Pastures are land covered with vegetation used by animals in the form of pasture. Pastures are divided into natural, or natural, and sown, or artificial. The vegetation cover of natural pastures consists mainly of perennial wild grasses, sometimes of lichens (tundra), subshrubs and shrubs (tundra, semi-desert and desert). Seeded pastures are created by sowing a mixture of legumes and cereals, perennial and annual grasses.

Each type of pasture is used during the period when the plants contain the maximum amount of nutrients. Therefore, depending on the nature and condition of the grass stand, pastures are used seasonally in most cases. Steppe pastures are mainly intended for keeping sheep in spring and autumn, desert and semi-desert pastures in winter, and mountain pastures in summer.

The period of stay of livestock on pastures - the grazing period - lasts in the forest zone 125 - 150 days, in the forest-steppe zone - about 170, in the steppe - about 200, in the semi-desert - about 250, in the tundra and desert - almost all year round. In mountainous regions, subalpine and alpine pastures are used for transhumance in the summer (for 2 - 3 months).

On the territory of our country there are several natural zones, which are characterized by certain types of pastures. In the tundra and forest-tundra zones, various swamps, shrubs and shrubs, etc. are used as pastures. The yield of the consumed mass, depending on the type of pasture, ranges from 0.1 to 4 quintals per 1 ha. Upland, lowland, swampy and floodplain pastures are common in the forest zone. Large cattle makes good use of all types of pasture, sheep are dry lands. The yield of the consumed mass is from 7 - 10 to 30 - 45 c per 1 ha.

In the forest-steppe zone, pastures are confined mainly to the southern and eastern slopes and bottoms of ravines and ravines. The yield of the consumed mass ranges from 12 - 16 centners (in the Asian part) to 20 - 25 centners (in the European part) per 1 ha. The vegetation cover in the Asian part is forb-reed grass and reed grass-fescue, in the European part it is grass-legume and forb cover.

In the steppe zone in the direction from north to south in the European part, the cereal-legume mesophilic vegetation is replaced by feather grass and feather grass-fescue. The harvest of the consumed mass is 20 - 25 centners per 1 ha. In the Asian part, along with feather grass and fescue, wormwood, sedge and others predominate (the yield of the eaten mass is 10 - 18 quintals per 1 ha). Good spring and autumn pastures for feeding cattle. In the southern steppe, at the transition to the semi-desert, there are estuary meadows used as pastures in dry years (the harvest of the eaten mass is 20 - 40 quintals per 1 ha).

In the semi-desert zone there are wormwood-grass, fescue-chamomile and wormwood-hodgepodge pastures. The first two types of pastures are used primarily for grazing sheep; the third is for grazing sheep and camels in autumn and winter. The yield of the consumed mass is 8 - 10 centners per 1 ha.

In the desert zone there are several types of pastures used for sheep and camels: ephemeral, wormwood-ephemeral, succulent-hodgepodge, wormwood, wormwood-hodgepodge, wormwood-grass, herbaceous-shrub. The yield of the consumed mass is from 2 to 10 quintals per 1 ha.

Mountain pastures in different mountain regions have their own characteristics; What they have in common is the change in the nature of vegetation with altitude. On this basis, pastures in mountainous areas are divided into semi-desert (occupying the foothills and the lowest parts of the mountains), mountain-steppe, meadow-steppe, mountain-forest, subalpine and alpine. The most typical pastures are mountain forest and subalpine. Subalpine meadows also provide hay good quality. The yield of consumed green mass is up to 50 centners per 1 ha.

Cattle are driven to mountain pastures in the spring; first, semi-desert and partially mountain-steppe pastures are used. Later, the herds are moved to the forest-steppe and forest mountain belts and to the subalpine, where the cattle remain until the end of the season; sheep and goats are driven directly to alpine pastures.

On average, the productivity of natural pastures in our country is 13 centners of consumed mass per 1 hectare. The least productive pastures are in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Abroad, natural forage lands are not divided into pastures and hayfields. All natural forage lands are counted as “out-of-arable pastures”, which, depending on the needs of farms, are used for grazing, hay, or a combination. Largest specific gravity such pastures throughout the entire area of ​​agricultural land in Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain, the USA, and Spain.

To increase the productivity of natural pastures, techniques for their proper use are combined with improvement measures. The system of proper use of pastures is pasture rotation - alternating between years grazing livestock, mowing grass and taking care of the grass stand. The pasture rotation system provides for: driven grazing of livestock, fertilizing the grass stand with fertilizers, mowing down uneaten plants, fighting weeds and harmful plants, leaving the grass stand with valuable forage grasses until the seeds fall off (natural insemination), sowing seeds of legumes and cereal grasses to strengthen this group of plants for pastures, retention or drainage of melt water.

Igor Nikolaev

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The correct approach to grazing these animals is the key to their rapid growth and good weight gain, so you need to take this process seriously.

When switching from stall housing to pasture housing for the first time, sheep are released for grazing after lunch and for no more than half an hour. Before lunch, the animals must be fed with hay, and before grazing, they must be given water. In the pasture, you should try not to disturb the animals by frequent movements from one place to another. To reduce pasture trampling, it is best to herd sheep in a deployed formation, for which one sheep shepherd (or shepherdess) goes in front of the flock, and the second (second) goes behind.

At the beginning of the grazing period, one should take into account the fact that succulent spring feeds have a high potassium content.

If its concentration in the animal’s body exceeds the permissible norm, the potassium-sodium balance will be disrupted, and this can lead to convulsions in sheep. To maintain this balance at the desired level, animals should be given loose table salt, which is high in sodium. Portions are measured at the rate of 8 to 10 grams per sheep per day.

You should start grazing sheep as early as possible, from about 5 to 6 in the morning, since at this time it is not so hot and there are fewer harmful insects. Grazing continues until 11 - 12 noon, after which you need to take a break from 12 to 15. At this time, the flock should be driven into the shade or closer to the river for rest, and then grazing can continue until 20-21 pm.

Since the lack of water is tolerated by sheep worse than the lack of food, in the hot summer they need to be watered at least two to three times a day, and in cooler weather autumn time– at least once or twice.

When choosing places for grazing, you should take into account the direction of the wind and the position of the sun so that the sheep do not go against it.

When grazing, you should also avoid feeding grounds rich in tyrsa (feather grass).

If sheep can still eat young feather grass, then at the budding stage it becomes tougher and forms quickly ripening panicles with seeds. This can have a negative impact on animals, since tyrsa seeds have, on the one hand, a long and sharp end and a column, and on the other hand, they have a spiral shape, as a result of which they easily cling to sheep wool and can pierce the skin of an animal. Over time, this causes hair loss at the puncture site and possible purulent inflammation.

The sheep shepherd must ensure that lambs do not feed around gopher holes when grazing, since the ground around them often contains worms or pathogens, which can cause the death of young animals.

Pastures can be divided into three types: soft, flooded meadows and floodplains:

The best pastures for sheep grazing are considered to be those with a high content of timothy and white clover.

Many sheep breeders think that sheep cannot be kept on alfalfa pastures. It should be said that if you follow certain rules, it is quite possible. Such rules include, for example, the following: sheep cannot be grazed on alfalfa either during rain or immediately after it; Also, hungry sheep should not be allowed to eat alfalfa (they should first be fed on natural pastures).

If you want to use alfalfa land for grazing, then you should follow this regime: before grazing on such land, let the sheep go to natural pastures for an hour, then let them go to alfalfa for 10-15 minutes, after which again take the flock to natural grazing for an hour. Then, when the alfalfa in the animals’ stomachs is covered with ordinary grass, you can let the sheep feed on the alfalfa for another half hour. Over the course of one day, such alternation can gradually increase the time for sheep grazing on alfalfa land.

Much more dangerous than alfalfa for sheep is red clover. On such pastures, animals can begin to graze only after the fall has been removed, and only in the second year after sowing, since in the first year this plant contains gosypol, a nerve poison.

In central Russia, one hectare of pasture land can feed two or three sheep for seven months (including haymaking).

Always reserve the best feeding grounds for fattening young animals and grazing breeding stock.

A quick change of diet when switching from winter housing to grazing can cause significant harm to animals, for example, causing bloating, cramps and, in particularly advanced cases, even death of livestock. A lot depends on who herds the sheep. An experienced shepherd organizes sheep grazing in such a way that the animals quickly gain weight and at the same time remain alive and healthy.

About a month before turning sheep out to pasture, veterinary specialists must complete the treatments planned on the farm (diagnostic tests, vaccinations, etc.) and inspect all animals. Weak animals are placed in a special group and the conditions for their keeping and feeding are improved. Shortly before the sheep are driven out, the pasture area is inspected and cleared of debris, dead rodents and wild birds. The collected pollutants are burned.

Places and sources of watering places and watering equipment are put in order, places for day and night resting of sheep, as well as animal runs are outlined.

There should be no puddles, holes or ditches filled with water in the area to prevent sheep from consuming dirty water.

Before herding sheep to pasture, shepherds trim their hooves and trim the hair around their eyes.

Flocks are formed taking into account the age, weight and quality of wool of the sheep.

Sheep are driven out to pastures after the soil has dried thoroughly. In damp areas, sheep with their sharp hooves can trample and completely destroy the grass. At first, until warm weather sets in, the sheep are driven into sheds at night.

With the onset of stable warm weather, the sheep are kept at the base at night.

Sheep spend 5-7 hours eating the daily requirement of pasture, and 12-14 hours on meager pastures. The rest of the day is spent on driving to watering places, chewing food and resting. Therefore, there is no need to keep sheep on pasture around the clock. When sheep stay on grazing around the clock, they severely damage the turf and pollute the grass, which reduces the productivity of pastures and the consumption of vegetation.

The transfer of sheep from winter housing and feeding with dry feed to pasture is carried out gradually, since a sudden change in feed can lead to disruption of the functions of the digestive organs. Liquid feces contaminate the udder of sheep, and when sucking milk from such an udder, lambs get sick. To prevent digestive disorders accompanied by diarrhea, sheep are given a small amount of hay and straw, preferably spring straw, at night and during the daytime rest in the first days of grazing. When animals get used to pasture food, the provision of roughage is stopped.

During the day, the sheep rest on the paddocks, for which they choose a place in the middle of the paddock, preferably on a hill where there is air movement, which ensures thermoregulation in the animals.

Unsystematic grazing of sheep is unprofitable for economic and zoohygienic reasons. With such use of pastures, animals eat only the best grass, while plants are less tasty and weeds remain, multiply and gradually displace the most valuable plants. In addition, unsystematic grazing creates conditions for the spread of helminthic diseases. A significant number of helminthiasis pathogens (their eggs and larvae) isolated by animals during external environment with feces, falls on the grass, into a pond and then is swallowed by healthy animals with food or water.

Most effective way The fight against many helminthic diseases of animals is to regularly change pastures (penned grazing). Usually, animals return to a pasture plot used for 6-7 days in the current grazing season after 3 months, and sometimes only in the next grazing season. During this time, the causative agents of some helminthic diseases die under the influence of sunlight and drying.

Long-term cultivated pastures are divided into paddocks with wire stretched in 8 rows on dug-in, preferably reinforced concrete, pillars. For this purpose, a nylon net with large cells and stakes are also used.

For a farm with 3 thousand queens, for such fences you need to have 1800 m of net and 180 stakes.

Water is supplied to the fenced pens from artesian wells through temporary pipelines into troughs with sides no higher than 35 cm high, usually concrete.

On cultivated pastures, sheep eat 7-7.5 kg of green mass per day (on cereal-legume pastures up to 8.5 kg).

To prevent tympania in sheep, they are grazed for 1/4-2 hours on natural pastures or in areas sown with cereals, and then moved to cereal-legume pastures.

During grazing, sheep must be given salt. It is necessary for regulating mineral metabolism and normal digestion. Salt is placed in shallow troughs (lattices) located on the backside near rest areas and watering places.

In areas where soils and vegetation are poor in microelements, salt as directed veterinary specialists mixed with potassium iodide or cobalt chloride or copper sulfate, or a mixture of these trace elements. To supplement sheep's diets with phosphorus, they are given feed phosphate, a defluorinated precipitate.

Periodically, sheep on pastures are inspected, passing them through the split. Next to the narrow part of the split, a pen is made from shields into which all poorly nourished, lame and weak animals are separated. Such animals are kept in a separate group, treated and fed. To protect against infestation by the Wohlfarth fly and accelerate healing, all wounds in sheep are treated with an emulsion of the drug trichlorometaphos-3 (TCM-3) at a concentration of 0.5% according to the active principle.

The correct use of pasture areas in accordance with their capacity is of great economic and sanitary importance.

Pasture carrying capacity is expressed as the number of sheep that can be fed per hectare during the grazing season.

In the summer, usually by 10-11 a.m., grazing is finished and the sheep are driven to the rear. The shepherds make sure that the sheep do not gather in large groups on the rear, and scatter them into small groups. This promotes air circulation between animals. Sheep huddled together in tighter groups may experience heatstroke. During the hottest period of summer, evening and night grazing of sheep is practiced. After evening grazing, they are allowed to rest on the pasture for 1-2 hours, and then resume grazing until 1-2 a.m. By this time the sheep have eaten and lie down. For the night they are placed at the place where they finished grazing.

When grazing sheep, it should be taken into account that in hot weather animals are more willing to graze if they move against the wind, which cools them, and when they do not go against the sun. In cool and windy weather, sheep are more willing to walk with the wind.

Autumn grazing of flocks of queens from which lambs have been separated and flocks of replacement lambs coincides with preparation for mating or artificial insemination. Timely weaning of lambs (about 2 months in advance), providing breeding flocks and young flocks with good grazing, and in a number of farms feeding animals with concentrated feed at the rate of 200-250 g per head per day help to increase the fatness of animals. They come to hunt more friendly. During artificial insemination, sheep are grazed near a point where pasture areas are left ungrazed in advance.

In spring and autumn, on pastures, sheep are given water after morning grazing and in the afternoon after being driven from their daytime resting areas to evening grazing.

On hot days, animals are given water 2-3 times and at other times - 1-2 times a day.

In summer, cold water from artesian wells and deep wells is poured into watering troughs in advance to warm it up.

When keeping sheep on pasture, the place for watering the animals should be close to the grazing areas, since moving animals over long distances adversely affects their fatness and the condition of the grass stand. The permissible distance that flocks of young animals, dams and ewes can travel to watering places after lambing is 3 km, and for brood flocks with lambs - 2 km. If this distance is greater, then it is more advisable to bring water to the grazing site, especially for queens with lambs.

Watering sheep of brood flocks with lambs at the grazing site helps to increase the milk production of the queens, which affects the safety and growth and development of lambs (V. A. Ali-kaev, 1952).

Sheep should not be given water from stagnant water sources, as such water sources can be contaminated and often contain helminthic pathogens.

Dogs that help herd flocks are regularly examined, since, without being sick themselves, they can be carriers of the causative agent of brucellosis and spread coenurosis. They are periodically dewormed and vaccinated in places where rabies occurs.

For a more rational use of natural pastures, farms plan pasture rotation, that is, they establish an annual sequence of grazing plots, periodically use them for haymaking, and allocate pasture areas for self-seeding of grasses and periodic rest for sheep. In different natural and economic conditions, pasture rotation patterns are different.

If natural feeding grounds for sheep are not enough, cultivated long-term pastures characterized by high grass yields are used. In areas of intensive agriculture and in arid steppe regions, cultivated long-term pastures make it possible to provide sheep with green fodder throughout the entire grazing season. Such pastures are created in place of low-yield natural pastures and hayfields.

If necessary, when preparing a site for cultivated pasture, it is cleared of bushes and stones, hummocks are leveled, and drained. After plowing to a depth depending on the fertility of the soil, the area is sown with a mixture of perennial grass seeds. The range of grass mixtures and agricultural practices are determined by the climate and soil characteristics of the zone.

Pasture areas are fenced with wire fencing. The wire is strengthened on wooden or reinforced concrete pillars 110 cm high, stretched into 8 rows, the distance between which (counting from the ground) is 10, 10, 12, 12, 15, 17, 17 cm. Gates 8 m wide are made in each pen. also electric fences or rare nylon mesh. It is secured to metal pins (stakes) driven into the ground.

On pastures, shelters are made for animals in the form of canopies. Near them are stocks of hay and concentrates. To water sheep, artesian wells and watering areas near them are built in waterless areas.

In areas with large arable lands in the summer, when there is a lack of grazing, sheep are kept in stalls on sites during certain periods. At this time, they are fed from feeders with mown grass from natural hayfields or areas of a green conveyor.

Mothers with lambs are given green mass in the morning. Sheep are given green food in the evening.

After lambing, to increase the fatness of the sheep and prepare them for artificial insemination, green mass is given 3 times a day (at 5-7 o'clock, at 12-13 o'clock and at 18-19 o'clock).

In some zones of the southern regions of the Russian Federation (Kalmykia, North Caucasus) there is the possibility of winter grazing of sheep. During winters with little snow, this possibility is also available in other zones of the country. In the southern regions of the Central Asian republics, year-round grazing of sheep is practiced.

Winter grazing of sheep extends the grazing season to 10-11 months, which makes it possible to save stored feed, helps maintain animal health and reduces the cost of production.

For such grazing, farms must have areas of pasture that are not used in the summer. In the southern regions, on winter pastures grow plants such as fescue, white and black wormwood, wormwood, calophrosma, feather grass, and prutnyak, which are characterized by late vegetation and enter the winter green, and they are richer in carotene than the main food for stall keeping - hay.

Pasture green food in winter contains 1 kg from 0.17 to 0.29 feed units and from 20 to 60 g of digestible protein.

The yield of green mass eaten on winter grazing varies greatly from year to year, and when planning areas for flocks, it is necessary to take into account the state of the grass stand in the current year.

In recent years, snow-retention strips have been made from black saxaul plantings on winter pastures. Such plantings create a unique microclimate for ephemerals and saltworts eaten by sheep, and provide shelter for sheep in strong winds and summer heat.

To shelter sheep at night in the pastures, light buildings such as catons are erected from reeds and weedy vegetation, around which they create reserves of hay and concentrates. Before being sent out for winter grazing, the sheep are given some hay in the morning.

On winter grazing, sheep eat plants covered with frost and snow, and therefore consume less water; therefore, they water the sheep once a day at wells or bring water to the pastures.

In a number of farms, areas near the fields that are not used in the summer are left for winter grazing. They are used for grazing during the day, and at night they drive the sheep into sheds, where they give them a little hay in the morning.

Rational use of winter pastures should be carried out with constant change of sites.

Feeding sheep

Issues of summer feeding of sheep in each farm are decided depending on the level of intensification of feed production. In the area of ​​intensive agriculture, long-term cultivated pastures are mainly used. Practice shows that highly productive cultivated pastures with the construction of permanent fences and watering holes on them are an indispensable integral part large complex mechanized sheep farms. This method of producing green fodder will allow for more efficient use of land.

In areas with plenty of pasture but harsh winters, sheep farmers prefer a stall-pasture system. This system of keeping sheep is characterized by the presence of lightweight premises for sheep - bases - on winter pastures. If the winter is not long and the temperature does not drop below -200C, with strong temperature fluctuations, winds, bases are installed for the sheep, in which the closed part is used only for lambing, or simple sheepfolds with low walls are built.

Winter maintenance largely depends on how the sheep themselves are prepared for it, because sick and undernourished animals do not tolerate the winter period well. Therefore, by the beginning of winter keeping, it is necessary to improve the health of the herd (carry out all medical and preventive checks, trimming hooves, trimming around the eyes, treating possible wounds, breaking up the flock depending on the physiological state and fatness, etc.) and bring the animals to factory fatness. Some of the above-mentioned measures for caring for sheep should be repeated as necessary throughout the winter period.

In winter, most of the day the sheep are kept on the rear near the shed or base. From time to time, the rear and bases are covered with straw, and they are driven into the shed only in snowfall, severe frosts and windy weather. Keeping sheep indoors unnecessarily makes them overly sensitive to cold, dampness, drafts and promotes disease. Therefore, you should look for the slightest opportunities for winter grazing of sheep. In winter, the duration of daily grazing is sharply reduced, and new grazing becomes limited. The sheep are turned out to pasture when it gets warmer and the frost has cleared from the grass, and are returned to roost later. They do not take a break from grazing during the day, but at night they graze not far from the sheepfold for 2-3 hours. At the end of winter, night grazing is especially necessary due to the fact that green grass appears on the pasture. At this time, during daytime grazing, sheep stop eating roughage, preferring green grass, which they cannot get enough of. To force sheep to eat roughage, they are grazed at night, which makes the sheep less picky, and along with greens, they eat grass from last year's growing season. As a rule, sheep should not be grazed during icy conditions, when the wet grass is frosted or frozen, or on days of heavy snowstorms or snowfalls, or on dark, cold nights, especially with strong winds. Sheep are always driven out to pasture against the wind, so that they return with the wind, but it is important to monitor the change in wind direction.

Winter grazing on natural pastures satisfies their needs by approximately 50%, and therefore, without additional feeding, the live weight of sheep can decrease by up to 50%, and with extreme scarcity of pastures, animals can become exhausted and die. Therefore, winter feeding of sheep in addition to grazing is mandatory, which depends on the supply of feed on the pasture, their botanical composition and biological value, weather conditions, quality of grazing, etc. Feeding sheep in addition to grazing begins after it has been established that the sheep are losing weight - due to a lack of pastures (and in addition, the vegetation of winter pastures is poor in protein by 3% or less), and this can be established by weighing control groups of animals (5-8% in each flock).

Are you sure you know how to herd sheep correctly?

With the onset of warm weather, sheep can already be released from their cramped pens, where they have already become fairly bored over the winter. However, do not think that herding sheep is a very simple matter! In order to obtain maximum weight gain, preserve young animals and achieve good productivity, it is necessary to prepare for the organization of pasture maintenance of the flock.

Formation of flocks and separation of lambs from uteruses

When dry and warm weather sets in, lambs with their queens should be released onto pasture close to the sheepfold. First, older and stronger lambs are released, and then weak and small ones. Queens with lambs cannot be driven quickly; long races also quickly exhaust the queens, which leads to a decrease in their milk productivity and underdevelopment of milk. It is necessary to graze the queens and lambs on the best pastures. From 3 weeks of age, when warm nights set in, the queens are left with the lambs in the base overnight. A canopy is provided to shelter the lambs from the rain. It is also necessary to ensure that the queens and lambs always have access to clean water.

In ordinary commercial herds, lambs should be weaned from their dams at the age of 2.5-3 months. In this case, you need to focus not only on the age of the young animals, but also on the fatness of the queens and lambs themselves and the condition of the pastures. Lambs should be culled from breeding dams of fine-fleece, English beef, Romanov and other sheep breeds no earlier than 3-4 months of age.

When forming flocks from killed young animals, it is necessary to separate them. Rams should be separated from lambs, and lambs should also be grouped according to fatness and level of development. Flocks must be homogeneous in terms of the composition of the young and their fatness.

Remember important rule: in order for young animals to develop better, the flock should not be large:

For lambs of fine-wool breeds, it is necessary to assemble a flock of no more than 400-600 heads;

For semi-coarse-haired animals - 500-700 heads;

For coarse-haired animals - 750-1000 heads;

Types of pastures

It is always necessary to take into account the fact that the nutritional value of green forage in different seasons on pastures is not the same. Requirements different groups animals for grazing also differ.

Pastures can be virgin, fallow, mountain, forest and swampy. Sheep also graze through the stubble, but only until the plowing snow rises.

Virgin pastures are used mainly in the spring, when the grass has not yet burned out, or in the fall, when it has turned green again due to precipitation. But fallow pastures are suitable for use in the summer, since they do not burn out as much. Mountain and foothill pastures can also be used in the summer, before the autumn rains.

When distributing pastures, you need to carefully monitor the condition of their vegetation. In dry areas, it is best to primarily use fescue and bluegrass-wormwood pastures. In spring, the vegetation of these pastures is readily eaten by sheep.

Then you can graze the feather grass pastures, but this must be done before the feather grass seeds ripen. If sheep's wool becomes clogged with feather grass seeds, it will be impossible to clean it completely even in production conditions. In addition, the seeds sometimes pierce the skin of animals and, when entering the body of a sheep, cause illness and often death (this is especially true for fine-wool sheep). After feather grass grazing, use weedy, then wheatgrass and other pastures. Lastly, salt marsh grazing.

What to feed sheep

Of course, the best pastures should be reserved for this year's young animals. Also, along with pasture feeding, lambs should be fed with concentrated feed. Breeding rams should receive good pastures near the sheepfold and an additional supplement in the form of concentrates. To maintain the suckling queens, it is necessary to provide, if possible, the most succulent fallow pastures with rich grass stand.

But yearling lambs and lambs, not intended for fattening, can graze on remote and poorer pastures.

Herding sheep

Now let's move from theory to practice. So, everything is ready, the pastures have been identified, the flocks have been divided, the most important thing remains - to bring the sheep to the field.

Remember that before pasture, it is necessary to determine the quality of the grass stand and undergo a mandatory veterinary and sanitary examination. Many pasture lands may be vulnerable to diseases (scabies, brucellosis, anthrax, smallpox, etc.).

Before the start of the sheep grazing season, it is also necessary to trim the animals' hooves, trim the hair around the eyes, on the inner surface of the hind legs, in the anus and udder.

Here are some rules for organizing grazing for sheep:

At the beginning of grazing, you cannot immediately switch from winter to summer housing. At first, sheep need to be fed with hay in the morning and after returning from pasture;

It is undesirable to graze animals damp grass. This reduces the nutritional value of grazing and has a bad effect on the health of sheep, primarily lambs;

The strongest and least valuable groups of sheep should be turned out to pasture first. First the ewes, then the ewes, the rams and lastly the lambs born last year;

Particular attention should be paid to watering sheep. A hot flock cannot be given water immediately. The troughs must be made as long as possible, and the animals must be driven to them in small groups.

Advice!

The corral system for sheep grazing has shown itself to be very successful. In this case, the grazing areas assigned to the flocks must be divided into smaller areas - paddocks. Sheep are grazed in each paddock for no more than 5-6 days and returned to them no earlier than after 3 months. Under no circumstances should you overgraze or trample pastures, remembering that this leads to a decrease in their productivity.

With a driven grazing system, the quality of grass on pastures significantly improves, and by the end of the last paddock, the grass on the first one will have time to grow again, and the sheep can be moved there again.

The use of a pen system brings great benefits to the farm and significantly increases its profitability. With such grazing of pastures, not only does their productivity increase, but the herd is also protected from infection with helminthic diseases.

You can learn more about sheep shearing