of grazing land. It should be chosen in sunny slope areas close to the winter grazing land, where grass sprouts earlier, so that when the weather changes suddenly the sheep can be driven back to the pen in time to take shelter. When the amount of green grass is not yet enough for the sheep to eat half their fill, each day the sheep should first be driven to shady slopes with more dry grass, and after the sheep have eaten some dry grass, they should then be driven to the green grass on the sunny slopes. 2. Prevent "running after green". When green grass has just begun to sprout, it looks present from afar but absent up close, and the sheep tend to run around everywhere, commonly known as "running after green". Not only do they fail to eat their fill, but they also use up their strength. They should be grazed on shady slopes with plenty of dry grass, and

1. Choice of grazing land. It should be chosen in sunny slope areas close to the winter grazing land, where grass sprouts earlier, so that when the weather changes suddenly the sheep can be driven back to the pen in time to take shelter. When the amount of green grass is not yet enough for the sheep to eat half their fill, each day the sheep should first be driven to shady slopes with more dry grass, and after the sheep have eaten some dry grass, they should then be driven to the green grass on the sunny slopes.

2. Prevent "running after green". When green grass has just begun to sprout, it looks present from afar but absent up close, and the sheep tend to run around everywhere, commonly known as "running after green". Not only do they fail to eat their fill, but they also use up their strength. They should be grazed on shady slopes with plenty of dry grass, and where conditions permit, dry grass can be fed as a supplement. Only when the green grass has grown fairly luxuriantly and can let the sheep eat half their fill should they be moved to green pasture for grazing. At this time, the "single-line" grazing method should be adopted, controlling the flock, holding back the strong sheep and waiting for the weak ones, advancing slowly, so that both the strong and the weak sheep can eat good grass.

3. Gradual transition. After sheep see green grass in spring, they easily eat too much, causing diarrhea and other problems; if they eat too many legumes, it can also cause rumen bloat (commonly known as swollen belly) and lead to death. Therefore, sheep should be prevented from suddenly eating large amounts of green grass, and a gradual transition should be made. In the initial stage, graze on dry-grass pasture or feed supplementary dry grass in the morning, and then graze on green grass in the afternoon. After seven or eight days, once the sheep have basically "changed their stomachs", they can be switched to grazing on green grass all day.

4. Go out against the wind, return with the wind. Spring is windy, and the mornings and evenings are still cold. When grazing, it is best to go out against the wind and return with the wind, going out late and returning early, with less rest at noon, so as to let the sheep walk as little as possible and prevent them from eating "dewy grass".

5. Group strong and weak sheep separately. Let the strong sheep graze on more distant pastures, and keep the weak sheep and pregnant ewes grazing nearby, with special attention to supplementary feeding. Before grazing each day, observe the ewes about to give birth; when a ewe due to lamb shows signs of labor, she should be kept in the pen for feeding.

Persist in watering before and after grazing; feed salt once every 5-6 days, 5-10 grams per sheep per day; regularly use deworming drugs such as albendazole to prevent parasites; pay attention to doing well the work of lambing, breeding, castration, tail docking, and so on.

Related Articles