Abstract:

This study was carried out to determine the structural characteristics of sheep breeding, herd owners, and general characteristics of sheep breeding enterprises in Ordu province by survey method. There are 1883 sheep farms in Ordu, and it has been determined that in 1116 (59.27%) of these farms, the number of sheep is below 100 heads, the number of animals per farm, in general, varies between 1-3242 heads, and the average number of animals per farm is 102 heads. The study data were obtained from 76 farms selected according to the stratified sampling method among 100 animals or more farms. Of the 76 breeders surveyed, 59.21% graduated from primary school, 14.47% from secondary school, 22.36% from high school and 3.95 bachelor degrees. It has been determined that the level of education does not make a difference in production, management, and the attempt to do additional work (2=9.666, P=0.139). In the study, 26.3% of the herd owners are engaged in sheep breeding as a source of livelihood, while the remaining 73.7% are involved in sheep breeding together with other business areas. In conclusion, it was determined that the level of education, experience, age, and additional work status of the breeders were not effective on the size of the flock, the number of lambs obtained per ewe, lamb survivability and business management in sheep farms. As a result, for sheep farms to reach a more profitable, innovative and sustainable situation in Ordu province, those with less than 100 sheep per farm should be encouraged to increase the number of animals and the problem of finding a shepherd should be resolved.

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