A young boy herding his sheep flock for grazing in the Barmer district of Rajasthan.

Shepherds in Rajasthan estimate that their average net profit is in the range of Rs 100-150 per day for a flock of 50 sheep. This implies that their annual income is in the range of Rs 30,000-55,000 approximately. In addition to the cost of labour involved in grazing and rearing ewes and does, there are a few other costs involved in rearing small ruminants such as health care expenditures for de-worming and vaccination, construction of animal sheds, provision of feeding troughs etc. In Rajasthan it is observed that even in areas serviced by NGOs and the state animal husbandry department, only a small percentage of goat rearers / shepherds de-worm and vaccinate their animals on a regular basis. A high mortality rate of almost 40-50% is observed among lambs/kids in some locations in Rajasthan. Additionally the lack of appropriate housing for animals during the monsoon season also results in increased mortality.