About us
The company sees an opportunity in the sector of Small Ruminants for Valuable meat production, utilizing the agriculture farming as base for Fodder production. Sheep meat is the preferred Animal Protein produced from vegetative matter and crop residues. Most of the meat production now is done by small farmers as a subsidiary activity by grazing the sheep in the farm land. There is no improvement in the productivity of this sheep because there is no selection of animals and the flocks undergo inbreeding. The company has selected three breeds, with good meat production potential and decided to breed them under semi intensive farming with pedigree breeding as a tool for selection.
Nellore Jodipi
A tall & long, white animal with black spots on the face and abdomen. The seed stock is sourced in the areas around Chintaldevi, Nellore Dist. where this breed is being encouraged in the pure form.
Nellore Brown
A sturdy sheep variety with different shades of brown. Widely reared by farmers around Nandyal and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh. This variety has undergone natural selection under the sun & rain for decades. The meat is considered to be superior in the Deccan tract of India.
Rambullet
Rambullet imported in to india from Australia many years ago produces medium texture wool and is also fast growing
THE AIM
The aim of the SHEEP MRF Breeding project is to improve the growth of Pure Bred Nellore Jodipi, Nellore Brown and Rambullet by selecting the best animals from a sizeable population with the help of pedigree data. 60 Pedigree mating pens are constructed, each one to house one Ram and 10 Eves. Each animal is identified with an ear tag. The weights of every animal are recorded every fortnight to know the health status. All animals are vaccinated and dewormed as per schedule. The health of the animals is monitored on a regular basis by taking he help of the laboratories outside. The lambs born are ear tagged and the pedigree information and the growth data of each animal is carefully maintained. The best female and male sheep will be selected basing on the early growth. The farmers buying the animals for meat production from Mandakini Research Farms Pvt.Ltd. can sell Sheep few days earlier and save the feed and effort.
The company will maintain the best animals for breeding under strict biosecurity and health management. A larger size multiplication flock is planned for production of more number of lambs. Technologies like heat synchronization, artificial insemination and surrogate mothering will be adapted to produce many lambs at a time so that similar age lambs can be supplied in bigger lots.
The multiplication flock may include breeding our females with heavier male lines like Dorper sheep or the semen imported either as whole semen or sexed semen to produce mostly male lambs which will reach market weight faster.
The parents and the lambs born as twins will be screened for the presence of fecundity genes. Basing on the prevalence, the ruminants with BB++ will be polarized with an aim to improve the reproductive performance through more twin births. The company may bring in the known genotypes available in the country for reference in to this project for improvement of fecundity.
FACILITES AND PLANS
The company built physical facilities in the form of 60 breeding pens where 600 females are housed along with 60 males as separate families and the data of fortnightly weights are kept on a regular basis. The identification of fecundity genes will be outsourced initially and will be ultimately taken up at the inhouse lab. The sheep will be stall fed with green and dry fodder supplemented with compounded feed. An additional 50 lambing pens are provided to accommodate the newly delivered eves and their lambs where the lambs will get regular attention during the early days of life and creep feed for early growth.
The company will have two premises outside the main breeding farm to maintain larger flock of multiplication stock to produce many lambs at a time.
The company has additional 20acres of Agriculture land for fodder production. Hybrid Napier, Para grass, Sweet Potato, Hedge Leucern, Maize are grown as fodder. The company may go for silage production in flush season and preserve the same for dry seasons. large quantity of Dry fodder like Ground nut peels and Maize will be stocked during the season.
TECHNICAL DATA
The lambs born weigh around 3 to 4.0Kg at birth and reach 12kg weight in 45days. Partial weaning is started by moving the mothers and lambs in to a bigger pen where the lambs are segregated during the day for another 30days. The mothers will be with the Rams where mating is possible. The best lambs are selected AT 75 to 90days for breeding and the culled lambs are either sold or reared for meat at other premises. The lambs are vaccinated for PPR, Entero Toxemia, Blue Tongue, Foot & Mouth, Sheep Pox etc. while they are in the process of weaning. The lambs selected for further breeding are grown under the breeder feed regime. They will be in the breeding pens and stipulated males will be introduced at 10 months of age. The adult animals are vaccinated once anyear with all the vaccines. Some adult animals are culled basing on the performance of the lambs.
MEDICATION – The farm is following the best possible Biosecurity practices like no introduction of outside animals, no entry to casual visitors, specific workers living inside the campus. Dedicated vehicles and man power to supply the fodder are housed within the premises. Regular deworming on monthly basis is done through mass watering system. Individual animals diagnosed for injuries, accidents and other problems are treated promptly as per the need.
BREEDING POLICY
Future Breeding policy is to maintain pure bred animals and improve them for weight gain by selection. 600 +60 animals will be maintained at the main breeding farm. The excess selected healthy grower animals will be sold to prospective breeding groups. Large groups of females will be maintained as Parent flocks at two places owned by the company. We may consider importing semen of faster growing sheep like Dorper and if possible sexed semen with which only male lambs can be produced. Nellore Brown & Jodipi females will be used for this purpose. This will add value for growers for meat (Ram Lamb Rearing.)
VACCINATION ADAPTED
PPR – 60DAYS
ENTEROTOXEMIA – 67DAYS
SHEEP POX – 74DAYS
BLUE TONGUE -81DAYS
FOOT & MOUTH DISEASE – 88DAYS
HAEMORAGIC SEPTICEMIA (H.S) – 85DAYS
ANTHRAX – 92 DAYS
Adult animals – all vaccines once an year.