Sheep
Ovis aries
Comfortable at
10°C to 28°C
Space per animal
1.5 m² of housing
First sale or produce
240 to 365 days
Conditions
What it needs
Heat stress
Above a heat-and-humidity index of 82, expect the animals to go off feed and production to drop.
Soil
Not soil dependent. Grazers rather than browsers, so they need grass where goats would manage on scrub.
Feed and water
Grazers, which makes them a poor substitute for goats on bush land and a better one on grassland. Dry-season feed and reliable water decide whether lambs survive.
What you will need
Tick what you already have; Grow carries the rest into the cost working.
Grow holds no supplier listings and no local prices, so it cannot tell you where to buy these or what they cost near you. Ask at your nearest agrodealer or extension office, then put those figures into the planner.
Through the season
Stages
- 01
Preparation
30 days- Build secure housing
- Plan grazing rotation
- Source healthy stock
- 02
Breeding
30 days- Introduce the ram
- Record mating dates
- 03
Gestation
150 days- Improve feed in late pregnancy
- Vaccinate as advised
- 04
Lambing and rearing
90 days- Supervise lambing
- Ensure lambs get colostrum
- Deworm as advised
- 05
Growing to market
180 days- Monitor weight
- Manage parasites
- Plan sales around demand
Watch for
Common problems
Peste des petits ruminants (PPR)
- What you will see
- Fever, discharge from eyes and nose, mouth sores, diarrhoea, rapid deaths.
- What to do
- Vaccination is the only reliable protection. Report suspected outbreaks — this is notifiable in many countries.
Internal parasites
- What you will see
- Poor condition despite feed, pale gums, bottle jaw, scouring.
- What to do
- Worse in sheep than goats on wet grazing. Rotate pasture, deworm strategically rather than by the calendar, and ask a vet which product still works locally.
Foot rot
- What you will see
- Lameness, a foul smell, and separation between hoof and sole.
- What to do
- Trim and treat under veterinary guidance, move off wet ground, and keep the housing dry.
Follow the label for doses, and ask an extension officer or vet before using a chemical you have not used before.