Small Ruminant Husbandry

Small Ruminant Livestock Farming, is an agricultural production activity that utilizes weak pastures, fallow lands, stubble fields, and areas unsuitable for plant cultivation to produce economic products such as meat, milk, wool, hair, mohair, and leather. Türkiye’s geographical structure, climatic conditions, and pasture availability offer a potential more suited to small ruminant farming than cattle rearing. Traditional rural consumption habits and the structure of natural resources have created favorable conditions for the widespread adoption of this activity.

Structural Characteristics and Production Systems

In Türkiye, small ruminant livestock farming is predominantly carried out by small and medium-sized family enterprises. Nearly all of these operations maintain production through extensive (traditional) pasture-based systems. Approximately 90 percent of native sheep breeds are suited to pasture-based rearing; due to their genetic capacity, production in fully enclosed (intensive) systems does not yield sufficient meat and milk quantities to offset feed costs and achieve desired economic profitability. Since feed expenses account for approximately 70 percent of operational costs in animal production, utilizing pastures is a fundamental requirement for profitable and sustainable rearing. The optimal farm size is generally considered to be flocks averaging 250 animals. During winter months when outdoor grazing is not feasible, supplementary feeding is provided using sources such as barley, hay, factory feed, and wheat.

Small Ruminant Livestock Farming (AA)

Major Breeds Raised in Türkiye

The small ruminant population in Türkiye consists largely of native breeds that have adapted to local climate and geography. Sheep breeds are divided into two main groups according to tail structure: fat-tailed and thin-tailed; fat-tailed breeds, which provide energy to animals during harsh winter conditions, are common in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia.

Sheep Breeds

Approximately 44 percent of the national sheep population consists of Akkaraman, 20 percent of Morkaraman, 12 percent of Dağlıç, 8 to 10 percent of Merino and its crosses, 6 percent of Kıvırcık, 3.5 percent of Karayaka, and 1.8 percent of İvesi. Regional breeds such as Karakaş, Norduz, and Sakız are also present. Nearly all native breeds are balanced “combined” breeds with equal emphasis on meat and milk production; Sakız is milk-oriented, while Merino and its crosses are suited for meat-oriented production.

Goat Breeds

The majority of the goat population consists of Kıl goats. The number of Tiftik goats (Ankara goat), known for mohair production, has declined significantly since past decades. Trials are being conducted in certain regions with high-milk-yielding breeds such as Saanen.

Production Trends and Key Challenges

Between the 1990s and 2009, Türkiye experienced significant declines in small ruminant numbers and in the production of meat, milk, wool, hair, and leather. Since 2009, agricultural support policies have reversed this trend, and by 2013, livestock numbers had returned to 1994 levels. However, despite the increase in animal numbers, sufficient improvements have not been achieved in carcass weights and milk yield per animal compared to developed countries.

Small Ruminant Livestock Farming (AA)

The main structural and economic challenges facing the small ruminant livestock sector are:

Shepherd Shortage and Social Issues

Rural-to-urban migration, the lack of interest among the youth in the sector, and the absence of social security for shepherds make it difficult to find qualified labor.

Cost and Productivity

Insufficient production of feed crops, degradation of pastures due to early and overgrazing, and high feed prices negatively impact production.

Diseases

Uncontrolled animal movements across borders contribute to the spread of infectious diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease and brucellosis, leading to increased mortality among young animals and production losses.

Marketing and Organization

The small and fragmented nature of producers, insufficient levels of cooperativization, and the marketing of products without value addition result in income instability.

Improper Management and Feeding Practices

Failure to provide supplementary feeding during pre-lambing and ram mating periods reduces fertility. Additionally, the practice known as “toklu besisi,” prevalent in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia, involves feeding animals that have completed their physiological growth for meat production; this leads to excessive fat accumulation instead of lean meat, resulting in economic loss.

Applied Policies and Support Measures

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Livestock implements various support programs to revitalize the sector and ensure its sustainability:

Lamb/Kid and Flock Manager Support

According to 2025 data, the basic support for lambs and kids aged four months and older, which have lived at least 120 days in their birth farm, are registered in the TÜRKVET system, and have received vaccination against bluetongue and peste des petits ruminants, is set at 300 TL per head. An additional 300 TL is provided to family farms, and an additional 210 TL is granted to female or young farmers. Farms with at least 150 breeding animals receive a Flock Manager Employment Support of 81,000 TL per farm.

Support for Conservation of Animal Genetic Resources

Under the “Small Ruminant Breeding in Public Hands” projects, 35 TL is paid per breeding animal and 40 TL per offspring in elite flocks; in base flocks, 35 TL is paid per breeding animal and 20 TL per offspring, aiming to preserve native genotypes (Kıvırcık, İvesi, Karakaş, Norduz, etc.).

Vaccination and Health Support

Programmed vaccinations against foot-and-mouth disease and brucellosis are supported for implementers; compensation is paid for animals culled due to outbreaks.

Credits and Incentives

Zero-interest or discounted operating and investment credits are available for livestock-related investments; under the Rural Development Investment Support Program, grants are provided for construction of shelters and purchase of equipment and machinery.

Development Strategies

Based on academic research and field data, the following strategies are recommended for the long-term development of the sector:

Genetic Improvement and Conservation

Instead of randomly applying crossbreeding across regions, native breeds adapted to local conditions should be preserved and improved through purebreeding and selection; for example, conserving Morkaraman and İvesi breeds in Eastern Anatolia.

Pasture Management and Feed Production

Completion of identification and demarcation procedures for pastures under the Pasture Law, transition to controlled and rotational grazing, and closure of feed deficits through cultivation of feed crops such as alfalfa, clover, and silage maize.

Organization and Marketing

Transitioning milk and meat products (e.g., regional herb cheeses, Ezine cheese) to industrial scale to build brand value; encouraging producers to unite under cooperatives and Associations of Sheep and Goat Breeders to produce higher-value goods.

Education and Social Improvement

Including shepherds and breeders within the scope of social security; raising technological and social living standards in rural areas; expanding farmer training on modern rearing practices, health protection, and feeding schedules.