Sheep and Goat Farming Project in Mauritania: Grazing to Fattening
Start a sheep and goat farming project in Mauritania: pastoral or fattening model, local breeds, water and the dry season, Tabaski rams, and running the herd by the numbers.
A sheep and goat farming project in Mauritania starts by choosing the right system: mobile grazing, agro-pastoral farming near the Senegal River valley, or fattening near towns before Tabaski (Eid al-Adha), then picking adapted local breeds, securing water and feed for the dry season, and agreeing a vaccination plan with the vet. Most successful projects combine grazing for the breeding stock with a short fattening period to sell rams at Tabaski.
Sheep and goats are everyday wealth for many Mauritanian families, alongside camels, which remain the herder's emblem in desert areas. This guide does not repeat the seasons and transhumance in detail; that is covered in our guide to livestock farming in Mauritania. Here we focus on building a project from scratch and running it.
Three project models
| Model | How it works | Strengths | Risks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile pastoral | Breeding stock grazes and moves with the herder following the rains | Lower feed cost in a good year | Drought, hard to monitor from a distance |
| Agro-pastoral | Herd near the river valley using crop residues | Feed after harvest, water closer | Limited land, overlap with farming |
| Fattening near towns | Buy rams or lambs and finish them for weeks to months before Tabaski | Short cycle, clear seasonal margin | Feed price, purchase price, sale timing |
Start with one model you understand, then add a second after your first season. Before buying, run your numbers with our sheep and goat farming feasibility study for Mauritania.
Choosing breeds
- Touabire: a tall, short-haired Moorish sheep known for its big frame and highly sought after at Tabaski. Well suited to fattening and producing Eid rams.
- Long-haired Moorish sheep: adapted to harsher areas and long treks.
- Fulani (Peul) sheep: common in the south and kept in pastoral systems.
- Local Sahelian goats: drought-tolerant, twin more often than sheep, useful for milk and quick sales.
Choose the ram carefully, as he is half the herd: strong frame, good health, known parentage. Gestation is about 147 days for ewes and about 150 for goats, so time mating so that young are born when pasture or feed is available.
Water and the dry season: the heart of the project
In Mauritania, water decides where the herd can live and how large it can grow. Before any expansion:
- Identify your water source: well, borehole or tanker delivery, and cost it for the worst dry-season months, not the best.
- Estimate herd needs: daily water needs rise sharply in the heat and during lactation; for better estimates, see livestock water requirements.
- Store feed early: buy part of your dry-season feed after harvest, when it is available, and keep it dry.
- Lighten the load: before the dry season, sell weak and cull animals instead of feeding them for months with no return.
From grazing to fattening: preparing Tabaski rams
Nothing lifts a Mauritanian herder's income like a good ram sold before Tabaski. In practice:
- Pick animals early: large-framed, healthy males from your own young stock or the market.
- Isolate on purchase: every new animal is isolated for the period your vet sets before joining the group.
- Move from grazing to feed gradually: over several days, to avoid digestive trouble.
- Weigh regularly: every two weeks, to see which animals earn their feed.
- Count down: Tabaski moves about 11 days earlier each year, so it may fall in the rainy season or deep in the dry season, which changes fattening costs.
For a detailed plan, see fattening rams for Tabaski.
Health and vaccination
- Vaccinations follow your vet and the veterinary services in Mauritania, especially against well-known small-ruminant diseases such as PPR.
- Watch early signs: poor appetite, coughing, diarrhoea, lameness, an animal lagging behind; call the vet when in doubt.
- Record every treatment with its date so you know when an animal can be sold or slaughtered.
- Check requirements with the competent authorities before moving or selling animals outside your area.
What about camels?
Many herders keep camels alongside sheep and goats. If you do, manage them as a separate herd with their own accounts, as their cycle is much longer (gestation about 12 to 13 months) and their needs differ. For a new project with limited capital, sheep and goats turn over faster and sell more easily.
Running the herd by the numbers
A mobile herd is hard to follow in a notebook, and herders change. On the Throf platform every animal has a number, tag colour, breed, mother and weight, with vaccination and birth reminders and feed, expense and sales records that show net profit and cost per head. You or a family member can enter data from a phone whenever there is network coverage.
FAQ
How do I start a sheep farm in Mauritania?
Choose one model (pastoral or fattening), secure a water source and dry-season feed, buy a small number of local animals such as Touabire from a known source, isolate them on arrival, and run a feasibility study with local prices.
What is the best sheep breed for Tabaski in Mauritania?
The Touabire is the best known for Tabaski thanks to its large frame, alongside other local Moorish and Fulani types adapted to grazing.
Is goat farming profitable in Mauritania?
It can be, since goats tolerate drought, twin more often and cost less to buy, but they sell for less than rams, so cost each species separately.
When should I start fattening rams for Tabaski?
Count back from the next Tabaski date using the fattening period your animals need, remembering that the feast moves about 11 days earlier each year, so the season it falls in changes.
General guidance only — it does not replace your veterinarian or the competent authority in your country.
