Yurts still provide seasonal housing for shepherds and their families. The consumption of sheep meat is high among the native Kazakh population, and sheep are an integral part of the history and culture of the Kazakh people. Heavy stocking rates, along with inadequate pasture rotation, provide a fruitful multiplying ground for internal parasites. Without the availability of anthelmintics, worms are a major health problem robbing livestock farmers of potential profits. Overgrazing is widespread in South Kazakhstan, but it will be difficult to control unless some type of grazing rights are established and some fences are built.
Sheep share the land with goats, cattle, horses and camels.
Despite efforts to increase crop production, animal husbandry remains the major component of Kazakh agriculture, with sheep accounting for more than fifty percent of the livestock population. With the transition to a free market and greater emphasis on the environment, it is anticipated that some crop land, especially Virgin land, will be converted back to its original use of livestock grazing. A few goats usually graze alongside sheep. The goats are mostly Angora. The mohair is hand-spun, often combined with wool.