The best breeds of sheep: photo and description, characteristics

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Over the 8,000-year history of the development of sheep breeding, a huge number of different breeds have been bred. They are able to satisfy any requests that are associated with these animals: milk, cheese, wool and meat. Today we will consider the most productive breeds of sheep that are widely used in Russia.

Characteristic

In the Soviet Union, such a branch of animal husbandry as sheep breeding was focused on meat and wool products. Today in the Russian Federation, the priority is the meat direction. Such breeds are especially widespread in the following territories:

• Northern Caucasus.
• Ural.
• Urals.
• Lower Volga.
• East and West Siberian regions.

Benefits

The advantages of animals in this direction primarily include high rates of fat and meat. Sheep can be pastured throughout the year. They adapt well to different climatic conditions: cold winters and hot summers. Unpretentious to feed. Even if the animals arepoor diet, their body is able to form a fat reserve.

Signs

All animals of meat breeds of sheep have characteristic features:

• large sizes;
• high percentage of meat yield;
• strong fleshy body;
• high muscle content;
• precocity and fertility (Romanov sheep have the highest);
• endurance;
• good immunity to diseases and helminths;
• hardiness;
• fast growth;
• excellent lactation;
• strong he althy young.

Now let's get to the point. What breeds of sheep are the best? Let's talk about where and when they were bred and their distinctive features.

Romanovskaya

One of the most popular and sought after is the Romanov sheep. The breed was bred in the 13th century in the Yaroslavl province. A distinctive feature of the Romanovskaya is multiple pregnancy. The uterus can carry and give birth without damage to he alth five or more lambs.

Description

The very first characteristic of the Romanov breed was presented in 1908. Currently, the individual must meet the following parameters:

• strong physique;
• medium height;
• strong bones;
• strong, straight legs;
• wide withers;
• deep and wide chest;
• slightly saggy rump;
• flat back;
• developed muscles.

Sheep and sheepof this breed may be horned, but according to the standard, breeding animals should not have horns.

Purebred lambs are born black in color, only on the head and on the legs, closer to the hooves, white markings are allowed. After a couple of weeks, light fluff begins to appear in rams and ewes, and by the age of 5 months. lambs acquire the color characteristic of adults of this breed, and are ready for the first haircut. It is believed that it is at this age that the best sheepskin is formed.

Productivity characteristic

Romanov sheep are sheared three times a year: in spring, summer and autumn. About three kilograms of wool are obtained from one ram for one shearing, and less than one and a half kilograms from a sheep.

In addition to the unique fur products that are obtained from this breed of sheep, it is also economically profitable to grow it for meat. The weight of a sexually mature ram is 70, and sometimes reaches 100 kilograms. A female ewe weighs about fifty kilograms, lambs at the age of 3 months weigh about 17, and at nine months - about 40 kilograms.

One of the distinguishing characteristics of Romanov sheep is that they are ready for breeding not only in a certain period, but throughout the year. All this makes it possible to receive from one uterus several offspring per year, which allows you to plan lambing for a more favorable time. According to estimates, one queen can produce 100 kg of lamb and 2-3 high-class fleece per year (when lambs are slaughtered at the age of eight months). All of these qualities make it possible touse the breed for an intensive cultivation method.

Pros and cons

Like most animals, this breed of sheep (see photos of representatives above) has its advantages and disadvantages. Of the advantages, the following properties can be distinguished:

• polyestricity (ability to inseminate all year round);
• multiple pregnancy;
• high lactation (200 l of milk);
• precocity.

At the same time, the first products in the form of wool or sheepskin can be removed already from lambs of five to six months of age, and at 7-9 months they get the first meat.

Of the shortcomings, it should be noted a tendency to lung diseases, fearfulness. Romanovs are especially sensitive to sudden changes in temperature, drafts and humidity.

Gorkovskaya

The breed was bred in the Soviet period, in the thirties of the XX century. When breeding the breed, tribal Hampshires and native domestic sheep were crossed. Breeders managed to bring out the Gorky meat breed with short coarse hair, which has high productivity. Sheep have light bones, rapid growth of muscle mass. The Gorky sheep is unpretentious, hardy, with high immunity, and therefore has become widespread. Adult rams gain 110 kg of weight, and the uterus - up to 80 kg.

Prekos

It was created in France in the middle of the 19th century. Its progenitors were fine-fleeced local sheep and animals of the English Leicester meat breed. Subsequently, the resultingcrossbreeding, early maturing sheep were brought to Germany, and there, on their basis, a new breed of sheep was created - merino-fleisch. Thus, a number of types of prekos were formed, which, in terms of exterior and fineness of wool, are closest to merino.

Sheep have a proportional physique, a strong constitution. Due to the fact that the sheep have a too wide back, loin and thighs, they have a barrel-shaped figure. The head to the very line of the eyes is covered with thick hair. Most often, animals are hornless, but their presence is not a defect. Adult fattened rams weigh 110-130 kg, sheep 58-67 kg. The yield of finished pure wool varies from 40 to 48%. The weight of lambs at birth usually ranges from 3.8 to 4 kilograms, and after 120 days it reaches 34 kg. With proper nutrition from one ewe, you can get up to 55 kg of lamb per year.

West Siberian

It was obtained by crossing local coarse-haired rams of meat type and sheep of the Kulunda breed. A distinctive feature is the high polyestricity of sheep, which allows you to get lambs at a time of the year that is unacceptable for other breeds. The offspring of the West Siberian sheep can be sold for meat already at the age of 7 months. The mass of adult rams and sheep is 102 and 63 kg, respectively.

Edilbaevskaya

The coarse-wooled Edilbaev breed of sheep belongs to the meat and lard direction. It appeared thanks to folk selection at the end of the 19th century. Bred in Western Kazakhstan as a result of crossing Astrakhan coarse-haired rams and Kazakhfat-tailed sheep. Thanks to the work of breeders, we got strong, hardy animals adapted to the conditions of nomadic sheep breeding.

Description

Edilbaevskaya sheep has a strong constitution, has the right physique, it has a well-developed fat tail. By the way, the older the animal, the more fat fat it has. More rounded shapes indicate that the animal has good fatness. Representatives of this breed are polled. Sheep of the Edilbaev breed tolerate summer drought and winter cold equally well. They easily make transitions over long distances and have the ability to fatten on a meager pasture. This feature is historically conditioned: nomadic sheep breeding is practiced in Kazakhstan.

The live weight of one adult ram is 110-120 kg, especially outstanding specimens reach a weight of 150-160 kg, sheep on average weigh 65-70 kg and 90-100, respectively. A distinctive feature of this breed is precocity and high growth energy. At birth, the mass of lambs averages about 6 kg, the ewes weigh up to 5.3 kg, at the age of one and a half years - 80 and 65 kg, respectively. The carcass weight of an adult fattened wader is 40-45 kg, and fat tail fat is 14 kg. On average, the yield of wool from one ram is up to 3.5 kg, the largest figure is 5 kg; 2.3-2.6 kg of wool is usually sheared from a sheep. The fertility of the queens of this breed is low, they bring no more than one lamb per lamb, which occurs no more than twice during the year. Milk is received on average 150-155 liters per lactation period. These readings can range from 124.8 to 184.3 liters.

Tien Shan and North Caucasian breeds

These breeds of sheep have similar characteristics. Animals have a wide back, withers, sacrum and loin, a rather short and fleshy neck, rounded thighs and hips. Wool of medium density, with pronounced crimp, uniform. The peculiarity of representatives of these breeds of sheep is excellent meat productivity (above average), high wool yield and high viability. The weight of adults of the Tien Shan breed is up to 110 kg for a ram and about 65 for queens, lambs at 4 months weigh 33 kg on average. Up to 9 kg of wool is cut from one ram, up to 4.2 kg from the uterus. When breeding the North Caucasian meat and wool breed, the following were involved: Ronnie March, Lincoln and Stavropol breed ewes. The live weight of the queens is 55-60 kg, and the amount of wool taken from one sheep reaches 6.4 kg.

Tswartbles

This is a Dutch breed of sheep. The meat of animals is tender, lean, with sweet flavors and a pleasant aroma. The coat is good, thick and thick. Thanks to this and special endurance, zwartbles are popular all over the world. Breeding ewes of this breed are distinguished by high fecundity. The average weight of lambs at birth is from two and a half to five and a half kg, and by 120 days of age this figure reaches 45 kg. An adult ram has a live weight of 130 kg, the uterus is slightly lighter - its weight does not exceed 100 kilograms.

Vendée

This breed of sheep is considered one of the oldest in Europe. It was bred by French breeders. A feature of the Vendean breed is lean, lean meat with thin, evenly distributed streaks of fat and a delicious, delicious aroma. Very hardy and unpretentious animals are the owners of thick wool and due to this they adapt well in difficult climatic conditions, they gain weight well in pasture conditions. Fertility rates are quite high. A newborn lamb weighs about 6 kg, after 4 months its weight is already 60 kg, and the daily gain reaches 450 g. The weight of an adult uterus reaches 110 kg, rams of this breed are even larger - up to 150 kg.

Hissar

Sheep of this breed are one of the largest in the world. The average growth of a ram is 130-140 kg, and some individuals reach 190 kg. The uterus is slightly smaller, but they also have a high live weight - 70-80 kg, and taking into account muscle mass and fat - 100-120 kilograms. By the way, lamb and lambs at birth weigh about 7 kg and are distinguished by precocity. When weaning lambs from their mother, their average weight is already 45 kg, which, of course, is an excellent indicator. From one adult sheep, you can get 15-20 kg of fat tail fat, and in some cases more - up to 35-40 kg. The Hissar breed of sheep is coarse-wooled, the wool is rather coarse, with a large amount of thick awn and dead, dry hair in it. The yield of wool in these animals is not too high: in rams, this figure is1, 3-1, 6 kg, in queens - 1-1, 4 kg. Haircut is done twice a year - in spring and autumn.

Texel

This is one of the most popular sheep bred by Dutch breeders. Texel is a representative of the oldest breed, its breeding began in the 18th century. The main advantages of representatives of this breed are marbling, delicious taste and the fact that it does not have an unpleasant odor and a pronounced taste of fat. Lambs and ewes are born quite large, their birth weight is 7 kg, at 6 months this figure is 60 kg, and at 9 it reaches 102 kg. An adult texel ram weighs 130 kg, sheep a little less - about 125 kg. Most often, these indicators depend on the conditions of fattening. Sheep of the Texel breed are distinguished by their unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention, endurance, and excellent immunity. For grazing animals, it is preferable to use an open pasture.

Dorper

Africa is considered to be the birthplace of this breed of sheep. In the 1930s, local breeders combined the best qualities of Dorset Horn rams and fat-tailed sheep to produce strong and hardy Dorpers. The breed belongs to meat, is considered one of the best in this direction. Dorpers are called hairless, they are not sheared in the spring, because they lose their hair during the molting process. Purebred individuals have a white color, black head and neck. Animals are very thermophilic, therefore in our country they are suitable for breeding in the middle and southern strip.

Characteristic

Let's dwell on the description in more detailsheep breeds (photo of representatives presented below). Purebred dorpers usually weigh up to 140 kg (sheep), lambs - 95 kg.

Young animals at the age of one year have the following mass: rams - 107 kg, ewes - 65 kg. The weight of a lamb that has just been born is 5 kg, at the age of one month - already 25 kg, and at six months - 40-70 kg. Dorpers are leaders among other breeds of sheep in terms of daily weight gain under favorable conditions and good nutrition. Animals have very tender meat, fatty tissues are evenly distributed among the muscle tissues. Due to the fact that the breed is hairless, there is practically no specific smell in lamb. Meat yield during slaughter of an animal averages 59%, which is an excellent indicator. The smooth and even skin of sheep is widely used to create various leather products.

Total fecundity is 150-225 lambs per 100 ewes, the average offspring is from 1 to 4 lambs. Sheep become sexually mature by six months, ewes are allowed to mate from 10 months. Due to the good maternal instinct inherent in sheep of this breed, the mortality of young animals is extremely rare. The structural features of the skeleton allow lambs to be born quickly, so lambing goes well. Sheep of the Dorper breed can be kittens twice a year, with a break of 8 months. But veterinarians do not recommend doing this, as frequent childbirth depletes the body of a sheep. In the event that animals are allowed to mate all year round, it is recommended to keep one for 15-20 sheep.ram producer. It is undesirable to give a large load on him, as this may adversely affect the genetic he alth of future offspring.