Sheep farming is a practice that has existed for the past few years. People use the sheep to supply food and clothing items, and also it helps in controlling the weeds. Sheep are known to make up 1% of the livestock in the complete United States. Even some of the people love to keep as their pets. Though sheep farming is not that profitable, it is the business that is known to have good results in the local market.
Even the manure of the sheep is used as the best fertilizer to increase the overall productivity of the farmers. Before a person starts with sheep farming, he must know how to raise animals? As the answer to this question will help the person do the sheep farming in a better way? Now we will discuss some of the tips that will make the grazing of the sheep bit easier:
Selection of the right sheep
The first thing that the person will have to do is to select the right sheep for farming. The sheep that the person will select will depend on the purpose of purchasing the sheep. Some of the examples are as follows:
- If the person plans for the wool, then the merino or the Rambouillet will be a good option.
- If you are using the sheep for the meat, then in that case the breed like the north country cheviot, Southdown dorser will be a good option.
- If the collection of the sheep is for the milk, then the breed like the East Friesian or the Lacaune will be a best
So it is quite clear that the breed of sheep that will be best for the farming will depend on its usage. Even some European breeds are known to produce wool, meat, and milk for the users. If the person is planning to bring the sheep just to keep them as pets, then the smaller breed will be the best.
Housing the protection of the sheep
- Shelter
Sheep are the kinds of animals that love to live in the open space until and unless the weather conditions are horrible. But this does not mean that no arrangement must be there for their shelter. For example, the sheeps would indeed require shelter when they are giving birth to their little ones.
The place of the shelter must be at such a place that provides good drainage. Even make sure that the shelter must have at least three sides; and that the open side is in the south so the sheep can remain away from the flow of the wind.
Even it should provide the proper ventilation so that the people do not face the issues related to respiration.
- Fencing
The fencing of the area in which the sheep will graze must be proper. If the fencing is good, then it will save the sheep from predators. Sheep are known to have various predators like foxes and dogs. Therefore, even in some cases, it is advisable to do the fencing even inside the farm to do proper grazing.
Feeding the sheep
Sheep is the kind of animal that is known to have four stomach chambers. These four chambers help the sheep in re-chewing the food that they eat.
- Grazing
It is quite easy for people to feed the sheep. Most of the food for the sheep is arranged from the grazing only, till the time sufficient grass is available in the land. Sheep have the 7 hours of the grazing period in a day. They even can graze for a more extended period if they are permitted the same.
- Supplements
If sufficient grazing foods are not available, then supplements will be the best option. Generally, the sheep can be fed with the help of the by-products such as the hulls corn gluten feed, if the sheep can be given other kinds of the supplements like the pellet feed and the salt licks.
These are some things that a person must keep in mind while starting with sheep farming. If the person gets complete knowledge regarding how to raise animals, the results will be best. Sheep farming will provide the best results if it is done in the best way.