Sheep - AgRIS

land and they depend on the forest areas in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for the grazing of
their sheep. Maintaining sheep on migration through most part ofthe year does not permit the
sheep owners to obtain adequate income from their flocks. With such a system of constant
movement of sheep over long distances with uncertain grazing and stock watering facilities, the
sheep owners are unable to adopt scientific methods of breeding for genetic improve ment of
stock. Shearing of sheep in distant places and sale of wool at far away markets do not give them
any chance for organised collection, processing and marketing of wool and the sheep breeders
are unable to bargain for a remunerative price. These difficulties could be alleviated if the State
Animal Husbandry/Sheep and Wool Departments set up service centres on the migration
routes.
In the north temperate region sheep are grazed on alpine pastures during most ofthe
summer months; in autumn and winter seasons, they are grazed on harvested fields in the lower
ranges of the hills and reserve forests. Usually 7 to 8 hours of grazing is practised in a day.
However, grazing in winter does not meet the nutritional requirement especially for the animals
in advanced pregnancy. This reduces lambing percentage and results in poor lamb survival and
growth due to low mothering ability. Serious efforts are, therefore, called for in improving
grazing/fodder resources during the winter. This is possible through raising a short term fodder
crop after rice. It is estimated that even at present about 13 per cent of the flocks are hand fed
on some grains, conserved fodder or green leaves during winter. In the north western region,
sheep are grazed on uncultivated lands during monsoon months. During post-monsoon Deriod
when kharif crops are harvested, they are grazed on stubbles. In November and December nonmigratory
flocks are mostly grazed on uncultivated lands, whereas migratory flocks are grazed
on har vested fields and in reserve forests on their migration routes. Top feeding by lopping tree
branches and the feeding of pods are common. During extreme summer months, the flocks are
grazed in the cool hours of the day and rested during the noon hours. In the peninsular region,
there is hardly any migration of flocks. The flock size in this region is generally small and the
sheep are mostly grazed on stubbles in the harvested fields or in forest or hilly areas. The sheep
have thus to subsist at present mostly on stubble, tree loppings and grasses in denuded lands all
over the country except in northern hill region where during summer they graze on relatively
better pastures in the alpine region. Almost no attention has so far been paid to improve
grasslands and to make provision for supply of drinking water to the flocks.
9.3.2 Rotational Grazing
The fodder crops should be included in the grain or commercial crop rotation programme.
The practice of keeping the lands fallow for wheat, paddy, gram etc. should be discontinued
and fodder crops like sorghum, pearlmillet, cowpea and clusterbean should be introudced in
kharif in the rotation. The fodder crops should also be sown with grain or commercial crops in
such a way that they do not affect the production of grains. Alongwith sorghum and pearlmillet,
the legumes like cowpea, dolichos, clusterbean, clitoria, black-gram and green gram, may very
easily be grown as companion crops. the legumes will not only provide nutritious fodder for
sheep without adversely affecting the grain yield but will also improve the soil fertility through
nitrogen fixation which in turn will be available to the grain crop. It is essential that the
programme of feeds and fodder development should provide for the production and
multiplication of seeds and planting materials of recommended fodder crops.
9.3.3 Silvipasture Grazing
Establishment of silvipasture improves quality of nutrient available ensuring its supply
round the year. Experiment conducted at CSWRI has indicated that the hoggets are able to
achieve 30 kg at yearling age whereas under grazing on natural pastures with some
supplementaion with grass and cultivated fodder hay it was 25 kg. Similar studies conducted on
ewes in advance stage of gestation and lactation indicated that pasture intake was not adequate
for them requiring supplementation to harvest desirable production traits. Another study with
weaner lambs and kids on three and two tier silvipasture indicated that lambs and kids were
able to achieve 22.0 kg body weight at 6 months of age without concentrate supplementation.
Silvipasture
The fodder trees serve as a potential source of feed for sheep during December to June
when the grazing resource becomes sparce. The common fodder trees of arid and semi-arid
regions are ardu (Ailanthus excelsa), arjun ( Terminalia ariuna), babool (Acaciaarabica
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