Without improving the productivity of sheep and goats, it is impossible to increase the profitability of a farm or agricultural enterprise. To do this, they use grading of sheep and goats, that is, a comprehensive examination for various characteristics, after which they are divided into several groups. The procedure is carried out annually in order to select optimal housing conditions and diet, select the most valuable specimens of animals, and select the best rams for the herd.
Sheep grading means
The process of comprehensive individual assessment of animal performance with subsequent classification, for the purpose of further use in breeding, and the creation of a rational, useful production technology is called sheep grading.
This is an important process in agricultural production, since the breeding value of the flock is determined by the professionalism of the boniter. The procedure is usually used for fine and semi-fine wool stock, after which the sheep are divided into classes.
Purposes of classification:
- select productive rams for mating;
- correctly organize the process of keeping and feeding animals, creating the best conditions for the most valuable groups;
- divide sheep into classes based on useful productive traits.
Important! When examining livestock, close attention is paid to the area in which the farm specializes. In the fine-fleece direction, valuable sheep are distinguished for wool production, in the smushkovo direction, the smushkovo direction is distinguished, and in the sheepskin direction, the sheepskin direction is distinguished.
Varieties
The appraisal procedure is carried out individually or in groups (classes). Individual is a procedure applied to breeding rams for further mating. The results are recorded in a journal and a personalized breeding card of an individual animal.
Individual examinations are carried out by livestock specialists of farms and breeding farms in order to identify animals that:
- grown for transfer to third-party farms;
- intended for “repair” of their own livestock;
- come from those rams that are tested for their offspring.
Sometimes the examination takes into account such qualities of animals as breed, productivity, and constitutional features.In this case, each head is assigned to the corresponding grading class without entering information or assessments into the journal. This is called class (group) grading.
Rules
Mandatory valuation, which is carried out once for each animal, determines its further use. The procedure is mandatory for the age when expert assessment is already possible:
- 8 or 9 months is the age of grading sheep for fur production;
- 1 year – examination of fine-fleece and semi-fine-fleece livestock, carried out in the spring, before the start of the first shearing;
- 18 months – group assessment of a non-specialized meat and fat herd, carried out in the fall, precedes mating.
The breeding part of the livestock begins to be graded even earlier in order to track the development path of the sheep, classify them for fattening and breeding use.
Thus, when weaned from their uterus, three-month-old lambs are assessed by development, live weight, and at five months, before the first shearing, by the quality of their wool.
Further care of the animal
After the grading process, the animals are carefully monitored. Monitoring the development, growth of animals, their behavior and relationships within the herd is the responsibility of farm specialists: boniters, livestock specialists, and breeders. It is important to provide sheep with quality fattening and health care.
Important! Results, deviations from the norm, speed of development, and other indicators of animal husbandry are entered into a special journal for better tracking.
Sheep grading is considered a complex but necessary process in farming, since it simplifies the breeding of animals, and also, through classification, makes it possible to cover all areas of sheep breeding.
