As well as cattle, sheep breeds are raised for two purposes: for meat and for wool. Or in particular cases, for both. According to some estimates, there are more than 1000 breeds of sheep all around the world. While some shepherds raise sheep in their farms for meat or for wool production, there are also many others in various countries who raise sheep for sale, either for individual consumers, either for big companies.
As such, for these shepherds, sheep breeds are very important. All the more so since some breeds are more muscular and should be fed and raised for meat, while other breeds have better fur for wool production.
There are breeds and breeds, some of them suitable for meat, others for wool. However, we could say that the export country or region has a major impact on the quantity in which a certain breed of sheep for export is raised at the farm.
Things to know for shepherds
If a shepherd wants to raise sheep for profit, then their choices become automatically a little bit more complicated and limited. They have to consider a breed that produces lambs that is accessible for buyers, so they can ask for the top market price, while also guaranteeing sales at that price. Also, it is very important to find a breed that gives birth to lambs who are able to reach the market weight quickly and, as much as possible, on a minimum amount of feed.
Furthermore, they have to take care that if they want to raise meat lamb for sale, the breed has to be one able to produce plenty of lambs by either having lots of multiple births or by breeding more than once a year, or even both situations. Good carcass traits are found in most breeds, but the truth is that the byers have their own preferences. For instance, breeds like Finnsheep and Karakul may not have good carcass conformation, being raised mostly for wool. But Columbia, Hampshire and Suffolk are common meat breeds, mostly all over the world. Commonly, most shepherds chose a type of ewe for certain features, while the rams are chosen for meat, as mutton breed.
Regarding the nutrition, the actively growing grass and any other pasture plants are very palatable and nutritious kind of food for sheep. Consuming such food, the sheep are able to restore their strength in short time. The shepherd should be aware of the fact that in the rebuilding time, there is a high possibility for the ewes to become overweight. Once they are at optimum weight, they require the equivalent of only about two and a half pounds of hay per day, to maintain the ideal weight.
Seradria – the larger sheep livestock exporter in Romania
Regarding the sheep prices for trade, this is a concern for the big companies. As farmers sell sheep to individual buyers, big companies are specialized in wholesale, meaning a larger quantity of sheep. The lamb price could be different than the prices for ewes or rams, being mostly influenced by the animal’s weight.
As one of the largest sources of livestock in Europe, Romania has more than 10 millions sheep, due to its strategic geographical position and thanks to its great logistical advantage. In this way, Romania has a great capacity of meeting the market demand within the EU.
Seradria has an impressive demand from Arabic countries as well as from the North African ones, mostly because the population on these areas consumes lamb meat on a daily basis. What’s more, the company it’s able to meet all of these needs because livestock vessels are able to reach countries like Tunisia, Egypt or Lybia in, approximately 6 days.
Besides, for consumers trust, the company is authorized by the National Sanitary Veterinary Authority for Food Safety, being able to provide all of the needed documents for export.