Preparing sheep and goat pens
Sheltering sheep and goats is one of the important elements that affect the production process under all production systems, especially at the level of intensive breeding. The main purpose of sheltering is to provide the appropriate environment that puts the animal in the range of comfort so that it has the possibility of losing heat by natural methods (conduction, pregnancy and radiation).
 |
| sheep and goat pens |
The design of the building depends on providing appropriate environmental conditions for each species and for each age or productivity stage due to the difference in the physiological condition of the animal in these stages and the extent to which the animal is affected by one of the elements of the environment or climatic conditions in the region. For example, in young animals (newly born), young goats need a longer period of care than Sheep are born because goats are affected by lower temperatures than sheep, although all young animals are affected by the cold. Therefore, the physiological condition of the animals must be taken into account when designing buildings. It is important that the environmental conditions inside the building be commensurate with the physiological condition of the animals to be raised in it or to reach the appropriate temperature for each case. For example, in newborn sheep, the optimum temperature ranges from 29 to 30 degrees Celsius, while ewes -2 to 20, and in goats - from 20 to 30 degrees.
The minimum temperature is affected by the thickness of the wool cover and the nutritional status of the animal. It was found that when feeding on a preservative diet for adult sheep with a thickness of wool of 5 SAR cm, the temperature was 25 C. For the same sheep, when full, it was 18 C. When fasting, it was 31 C. When the thickness of the cover increased to 10 cm, and feeding on a preservative diet, it was Minimum temperature -3 Hence the importance of taking into account the physiological condition of the animal so that the appropriate design can be provided at the lowest costs, taking into account that sheep and goats are animals raised on pastures mainly and do not need buildings with high costs.
Objectives of sheltering sheep and goats
• Provide the appropriate temperature by relieving the burdens of high or low temperature.
• Control the increase in the food eaten to increase production.
• Protect workers and make working conditions appropriate.
• Protection and protection of animals from diseases, insects and parasites.
• Protecting animals from theft and predation.
• Protect the land planted with crops for the farm owner and neighbors.
Sheep and goat housing patterns
• A breeding pen inside the house, and this type is usually small or medium, and the mattress is made of soil or cement, and it has a mattress of rice straw - sawdust.
• Sheds separated from the house, which are either closed or half-open.
• Sheds for large herds, which have special designs that differ according to the size of the farm and its productive purpose.
What is taken into consideration when designing sheep and goat pens?
• The building meets the health conditions for sheep, and it is preferable that it be isolated from the breeder's residence.
• The area of the building should be sufficient for the animals and their production and provide them with complete comfort.
• It achieves ease of service, whether milk, feeding or hygiene.
• Grazing places, water sources, roads and transportation must be taken into consideration.
• In hot areas, the design of the barn must allow the entry of sunlight to provide light and disinfection from it, by placing the barn in the appropriate direction and using the appropriate design.
General considerations that must be taken into account when constructing sheep and goat pens
Ventilation and lighting
During breathing and digestion, the animal emits many gases, and the barns emit gases and odors that must be disposed of by means of ventilation by various natural methods. Mechanical methods should not be used in sheep farms, because their presence is evidence of lack of reconciliation in the design of the building and the direction. Therefore, the appropriate spaces for windows and their openings, which provide an appropriate amount of lighting and ventilation, must be taken into account. If the lighting is not sufficient, artificial lighting can be used.
And if you entered the barn and smelled the smell of ammonia or ammonia resulting from the fermentation of urine and dung, then this is very clear evidence of poor ventilation in this barn because a person smells at the level of the nose, which is usually at a height of one and a half meters on average. As for sheep or goats, they breathe at the level of half a meter. On average, it is known that the density of these gases is greater than air. Therefore, the concentration of gas at the animal level is double the concentration at the human level. To feel the true level of gas, I sit on the floor of the barn. These gases affect the respiratory system and cause respiratory problems for animals, which affects the production process.
Barn space and future expansions
This is controlled by the size of the herd to be raised and the purpose of breeding. The breeding herds need a larger number of barns and their accessories than the fattening herds, and the ease of expansion and modification must be taken into account in the design.
Many factors control the shape and pattern of sheep and goat pens, the most important of which are the agricultural situation, the nature of land exploitation, then the size of the capital in the project, the extent of continuity, and the environmental and climatic conditions in the region.
With regard to the agricultural situation, it determines the type and size of the project. In areas with dense cultivation, large fixed barns or integrated facilities are erected. In non-intensive areas (pastures), the barn buildings do not represent high costs and are commensurate with the duration of the herd’s stay in the area. In the best case, they do not exceed a fence and an umbrella. Rather, according to many Bedouins, the fence consists of a network of ropes tied to a few wooden poles that take the form of a square or rectangle, which is placed inside the herd when they sleep.
As for capital, in the case of large projects, you need special equipment, such as building a separate building such as a clinic for treatment, a large size (place) of stores, a bathtub, and … succession. As for the environmental conditions, it is one of the most important factors that determine the shape and design of the barn, as it is commensurate with these conditions. Rainy areas need building materials that resist moisture in the first place.
Types of sheep and goat sheds
Canopy sheds
It is a courtyard in the shape of a rectangle or a square, and in the middle there is a raised canopy, columns made of reinforced concrete, bricks or wood, and the roof can be either a truss or a half-truss covered with wood or asbestos. A distance of not less than 35 cm that allows the passage of atmospheric air. The purpose of all this is to protect the animals from the large thermal radiation emitted by the sheet. This model turns the barn into a source of stress instead of comfort. Feeders, feeders, and drinking basins are placed under the umbrellas. This type is usually used in reclamation areas and in research stations. The yards are divided into units 8 by 8 meters that can accommodate 30:50 heads. The yards have a wall with a height of 1.2: 1.5 meters and it has one door. A canopy may be built for each yard, or it may be built. A large canopy for the yard group, and this system is one of the good systems for sheltering sheep and goats, especially if the construction costs are low.
The sheds are half shaded
It is like the first type, but part of it is shaded and the other is exposed, and the width of the shaded part reaches 3:4 meters. The length of the yard varies according to the size of the herd. Usually, the length used in most farms is 20 meters. It is very important in these barns to lay the floor, as the floor of the shaded part must be higher. From the exposed part with an appropriate degree of inclination so that rain water does not collect and mix with urine and dung and be a source of pollution in the barn, especially insects. The water must collect in the exposed part until it dries up due to the sun's rays and air currents. When constructing, the longitudinal sector of the barn must be from east to west so that the sun enters the barn for the longest possible period, and the height of the walls is not less than 3 meters and the fence is less than 1.5 meters.
And we advise not to waste extravagant costs when establishing such a type of barns, as the main purpose is to provide shade for the animals, and in many areas in Egypt it works from palm trunks or tree stems (columns) and from palm leaves or corn stalks or reed plants. It is noted that this (trellis) is Convenient for animals because they do not absorb heat, and the materials from which poor heat-conducting materials are built are better than concrete. Feeders, troughs, and drinking troughs are placed under the canopy, and they are very suitable for fattening projects that take place in newly reclaimed lands or the outskirts of the desert. As for research stations, they are the best system if the roof is Of wood and columns of iron, especially under the conditions of hot regions.
closed barns
These barns are built in very cold areas and areas with high rainfall. They are usually built of reinforced concrete, closed barns, and have integrated facilities. They may be built as barns for childbirth and incubation of lambs, or as a clinic in large farms.
The following should be taken into account when designing the barn:
• Provide adequate space for sheep or goats in the barn and feeders, while preserving the safety of animals from weather fluctuations and away from dirt and harmful substances.
• Organizing the status of buildings and stores so that the work can be performed quickly and easily, while providing a good source of clean drinking water, along with choosing the appropriate place for the drinking basin, preferably in the middle of the farm.
The levelness of the land of the barn and its inclination to one of the sides so that the rain water is disposed of, if any, taking into account that the trunnions and wells for sedimentation and the storage places of the silage or used bedding are placed in the tribal side with the speed of disposal. and diseases.
• The management offices are located on the sea side, and the sick animals are isolated at the end of the farm so that the wind does not transmit the infection, if any.
• The design must be appropriate to the climatic conditions in the region.
Sheep and goat supplies
Feeding feeders
The sheep's food must be placed in a clean place so that it is easy to eat without being contaminated with dust and foreign materials, and so that the sheep do not trample it while eating. length of the barn
Each load is allocated 40 cm, or the feeders are made of wood in a long way, so that each of them can accommodate 10-15 loads on each side. There is also a type of galvanized sheet feeder, through which food can be provided in measured quantities for different ages of lambs.
There is also another type of feeder to place alfalfa or hay and rice straw, and these have side openings to facilitate feeding through them.
drinking troughs
Its width is 60 cm at most, and its length varies according to the size of the herd. It is lined with cement and connected to a source of running water. It also has a sink for drainage, and it is built in the middle of the barn or in one of the sides. This basin is usually built under a canopy to prevent the water from rising in direct sunlight and is far from the feeders to prevent contamination of the water with fodder materials. It is also possible to pave a suitable area around the drinking basin so that the area around the basin remains dry. Drinking water pipes are usually placed at a depth of 25 cm from the surface of the earth so that the water in them remains cold and away from exposure to the heat of the sun.
It is taken into account that slaked lime is placed in the drinking trough (or lined with faience), especially during the availability of green pasture, to be an antiseptic and astringent against the occurrence of diarrhea, as it is a source of calcium.
plunge pool
It is built of red brick or reinforced concrete. The width of the immersion basins is 50-60 cm at the top surface and 25-30 cm at the bottom, and the depth is about 1.25 m. The edge of the basin should be 45 cm above the ground and for a distance of 60 cm in order to facilitate the lowering of the animals into the basin. The other end of the exit is gradually raised from the bottom for a distance of 1.5-2.5 m. Transverse slats of construction or wood are fixed on its floor to facilitate the ascent of the sheep and allow the solution to return. Falls from them to the basin and that during its exit.
There are three types of immersion basins
• It has a short basin suitable for herds whose numbers are less than 1000 head.
• It has a long, deeper and longer basin than before.
• It has a circular basin and is used for large herds of more than 1000 head.
Wool mowing umbrella
And it is built if the size of the herd is large, provided that this canopy contains rooms for sweating the sheep, which is an uncovered barn or a walled place only - in which the sheep are kept close together before shearing them, in order to encourage the secretion of the sweat glands from the skin of the sheep through body temperature, which It is easy to soften the fatty materials of wool to help facilitate shearing, followed by waiting rooms for sheep before shearing them, then a clean place with a cement floor to carry out the shearing process, and it may contain a place to hold the lambs in case they are with their mothers.
Feed stores
Its area varies according to the size of the herd and is generally divided into sections according to the type of feed (packed or not). As for hay, hay and hay, they are stored outside this warehouse under a canopy, preferably in bales. Covers such as tarpaulin, plastic or nylon can be used to cover any of the fodder materials or any of the tools, feeders and barriers of the herd in case they are distorted and there is no place for them in the barn stores.
Isolate sick animals
Its dimensions can be 5 x 5 m, and the side is located in the tribal side of the building. A separate barn or canopy is used as an isolation for the purchased animals before adding them to the herd until they are confirmed to be safe and free from diseases.
Post a Comment