From ancient times to this day, livestock breeding continues to be one of the main occupations of man. To explain this fact is quite simple: it is from animals that a person receives valuable meat, milk, wool and skin, as well as other categories of raw materials.
Different countries have historically bred various animals to meet the needs of the population, but sheep breeding is often the most common. This is due to the high "operational" qualities of these animals: they are very unpretentious to the conditions of keeping, feeding and breeding. Since ancient times, sheep breeding has been practiced in those places where other types of domestic animals simply could not find the required amount of food in conditions of free range.
Main breeds
There are different breeds of sheep: Hissar, Romanovskaya, fat tail varieties ... You will not remember everyone! Each of them is good in its own way.
Some breeds produce a large amount of high-quality meat, some of them are famous for their fertility and high-quality skins, while others are bred for the sake of tasty bacon, which is widely used for cooking pilaf and other culinary dishes. Let's look at what varieties all animals of this species are divided into (classification is by type of coat):
- Fine-fleeced sheep. The most valuable, since they receive the perfect quality fleece from which they make excellent woolen fabrics and yarn. The latter, by the way, also goes to the production of famous Persian carpets, which adorn the homes of only the most affluent people around the world.
- Semi-felted varieties. They also give good quality wool, but its thickness is already higher, and the texture is coarser. But they are distinguished by a good early maturity and good taste of meat.
- Coarse breed of sheep (Hissar and Romanovskaya). Most often they are bred for the sake of skins and meat, since the characteristics of the wool are not too high. If we talk about meat, the first variety is especially popular, but by its fertility and the quality of the skin, the Romanovka wins. All sheep of this category are especially profitable to breed, as they are especially unpretentious.
We will analyze the most remarkable and beneficial sheep breeds for keeping in a home garden. Photos and the name of each are also present in the material below.
Romanovskaya breed
First, we will talk about these legendary animals that feel great and breed even in the conditions of Central Russia, which can not be said about other breeds of sheep. The formation of this variety took place on the territory of the present Yaroslavl region, so that animals are perfectly adapted to our climate.
Productivity Information
Contrary to some historical traditions, the breed was created exclusively by peasants. Over the centuries of painstaking selection, rather large animals appeared in their courtyards. The mass of sheep reaches 100 kilograms, the weight of females is 70 kilograms.
The maximum carcass meat yield is 47%. About three kilograms of coarse wool is removed from rams per year, and one and a half to two times less from queens. Each female brings at least two lambs at a time, but it is not so rare to see five born! No wonder these animals are readily acquired by foreigners in order to increase the multiplicity of their own sheep. And one more important point. Unlike other relatives, “Romanovks” often produce offspring twice a year, which further increases their value.
Edilbaevskaya breed
These animals in our country are not so widespread and not too famous, but they are definitely worth it to know as many people interested in sheep breeding as possible. What is the reason for this? Now we will tell you everything!
Like the variety described above, this breed belongs to coarse-haired. Sheep have a meat-greasy orientation, created by the method of "folk selection" on the territory of present-day Kazakhstan. Only those animals were selected that, by their constitution and other parameters, were most suitable for the harsh conditions of the nomadic life of local peoples. I must say that such an approach yielded simply excellent results!
The Edilbayev sheep tolerate winter cold and summer droughts equally well, withstand long transitions, and have the unique ability to eat off on the meager feed of dried, salted pastures.
The mass of the best sheep reaches one and a half centners! The uterus does not show such outstanding results, but it can still please 80-90 kilograms of weight. Lambs in just the first month of life can feed up to 17 kilograms, and at the age of six months (under normal feeding conditions) sometimes reach a mass of 50 kilograms.
In addition, the Edilbaev breed stands out among the meat-oil varieties for its milk production. Each uterus produces approximately 150 liters of milk per year, but some sheep may please their owners with 200 liters. The product has excellent taste and nutritional qualities, and therefore is actively used in cooking.
Hissar breed
We will dwell on this variety in more detail. It should be noted that among the whole variety of species, the Hissar sheep breed stands apart. They are known throughout the world as the largest animals of the "family" under consideration. However, first things first.
It is believed that animals of this breed are also recognized leaders in the release of high-quality meat and lard. In addition, they have excellent stamina and wonderfully developed immunity. Finally, the Hissar sheep breed is perfectly adapted for year-round open keeping in harsh conditions of high mountain pastures. Of course, they easily transfer long hauls from summer to winter pastures, and vice versa. By the way, one such crossing may well exceed 500 kilometers.
In addition, the Hissar sheep breed, being similar in this to its Romanov relatives, is often used as "donors" to improve other varieties of these animals. Tajikistan is considered to be the homeland of the "Hissars", but they are actively bred in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, as well as in the southern regions of our country. Unlike other breeds, these sheep are divided into three subtypes. Let's look at each one individually.
Meat
The main characteristics of this type of sheep:
- Outwardly, the appearance is quite recognizable, since there is no eye-catching fat tail: it is tightened, and in some individuals it is not developed at all.
- Animals are characterized by excellent daily gains at an early age.
- In comparison with representatives of two other varieties, the Hissar breed of sheep of this subtype gives relatively little fat.
Meat and greasy variety
These sheep are distinguished by a prominent fat tail, which in most cases is pulled up to the level of the back. In the case of an exclusively greasy variety, it resembles a large bag, which among prominent representatives of the breed occupies approximately a third of the entire body.
Note that the Hissar sheep breed in Russia is mainly represented by the first category, since fat tail fat in our country is not very popular, and for the fattening of such animals a sufficient amount of carbohydrate feed is required, which makes keeping them in our conditions not too profitable.
Productivity Keys
Animals have a strong, well-developed skeleton. The height at the withers of the rams often exceeds 85 centimeters, while in the queens, this figure ranges from 75-80 centimeters (which is also a lot). What is the difference between the Hissar sheep breed? Photos will show that they have marvelously long, dry limbs (in some ways they resemble racehorses). In addition, animals look very impressive because of their elongated torso, which contrasts with a strong and wide chest.
Their head is coarse, their nose is humpy. All animals are hornless (that is, they have no horns in principle). The neck is rather short, the ears are long, "spreading". The mass of fat tail in sebaceous varieties can reach about 40 kilograms. The weight of some sheep can reach 190 kg. The uterus weighs less, but a sheep that would be lighter than 80 kilograms is difficult to find.
Breed problems
Firstly, the Hissar breed gives an extremely meager “harvest” of wool. Moreover, even by the standards of fat tail sheep, she is very tough and rude. Even sheep have an annual cut of less than 1.5 kilograms (at best), while the uterus produces no more than a kilogram. In addition, the female fur contains an extremely high percentage of awn and dead hair (from 18 to 34%), while in males this figure is from 11 to 24%. It is not surprising that such raw materials are exclusively used for the production of coarse felt. As a rule, the Hissar sheep is either black or dark red.
Over the past quarter century, the number of rocks for the first time has declined markedly. So, in the beginning of the 90s of the last century there were 497 084 animals, more than 90% of them were completely purebred. To date, there are about 460 thousand sheep of this breed, and breeders are very worried by the fact that the number of crossbreeds, i.e., non-purebred animals, is growing every year.
In addition, the Hissar sheep (photos are presented in the article) clearly need to be “refined” to increase their fertility and the quality of their fur, but there was simply no one to do this (after the collapse of the USSR) , as the livestock institutes were destroyed. Currently, the hope is only for individual sheep breeders who do not allow the breed to finally mix with other sheep species, maintaining the purity of their gene pool.
However, some researchers say that the Hissar sheep in Russia and other countries do not need any improvements (in terms of productivity). This opinion is based on the fact that this breed is not artificially bred over several decades, but created as a result of centuries-old directed selection. This point of view has the right to life, but if the situation with promiscuous incest is continued, it will not lead to anything good.
Fertility and productivity
Among other things, the uterus is not highly fertile, there are practically no two lambs per litter. However, this circumstance is fully compensated by decent milk productivity: 1.8-2.3 liters of fat milk in one day. In just a couple of months, some prominent representatives of the breed can produce up to 200 liters of the product mentioned.
Basic animal welfare information
Regardless of belonging to a particular subtype, they contain sheep equally. It should only be noted that they do not like a more or less deep snow cover, and therefore pastures should be changed in advance, depending on the season. In addition, you need to be careful with wet food. Like other fat tail breeds, these animals prefer dry food and no less dry grazing.
In principle, they are also not afraid of severe cold, but it is desirable to have at least a simple canopy under which animals could hide from the strongest gusts of wind. Keep in mind that drafts are strictly contraindicated for sheep of this breed. In general, they have no other features.