North Caucasian breed of sheep biological features. Features of meat breeds of sheep. Edilbaevskaya meat breed of sheep

There are different breeds of sheep in the world. They differ in both appearance and productivity, so they are bred for different purposes. There are about 600 breeds in total, and, of course, it is not so easy for farmers to make right choice. Experts recommend choosing a breed not only for its productivity, but also taking into account the climatic conditions of the region.

There are different breeds of sheep in the world

Meat breeds of sheep in Russia are bred mainly in the North Caucasus, the Urals and Siberia. From an economic point of view, this is beneficial, since such animals are unpretentious, prolific, and early maturing, so the investment pays off quite quickly. Suffice it to say that the sale of lambs is already profitable when they reach 8 months of age. Although at this time they gain only 4/5 of the live weight of adults. At the same time, lamb in terms of calories and the amount of proteins and amino acids is not inferior to other varieties of red meat, so it is in steady demand.

Sheep meat breeds have a certain set of characteristics. In particular, they have well-developed muscles and a layer of subcutaneous adipose tissue, but at the same time they differ in thin skin. But their bones are thinner than those of other breeds. These animals can accumulate fat reserves throughout the year. And beef sheep demonstrate high rates of live weight gain - up to 600 g per day, and often even more with proper nutrition. The weight of an adult ram depends on the specific breed, but in general it can be said that their meat productivity is high. And this is not their only advantage. Meat breed sheep are usually undemanding to the conditions of detention. They adapt well to a variety of forage conditions.

Gallery: breeds of sheep (25 photos)

The most popular meat animals

In the USSR, quite a lot of attention was paid to these animals, their own breeds were bred, many of them on the basis of mating imported animals with local multiparous sheep. For example, in the 1950s, the Gorky breed of sheep was bred in this way. These animals are predominantly black and gray in color, they have no horns, short hair, well-developed muscles, and the skeleton, although light, is strong. The weight of a sheep is about 80 kg with growth up to 70 cm. The fertility rate is 140%, but sometimes it may differ depending on the conditions. Lamb weight reaches 110 kg. At the same time, animals are considered quite precocious. In lambs, the daily weight gain is 160-220 g.

The North Caucasian breed of sheep is popular. It is often referred to as meat breeds, but it also has good wool productivity. The main advantages of this breed are endurance and high performance. That is why it is the most common breed in regions traditionally occupied by sheep breeding.

These sheep were first bred in the Stavropol Territory. Moreover, the selection work took about 20 years - surprisingly, they started at the height of the Great patriotic war(in 1943), and the North Caucasian meat and wool breed of sheep was registered already in the 1960s. The breed was bred on the basis of local fine-fleeced ewes. For crossing with them, such breeds of sheep as the Romney March and Lincoln were selected. As a result, it was possible to obtain a sufficient number of large males and relatively small polled ewes. These mestizos have already crossed with each other. As a result, 2 types of animals were obtained: A and B. The advantage of the A-type, obtained mainly from representatives of the Romney March breed, was the high quality of the wool. On the other hand, type B was characterized by a greater mutton weight, and the wool, although it was of lower quality, was longer, and in general it had good technological properties, so breeders further improved type B.

There are about 600 breeds in total, and, of course, it is not so easy for farmers to make the right choice.

Sheep North Caucasian breed have a strong constitution. Sheep look much larger than ewes. Although the difference in height at the withers is small (75 cm for males and 70 cm for females), the difference in mass is much greater. Lamb weight on average is about 110 kg. Moreover, lambs at 4 months already weigh 30-33 kg. But ewes weigh less than rams, about half, that is, up to 58-60 kg.

The appearance of the North Caucasian sheep is quite characteristic: a wide back, a chest pushed forward, a long body. Pedigree animals have a short and wide head, covered with crimped hair. Usually they are white in color. The length of the wool is up to 13 cm. It is used to make high-quality yarn, which is later used to make clothes. The wool productivity of this breed is quite high. Shearing wool from a ram is up to 12 kg, from a ewe - half as much. True, if you take a way out washed wool, then it is only 55-58%.

The oldest meat breed in Russia is the Romanov sheep. They were bred near Yaroslavl more than two hundred years ago. Although older breeds are generally considered not very productive, the Romanov has one important advantage. This breed cannot be called large, but it is the most prolific. This means that the meat productivity of the herd is at a high level.

These animals are distinguished by a strong constitution: a wide chest, well-developed muscles, strong bones. The weight of a ram is on average less than that of the breeds described above - up to 90 kg. Ewes often weigh 50-55 kg. Lambs reach a weight of 35 kg by 7 months of age. Since breeding and selection work in relation to this breed continues to be carried out, it is possible to improve these indicators over time.

The advantage of Romanov sheep is that they are ready for mating already at 7-8 months, and they can bring offspring 3 times a year.

Meat-greasy sheep

Fat tail breeds have always been popular in the East. Meat-fat breeds of sheep are bred not only for meat, but also to obtain mutton fat - it accumulates in the fat tail, the formation of which is a hereditary characteristic. Theoretically, it can be formed with abundant feeding, as well as with favorable conditions keeping these sheep. These conditions include alkaline soils, some types of herbaceous vegetation that sheep feed on. Meat-fat breeds are not very popular in the world: they account for up to 25% of the total number of sheep. Nevertheless, they are grown in Central Asia and Kazakhstan, since such breeds are ideally suited to local conditions.

For meat-fat varieties, of course, it is important how much a ram weighs. But it also takes into account the weight of fat tail fat deposits. Fat tail fat is a specific product. It is curious that in different breeds it can be deposited in different ways. The average weight of a fat tail bag can be about 30 kg. Sometimes it takes the form of a pillow that simply hangs down, or is deposited at the base of the tail, forming neat hemispheres. And there are breeds in which the fat-tailed bag simply drags along the ground after the animal.

Among the meat-greasy animals, the most popular is the Saraja breed of sheep. It was bred on the basis of local fat-tailed sheep in the area of ​​​​the village of Sara-Dzha - hence its name (the village itself is located in the southeast of Turkmenistan). These sheep are also distinguished by good wool productivity. This is not surprising, since they were bred from animals with a high content of down in their wool.

The advantages of saraja sheep lie in their endurance. They adapt well to harsh conditions, can be kept on pasture throughout the year. Although this variety of sheep is bred mainly in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, they are also suitable for rearing in some regions of Russia. For example, they are currently common in the Altai Territory and Orenburg region. These animals do not require expensive feed, as for most of the year they have enough of what they find in the pasture. Feeding is needed only in winter.

Saraja sheep are distinguished by a flat and short body. Their heads are small, with a straight profile and semi-pendulous ears. The bones and limbs are strong; their tail is relatively small.

Saraja sheep cannot be called large. The largest ram weighs about 100 kg. The weight of the fat tail is up to 8 kg. The weight of the ewe will be 2 times less. The fertility rate reaches 120% (that is, 120 lambs from 100 queens). Newborn lambs weigh up to 5.5 kg. Interestingly, babies are born with brown hair of different shades, but after 2-3 months it turns gray. And by the age of one year, the animals become almost completely white, only their head can be reddish, and the legs remain brown.

These animals are precocious. Lambs give a daily gain of 200 g per day. As for wool productivity, the annual shearing from rams is up to 5 kg. There are practically no shortcomings in the Sarajins. In rare cases, there are some exterior defects: for example, too narrow withers or a sharp transition from the neck to the body.

Hissar breed standard (video)

Other varieties

AT Russian conditions you can keep other varieties of sheep, in addition to those listed. For example, the East Friesian sheep is considered a universal option. These animals were first bred in Germany, then spread in the Czech Republic, from where they came to Russia. Among their advantages are precocity, good milk and wool productivity. Moreover, these are semi-fine-wooled animals, from which you can get enough wool High Quality, long, semi-shiny, with a noticeable waviness. As for milk productivity, it can be up to 600 kg per sheep during the year.

Of the sheep of the meat-wool type, it is worth highlighting the merino. Their main advantage is the high shearing of fine wool, which is in demand all over the world. The annual shearing of wool from 1 ram is up to 12 kg. Usually their coat is white, strong, with an average sheen.

Tsigai sheep have good wool and milk productivity. They give semi-fine wool of excellent quality. Basically they are kept just for her sake. Although they give a lot of milk, so from 1 ewe you can get up to 25 kg of cheese - an excellent indicator for this area of ​​animal husbandry.

More than 60 breeds of sheep are currently bred in Russia. This diversity attracts farmers to breed this type of animal.

Sheep belong to those types of animals that easily adapt to various conditions of keeping, are not picky about the food supply, have endurance and mobility, which makes it possible to overtake the flock from one pasture to another at any time, are distinguished by multiplicity and precocity.

In the modern world, there are over several dozen breeds of sheep, which are classified as meat type. Domestic sheep breeders are constantly working with many, while others are only to be met closely. Breeds of meat sheep and their characteristics are presented below.

The formation of the breed falls on the middle of the XX century. Breeders Soviet Union carried out work on mating rams of the Hampshire variety with queens of local breeds, which were distinguished by coarse wool and multiple pregnancies.

At the moment, Gorky sheep are easily recognizable by their gray-black color, polled, short wool. The animals have well-developed muscles, strong and light bones.

The variety belongs to the meat and wool direction. Representatives took part in the breeding of the breed: Romney March, Stavropol and Lincoln. The animals have a powerful back and a well-developed chest. Many Russian breeders prefer the North Caucasian breed for its tirelessness, high performance and well-developed muscles.

The homeland of animals is located in the Yaroslavl region and they were bred two centuries ago, therefore the breed is recognized as the oldest in our country. According to their orientation, animals are referred to the fur-meat direction.

Romanovs are universally known for their fertility, which makes it possible to achieve high meat productivity in the herd.

The animals are characterized by a strong constitution: a wide chest, a powerful skeleton is well muscled. Distinguishing features include hunchbackedness and polledness.

The breed belongs to the precocious, you can cover females from the age of eight months. You can get offspring three times a year, one sheep is born from two or more lambs. In most cases, the rearing of the offspring occurs without any complications, but there may be cases of failure when the queen allows only one lamb to come to her.

Romney March Sheep

Representatives are famous for their powerful physique, which gives their torso a characteristic shape. The body is elongated, the head is wide, polled, the dorsal and sacral sections are powerful, the limbs are strong.

This species is characterized by easy adaptation to climatic conditions and rapid adaptation to a new habitat. Sheep will thrive in both low and high temperatures.

Sheep breed Wiltshire horned

England is considered the birthplace of animals, and the breed was most popular in the eighteenth century. Animal heads are decorated with horns. Due to its unpretentiousness to the forage base, sheep can be grazed on almost any pasture.

For mating, animals that have reached the age of ten months are selected.

Lamb is in great demand, meat products are distinguished by tenderness, juiciness and lack of fat. The meat yield is 55% after slaughter.

The meat direction in sheep breeding continues to develop, using producers of the Wiltshire breed for crossing with merino females.

France is the birthplace of animals, they were obtained by crossing the rambouillet breed with English meat sheep in the century before last. The physique is powerful and barrel-shaped, the sacrum is wide, the same thighs and back. The coat is thick. The meat obtained after slaughter is of excellent quality.

Sheep of West Siberian meat breed

It is considered the youngest breed of sheep. The animals were obtained by crossing the Kulunda with the offspring of textiles and semi-fine-fleeced sheep.

The breed was entered into the state register only in 2012. Despite this, many farmers are interested in breeding animals. hallmark has become the ability to bring lambs during the off-season when other beef sheep do not breed.

Animals belong to the meat and wool direction. Released in France. Fine fleece wool helps sheep survive adverse weather conditions. Article animals resemble meat counterparts.

Zwartbles sheep

The breed can be attributed to the meat and dairy type, which is of Dutch origin. Sheep are polled, differ from other breeds in high growth; size and endurance. With a dense coat, they do well in harsh weather conditions - the presence of strong winds and high humidity.

Producers are used to breed early crosses, whose meat has a minimum amount of fat.

Looking at the constitution of animals, they can immediately be attributed to the meat orientation. The meat does not have a specific smell, the texture of the fibers is well expressed, and besides, it is very juicy. When an animal is slaughtered, the meat carcass yield is more than 50%.

This type of sheep does not have wool, but its absence is compensated by a thick skin that protects the animal from bad weather conditions. Their homeland is Africa, where they were obtained by crossing native fat-tailed sheep with Dorset Horn sires. Sheep are distinguished by endurance, unpretentiousness and the ability to eat the most pasture on pastures with poor vegetation. The color of the durper is also interesting, mainly the light color of the body, and the head is black.

Meat indicators are the highest both in quality and taste. The most tender meat has a well-defined muscle structure and a thin layer of fat.

Suffolk sheep

Scotland is considered the birthplace of animals, and they have been known since the 18th century. The predominant color is white, the limbs with the head are black. Sheep are horny. Characteristic features include fairly long, slightly hanging ears.

Sheep of the BlyuduMain breed

Western France is considered the birthplace of animals. They bred it a long time ago, but despite this, sheep are extremely popular among meat-oriented breeds.

Sheep are polled, become a meat type, the constitution is strong. The head is slightly long; forehead - wide; ears are long, set vertically.

The resulting meat products are lean. Sheep are highly adaptable to pasture conditions; they easily endure frosts and snowy winters.

Refers to the meat-and-wool direction, bred by Swiss specialists. Sheep are hornless, tall, portly. They have excellent hardiness and can be kept on scarce pastures with little to no concentrate feeding. You can graze in the mountains.

Above are the most common meat breeds of sheep with photos and descriptions in Russia.

Video. Sheep breeds

Semi-fine-fleece meat-wool long-haired breed. It was bred (1944-1960) in the breeding farm "Vostok" in the Stavropol Territory by crossing fine-fleeced ewes with rams of the English breeds Lincoln and Romney March, selecting crossbreeds of the 1st generation of the desired type and breeding them "in themselves".

When breeding crossbred animals of the first generation “in themselves”, it was found that the offspring of Lincoln rams, in terms of their economically useful qualities, surpassed the crossbreeds obtained from Romney March rams. Half-blooded animals from Lincoln rams had a large growth, a relatively long body, rounded shapes, a fleece of a staple and staple-braid structure, wool with large crimp, luster sheen, silky; the thickness of the fibers is predominantly of 50-56th quality, the length is 10-14 cm. The offspring of Romney-march rams were inferior in these indicators to animals obtained from Lincoln rams. Therefore, the use of Romney March rams has been discontinued since 1948.

The modern herd of North Caucasian meat-and-wool sheep is characterized by large growth, regular physique and a good combination of high meat and wool productivity. Animals have a strong constitution with well-developed bones. The head is wide, the rams and uterus are polled, the rudiments of horns without a bone base are not considered a major drawback. The neck is of medium length, fleshy. Withers, back, loin and sacrum are wide. The chest is rather wide, deep with a protruding dewlap. Ribs are rounded. The body is long on strong limbs. Legs are well made. Overgrown head to the line of the eyes, legs to the carpal and hock joints.

Covering hair white. Small dark spots on the nose, ears, legs are allowed.

Fleece staple and staple-braid structure. The color of the grease is white and light cream. The wool is white, uniform with a clearly defined crimp (2-3 crimps per 1 cm of length) and a semi-luster sheen, of good and medium density, equalized according to the fleece and in the staple.

The length of the wool is 12-13 cm, the fineness is 56-50 quality, the crimp is large, well expressed along the length of the staple. Sheared sheep wool 9-12 kg, queens - 5.5-6.0 kg with a washed fiber yield of 58-62%.

The live weight of rams is 90-100 kg, of queens -55-58 kg. Under conditions of abundant feeding, 45 ewes at the age of one year weighed an average of 70.1 kg, and 40 rams - 86.1 kg. The maximum live weight among ewes was 85 kg, among rams - 119, in rams 150, in queens - 129 kg. Sheep are distinguished by good feeding and slaughter qualities. In valushki, when fattening on crops of Sudanese with feeding with concentrates, the average daily gain was 200 g. At slaughter at 8 months of age, their carcasses weighed 21.4 kg, the slaughter yield was 50.1%, the pulp content in the carcass was 78-79%.

The fertility of queens is 120-130%.

The best stock of sheep of the North Caucasian breed is located in the Vostok breeding farm in the Stavropol Territory, as well as in the Stepnoy breeding farm and in the Malo-Kabardinsky breeding farm of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic.

Breeds of sheep, meat indicators of which are quite high, are very popular with breeders. Recently, this area of ​​animal husbandry has attracted a lot of attention, as it allows in record time to increase the herd and make the enterprise profitable. Meat breeds of sheep in Russia are only slightly inferior to foreign ones in terms of performance, but at the same time, breeding stock is often several times cheaper.

Due to the rather affordable prices for young animals, they are usually bred in newly emerging farms. With the right selection of animals, taking into account not only the desired productivity, but also climatic and landscape features the territory in which the herd will graze for a long time of the year, you can get the maximum benefit.

Advantages and characteristics of meat breeds of sheep

Animals of this orientation are actively bred in Russia on the territory of the North Caucasus, in Western and Eastern Siberia, in the Volga region and in the Urals. At the same time, excellent meat breeds were bred in some countries of Europe and Africa, as well as in the British Isles. The advantages include their rapid growth and fertility, reaching about 230%. Animals are unpretentious, so they are much easier to breed than breeds intended for dairy products or wool. Features of meat breeds of sheep include:

• the ability to accumulate fat year-round;
• developed muscular frame;
• adaptability to long-term grazing;
• unpretentiousness to feed;
• strong body;
• increased endurance;
• thin skeleton and less developed internal organs;
• relatively thin skin.

In just 8 months, lambs manage to gain up to 4/5 of their mass adult, that is, by this time they are ready for implementation. Calorie content, as well as the content of amino acids, proteins and nutrients in the resulting products are not inferior to large meat cattle. Many sheep of meat breeds are well known in the CIS countries, some breeds are imported from European countries and, due to the rather high cost of breeding stock, are rarely found in private breeders.

Gorky meat breed of sheep

This meat breed of sheep was bred relatively recently, at the beginning of the 20th century. The breed was obtained by crossing representatives of the Hampshire breed with local coarse-haired animals, characterized by increased fertility. This made it possible to obtain sheep with new qualities. Animals do not have horns and immediately attract attention with a black and gray coat color. The fertility of representatives of the Gorky breed of sheep is characterized by increased rates, reaching 140%. The constitution is strong. Despite the very developed muscles, the skeleton is very light. The wool cover is short, so it is not used for further processing.

Rams usually reach a weight of 90–130 kg, and ewes - about 75–80 kg.

Lambs of the Gorky breed grow quite quickly with natural feeding, adding 160–220 g daily. By 4 months, the young reach a weight of about 25–30 kg. An adult ram reaches about 70–76 cm at the withers, and sheep are on average 3–5 cm lower. The meat of this breed has excellent nutritional characteristics and is suitable not only for sale in raw form, but also for further processing.

North Caucasian meat breed of sheep

These animals were also obtained relatively recently. It is believed that the North Caucasian breed was bred in the middle of the 20th century by crossing representatives of the Lincoln, Romney March and Stavropol sheep. These creatures are distinguished by a large powerful back and a developed chest. The neck of adult sheep and rams is short, but very fleshy. The thighs and thighs are rounded due to well-developed muscles. The North Caucasian breed is characterized by unpretentiousness and high fertility, which, with proper care, can reach 130%. Yarki can be on pasture pasture for a long time.

These animals have well-developed muscles, so the amount of meat products per individual at slaughter can be about 50 kg. The bones are quite thin and light. Adult rams can reach a weight of about 110-120 kg. A female ewe usually weighs no more than 65–75 kg. In just 4 months, lambs can gain up to 30-33 kg of live weight. This breed of sheep allows you to get wool fiber. Usually the skin has a gray color and good density with considerable sinuosity. The length of wool can reach 11 cm. In most cases, this serves as an additional source of income.

Romanov meat breed of sheep

These animals are considered champions, as they have an ideal combination of productivity and early maturity. They were bred over 2 centuries ago. Excellent performance is achieved due to the ability of ewes to bring up to 5 lambs per year. Fertility reaches approximately 300%. This makes the Romanov breed a real champion and deserves special attention from breeders. Given this fact, the total weight of the offspring from one uterus can reach 200 kg in just 7 months.

Due to such high productivity, many private farms breed them for meat.

Romanov sheep are covered with short white fur on their backs and upper legs, while their heads are distinguished by black fur. It is generally not used to generate additional income for farms. Considering that queens give birth at least 2 times a year, they are a good source of milk. On average, up to 100 kg of product is removed, the fat content of which reaches 8%. Romanovs are raised for meat, and most of the milk is used to feed the young. Sheep give up to 90–100 kg of live weight, and queens - about 50–60 kg. Usually slaughter weight is about 50% of the total.

Meat breed of sheep Romney March

These animals are especially popular with Western breeders. It is believed that this breed was bred in the XVIII century. Ronnie March sheep are distinguished by a strong physique. The head is very broad and has no horns. The body is slightly elongated. The back and sacrum of animals are powerful. The legs are well muscled. The Romney March has excellent adaptability, so they adapt well to cold weather and hot summers. The productivity of queens is very high and reaches 170%. Adult rams weigh about 95–100 kg, while ewes weigh about 60–75 kg.

The length of wool in adults reaches 12 cm. It is curly, shiny and of good quality, therefore it can serve as an additional source of income for the farm. Lambs are distinguished by good precocity. Usually by 4 months they reach a weight of about 30-32 kg. Dairy products are high in fat. This allows you to significantly reduce feed costs. This breed of sheep is quite unpretentious in terms of maintenance. It is advisable to provide animals with warm sheepskin winter period, but in spring and summer they can spend most of their time on green pastures.

Wiltshire horned sheep breed

These animals are the best of those that have ever been bred in the UK. Here, this breed has been very popular since the middle of the 18th century. Wiltshire horned is not picky in terms of food choice and open grazing areas. Typically, juveniles are ready to mate at 7-10 months of age, which allows farms to increase the number of livestock in record time. The weight of adult males usually reaches up to 100-140 kg, ewes gain 72-90 kg. This is a very high performance indicator.

Young individuals that go to slaughter have tasty juicy meat that does not have fatty inclusions.

At slaughter, the net weight reaches 50–55% of the live weight. Wiltshire horned is characterized by increased fertility, which can range from 140 to 180%. In just 4 months, lambs can reach a weight of 35 to 54 kg. The average daily weight gain of this breed is about 250–350 g. To increase productivity, British breeders often cross representatives of this breed with Merinos. In addition to high-quality meat, this practice allows you to get high-quality wool.

Characteristics of the Hissar breed of sheep

Animals are capable of producing many high-quality products. This is a fat-tailed breed of sheep, which allows you to get not only high-quality meat, but also lard. They are considered one of the largest in the world. The weight of adult Hissar rams ranges from 130 to 140 kg, but there are also real heavyweights that reach 190 kg. The live weight of ewes is usually about 80 kg. In rare cases, they can reach 120 kg. When slaughtered, one individual can produce from 15 to 25 kg of tail fat.

To obtain a large amount of meat products, certain grazing rules must be observed so that the energy goes into the development and increase in muscle mass. These animals are unpretentious. They can do without water for a long time, making many kilometers of marches when moving to new grazing places. Representatives of the Hissar breed perfectly adapt to poor pastures. Hissars give good meat, but their fertility is not too high and ranges from 60 to 80%. Lambs are characterized by rapid growth, adding 500–600 g per day. Such indicators are considered record precocity.

Usually their weight at weaning from the uterus is about 50 kg.

Kuibyshev meat breed of sheep

These animals were bred in the 20th century by crossing Cherkasy sheep and Romney March ewes. This made it possible to obtain a breed characterized by high meat productivity. Kuibyshev sheep have a large stocky body covered with fine wool. Their muscular frame is very developed. Animals are polled, have strong hooves and a short tail.

A feature of this breed is the absence of hair on the muzzle. Wool requires special attention, as it is soft and tends to form tangles. Adult rams of the Kuibyshev breed can reach a weight of 140 kg, while the uterus grows up to 85 kg. Animal productivity reaches 120%. Lambs quickly gain weight, adding 180–230 g daily. With proper feeding, the amount of meat products during slaughter of an animal can reach 55% of the live weight. They are unpretentious, so they are suitable for breeding in different climatic zones.

Tajik meat breed of sheep

These animals are used to produce high quality products. meat sheep were bred in Tajikistan. It is believed that they were obtained through successful folk selection. Sheep of this breed allow you to get not only a large amount of high-quality meat, but also lard and wool. Tajik sheep are extremely unpretentious and adapted to poor semi-desert pastures. If necessary, animals perfectly adapt to new conditions. Thoroughbred sheep can reach a weight of 130-150 kg. Brights are usually much smaller. Their weight varies from 80 to 100 kg.

Adult representatives of this breed are distinguished by a massive croup and well-developed muscles.

At slaughter, the yield of meat products reaches 60% of live weight. Fertility is not too high, and ranges from 80-120%. Tajik lambs are valued for their ability to quickly gain weight. Usually, the daily gain varies between 300–500 g. Representatives of this breed of meat-oriented sheep make it possible to obtain fairly high-quality wool. Uterus during lactation give up to 100 liters of fat milk, which increases the profitability of the economy.

West Siberian meat breed

These animals are ideal for breeding in cold climates. The West Siberian breed was obtained by crossing texels, semi-fine-fleeced and Kulunda sheep. The advantage of these animals is the possibility of growing young animals even in the off-season, which is not typical for meat breeds. The body is barrel-shaped and well-developed muscular framework. Sheep and rams of this breed have a wide back, sacrum and chest. They don't have horns. Straight cut profile. Ears semi-erect.

The body is covered with thick hair. protecting from extreme cold. Despite the fact that this is a meat breed, it is possible to obtain up to 4-6 kg of fleece from one sheep, which significantly increases the productivity of the economy. The weight of adult rams reaches about 100–115 kg, and sheep are half that. Fertility reaches about 130%. Lambs are characterized by rapid growth, and already at 7–8 months of age they gain the necessary weight for slaughter. Thick wool and high-fat milk is an excellent source of additional income for farms.

Edilbaevskaya meat breed of sheep

These animals are impressive in size. Despite the absence of horns, the rams of the Edilbaev breed are distinguished by a massive body and reach about 90 cm at the withers. Their body shape is barrel-shaped and is distinguished by a wide chest, back and sacrum. They reach a weight of 130–150 kg, and the bright ones are somewhat smaller. These animals have a developed muscular frame. The breed was bred on the territory of Kazakhstan. It was obtained about 200 years ago, but even now it does not lose its relevance.

Even being on poor pasture, sheep quickly increase body weight.

After the onset of winter cold, animals need a warm sheepfold, since low temperatures are not comfortable for them. Sheep of this breed reach puberty at about 8 months. They can bear offspring 2 times a year. At the same time, animals are characterized by a rather low fertility, since for 100 queens it is rarely possible to get more than 60 lambs, which are characterized by rapid growth, and by 4 months they can get about 20–24 kg of high-quality meat and about 4 kg of fat tail fat during slaughter. This is a meat breed, wool is not taken from them.

Characteristics of meat breed Texel

These animals were obtained back in the 18th century in Holland by crossing local breeds and those that were brought from Britain. Taxels have a characteristic appearance. Their entire back and upper parts of their legs are covered with beautiful, dense, light brown hair. Legs, abdomen and head are white. Animals of this meat breed allow you to get a high-quality juicy product. Texel meat has no specific smell and has a delicate texture. Adult rams reach a weight of 90–125 kg, while the weight of females varies between 65–125 kg. The meat productivity of texels is about 60%.

Fertility is high and reaches about 130–150%. Lambs at 4 months can reach a weight of 35-60 kg. Usually, by 9 months, the young already weigh about 100 kg and can be sent for slaughter. Texels are characterized by increased endurance and resistance to various diseases. This breed allows you to get not only high-quality meat. Texels are often used to improve the productivity of local animals, as they transmit their best qualities when crossed.

Prekos meat breed indicators

France is considered the birthplace of these amazingly productive animals. This breed was obtained in the 19th century by crossing British beef and Rambouillet representatives. Animals are distinguished by increased viability and are resistant to various infectious diseases. In addition, they are quite unpretentious to the conditions of detention. The resulting animals have a powerful body, characterized by a barrel-shaped shape. They have a wide rump, rounded thighs and a thick coat. The muscles are very developed.

The meat has practically no fat layer and has excellent taste.

The breed of sheep allows you to get quite a lot of high-quality meat. Males reach about 110–130 kg. The brights are in most cases half as small. The fertility of prekos reaches 120%. Lambs of this breed usually reach a weight of about 31–35 kg in the first 4 months of life. Adult one-year-old individuals allow you to get up to 55 kg of high-quality meat during slaughter. Thick woolen cover is a source of additional income for farms. During lactation, which can last up to 5 months, up to 130 liters of fat milk can be obtained.

Meat breed of sheep Dorper

These animals are hairless. They were bred in southern Africa around the beginning of the twentieth century. Dorpers were obtained by crossing representatives of the Dorset Horn breed and local fat-tailed sheep. Representatives of the resulting breed are distinguished by increased endurance, the ability to quickly gain weight on scarce pastures. They are extremely unpretentious in terms of care. The body of the Dorper is white in color, and only the head and neck of the animal are black. Such an unusual combination of colors allows you to quickly distinguish representatives of this breed from others. Animals are not intended for growing in cold climatic zones, as they do not have a thick undercoat that protects them from the weather. At the same time, a thick skin allows them to withstand low temperatures in the middle lane.

Sheep are one of the most unpretentious animals in care, they do not require large expenses, they quickly pay back all the funds spent on the purchase of feed and necessary vitamins. In sheep, meat and wool are primarily valued, although other products can be obtained from industrial breeding.

To date, several dozen breeds of sheep for meat production are bred in the world, while Russian farmers have developed their own list of the most valuable meat breeds, from the sale of meat from which you can get a good income. This list can include such breeds of sheep as:

1. Prekos;
2. Kuibyshev breed of sheep;
3. Tajik breed;
4. North Caucasian breed;
5. Latvian dark-headed sheep;
6. Saraja breed;
7. Romanov breed;
8. Edilbaevskaya breed;
9. Hissar breed;
10. Jaidara sheep breed.

Consider the meat qualities of each breed separately.

Prekos

Prekos sheep breed relate to fine-fleeced sheep of meat and wool orientation. Prekos are long-skinned sheep weighing up to 60 kilograms for queens and about 100 kilograms for rams. In addition to high-quality wool, which can reach up to 9 kilograms per ram in one shear, sheep also provide very tasty and healthy meat. From one lamb at the age of 4 months, the farmer receives up to 35 kilograms of lamb.

France is considered the historical homeland of sheep of this breed, from where the sheep migrated to Germany, due to which many subspecies of prekos are known today. The wool is gray, sometimes white, not thick, the belly of the sheep is slightly overgrown with wool, but the head is completely covered with beautiful curls, right up to the eyes, as well as the legs. The length of the wool is on average 7-8 centimeters, the thickness of the fiber is 60 in quality. Sheep of the prekos breed are quite prolific, up to 150 lambs are born per 100 heads in one season.

A large shearing of wool and obtaining a sufficient amount of meat makes the Prekos breed very popular and popular among sheep breeders.

Kuibyshev breed of sheep

Kuibyshev semi-fine-fleeced sheep distributed almost throughout the country. Sheep of this breed are distinguished by good endurance, correct skeleton and excellent meat and wool performance. The weight of an adult ram fed on the best feed can reach 165 kilograms, the weight of the uterus is 80-85 kilograms. Early maturing sheep, with proper care and feeding, can have two offspring per year. Lambs quickly gain weight, about 250-300 grams per day. I cut wool from a ram about 6-7 kilograms, from the uterus up to 4 kilograms. The length of the wool cover reaches 25 centimeters, with a thickness of 56 quality. Wool is a beautiful white color with a blue tint. Sheep are polled, horns are only occasionally found in rams, which is not considered a breed defect. The Kuibyshev breed of sheep is early maturing, at 4 months the weight of a lamb reaches 35 kilograms, which is half the weight of an adult sheep at the age of 1.5 years. The most well-fed lambs are sent for meat precisely when they reach this weight, while the rest are fed to the desired consistency and are also sent for meat. Even if the farmer is going to breed the breed exclusively for meat, it will still not be possible to avoid shearing, in summer the sheep will simply be hot in their natural fur coat.

Tajik breed of sheep

Sheep of the Tajik breed belong to the meat-fat direction of productivity. Sheep of this breed show high meat-fat indicators when breeding. Animals are outwardly large, have a large fat tail, where, in fact, excess fat and fat are deposited in reserve. The weight of rams is approximately 120 kilograms, the weight of the ewes reaches 90 kilograms. Up to 4 kilograms are sheared from each uterus, up to 5 kilograms of wool from sheep. The length of the spring haircut is approximately 16-20 centimeters, with a washed fiber yield of 63-72%. Wool is used to make carpets. The coat color is white and shiny. Tajik sheep are good both for obtaining meat and for breeding for the purpose of selling wool, so keeping sheep of this breed is extremely profitable.

North Caucasian breed of sheep

Sheep of the North Caucasian breed belong to fine-wool, their wool is highly valued. Sheep are characterized by a good physique and well-developed muscles. The withers of the sheep are wide, the back is ticking, the lumbar part and the sacrum. The neck is short and fleshy, the hips and thighs are round.

There are 2-3 folds on the neck of the animals, the entire body of the sheep is covered with wool, the fleece is closed, staple. Sheep do not differ in high precocity, the uterus weighs only up to 60 kilograms, and the rams up to 100 kilograms. There are only 130 lambs per 100 queens, which, however, are almost always born healthy and viable.

Shearing wool from queens is approximately 6 kilograms, and from rams up to 10, with an average length of wool of 8 centimeters. The breed belongs to the meat and wool direction, since the yield of meat and wool is so high that it pays for all possible costs for breeding the North Caucasian sheep.

Latvian dark-headed sheep

Breed of Latvian dark-headed sheep bred in Latvia more than two centuries ago. The breed is exclusively meat, it is characterized by a barrel-shaped elongated body. The chest of the sheep protrudes forward, it is wide and deep, the legs, ears and muzzle of the sheep are black, while the rest of the body has a grayish coat color. The weight of a ram reaches 100 kilograms, the weight of the uterus ranges between 50 and 55 kilograms. Sheared wool from a sheep - 5-6 kilograms, from the uterus 4-5, with an average length of up to 12 centimeters. Sheep of this breed are considered precocious, lambs are born weighing up to 4 kilograms, and with intensive fattening they can reach a weight of 45 kilograms by 7 months, which is quite suitable for slaughter. The breed is good for breeding in order to obtain meat and fat, both in large farms and on private farms with a small number of animals.

Saraja sheep breed

Sheep of the Saraja breed belong to the fat tail, the weight of the tail with fat, located closer to the tail of the animal, on the sacrum is 4, and sometimes 20 kilograms. High-quality uniform sheep wool is used to make expensive carpets, while meat is suitable for preparing the best delicacies. The wool consists of fluff and transitional fiber, the amount of coarse awn is small, as well as dead dry hair. The length of the wool reaches 19 centimeters, the fluff is about 8 centimeters. Queens for one shearing give out up to 3.5 kilograms of wool, rams - 4 kilograms. Sheep are very hardy, good physique allows them to move quickly and lamb almost without difficulty. The weight of an adult sheep can reach up to 70, and a ram up to 100 kilograms. Sheep are bred not only to obtain meat and wool, but also to improve the quality of wool and meat of other fat-tailed breeds of sheep.

Romanov breed of sheep

Romanov sheep refers to coarse-haired animals of meat and wool orientation. The breed was bred in the Romanovsky district at the end of the 19th century. The breed was bred in order to obtain sheepskin and high-quality wool, which was highly valued at that time, but in the course of many years of crossbreeding, sheep showed themselves not only as animals from which good wool is obtained, but also meat of high taste.

Sheep are very fertile, in one offspring a sheep of the Romanov breed is able to bring from 2 to 5 lambs, while the weight of a lamb with moderate fattening by 7 months usually equals 35-40 kilograms. The queens not only bring a large offspring, but also show excellent milk performance, milk yield per sheep per season is 100-120 liters, while the fat content of milk reaches 8%.

An adult sexually mature ram of the Romanov breed weighs up to 90 kilograms, the uterus can reach 60-70 kilograms in weight. The total weight of the offspring of five lambs from one sheep is approximately 250 kilograms of pure meat by 8 months.

Breeding the Romanov breed of sheep specifically for meat is very profitable, since it allows you to get up to 2-3 offspring from one sheep per year. Animals come to hunt and lamb almost all year round, which cannot but be beneficial in their mass breeding.

Edilbaevskaya breed

Sheep of the Edilbaev breed belong to fat-tailed breeds, with high meat and lard rates. In terms of weight, rams slightly exceed queens, the weight of sheep is approximately 80-120 kilograms for queens and rams, respectively. Lambs are born quite large, the weight of one lamb can be 5-6 kilograms, and by the time of weaning, the lambs already weigh 40-45 kilograms. If the slaughter occurred at 4 months, the weight of the lamb carcass will be 25 kilograms, and the weight of the fat tail will be approximately 4 kilograms. In adult sheep of the Edilbaev breed, the weight of the fat tail is not less than 13-14 kilograms. Sheep are considered insufficiently or moderately prolific, the birth of twins and triplets is rare.

The shearing of wool in sheep reaches 3 kilograms, in rams this figure is 3.5-4 kilograms. Sheep wool is coarse, the amount of fluff is 55-60%, the amount of awn is 22-25%, about 16% is allocated to the transitional hair. The color of sheep's wool shimmers and can be of all shades of red.

From the slaughter of sheep of the Edilbaev breed, a large amount of meat is obtained, the meat of young rams is especially good, the ewes are usually sent for slaughter only as a last resort.

Hissar breed of sheep

Hissar sheep are the largest sheep in the world, the weight of a ram reaches 200 kilograms, while the uterus can gain weight up to 100 kilograms. Lambs are born weighing up to 7 kilograms, so giving birth to a sheep can be difficult. The main advantage of such a large weight of lambs is that already a month after birth they can be slaughtered for meat. Young dairy lamb is highly valued in the meat markets. The weight of the lamb for the weaning period reaches 45 kilograms, despite the fact that most of his life he ate pasture, which means that the cost of fattening him was not very high.

Hissar sheep belong to the fat-tailed ones, the weight of the fat-tailed tail in an adult sheep reaches 20 kilograms, in especially well-fed individuals, the weight of the fat-tailed part can even be equal to 40 kilograms. The wool of the sheep is coarse, with a high content of awn and dead hair, however, shearing is carried out twice a year in spring and autumn, like other sheep. Even 2 kilograms of wool is not sheared from one ram, sheared from queens and does not exceed 1 kilogram at all, therefore sheep are bred only in order to obtain tasty nutritious meat.

Jaidara sheep breed

Jaidars - fat-tailed sheep, with a high fat content in fat tail, its weight can reach 12-15 kilograms. The very same weight of an adult ram is at least 110, and the weight of the uterus is at least 60 kilograms. Lambs at 4 months weigh approximately 40-43 kilograms, with a clean meat yield of 39 kilograms. Sheep are coarse-wooled, the wool shear is small, from rams it turns out up to 3.5 kilograms, and from queens up to 3 kilograms of wool. The amount of awn and dead dry hair in wool is significant, which affects its sale price. Such wool is used only for the production of felt, which, however, is not so important, since the large amount of meat obtained from each sheep of this breed is much more important.

Thus, meat breeds of sheep not only provide high-quality and valuable meat in large quantities, but also wool, milk and skins, for which they are valued all over the world much higher than sheep of other directions. Each farmer gets the opportunity to sell several tons of meat, lard and wool in a year, without worrying about sales, he will never be at a loss.