Contents
Sheep wool, which once became the basis of the wealth of England and New Zealand, began to lose its importance with the advent of new artificial materials. The sheep of the wool direction were replaced by meat breeds of sheep, which give tasty tender meat that does not have a characteristic mutton smell.
During Soviet times, lamb was not a very popular type of meat among the population precisely because of the specific smell, which, most likely, was present in the meat of woolly sheep. In those days, the farms of the European part of the USSR did not seek to breed meat breeds, focusing on wool and sheepskin.
The collapse of the Union and the almost complete stop of production hit sheep breeding very painfully. Even successful collective farms and state farms, getting rid of unprofitable branches, first of all liquidated sheep. Meat sheep also fell under this rink, since it was very problematic to convince the population to buy lamb, especially against the backdrop of a lack of money and the availability of cheap chicken legs from the United States on the shelves. In the villages, it was more convenient for private owners to keep goats rather than sheep.
Nevertheless, the sheep managed to survive. Meat breeds of sheep in Our Country began to develop and grow in number, although the Gorky breed still needs the help of specialists and sheep breeding enthusiasts so as not to disappear altogether. Some of the meat breeds of sheep now bred in Our Country were brought from the West, some from Central Asia, and some are native breeds. A striking representative of the latter is the Romanov sheep.
Romanov breed of sheep
The breed was bred as a coarse-haired sheep with a skin suitable for sewing winter clothes. This is a primordially breed that can withstand the cold well, due to which it is today one of the most numerous breeds kept by private owners in their farmsteads.
The weight of Romanov sheep is relatively small, and their meat productivity is low. The ewe weighs about 50 kg, the ram up to 74. The lamb-ram reaches a weight of 34 kg by 6 months. Young animals are sent for slaughter after reaching a live weight of 40 kg. At the same time, the lethal carcass yield is less than 50%: 18-19 kg. Of these, only 10 -11 kg can be used for food. The rest of the weight is bones.
Romanov sheep “take” with their multiplicity, bringing 3 – 4 lamb at a time and being able to breed at any time of the year. But after all, the lambs still need to be fed to a slaughter weight. And this is also an investment.
Gorky sheep
Meat breed of sheep, bred in the Gorky region of the former USSR. Now this is the Nizhny Novgorod region and it is there that one of the small breeding flocks of these sheep. In addition to the Nizhny Novgorod region, the Gorky breed can be found in two more districts: Dalnekonstantinovsky and Bogorodsky. In the Kirov, Samara and Saratov regions, this breed is used as an improver for local coarse wool sheep, which will have a very good effect on the livestock bred in these regions and negatively on the Gorky breed.
These sheep were bred from 1936 to 1950 on the basis of local northern ewes and Hampshire rams. Until 1960, work was underway to improve the characteristics of the breed.
Breed description
Outwardly, the sheep are similar to their English ancestors – the Hampshires. The head is short and wide, the neck is fleshy, of medium length. The withers are wide and low, merging with the neck and forming one line with the back. The body is powerful, barrel-shaped. The dewlap is well developed. The chest is round. The back, loin and sacrum form a level topline. The legs are short, with a wide set. The skeleton is thin. The constitution is strong.
The color is ermine, that is, the head, tail, ears, legs are black. On the legs, black hair reaches the carpal and hock joints, on the head to the line of the eyes, the body is white. The length of the coat is from 10 to 17 cm. The main disadvantage of wool is the uneven fineness in different parts of the body. Horns are absent.
Sheep weigh from 90 to 130 kg. Ewes 60 – 90 kg. The animals are well muscled.
Productive characteristics
Sheep give 5-6 kg of wool per year, ewes 3-4 kg. The quality of the fineness is 50 – 58. But due to the heterogeneity, the wool of the Gorky breed does not have a high price.
The fertility of Gorky ewes is 125 – 130%, in breeding flocks it reaches 160%.
The meat productivity of sheep of the Gorky breed is somewhat higher than that of the Romanov breed. By 6 months, lambs weigh 35-40 kg. Slaughter carcass yield 50 – 55%. In addition to meat, milk can be obtained from queens. For 4 months of lactation, from one ewe you can get from 130 to 155 liters of milk.
The so-called hairless breeds of meat sheep are gaining popularity. Wool on animals, of course, is present, but it is akin to the hair of ordinary molting animals and consists of an awn and a winter undercoat. These breeds do not need to be sheared. They shed their hair on their own. In Our Country, such smooth-haired breeds of meat sheep are represented by the Dorper, a meat breed of South African origin, and the still emerging breed group of Katum sheep.
Dorper
This breed was bred in South Africa in the first third of the XNUMXth century by crossing Dorset Horn sheep, fat-tailed Persian black-headed and fat-tailed sheep. Merinos also took part in the breeding of the breed, from which some Dorpers got a pure white color.
Conditions in South Africa, contrary to stereotypes, are quite harsh. Including sudden changes in temperature. Forced to live in such conditions with a very modest food supply, dorpers have acquired excellent immunity and a very high resistance to infectious diseases and are able to endure even snowy frosty winters. There is no doubt about their ability to endure the summer heat. Dorpers are able to do without water even in the heat for 2 days.
Description of dorpers
Dorpers have a rather original coloration: a light gray color of the body with a dark head inherited from Persian blackheads. Those of the Dorpers who were lucky enough to have a Merino in their ancestors have a white coat color both on the body and on the head.
Ears are medium in size. Skin folds on the neck. White-headed dorpers have pink ears, and on their heads there is a small growth that they inherited from merinos.
Animals have a shortened facial part of the skull, as a result of which the head in profile looks small and cube-shaped. The legs are short, strong, able to withstand the weight of a powerful fleshy body.
The weight of dorper sheep can reach up to 140 kg, with a minimum weight allowed by the standard of 90 kg. Ewes weigh 60 – 70 kg, some can gain up to 95 kg. The meat productivity of Dorper sheep is above average. Slaughter carcass yield 59%. At 3 months, Dorper lambs already weigh 25-50 kg, and by six months they can gain up to 70 kg.
Breeding sheep and rams
Dorper ewes can bring 2 to 3 strong lambs that can immediately follow their mother. Lambing in dorpers, as a rule, passes without complications due to the peculiarities of the structure of the pelvic region.
In Our Country, they have repeatedly tried to cross Romanov ewes with rams – dorpers. The results of the crossbreeds of the first generation were encouraging, but it is too early to talk about breeding a new breed.
Nevertheless, it is not profitable to keep a purebred Dorper in Our Country because of too short wool, in which, after all, he will not be able to endure frosts. The second disadvantage of dorpers is their rat tail, which is absent in the photographs. It is absent for a simple reason: it is stopped. In crossbred animals, this deficiency is smoothed out.
Of the advantages, it should be noted the high quality of dorper meat. It is non-greasy, so it does not have the characteristic smell of lamb fat. In general, the meat of this breed of sheep has a delicate texture and good taste.
Dorpers have already been brought in Our Country and, if desired, you can buy both breeding sheep and seed material for use on ewes of local breeds.
Conclusion
Breeding meat breeds of sheep today is becoming much more profitable than getting wool or skins from them. These breeds are distinguished by rapid weight gain and good meat quality without a smell that scares away buyers. Considering that when breeding these sheep, one does not have to wait a year before getting the first wool crop, breeding meat-oriented sheep becomes more profitable than the production of sheep wool.