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Sheep Farming In Bangladesh, Sheep Breeds

Introduction to Sheep Farming in Bangladesh:

Today, let us discuss Sheep Breeds of Bangladesh and How To Start Sheep Farming In Bangladesh.

Sheep Farming is one of the popular occupations in Bangladesh. It is good employment for the unemployed farmers, as the agriculture depends upon the season, but the sheep farming will be throughout the year. Through sheep farming, the farmer will be beneficial as the farmers get high returns. Sheep farming is becoming popular day by day as the meat lovers and also the demand for meat is increasing so the demand for sheep farming is also high.  As the Bangladesh population is increasing the sheep population is also increasing gradually. The sheep give us some by-products like fiber, meat, and also manure. As these products also have a high demand in the markets.

Scope and Importance of Sheep farming in Bangladesh:

In the national economy of Bangladesh, sheep farming plays a major role. At the initial stages, the employment will be small, gradually when the demand for the sheep increases the returns will also increase. As meat lovers are increasing the demand is also increasing. The initial investment in sheep farming is very low.

Role of the Sheep in Economy and Contribution:

  1. Employment: For the farmers, those are unskilled, less literate, or for the low-income farmers it will be a source of their livelihood.
  2. Food: The wool and meat of the sheep have high demand in the market of Bangladesh; these are extensively used as food in daily routine.
  3. Weed Control: The weeds can be controlled by rearing the sheep.
  4. Dung and Waste material: The dung and waste material of sheep have high demand in the market as these are used as farmyard manure in agricultural farms.
  5. Fiber or Skin: By using the skin or fiber we can prepare products like wool, hair, hides, and pelts.

Advantages of Sheep Farming in Bangladesh:

  • The sheep have higher digestibility, so they can be fed with crude or any type of roughages that are poor in quality.
  • The sheep are known as social animals.
  • These sheep can be raised by children, women, and also agricultural labor.
  • The initial investment in sheep farming is very low.
  • The sheep are slaughtered at a very young age.
  • As the sheep don’t have any religious taboo, so these sheep are relished by all sections of society people.
  • They are very cheap to maintain and can also be maintained very easily.
  • Sheep meat has high demand in the market.
  • The sheep have very few housing demands, as they can adjust with any other livestock or else with the owner also.
  • The sheep can be handled easily
  • Not only the sheep have high demand, but also the products that we get from the sheep also have high demand.
  • These sheep are used in hilly areas for hauling.
  • For every unit of investment, the sheep give us better production
  • These sheep don’t need a particular climate they can tolerate all types of climates.

Sheep Breeds of Bangladesh:

  • South Down Sheep Breed
  • Bannur Sheep Breed
  • Merino Sheep Breed
  • Cheviot Sheep Breed
  • Hassan Sheep Breed
  • Rambouillet Sheep Breed
  • Deccani Sheep Breed
  • Bellary Sheep Breed

Sheep Feed Management in Bangladesh:

Sheep Feed Management.
Sheep Feed Management.

Schedule of sheep:

  • After their birth, they should receive colostrums, and thereafter up to the age of 2 months, they should be fed with the milk @ 1/10 of their body weight.
  • Kids that age around 2 – 4 months should be fed with creep feed @ 450 grams daily along with water and green grass etc.
  • The sheep that are about 4 months and pregnant sheep should be fed with concentrate mixture @ 450 g, crude protein should be 14 – 16 %, green grass, and labium.
  • The ewes that are milking should be provided with conc. Mixture @ 350 grams for each liter of milk produced.
  • In the breeding season, the ram should be fed with conc. mixture @ 400 grams every day with green grass.
  • Every day the sheep should be provided with 450 – 680 grams of feed in a day.

Conc. mixture means Concentrate mixture. It contains Jowar, Soya bean, Maize, sorghum, groundnut cake, and broken rice.

Read: HF Cow Facts.

Tree fodders: 

  • Karuvel
  • Vagai
  • Glyricidia
  • Neem
  • Subabul
  • Arasu
  • Seemaikaruvel
  • Kodukapuli
  • Velvel
  • Agathi

Concentrated feed:

  • Sorghum
  • Broken rice
  • Wheat
  • Groundnut cake
  • Maize
  • Salt
  • Mixture
  • Skimmed milk powder
  • Rice polish

Legume Fodder crops:

  • Stylo
  • Cowpea
  • Desmanthus
  • Hedge lucerne

A feed that should not be fed to the sheep is paper, cat feed, and dog feed.

Sheep Housing Management in Bangladesh:

For the intensive production of sheep, sheep housing is very important. The requirements of housing for the sheep are very few. One should ensure the facilities and comforts of sheep for maximum profits.

  • The main motive of housing is to protect the animals from harsh animals and also the uneven or inoculated environmental stress.
  • The sheep have some physiological requirements for their growth and production as human beings.
  • The farm should have good ventilation.
  • There should be good ventilation on the farm.
  • The farm should have a good floor, the floor should always be dry.
  • Your sheep farm should have a good drainage facility.
  • The farm should be constructed at a higher elevation so that there will be no problem when the floods attack the farm.
  • The rainwater should never enter the house.
  • The sheep should have enough space for taking a rest on the farm.
  • In all seasons the sheep should be provided with warm water as they are afraid of cold water.
  • The sheep waste should also be collected on the farm.
  • The house should be hygienic and dry.
  • The labor which is required for the farm is very less in number.

Basic requirements of Housing:

Site Location

Sufficient space requirement

Bedding

  • Wheat straw
  • Oat straw
  • Hay
  • Sand
  • Shavings
  • Corn Stover
  • Sawdust
  • Barley straw
  • Peat moss

Shade and shelter

Good location of housing/sheds

Orientation

Air inlet and outlet

Ventilation

Proper drainage

Floor

Ventilation

Milk barns

Waterers

Food troughs

Storage

Fencing

Doors.

Sheep Breeding Management in Bangladesh:

Breeding plays a major role in the sheep farming business. The breeding will be helping the farm to increase the population as that brings more profits to the farmers. The sheep can adapt themselves to any type of climate as they are hardy and adapt themselves. In sheep farming, breeding is an essential task to get high returns in sheep farming.

There are two types of breeding techniques. They are:

Natural insemination: This will take a long time and it is not suitable for commercial sheep farming.

Artificial insemination: This will be suitable for artificial insemination, but it is a little cost-efficient but processes faster than natural breeding.

Identification of sheep in the heat:

  • Using an intact male
  • Use of intact male will be fitted with aprons
  • The ram should be vasectomized

Management of Breeding:

The production units are considered as per the age of the Ewe while the breeding process.

Breeding Age of Ewe:

The breeding age of the ewe should be about 10 – 12 months. The sheep of too young age should not be encouraged for the breeding this might lead to the loss. The ewe should attain 5 – 17 months of age for breeding.

Preparing the female sheep breed:

While preparing the female (Ewe) sheep breed these processes are followed:

  • Flushing
  • Tagging
  • Eyeing
  • Ringing
  • Crutching

Preparing the male sheep breed:

While preparing the male (Ram) sheep breed these processes are followed:

  • Marking the ram
  • Raddle

Sheep Mating Methods:

  • Hand mating
  • Pen mating
  • Flocking or pasture mating
  • Artificial insemination

Preparation of kidding:

Before the birth of the kid, the pen or the house should be cleaned perfectly and they should be supplied with fresh air and the floor of the pen or the house should be clean and the floor should always be dry or else it might lead to injuries to the kids.

Seasons of Breeding:

  • During the summer season, the heat occurs in the month of March and April and the kidding season is in the month of August and September.
  • During the rainy season, the heat occurs in the month of June and July and the kidding season are in the month of November and December.
  • During the winter season, the heat occurs in the month of October and November and the kidding season is in the month of January and February.

Period of Gestation:

The gestation period of the sheep is also very short span i.e. 150 – 155 days.

Sheep Diseases and Vaccination Management in Bangladesh:

If the sheep can be attacked by any diseases, they should be vaccinated by consulting a vet doctor. The sheep should be observed regularly based on their physical activates or behavior. The sheep should have cared a little more so else it might lead to a big loss of sheep and kids. For preventing the sheep from diseases the farm should be hygienic and also be cleaned regularly. The feed which is of good quality should be given to the sheep. The sheep hooves should be trimmed regularly or else this may also cause diseases to them. For every 6 – 4 weeks the sheep’s hooves should be trimmed. Sheep should get plenty of sunshine in the farm.

Bacterial Diseases:

  • Pneumonia
  • Footrot
  • Brucellosis
  • Mastitis
  • Haemorrhagic Septicemia
  • Anthrax
  • Entertoxaemia

Ectoparasitic Infestations:

  • Tick, lice, etc.

Endoparasitic Diseases:

  • Coccidiosis
  • Fluke infection
  • Tapeworm

Viral Diseases of Sheep:

  • Sheep pox
  • Foot and mouth diseases
  • Peste Des Petits ruminants

Vaccinations in Sheep Farming:

These are the vaccines that should be given in their lifetime. They should be scheduled as per the vet consultation.

  • Volar footrot bacteria
  • Sore mouth
  • Tetanus antitoxin
  • Campylobacter
  • C & D Antitoxin
  • CD-T
  • Covexin – 8
  • Chlamydia
  • Epididymitis
  • Footvax
  • Ovine ecolizer
  • Pasteurella
  • Rabies
  • Case – bac
  • Caseous D-T

In case if you miss this: Growing Vegetables Hydroponically.

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