Özet:

The recent rise in inflation in Turkey resulting into increased prices of food products in crop and animal production is among the most hotly debated topics. Especially the increasing prices of red meat and the increased importation of red meat and meat products as a way of overcoming the increasing prices are a major problem. In solving this problem, especially the Eastern Anatolia Region and small ruminant farming is a priority area. This study was aimed at determining the measures to be taken for rational sheep and goat farming by revealing the socio-economic characteristics and animal nutrition knowledge levels of the sheep and goat farmers in the Mutki district of Bitlis province. The data for the study was collected using data collection forms by face-to-face interviews from sheep and goat farming enterprises in the Mutki district of Bitlis province. The data obtained was transferred to the computer and analysed using SPSS.25 statistical package program. Categorical data was analysed using the Chi-square test. A value of p <0.05 was accepted for the significance level of the test. It was determined that the work experience of sheep farmers in the district was 31 years and above (48%), and their main occupation was sheep and goat farming (92.7%). It was understood that they had a nomadic character as a mode of production. It has been found out that the production of roughage is 68.7% and that the animals are fed at a rate of 53.4% outdoors in winter. It has been understood that as an indicator of insufficient feeding, 44.7% of pica cases were known and detected. In the study, it was determined that education level and practices that can be considered as an indicator of conscious farming are important (p <0.01) and the growth of business scale has significant effect on the improvement of maintenance feeding (p <0.01). It has been understood that sheep and goat farming in the district is mostly carried out using traditional methods and there are important deficiencies in care and feeding. It is understood that profitable and efficient production can be made with the measures to be taken in the study. It has been concluded that increasing the scale in the enterprises can rationalize sheep and goat farming.

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