I want to rear sheep mainly for meat under stall feeding rather than open grazing. Is it profitable and how do I manage feed and health?
Is stall fed sheep rearing for meat profitable and how to manage it?
BBalasaheb Kale7mo ago · 261 views
7 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓6mo ago
Stall fed or semi stall fed mutton sheep rearing can be profitable where grazing land is shrinking, since fast growing meat breeds fatten well on cut and carry fodder plus some concentrate. Profitability depends on lamb growth rate, low mortality, feed cost and the meat price, so growing your own green fodder and making the most of legume fodders keeps cost down, while balanced concentrate speeds growth. The main running cost is feed in stall feeding, so it suits farmers who can produce fodder cheaply; pure purchased feed narrows the margin. Keep lambs healthy with vaccination against diseases like PPR and ET and regular deworming as advised by a vet, since lamb deaths quickly erase profit. Build a clean, dry raised or well drained shed, buy good breeding stock, and keep records of growth and sales.
DDnyaneshwar Patil6mo ago
Stall feeding works for me because grazing land is gone, but only because I grow my own fodder. Buying all feed kills the margin. Vaccination and deworming keep my lamb losses low.
SSopan Shinde5mo ago
The breed matters a lot for stall feeding, a fast growing meat breed reaches sale weight quicker and eats less in total. I picked a good local meat breed suited to our area and the lambs put on weight well on cut fodder and some concentrate. Time your sales for festival demand for the best price.
VVitthal Jadhav5mo ago
Lamb deaths wiped out my profit in the first year before I got serious about health. Keeping the shed dry and clean, deworming and vaccinating against PPR and ET on the vet's advice, and not crowding them brought my losses right down. Healthy lambs that all reach sale weight is where the money is.
HHanmant Pawar4mo ago
Semi stall feeding worked better for me than full stall feeding, letting them graze the stubble and common land for part of the day and topping up with cut fodder and a little concentrate in the shed. It cut my feed cost without slowing the lambs much. Full stall feeding only pays if you can grow fodder really cheaply.
TTukaram Gaikwad4mo ago
Flush the ewes with slightly better feed before mating and you get more twins, which is where the extra income comes from in meat sheep. My lambing rate improved once I conditioned the ewes properly before the ram went in. Keep records of which ewes raise twins well and breed your replacements from them.
EEknath Shelke3mo ago
Sort your lambs by size and feed the smaller ones a bit separately, otherwise the big ones hog the trough and the small ones lag and reach sale weight late. Clean water always in front of them lifted intake and growth more than I expected. In stall feeding the daily management is what makes or breaks the margin.