When choosing sheep breeding as a business, be aware that you have chosen one of the most suitable agricultural activities for a novice entrepreneur. Sheep are considered quite unpretentious animals.
Their meat, milk and wool are highly valued by consumers. Today we will consider in detail how the organization of sheep breeding occurs.
general information
Statistics show that food demand is increasing every year. About 8.5 million tons of mutton is consumed annually in the world. Despite this, the development of sheep breeding in Russia is in a deep crisis. This fact is confirmed by the data that the number of livestock is rapidly declining. In our country, about 9 million sheep are owned by private households, 4.4 million are owned by agricultural enterprises, and only 1 million by farms.
The first steps
When choosing sheep breeding as a business, a new company should be registered in the form of a peasant-farm enterprise. Peasant farm is a community of people engaged in joint activities for the production and sale of agricultural products.
Legal issues
Based on article 1 Law "On Peasant Farm", KFH no need to create a legal entity. Their registration is carried out on the same conditions as individual entrepreneurs (individual entrepreneurs). The founders of the farm must sign an agreement on the establishment of a peasant farm and send the contract to the registration authority.
The package of documents required for the registration of peasant farms includes:
- farm registration application;
- copy and original passport of the head of the peasant farm;
- power of attorney at the MFC;
- receipt that a state duty was paid on the establishment of the economy;
- a document that confirms the place of residence of the person registering the farm (if there is no Russian citizenship, then a temporary residence permit and residence permit are required);
- copy and original birth certificate.
In addition to these documents, before opening a farm, you must obtain permission from the SES.
Sheep breeding. Business plan
As an entrepreneur, you must understand that any business starts with a clear project, and agriculture is no exception. We offer you to study a free business plan.
Sheep farming is an attractive area in livestock farming. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, sheep are unpretentious, and their breeding is not too laborious. Secondly, cattle mortality occurs in a much smaller amount than when breeding other animals.
Thirdly, sheep feed mainly on pastures, so there is no problem with food. And finally, fourthly, you can start breeding this type of animal with a small number of goals.
With all the positive aspects available, one should also remember the disadvantages. Sheep farming, the profitability of which today does not exceed 10-15%, brings a small profit. Many novice entrepreneurs are disappointed when they see such indicators. Nevertheless, if you approach the matter correctly, then sheep breeding as a business will bring a small but stable income. You can use it to develop other areas.
A place
Finding a suitable pasture is a question that should be decided at the very beginning of the activity. When planning, you need to consider that for the feeding of one sheep (including offspring), 1 ha of pasture per year is required. Having calculated the number of sheep in the herd, you need to acquire the necessary space.
Sheep can be kept in the simplest room.A wooden paddock or abandoned farms, which are full in villages and villages, are suitable. There is no need for a heating system, because the sheep tolerate frosts well. In extreme cases, it will be possible to install a stove, a potbelly stove, if sudden cold weather sets in.
Breeding sheep
The peasant farm business plan should include an item for the purchase of livestock. This must be done on proven certified farms. This nuance will protect you from problems with offspring in the future. To avoid intergeneric crossbreeding with large numbers of livestock, purchase animals from different farms.
Most domestic producers prefer the Romanov meat sheep breed, although practice does not confirm their advantages over other species. You can also buy animals of other breeds, for example, Russian longhair, prekos, etc. are suitable. But do not forget that it is the Romanovskaya breed that is best suited for breeding for meat.
Sheep breeding and keeping methods
Sheep is unpretentious in nutrition. In addition, they easily tolerate various diseases. On average, a sheep lives up to 25 years. Reproductive abilities persist only for 7-8 years. It happens that individual individuals are able to reproduce much more time. Such sheep are kept on the farm in order for the offspring to acquire their valuable quality.
Sheep breeding in animal husbandry is carried out by several methods. In addition to purebred breeding, when mating occurs between animals belonging to the same breed, there are several types of crosses.
- Introductory ("blood flow"). It is widely used, as it allows in the shortest possible time with the help of a single (sometimes double) crossing to improve any quality of the breed.
- Reproductive (factory). This method is applicable in cases where local animal breeds do not meet the required indicators in their productivity, and the climate and environmental conditions are not entirely favorable for breeding other sheep breeds. When reproducing crosses, they try to maintain good fitness.
- Absorption (conversion). Used in cases where it is necessary to convert coarse-grained cattle into fine-wool and semi-fine-wool. Also, the method is used to improve coarse sheep breeding. Absorption crossing is used when it is necessary to conduct a radical improvement of the breed.
- Industrial. It is used mainly in order to get local lambs of the first generation (they are slaughtered at the age of 7-8 months to get tender and juicy meat) and increase the cut of wool.
- Variable. It is a type of industrial crossbreeding. Its essence lies in the fact that sheep of several breeds belonging to the same direction of productivity are used in a certain sequence.
Workers
As soon as the issue with the premises is resolved, and the livestock is purchased, it is necessary to think about the workforce. For every 300 livestock you need 1 shepherd or, as it is also called, a shepherd. In addition to him, the following employees will be needed: a veterinarian, a haircut specialist (you can come) and a milkmaid. The total number of employees is 4 people.
Direction in sheep farming. Product Sales
Meat, wool, milk - these are the main products that are obtained in production. Since the price of wool at the moment is not too high, the emphasis on it should not be done. Selling large quantities of milk is also unlikely to succeed, but selling meat is quite realistic.
The main consumers will be urban meat markets, cafes, restaurants and barbecue. Of course, the demand for lamb is not as high as for pork or beef, but under favorable circumstances you can find regular buyers and make sheep farming as profitable as possible.
Financial calculations
At this stage of the business plan, we will consider the main financial aspects of the project. All calculations shown are calculated for a farm for 300 head of cattle.
Costs (in rubles):
- rent of land - 100 thousand;
- premises - 100 thousand;
- wages for workers - 600 thousand per year;
- overhead costs - 50 thousand per year.
Total, about 850 thousand rubles are needed for the start.
Revenues (in rubles):
- the sale of whole sheep - 500 thousand per year (100 animals x 5 thousand / pcs.);
- sale of wool - 100 thousand;
- meat sales - 500 thousand (50 heads x 100 rubles / kg).
Over the year, revenue will be about 1 million 100 thousand rubles. Of course, the figures are approximate. It all depends on the region in which you plan to open your business, and on what average market prices were in it at the time of product sales. But still, even the most conservative estimates will make it possible to recoup the project (under favorable conditions) within a year. This figure is considered quite good under the current economic conditions. When choosing sheep breeding as a business, remember that with a competent approach you can improve your results and increase profits.