Sheep rearing systems and their productive performances -A Review

Sheep are raised by small, marginal and landless farmers in India, following different rearing systems. Sheep rearing system still continues in a traditional manner in spite of a number of sheep development activities for poor and landless farmers. The different sheep rearing systems are intensive, semi-intensive and extensive for wool and meat production. Intensive sheep rearing system enhances the productive performance with minimum environmental stress on the animals. The system requires high investment but, the productivity is also high. The semi-intensive system allows the sheep for grazing as well as intensive rearing will result in economic production. In extensive sheep rearing system the animals are allowed to graze in common grazing lands and pastures. The animals are grazed in adverse climatic conditions which will adversely affect the productivity. No supplementary feed is given as well as care of different life stages is not proper. The cost of production is less but the yield is also low as compared to other two systems. The major reasons for low productivity in semi-intensive and extensive rearing system are inadequate grazing resources, diseases causing high mortality, morbidity, exploitation by middle man, low adoption of improved management technologies and improper breeding management. The objective of this paper is to review the scientific evidence related to productive performance of sheep in different rearing systems, which could increase the productivity and profitability of sheep farming.