Housing Management
- Sheep do not require elaborate housing facilities but minimum provisions will definitely increase
productivity, especially protection against inclement weather conditions (sun, rain and winds) and predation.
- Shed could be built along the wall of the house. Further, protection could be provided with gunny bags or
temporary of removable protections made of thatching material and bamboos.
- The roof of the shed should be made of the asbestos sheet supported by tubular or angular steel, but wooden
rafters and thatching material could also be used.
- Exotics should be provided 0.9-1.1 m2 and native and crossbred sheep 0.8-0.9 m2 space per head. Shed measuring
18 m x 6 m can accommodate about 120 sheep.
- A chain link fencing or thorny bush enclosure of 12 m x 6 m can be provided for night paddocking of sheep on
each side of the shed.
General considerations for sheep and goat housing
- Provision of simple shed with low cost housing materials is enough for sheep for its optimum production
efficiency.
- Sheds with mud floor are suitable for most of parts of the country except where high rainfall is observed.
- The sheds should be constructed in an elevated area to prevent water stagnation.
- Clean drinking water should be made available
- Sheds should be constructed with proper ventilation.
- Walls of the shed should be free from cracks or holes, while constructing.
- Floors of the shed should be firm and should have the capacity to absorb water. The floors should be
constructed in such a way, so that it should be easily cleaned.
- Types of sheds depend on the system of rearing.
- Open type housing with a covered area and run space is generally enough.
- The run space should be covered by chain links.
- The covered area is used for shelter of animals during night and adverse climatic conditions.
- For a comfortable house, east-west orientation with generous provision for ventilation /air movement to dry
the floor will be suitable.
- Thatched roof is best suited due to cheaper cost and durability.
- Corrugated asbestos sheets can also be used for organized farms to minimize the recurring costs and to have
longer durability.
- Gable roofing is generally preferred.
- When the animals are taken for grazing during the day time and sheltered only during night, the covered space
will be enough.
- When the animals are housed intensively, the pen and run system of housing is suitable.
- There is no restriction for the length of the shelter, however breadth of shed should not exceed 12 meter and
optimum breadth of shelter is 8 meter.
- Height of ewe should be 2.5 meter and height at ridge should be 3.5 meter.
- The height of chain link used for open space should be 4 feet. The length of the overhang should be 75cm – 1
meter.
- Separate feeders and water troughs should be placed for concentrate feeds, green fodders and water.
Different sheds in an organized sheep and goat farm
The sheds of the following types are required for housing the animals,
- General flock shed (Ewe shed)
- Ram shed
- Lambing shed
- Lamb shed
- Sick animal shed
- Attendant's room
General flock shed (Ewe shed)
- Rams kept for breeding purpose are housed individually in these sheds. Alternatively, wooden partitions can be
raised in bigger shed to partition into stalls.
- The dimension is of 4m (l) ×2.5m (w) ×3m (h) and can accommodate about 3 rams
- The shed shall be partitioned lengthwise to form three equal compartments.
- The partition between each shed should not exceed one metre.
- The partitions shall be not more than one metre high from the floor and may be made of wooden planks or rod
Lambing shed
- These sheds shall be used as maternity rooms for pregnant ewe and are housed individually in these sheds.
- The shed shall be 1.5m(l)×1.2m(w)×3.0m(h), a manger for holding feed and hay and a bucket for keeping water
shall be provided in the shed.
- These sheds shall be made draught free.
- In cold climates some warming device, like a room heater shall be fixed in maternity pens, so that new borns
are protected from cold during winter.
Lamb shed
- Lambs from weaning upto attaining maturity are housed in these sheds at the rate of about 25 animals per shed.
- By making suitable partitions in a larger shed, unweaned, weaned but immature and nearby maturity lambs can be
housed separately.
- On larger farms however, three separate sheds may be constructed to house three categories of kids or lambs.
- The shed shall be with a dimension of 7.5m (l) ×4m (w) ×3m (h) to accommodate not more than 75 animals.
- The shed shall be partitioned breadth wise dividing into two compartments. The compartments having dimension
of 5m (l) ×4m (w) ×3m (h) shall be used to keep the unweaned animals and other compartment with dimension of
2.5m(l)×4m(w) x3m(h) shall be used for keeping the weaned animals.
Sick animal shed
- There shall be a sick animal shed for segregating ailing and disabled animals.
- Away from the other sheds one or more sick animal sheds may be constructed with a dimension of 3m (l) ×2m (w)
× 3 m (h).
- The lower half of the door may be made of wooden planks and the upper half of wire-netting.
- There may also be a window of 0.7 m broad and 1.2 m high with a wire net covering.
Shearing and storeroom
- The shearing and storeroom consist of two compartments with a dividing wall.
- One room may be exclusively meant for storing wool and shearing equipment and the other for keeping feed and
medicines.
- The other room used for shearing may be 6m (l) x 2.5m (w) x 3m (h).
- There shall be a door one metre wide and two metres high in front side of the room.
- The door leaf may be made of wooden battens. It may also have two windows, one on each side of the long sides
of the room.
- This room should have clean smooth floors and walls lined with glazed tiles upto a height of one and half
metre.
- The room should be made damp and dust proof.
- There shall be three windows on three sides.
Attendant's room
- The shepherd's house meant for caretaker shall be located at a convenient place in the yard.
- The house may be 6m (l) X 4m (w) X 3 m (h). There shall be a door of one metre wide and two metres high on the
long side of the shed facing the passage of the yard.
- The door leaf may be of wooden planks. There may be four windows; one of these facing the passage of the yard
and the other three facing outside.
- Each window may be 0.7 m broad and 1.2 m high and covered with wire netting.
Dipping Tank
- To protect the animals from infection, a dipping tank may be made either of galvanized steel sheets or
constructed of stone or brick in cement mortar, whichever is likely to prove economical, according to local
conditions.
- If a galvanized steel tank is used, it shall be well bedded down and the soil rammed tight against it to
prevent the sides of the bath from bulging when it is filled.
- If the base of the soil is unstable, the tank may be bedded in cement concrete.
- The dipping tank may be at one side of the yard.
Footbath
- A footbath made of galvanized steel sheets or brick in cement mortar shall be provided at the entrance to the
yard to protect the animals from foot-rot disease.
- These baths may be embedded in the soil suitably.
Different systems of Sheep rearing
1. Extensive System
- Grazing the sheep in the entire pasture and leaving them there for the whole season is the extensive system of
rearing.
- In this method, feed cost is very much reduced.
- It is not conducive to make the best use of the whole grasses. So, preferably rotational grazing method
practice can be followed.
Rotational grazing method
- Rotational grazing should be practiced under which the pasture land should be divided by temporary fences into
several sections.
- The animals are then moved from one section to another section. By the time the entire pasture is grazed, the
first section will have sufficient grass cover to provide second grazing.
- Parasitic infestations can be controlled to a great extent.
- Further, it helps to provide quality fodder for most part of the year.
- Under this system, it is advisable to graze the lambs first on a section and then bring in ewes to finish up
the feed left by the lambs.
2. Semi-intensive system
- Semi-intensive system of sheep production is an intermediate compromise between extensive and intensive system
followed in some flocks having limited grazing.
- It involves extensive management but usually with controlled grazing of fenced pasture.
- It consists of provision of stall feeding, shelter at night under shed and 3 to 5 hour daily grazing and
browsing on pasture and range.
- In this method, the feed cost is somewhat increased.
This system has the advantage of
- Meeting the nutrient requirement both from grazing and stall feeding.
- Managing medium to large flock of 50 to 350 heads and above.
- Utilizing cultivated forage during lean period.
- Harvesting good crop of kids both for meat and milk.
- Making a profitable gain due to less labour input.
3. Intensive system-(zero grazing-system)
- It is a system in which sheep are continuously kept under housing in confinement with limited access in which
they are stall fed.
- Intensive operation of medium sized herd of 50 to 250 heads or more can be followed
- It merits exploitation of the system of feeding agro-industrial by products as on fodder grass.
- This system of management requires more labour and high cash input.
- This has the advantage of close supervision and control over the animals.
- In this method, the dung is collected in one place and used as a good fertilizer.
- Less space is sufficient for more number of animals.
