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Various breeds of merino. to study the structure of sheep of the Grozny breed

Rough-haired breed of sheep, fur coat direction. The breed was bred (1938-1951) in the Nogai district of the Republic of Dagestan in the Chervlenye Buruny breeding farm. This breed of fine-fleeced sheep was obtained by crossing brought from Australia in 1929 with local New Caucasian and Mazaev sheep. Animals that met the requirements of the desired type were bred "all in all." The breed was officially approved in 1950.

Outwardly sheep Grozny breed they are distinguished by a strong constitution, they are perfectly adapted to the conditions of arid steppes and pastures with sparse herbage. Sheep of the Grozny breed are slightly larger and stronger. Animals have an average size: the height at the withers of the uterus is 59-62 cm, the oblique length of the body is 63-65 cm, and the chest circumference is 90-100 cm. This breed of sheep is also characterized by a compact body: the hind legs are brought together at the hocks. The constitution of animals of the Grozny breed is dry and strong, the skeleton is light and strong. Rams are most often horned, the uterus is polled. 80-90% of sheep have moderate skin folding (there are a large number of small folds along the body of the sheep), in rams the skin on the neck forms three large folds, in queens - 1-2 and a well-developed burda. The lower part of the limbs and the front part of the head of animals of this breed are covered with covering hair.

The average live weight of queens is 48-54 kg, rams - 80-95 kg. Meat productivity is satisfactory. Sheep of the Grozny breed are relatively late maturing.

The coat of animals of this breed is thick, white, very good quality, soft, silky, on 1 cm2 of the skin of the side there are from 5100 to 11200 wool fibers. Fleece staple structure, closed. The dense, small-square outer staple has a small-board shape, the inner staple is most often cylindrical. The crimp of the wool is distinctly expressed, semicircular and uniform: there are 6-7 crimps per 1 cm of staple length. The thickness of the wool of the umatok is 64 quality (70-80%) and 70 quality (20-25%), the sheep are mainly 64-60 quality, and some animals are 58 quality. The prevailing length of wool is 8.0-8.5 cm with fluctuations from 7.5 to 13 cm. The evenness in the staple is very good. The grease is white, sometimes light cream, of good quality. It dissolves poorly in cold water, so the fleece is slightly contaminated in the upper zone.

Wool productivity is high. The shearing of wool of queens is 2.5-3.0 kg, rams 6.0-7.5 kg of washed fiber. The yield of washed fiber is 50% or more.

The fertility of queens is 120-140%. The average milk yield of queens for 4.5 months of lactation is about 100 kg.

Due to high breeding values and the ability to improve wool productivity, the Grozny breed of sheep is widely used in areas of fine-fleeced sheep breeding, as well as to increase the shearing and quality of wool of sheep of other fine-fleeced breeds. So, this breed of sheep was used in the breeding of the Altai, Stavropol, South Ural, Transbaikal breeds of the South Kazakh merino.

The most productive and typical herds of Grozny sheep are concentrated in the pedigree plants "Chervlenye Buruny" of the Republic of Dagestan, "Chernozemelsky" of the Republic of Kalmykia, "Stavropol-Kavkazsky" of the Stavropol Territory.

Sheep are one of the most unpretentious domestic animals. That is why they are bred not only on large farms, but also in small households. They have high plasticity and adaptability to various climatic conditions and feeding regimes, therefore, it was possible to breed a huge number of breeds of these animals adapted to life in various climatic zones.

This article is a complete guide to sheep breeds. It provides a detailed classification of animals in terms of productivity, and photos and videos will help to objectively assess the advantages and disadvantages of a particular species.

sheep types

IN this moment there are about 60 various kinds sheep, each of which is adapted to certain climatic and forage conditions.

In addition to adaptability, a valuable quality of these animals is the ability to eat the most inexpensive feed. Physiological features (pointed head, mobile lips and sharp obliquely set teeth) allow them to eat even the most meager and undersized vegetation on desert pastures, and natural endurance makes it possible to overtake them over long distances.

Note: Sheep are classified as ruminants, but their digestive tract differs from other types of livestock in that they are able to digest even roughage well and quickly assimilate a variety of nutrients.

However, they do not tolerate high humidity and extreme heat, although the thick coat allows the animals to tolerate cold well, so in the southern regions of the country they are often kept on open pastures all year round. In addition, animals have the unique ability to use their own fat deposits on the tail or in the fat tail to survive the period of starvation when pastures are covered with snow. The diagram of the digestive tract of animals is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Scheme of the digestive organs

Sheep also have a long lifespan (about 12-14 years), but in most farms they are kept up to a maximum of eight years, since maximum productivity falls on this period. All animals reach sexual maturity early (females are ready for mating already at the age of seven months), but to maximize productivity, the first mating is carried out at the age of one and a half years.

Animals have well-developed udders, but their main purpose is to produce wool, not milk.

Note: Also, sheep and rams serve as an important source of meat, but for this, special meat-oriented animals should be bred. The highest quality meat is obtained from animals of the first year of life, since during this period they most actively accumulate muscle mass and fat.

Sheep milk is also a valuable product. Compared to cow, it contains much more protein, fats and other useful substances, and sheep dairy products are much better absorbed by the human body.

Taking into account the productive and biological qualities, for the distribution by the nature of the coat, the production classification given below is used.

Rough-haired

Coarse-haired are divided into several directions depending on the type of raw material produced (Figure 2):

Fur-meat mainly include animals of the Romanov type. Individuals give high-quality sheepskins with excellent heat-shielding properties and high strength. In addition, the queens bring several lambs at one variability and may come into hunting outside the mating season.
Smushkovye (karakul and falcon) are used for the production of beautiful, durable and light smushkas, which are used in great demand On the market. Representatives Karakul breed, in addition to sheepskin, give high-quality milk and meat, and are suitable for year-round keeping on pastures with poor quality fodder. Falcon animals give gray astrakhans of lower quality than astrakhan ones, but due to their specific color they are also very popular.
Meat have high hardiness and are suitable for year-round grazing. In conditions of poor feeding, individuals begin to use their own body fat to compensate for the lack of nutrients. The meat-fat direction includes the Hissar breed, whose individuals are considered the largest in the world.
Meat and wool and dairy mainly distributed in the mountains of the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia. Animals of this direction have coarse wool with a high content of fluff, so it is used for the production of a variety of textile products. No less valuable is the meat, which has high palatability.

Figure 2. Representatives of coarse-haired species: 1 - Romanov, 2 - Karakul

Coarse-haired species also include sheepskin-meat and meat-wool direction. Semi-coarse-haired species, in addition to wool production, have a high meat and tallow productivity. Individuals of this type are perfectly adapted to keeping in arid conditions, therefore they are most often bred on open pastures in the mountainous regions of Central Asia.

Fine-fleece

Fine-fleece have a high crimp of wool and are used not only for the production of wool, but also for meat. These rocks are divided into three separate types (Figure 3):

Wool are used to produce high quality merino wool. Fine-fleeced individuals have poorly developed meat productivity, but they have a high folding of the skin, which makes it possible to obtain a lot of wool from healthy individuals. Since sheep of this direction adapt better than others to the feeding conditions on arid pastures, they are often bred in the Volga region, Stavropol, Dagestan and Kalmykia.
Wool-meat have a larger physique and less wrinkles in the skin. Persons of this direction are equally highly productive both for the production of wool and meat. However, their qualities are best manifested in a temperate climate and under conditions of adequate feeding. Often, representatives of the wool and meat direction are bred in Altai, the Caucasus and southern Ukraine.
Meat and wool have low skin folding (or its complete absence), but they have well-defined meat characteristics, and puberty occurs early. The positive qualities of animals of the meat and wool direction are well manifested only in favorable climatic conditions and good feeding. Therefore, meat-wool species are rarely bred in semi-arid or dry climates.

Figure 3. Fine-fleece species: 1 - Dagestan mountain, 2 - Askani, 3 - Grozny

Semi-fine-fleece

Semi-fine-fleece often combine meat and wool qualities. Depending on the species, the animals have a uniform coat of varying thickness and crimp (Figure 4).

They are divided into two types:

Meat-haired long-haired they have a strong physique, they have a wide head and a good overgrown torso. Meat-wool long-haired sheep are divided into individuals with luster and semi-luster wool, and also into animals in the corriedel type. Individuals with luster coat (Lincoln, Russian Longhair) have thick skin and a large mass of fleece. The coat is white, long and uniform, with a strong sheen (chandelier).
Meat-haired shorthair(Gorky, Lithuanian black-headed, Tsigai) have a strong constitution, but the coat is not long, although uniform and white.

Figure 4. Common semi-fine-wooled species: 1 - Gorky, 2 - Kuibyshev, 3 - Tsigai, 4 - Russian Longhair

Sheep with semi-luster wool also have high hairiness and produce a lot of raw material, but the wool has less sheen. Individuals in the Corridel type are the most stable. They have a uniform white coat with good crimp and plenty of shearing. However, a distinctive feature is their high vitality: they can be kept year-round in open pastures in a dry climate.

Sheep breeds - photo and description

Depending on the direction of productivity, there are several best breeds, which are suitable for keeping in large farms and subsidiary farms various climatic zones.

There are such areas of productivity:

Fine wool wool include Grozny and Stavropol. They are bred mainly to obtain high-quality wool. Individuals have well developed skin and skeleton, and there are many folds on the neck, limbs and torso.
Fine-wool wool-meat direction: Ascanian, Transbaikalian, Caucasian.
Fine-wool meat-wool: archamerinos, Dagestan mountain. In such animals, there is no folding of the skin, the skeleton is moderately developed, and meat signs are pronounced. It is thanks to the meat orientation that the wool was cut from them by the lowest medium of fine-fleece.
Semi-fine coat with long luster coat include the Lincoln and Russian Longhair breeds. These animals have a strong physique and a wide head, and the body is barrel-shaped with pronounced meaty forms. In addition, semi-fine-wool sheep with long luster wool have a high quality fleece. It is uniform, white and has a bright sheen.
Semi-fine-fleece with semi-luster wool - this is the Kuibyshevskaya and Romney March. Such animals also have a strong constitution, a wide and deep chest and strong legs. The wool is uniform, but it shines weaker than that of the luster.
The most popular shorthair semi-fine coat are considered Gorky, Latvian dark-headed, Tsigai and Estonian dark-headed. The most numerous is the Tsigai. Animals have a strong physique, they perfectly adapt to various climatic conditions of detention and are unpretentious in food. Animal wool is very strong, elastic, does not fall off and therefore it is often used for the manufacture of technical fabrics and fibers.
Semi-coarse include Altai, Saraja and Tajik breeds. The peculiarity of the animals is that they are perfectly adapted to grazing in the climatic conditions of Central Asia. They have a coarse coat, with a lot of down and transitional fibers. It is often white. Animals of the Tajik species are considered larger.
Rough-haired fur-meat include the Romanov breed, which is considered the most common. A distinctive feature of animals is high fertility. For one offspring of the uterus, 2-3 lambs are often brought, and hunting occurs regardless of the season. It is they who give the best sheepskins, which are distinguished by high heat-shielding qualities, lightness and strength.
To coarse-haired fur coats include Karakul and Sokol. Karakul are valued for their beautiful, light and durable white flies. Sokolsky have a lower quality dryer, but it is valued for its unusual gray color with a blue tint.
Meat coarse-haired the breeds are as follows (Figure 5): Gissar - animals are very large (the weight of rams can reach 170 kg, and queens - 80 kg). The wool cut is not high, but they give a lot of high-quality lamb. Jaidara: Animals are inferior to the Gissar and Edilbaev in terms of meat and wool productivity, but are more unpretentious to the conditions of detention and are suitable for breeding in arid regions. Edilbaevskaya is considered more productive in terms of wool (in comparison with the sheep of the Hissar breed), but they give less meat, and are slightly smaller in size.
Meat-and-milk coarse-haired the direction includes animals of the Balbas, Karachay and Lezgin breeds. Balbas is used not only for the production of mutton, but also for coarse wool, from which the outerwear of the hat is made. A distinctive feature is the average build, excellent endurance and adaptability to various climatic conditions.
Meat-wool coarse-haired- Voloshskaya, Kuchugurovskaya and Cherkasy.

Figure 5. Meat-and-fat animals: 1 - Hissar, 2 - Karachay

Below is detailed description most popular and productive species animal species.

Romanovskaya

Sheep of the Romanov breed of strong build, with a wide chest and withers. The main sign of the purity of the species is complete absence horns (Figure 6). Animals have a short tail without fatty deposits. Thanks to high productive qualities It is used not only to obtain high-quality raw materials, but also to breed new species.

Figure 6. Representatives of the Romanov breed

Animals of the Romanov breed are sheared three times a year, in accordance with the timing of seasonal molting. Delays in shearing can degrade the quality of the coat. In addition to high-quality wool, they give good meat, and the weight of an adult male can reach 70 kg. The value of this species is primarily in the quality and unusual gray-blue color of the coat. In addition, females can be inseminated year-round, and offspring are characterized by high precocity. However, when keeping this species, it is necessary to carefully equip the room, as the animals are sensitive to drafts and dampness.

Edilbaevskaya

The value of the Edilbaevskaya breed is that it is suitable for almost all areas of productivity. And although the animals belong to meat-fat species, they give a lot of milk and high-quality wool (Figure 7). In addition, they adapt well to climate change and are disease resistant.

Figure 7. Edilbaev sheep

An external feature is a large fat tail, which develops with age. Obtaining meat and fat is the main purpose of their breeding; with a large livestock, profit can also be obtained from the sale of milk and wool.

Hissar

The sheep of the Hissar breed belong to the meat and lard direction of productivity. The bulk of the live weight is fat tail. Wool is not of high quality due to the coarse fleece, and can be of a wide variety of shades (from white to brown and black).

Figure 8 Appearance Hissar breed

Hissar sheep are divided into several areas of productivity. In meat species, the fat tail is almost completely absent, in meat-greasy animals it is located in such a way that it is a small extension of the back, and in greasy animals the fat tail is quite large, and sometimes can be a third total weight animal.

Since the Hissar breed was bred in Central Asia, the animals are distinguished by good endurance and unpretentiousness to feed.

This is a meat-wool species, which has become widespread in the world due to its endurance and unpretentiousness in care. The body of the animals is proportional, rectangular, the back is even with well-developed muscles (Figure 9).

Figure 9. Texel sheep

The coat is thick, with a uniform color. Animals need to be sheared only once a year, while you can get up to 6 kg of wool from a female, and up to 7 kg from males. Growing texels is not difficult, as they are characterized by a calm nature, high physical strength and high-quality meat and wool. But females require careful care during pregnancy and lambing, as childbirth in most cases takes place with complications.

Kuibyshevskaya

Kuibyshev sheep are almost completely covered with thick wool. At the same time, they have a strong skeleton and a wide body, and not only wool, but also meat is valuable (Figure 10).

Figure 10. Representatives of the Kuibyshev breed

Kuibyshev sheep are characterized by high precocity, and by 8 months the weight can reach 45 kg. Thanks to this, it is profitable to grow them, since animals can gain a lot of live weight even when grazing. In addition, the Kuibyshev breed easily adapts to various climatic conditions, undemanding to feed, and females are highly productive.

More information about the Kuibyshev breed is given in the video.

Merino sheep breed

Merino wool is highly valued because it is very light and warm, and is sheared in one fleece. There are several types of merino animals (for example, Soviet, Ascanian, etc.), but regardless of the species, all animals adapt well to cold and hot climates.

Figure 11. Merino - wool breed

You can get quality merino products only if they are correct content and feeding. Animals do not tolerate dampness and drafts, and although pasture on pastures is mainly used for food in summer, the winter diet should be more varied. Merinos must be given oats, bran, fresh root crops and mineral supplements. In addition, the animals are regularly bathed, and the room for keeping is made quite spacious.

Karakulskaya

Karakul sheep were bred by breeders. As a result, they are well adapted to different conditions content, and can independently find pasture even on desert and semi-desert pastures. In addition to high-quality wool (astrakhan), they are used to breed new coarse-haired and fat-tailed species.

Figure 12. Representatives of the Karakul breed

The milk of females, which can be obtained in fairly large volumes, is also of value.

Caucasian

The breed was bred in the Soviet Union, and it can be considered universal. Not only wool is of value, but also meat and milk of animals (Figure 13).

The breed is characterized by a strong physique, dense fleece and high meat and wool productivity. Despite the fact that the amount of meat obtained from Caucasian individuals is lower than that of other breeds, the profit received fully justifies the cost of breeding.

How to choose the right breed of sheep

When choosing a particular breed, first of all, you should pay attention to general state health and exterior of the animal:

Only completely healthy animals with a strong physique will be highly productive;
Representatives of the wool direction should have a well-developed skeleton and skin, and the muscles and subcutaneous tissue are often poorly developed;
Animals dairy direction must have a healthy digestive tract and a well-developed udder;
Fine-fleece should have long hair (at least 7 cm), and if the hair is very thin, this indicates the fragility of the animal, which will negatively affect productivity;
For meat-and-wool-dairy, an important role is played not only the average size and a strong build, but also a well-developed udder, coarse coat, and moderate fat deposits on the abdomen and muscles.

Figure 13. Appearance of the Caucasian breed

Regardless of the direction of productivity, when choosing an animal, one should be guided by several main points:

Body type. A healthy individual has a wide chest, a long torso, a firm belly and strong, even legs. If the limbs of the animal are close together, this is considered a defect, since such an arrangement of the legs interferes with normal motor activity. If an individual has a too rough and heavy head, this indicates a rough constitution, which will negatively affect productivity.
It is important that the withers and back are even. Sagging or high withers indicate the weakness of the animal.
The udder of the female should be well developed.
For woolly, the coat plays an important role, the quality of which depends on the condition of the skin. Individuals with thin but dense skin will produce a thick and soft coat, and if the skin is thick, then the coat will be coarser.

Meat

When choosing meat breeds, physique plays a key role in the assessment. Animals must have a strong constitution and proportional physique. At the same time, the animal should have no fat tail, and the amount of fat on the abdomen and sides should be minimal.

For meat animals, the development of the udder and wool is important. Although obtaining a fleece is not the main purpose of breeding these breeds, the full development of the animal is the main indicator of the health of an individual.

From the video you will learn how to properly care for meat breeds, and what features these animals have.

Dairy

As a rule, sheep are not bred only for milk. Most often, this is a kind of by-product that is obtained from animals of any direction of productivity. If breeding is planned not only for obtaining wool and meat, but also for milk, when choosing an animal, physique and udder should be a key consideration.

If the animal has a too heavy head and a disproportionate body, the animal will be characterized by low productivity. Large milk yields can only be obtained from females with well-developed udders.

Woolly breeds of sheep: breeding

It is better to select representatives of woolly breeds before shearing, as this allows you to assess the quality of the wool and the general overgrowth of the animal. They should have a strong physique, straight legs and a well-developed udder.

Based on the production classification, there are some distinctive features, according to which the selection of an animal of one direction or another is carried out.

Fine-fleece is characterized by a high quality of wool fineness. They have poorly developed muscles and body fat, and you can assess belonging to the breed by their soft, white and sinuous coat. In addition, animals have high skin folding, and fine-wooled animals, intended for obtaining not only wool, but also meat, may have low skin folding, or it is completely absent.
Semi-fine coats have a uniform coat that may vary in sinuosity, sheen, or length. In addition, the breeds are divided into luster and semi-luster (according to the degree of sheen of the coat).
Rough-haired also differ in the type of orientation. For example, you can distinguish a smoshkovy breed by its characteristic wool, and meat-fat ones are distinguished by a strong physique and limbs. Often they are quite large and have a coarse coat with a lot of awns.

Despite the fact that sheep adapt perfectly to various climatic conditions, when choosing individuals for personal farming, some recommendations should be followed. In particular, each breed has its own favorable conditions content in which they will be most productive. From the video you will learn how to properly keep animals in a harsh winter climate.

The Grozny breed of sheep was bred at the Chervlenye Buruny breeding farm in Dagestan. The beginning of breeding work falls on 1929, when 5 thousand merinos from Australia were brought to the plant. They were crossed with queens of a local breed in order to increase the live weight of individuals. The authors of the breed are livestock specialists A. Ya. Pankov, S. I. Bryzgalov, A. A. Dylkin. The breeding of the breed was complicated by the fact that the Australian imported sheep adapted for a long time to the conditions of the semi-deserts of Dagestan and, in addition, came from 34 Australian breeding farms that were not connected by a single genetic line. Officially, after a long purposeful selection, the breed was approved only in 1950. However, the breed is still being improved today, in particular, at the end of the 20th century, the Nogai and Kalmyk factory types were created. They differ in greater mass, and better physique.

Description of the breed

Grozny sheep are medium in size, their height at the withers is 60-62 cm. The breed is distinguished by a powerful physique and strong constitution. Neck with 1-3 transverse folds. The skeleton is thin, but strong, the body is shortened, the hind legs are brought together in the hocks, the body is covered with numerous small folds. Uterus is polled, rams with developed horns.

The head and limbs are covered with hard hair, the belly with thick fleece hair. Fleece equalized, dense. The coat is white, thick, soft and silky. Wool length 8.5 - 10 cm, up to 13 cm. Live weight 49-55 kg for queens, 80-95 kg for rams.

Productivity

Sheared wool for queens 7.5-8 kg, for rams - 10-16 kg, the yield of pure wool for queens is about 50%, for rams - 47-48%. tribal herds give an output of wool up to 15 kg from queens and up to 23 kg from rams. Fineness - 50% 70 class, 50% - 64 class. According to the output of washed wool per 1 kg of live weight, the Grozny breed of sheep is considered one of the first among the fine-fleeced, which is due to the very high quality fat. The fertility of ewes is 130-145 lambs. The breed is characterized by late maturity, completely young growth grows by 3.5 years. Grozny sheep are considered a breed with good meat productivity, and milk yield for 5 months of lactation reaches 100 liters.

breeding zones

Large herds of Grozny sheep are common in the Chechen Republic, Dagestan, Ingushetia, Kalmykia, as well as in the south of Russia - in the Stavropol Territory, Astrakhan region. Breeding work is carried out at the breeding farms "Chervlenye Buruny" (Dagestan), "Chernozemelsky" (Kalmykia), "Stavropol-Kavkazsky" ( Stavropol region), "Shelkovskaya" (Chechnya).

Breed advantages

Strong constitution, high quality fleece. Perfectly adapted to the conditions of semi-deserts and to keeping in arid areas. High quality grease. They transmit properties well by inheritance, which is why they are often used to breed new breeds, in particular, Altai, Transbaikal, South Ural.

Domestic sheep are one of the fastest growing, non-capricious and productive animals in the farmstead. It is not surprising that the first breeds of sheep for home breeding appeared many thousands of years ago. The selection process does not stop today. If earlier universal animals, giving their owner wool and meat, skins, milk and valuable fat, had the greatest value, now more and more preference is given to varieties with a clear focus.

Depending on the climate, needs and demand, large and small farms specialize in growing:

meat breeds of sheep;
meat-fat and meat-wool varieties;
animals that provide high-quality skins and wool.

There are breeds of sheep whose breeding is beneficial to producers of dietary dairy products, including cottage cheese, sour milk drinks and cheese. Fat-tailed sheep are highly valued in the southern regions.

Features of sheep breeds, their photos and descriptions will help beginner sheep breeders get to know these animals and competently form their own herd.

A native Russian breed of sheep that appeared on the farms of the Yaroslavl province in the 18th century. Despite the venerable age for the variety of domestic animals, the breed is still extremely popular and widespread.

A characteristic feature of the Romanov breed of sheep is high fertility.

Due to the ability of the queens to bring several lambs at once and to kitten, regardless of the season, the animals show excellent meat productivity, although the weight of rams and adult females is far from representatives of true meat breeds of sheep.

Lambs of the Romanov breed of sheep quickly gain weight. A seven-month-old young growth weighs about 30-35 kg. The weight of mature rams reaches 80-100 kg, females are half as light. Today, a high interest is maintained in this breed for home keeping by the owners of private farms and farmsteads. In addition to good quality meat, healthy milk with a fat content of about 7% is obtained from animals.

During the lactation period, a sheep is able to produce up to one hundred liters of a valuable product.

The ancestors of the sheep of the Edilbaev breed obtained back in the century before last are fat-tailed Kazakh animals and large coarse-wooled sheep from the Astrakhan province. The offspring of these hardy varieties inherited the best traits of their parents and were able to survive even in the harshest steppe conditions, in an arid climate, on a small amount of scarce food.

Edilbaevsky sheep are a breed that endures heat, cold, and piercing wind.

In search of new pastures, animals cover considerable distances and at the same time manage to work up to 120 kg of weight for rams, and 75 kg for sheep. Today, this breed of sheep can be seen not only in the Kazakh steppes, but also in the southern regions of Russia, where endurance and high meat productivity of animals are also valued.

Lamb fat is a valuable product, especially in areas of traditional sheep breeding, which determined the appearance of a whole variety of animal breeds. Meat or fat-tailed sheep are still the most recognized in Asia, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. Fat in the body of animals of fat-tailed breeds of sheep does not accumulate evenly, but only in the tail area, forming many kilogram reserves.

The Hissar breed of sheep is a bright representative of the meat-fat variety. Large animals grow up to 190 in weight, and the sheep's fat tail accounts for almost a third of their body weight.

Hardy sheep, perfectly adapted to mountain pastures and transitions, were widely popular in the times of the USSR, and are still actively grown in private farmsteads. These animals have good immunity, and grow quickly, but do not differ in fertility. The weight of an adult sheep reaches 90, and sometimes 150 kg, rams are even larger. The mass of meat carcasses exceeds 140, and fat-tailed sheep - 180 kg. Sheep for a couple of months of lactation give up to 120 liters of milk.

Merino is considered a kind of standard for woolen sheep breeds. This breed of sheep was first obtained in the Iberian Peninsula. And the Spaniards are still rightfully proud of this fact, considering Merino sheep a national treasure. Now Australia is recognized as the world center for breeding these animals. Fine-fleeced sheep have a thick, soft coat, which, after shearing and processing, goes to the manufacture of clothes, knitwear and fabrics of the highest quality.

Compared to sheep of meat breeds, Merinos cannot be called large, but the amount of white fine wool from one individual can reach up to 18 kg. Today, sheep breeders have at their disposal several dozen breeds and breed lines derived from Merino or equal to them in quality and quantity of fine wool.

In the first half of the 20th century, the USSR produced its own variety of Merino sheep. The ancestors of the Soviet Merino, which was not inferior to the famous Spaniards and Australians, were domestic sheep from Altai, Stavropol and Chechnya, as well as representatives of the Ramboulier sheep breed. Unlike foreign Merinos, domestic animals are larger. Sheep weigh about 110 kg, and sheep are about half as light. This interesting breed of sheep is still of interest to Russian sheep breeders and is used in breeding work.

The French branch of the Merino is represented by the Prekos sheep breed with excellent fine wool and no less high meat productivity. The history of the breed began in the 19th century. In the last century, an early maturing variety was bred. Animals proved to be hardy, easily adapting even to harsh northern conditions. At the same time, Prekos, in comparison with breeds of only wool orientation, need extensive pastures.

Adult rams grow up to 120 kg of weight, the mass of sheep often reaches 70 kg. Sheep of the Prekos breed are more prolific than other Merino animals, they are good mothers, which is quite justified because of the risk of having weakened offspring in need of care.

Another domestic breed of sheep for home keeping has a meat orientation, excellent early maturity and endurance. At the same time, the Kuibyshev breed of sheep demonstrates excellent consumer characteristics of dense, dietary meat without the characteristic smell of lamb.

Kuibyshev sheep are easily recognizable by their strong build, muscular legs, broad back and chest, dense short neck and hornless head. Most of all, these meat breed sheep resemble the famous Romney March animals.

The weight of a ram reaches 190 kg, females weigh about 100 kg. Lambs of the Kuibyshev breed are early maturing and catch up with their mothers by weight already when they reach six months.

South African sheep of the Dorper breed were obtained by local breeders in order to breed productive meat-and-wool sheep with high endurance and excellent precocity in the rather harsh conditions of the continent. Dorset horn and black-headed Persian sheep of a fat-tailed orientation and other varieties were taken as the basis for the work.

Dorper did not deceive the expectations of scientists and sheep breeders. For about a century, this breed of sheep has been confirming its ability to survive practically in the desert, do without succulent fodder and perfectly gain weight on long journeys along rocky slopes.

The weight of a ram reaches 140 kg, adult females are half as small. Half-year-old lambs reach the same weight, about 50–60 kg.

The Texel sheep breed is considered one of the oldest in Europe. There is even an opinion that meat-and-wool animals with similar characteristics were known back in the days of Great Rome. But special attention was paid to precocious hornless sheep in the century before last. It was at this time that individuals of Dutch origin received an infusion of new British bloodlines, and the new standard worthy of cultivation in private backyards and in large farms of the breed.

As a result breeding work Sheep breeders and scientists managed to obtain the perfect combination of meat productivity and the presence of soft, high-quality wool in large animals.

Sheep grow up to 70 kg, the weight of adult rams can exceed 160 kg.

Animals are precocious, unpretentious and have good immunity, which is important when keeping a breed of sheep at home. Therefore, today the Texel sheep breed is chosen by thousands of owners of farmsteads around the world and in Russia, in particular.

Russian breeds of sheep - video

The Grozny breed of sheep, unlike the Volgograd breed, was bred in order to produce high-quality wool and rich shearing. These sheep belong to fine-fleece breeds, and Grozny individuals are considered to be among the most valuable in this segment.

The arid steppes, which became the first home for the Grozny sheep, made them hardy and not whimsical for walking in semi-desert areas. The goal was set: to develop a breed of strong animals, with high-quality wool, which they will give in large volumes, but still have a large live weight.

From the name of the breed it becomes clear that the sheep is directly related to the Dagestan Republic. And indeed, the breed was bred there, although this breed has an admixture of foreign blood. Australian merinos were chosen for crossing with ewes of the Novokavkazskaya breed. It is worth noting that Australian merinos were used for the same purposes as the Grozny breed - obtaining high-quality wool.

Australian animals took a long time to adapt to the desert landscape, and this made the work quite difficult. The process of crossing began in the late 20s and ended in the 50s of the twentieth century. By this time, the goal was achieved, but the breed was further improved to produce animals with even better weight indicators. When creating the Stavropol and Altai breeds, Grozny sheep were used.

Grozny sheep are still bred in the arid zones of the Dagestan steppes, in Ingushetia and Kalmykia, in the Astrakhan region and the Stavropol Territory.

Despite the fact that Grozny sheep are of medium size (height from 60 cm at the withers) and have a thin skeleton, their physique and constitution are remarkable for their remarkable strength. At the hocks, the legs come together. Rams have pronounced horns, while queens have no horns.

The entire body of the sheep is covered with small folds, and on the neck there are 1-2 folds for the queens, and for rams - 3. The uterus weighs from 45 to 55 kg, and the rams from 80 to 95 kg. The meat productivity of the Grozny breed of sheep is low, since this was a secondary goal in breeding the breed.

Particular attention should be paid to the wool of these animals. On the head and limbs they have coarse hair, and the stomach has thick long hair. The wool of Grozny sheep is soft, it is white and thick and of high quality, the length can reach 13 cm. They have a dense fleece, semicircular and uniform crimp.

Most queens have a wool quality of 64, but sometimes 70, and rams have a quality of 60-64, but sometimes 58. Due to high-quality grease, the fleece is less polluted. It is worth noting that in non-breeding individuals, the quality of the fleece is much lower, as is the evenness of the wool along the length.

The wool shearing of the Grozny breed, of course, is high: on average, about 7 kg for queens (up to 8 kg) and 15-16 kg for rams (up to 18 kg). Pure fiber at the output is from 40 to 50%.

The queens give good fertility rates - 130-140 lambs per hundred queens, however, the breed does not differ in precocity and only by 3.5 years the offspring fully grows. Five months of lactation will give about 100 liters of milk, which is a good indicator of milk yield.

Grozny sheep are also valued for their high breeding values. Due to this quality, they are widely used to improve the wool productivity of other breeds. Work is still underway to improve the ability to transfer high quality wool.