Sheep - AgRIS

shirinking due to reclaimation of land for grain production. Utilization of newer unconventional
raw materials which are otherwise going waste can efficitively be used by compounding them
with concentrate mixture at various level and can serve as the maintenance as well as
production ration for sheep. Feed comounding plants should be estiblished to cater the need for
compounded feed for different catergories of sheep.
8.2 Pasture Improvement and management
Pasture is a valuable fodder for sheep as it is cheapest source of proteins, energy, minerals
and vitamins necessary for maintenance and production. Sheep in India are low producers as
they are generally undernourished. The pasMure lands are also poor and meagre and need to be
improved by protecting them from biotic factors, conserving good natural grasses, choosing the
best fodder trees and shrubs, removing non-edible grasses, weeds and shrubs, and reseeding
with nutritious and perrenial grasses and legumes. Natural legumes like Rhynochosia minima
Indigofera endecaphylla and Gribulus terrestris are very useful and should be preserved. The
range and common grazing lands and forest lands should be reseeded with nutritious perennial
grasses like Cenchrus ciliaris setigerus, Lasiurus sindicus and Dichanthium annulanum in arid
and semi-arid plain regions depending upon rainfall and soil conditions. It is also essential that
some perennial legumes like Dolichos lablab (carpet legume), Clitoria tematea (titli matar),
Machoptelium atropurpureum(siratro), Atylosia scarbacoides and Stylosanthes species are
incorporated in the regenerated or reseeded pastures. In sub-humid plains, Sehima nervosum is
a good perennial grass. For temperate and sub-temperate regions, perennial grasses like fescue,
rye grass, kikyu and legumes, like white and red clovers, can be utilized for developing
pastures both in the forest area and orchards as well as mountain areas. Through associated
growth of grass and legumes in the pasture, production of nutritious forages can be in- creased
by 20 to 30 percent over that of grass alone. The legumes, besides being rich in protein content
are more palatable and more digestible. They also enrich the soil by nitrogen fixation and help
in checking soil erosion. During the first year of pasture establish- ment, grazing should not be
allowed but grass and legumes (used as nurse or cover crop or as a pasture vegetation) be
harvested, con- served as hay and fed to be sheep during lean period. During subse- quent years
neither additional sowing nor harvesting will be required. On an average such a pasture may
last for 6 years and will provide 25 to 30 quintals of dry matter/ halyear. Life span of
established 68 pasture can be further extended by 2 to 3 years with adoption of appropriate
renovation techniques oftiller cultivation with 60 kg N and 30 kg P205 per hectre at the start of
monsoon with sufficient moisture. The management of such improved pastures is equally
important. Protection of pasture, removal of undersirable bushes and weeds, soil and water
conservation, application of fertilizers, proper stocking rate and grazing system (rotational or
deferred ro-tational) are very important for getting best out of these pastures. A good Cenchrus
pasture can provide sufficient grazing for 5 sheep per hectare, while a protected range land can
allow only stocking of 2 sheep per hectare. The unprotected range land can hardly support 27g
one sheep per hectare throughout the year.
Rotational grazing by dividing the pasture into 4 equal compartments and allowing
grazing. sequentially should be practiced. This will help the grasses to regenerate and check the
soil erosion caused by overgrazing and allowing various operations to the resting pasture. The
growing lambs may be allowed to graze first followed by pregenant and lactating ewes and dry
stock in the last. This will make the lambs grow faster and avoid picking infections especially
of gastro-intestinal parasites. It will also help the ewes to produce healthy lambs and more milk
to allow good suckling by the lambs in addition to producing more wool and meat. At the time
of field preparation sheep manure @ 10 tons per hectare, reseeding of pasture and top dressing
of inorganic fertilizer @ 30 kg N/ha. at regular intervals should be applied. Controling the grass
pests is also important for maintaining a good pasture. Spraying and dusting with DDT, BHC,
Gemmaxene etc. should be done as and when required. The anirnals should not be allowed to
graze for 2 to 3 weeks after spraying. Timely hoeing and weeding operations will not only
improve the forage yield but will also help in checking the growth of undesired bushes, grasses
and weeds, and prevent worm infestations. If cattle, sheep and goats are to graze on the same
pasture, it will be desirable to allow goats first followed by cattle and sheep.
Pature improvementProgrammes
The fodder trees serve as a potential source of feed for sheep during December to June
when the grazing resource becomes scarce. The common fodder trees of arid and semi-arid
438