Every day, 30-year-old Yogesh Gowda wakes up around 5.30 a.m, but not to squeeze in a workout. Instead, he feeds the 40-odd sheep that he is rearing in a portion of his house in Bengaluru.
A software engineer working in an IT firm in Bengaluru, Mr. Gowda took started ‘Hasu Mane’ in his house at Gowdanapalya, near Uttarahalli, around seven years ago. Starting with eight cows, he used to supply around 100 litres of milk to the Karnataka Milk Federation (KMF) every day.
“I started rearing sheep around three years ago. During the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, my mother got infected. That’s when I sold the cows, as people kept coming to me for milk. I started concentrating on sheep rearing,” he said.
Though it’s unconventional to rear sheep in a city, he says it is his passion. Despite the challenges, he has turned it into a successful venture after a lot of research. He sells his sheep directly, which is one of the main reasons for them fetching a good price.
As the sheep are reared in a house using the stall-feeding system, Mr. Gowda has placed wooden pellets on the floor to ensure cleanliness. The sheep manure is cleaned every day and sent to his uncle’s farm where it is used as fertiliser.
“This has helped me keep the house clean. Since the past seven years, I have not given my neighbours any room for complaint,” he added.
While the usual livestock feed of hindi, boosa and maize are given, he has replaced fodder with sugarcane waste and raw banana peels.
“I learnt that in South Africa, livestock are fed with sugarcane waste. I approached a nearby juice centre from where I get sugarcane waste every day. I get raw banana peels from a chip factory nearby. What is waste for them is fodder for my sheep,” he said.
Mr. Gowda rears three native breeds – Mouli (popular in many parts of north Karnataka and Maharashtra), the very popular Kenguri and Natimari. He breeds one batch every nine months, and takes a break for a month.
“I visit animal fairs in Akkirampura near Koratagere in Tumakuru district and Amingad in Bagalkot district to buy sheep kids for rearing.”
Mr. Gowda credits his success to his wife Amitha, also a software engineer, and his parents. “My dream is to have a farm. I have bought a small parcel of land at Sugganahalli in Ramanagaram. My dream farm should be ready in a year,” he said.
