Points to be considered in the selection of sheep breed or goat breed:
- It is better to purchase a goat/sheep with 2 dental ages.
- The females should possess a long preferably low set body, roomy hind quarter, well-formed pliable udder, active foraging habit and good mothering instinct.
- The females having poor milking capacity, over short or undershort jaw, broken mouth, blind teat and meaty udder should be disqualified from the breeding programme.
- Wide roomy hind quarter with good space between inner aspects of two thighs gives an indication about future development of udder.
- Male animals should be in good body condition, masculine, legs should be stronger and free from defects.
- Breeding male should show good libido.
- The animal should be having both testicle intact in the scrotum.
- It will be better, if the goats can be purchased from a best farm or from an individual farmer who maintained the goats in a best manner, instead of getting the goats from weekly shandies.
- Females having ability to yield 2 or 3 kids in parturition can be selected.
- Soft and shiny skinned goats should be selected and this indicates the health of the animal.
- Animals with broader back and rump regions will be better. Broad back and rib cages indicates that, goat having better feed intake capacity. Whereas broad rump region indicates better breeding characters.
- The female should have the maternal character of protecting her kid and with better milk feeding abilities.
- The female with well grown, blended udder should be selected.
- The udder should be thoroughly checked for any kind of defects before purchase.
- Breeding ewe of indigenous breeds should be 18to 24 months depending upon their body condition.
- Breeding too young ewes result in more weakling and thus results in higher lamb loss.
- As a guideline, females should be mated only when they reach 70 per cent of the average adult body weight.
- Body weight of an ewe at breeding should normally be less than the adult body weight of that breed.
- The libido of the ram is very important to achieve desirable breeding. Poor libido may result from inadequate feeding, extreme heat stress or ill-health. Courtesy By : Tamilanadu Agriculture University
