Meat sheep breeding in Our Country is traditionally practically absent. In the European part, the Slavic peoples did not need meat from sheep, but a warm skin, which led to the emergence of coarse-haired breeds. In the Asian part of the Empire, meat was also valued not as much as lard. Fat-tailed meat-sebaceous breeds arose there. But since the middle of the twentieth century, the need for high-energy fat and warm natural sheepskin has disappeared. There was a need for meat.
This need could be met by breeding pigs or cows. But pigs bred in large quantities require strict adherence to sanitary standards. Cows, although more resistant to diseases, grow very slowly.
The golden mean could be goats and sheep. But the goats were also only dairy, and the sheep were either fur-coated or fat-tailed. There was no genetic material for creating their own meat breed of sheep in Our Country. I had to attract foreign gene pool. To breed a new breed, sheep were used: Popl Dorset, Texel, Ostfriz and others. The Tashli breed of sheep is a product of a complex crossbreeding of foreign meat sheep with local livestock.
History
The creation of the Tashlinskaya breed began in the Stavropol Territory in intensive farming. Previously, experiments were carried out on crossing Caucasian queens with Texel rams, Soviet meat-wool and North Caucasian. The experiments were carried out during the most difficult period for Our Country in 1994-1996.
In the photo, a ram of the Texel breed is somewhat similar from this angle to a pig.
Experiments have shown that it is more expedient to use foreign Texels on local breeding stock than two other breeds of sheep.
From Texel, the offspring were larger and developed faster up to 8 months. With the same diet, the crossbreeds with Texel grew much faster during the fattening period and gained muscle mass better. The pre-slaughter mass of the bred lambs from Texel was larger, the slaughter yield from the carcass and the percentage of the fleshy part also increased.
On the basis of experimental data, a scheme was drawn up for breeding a new meat breed of sheep. According to this scheme, Texel sheep of Finnish and Dutch selection were used on the local Caucasian breeding stock. The resulting offspring were bred in themselves.
If the born sheep “went to mother”, she was again happened to Texel rams until the offspring with the necessary qualities were obtained. At the beginning of the work on breeding the new Tashli breed, local Caucasian sheep were also crossed with the East Frisian dairy breed for the sake of the effect of heterosis: the resulting queens had an increased level of milk production and fertility, and the maternal instinct was also very well developed.
The resulting crossbred ewes with the necessary qualities were crossed with Texel rams. Of the born lambs, those who met the requirements for the future breed were selected, and then they were already bred “in themselves”.
Selection work on the development of the Tashli meat breed lasted 7 years. During this time, over 67 thousand queens were inseminated in the farms of the Stavropol Territory. The main emphasis during this period was placed on increasing the number of sheep with the desired qualities and their typification. In addition, “instructions” were developed for keeping and feeding the future new breed.
In 2008, the breed was officially registered as Tashlinskaya. The name was given to the village of Tashla, where the main breeding work was carried out. In 2009, there were already 9835 representatives of the new Tashli breed, of which 4494 were queens.
Description
Sheep of the Tashli breed are large animals with semi-fine wool. The color of the Tashli sheep is white. The weight of rams is from 90 to 100 kg. The uterus weighs 55-65 kg. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed. For meat breeds, this is a desirable quality, since it allows fattening animals of both sexes for meat with almost equal efficiency.
It is still too early to talk about the exterior of the Tashli sheep, since the breed is young and unsettled. While Texel’s blood is still poured into it to refresh the population. Because of this, even the shape and size of the head can vary. Tashli sheep may have a straight Texel profile or a Roman one inherited from local Caucasian ancestors.
The Tashli ram has a rather rough hook-nosed head with a short muzzle in a private farmstead.
The breeding Tashli ram, belonging to one of the breeding farms, has a relatively small head with a straight Texel profile. This ram also has a better structure of the body and limbs. But it is clear that the breeding farm will not sell the best breeding sheep, and the so-called breeding culling goes to private traders – relatively good animals that have certain shortcomings that are undesirable when obtaining the final result.
Tashli sheep are well adapted to the climatic conditions of Our Country. The constitution is strong. The physique of a pronounced meat type. Outwardly, the Tashli sheep are similar to the Texel progenitor breed.
Productive characteristics
Tashli queens are very prolific. The productivity of queens is 155-170 lambs per 100 sheep. First kotki give 128%. The safety of lambs is 91%.
Young animals respond well to fattening. Within 5 months after birth, he adds 220 g daily. The best rams at 3 months can weigh 42 kg. By the time of slaughter at 5 months, the carcass weighs 16 kg with a slaughter yield of 44%. At 7 months, respectively, 19,6 kg and 46%, and at 9 months – 25 kg and 50%. At 9 months of age, the meat content in the carcass is 80%, bones 20%.
A serious plus of the Tashli breed of sheep is a low percentage of internal fat. During fattening, the deposition of fat reserves occurs between the muscles, due to which an analogue of marbled beef is obtained from Tashli sheep.
In addition to meat, you can get good quality wool from Tashli sheep. The length of the fibers in rams is 12 cm, in ewes 11 cm. “Dirty” cut wool from rams up to 7 kg, from queens – up to 4,5 kg. After processing and cleaning, the yield of wool is 64% of the original amount. The fineness of wool in sheep is 48 quality, that is, 31,5 microns. Wool of one-year-old rams 50 quality. In queens and ewes – 56 wool quality.
Feeding
Tashli sheep are not whimsical and are able to consume a large amount of roughage. They respond well to fattening. But in general, their diet is similar to that of any other breed of sheep:
- roughage;
- concentrates;
- succulent feed;
- salt;
- a piece of chalk;
- vitamin and mineral premixes.
Depending on the goals set, the percentage of feed in the diet may vary. For fattening, the main emphasis is on concentrates. It should be remembered that in cold weather, the need for animal feed increases. But it increases not due to concentrates, but due to roughage. Therefore, in the cold, you need to increase the norm of hay.
Juicy foods should be given carefully, as they can ferment in the stomach, causing tympanum.
Content
The Tashlin breed is recommended for keeping in areas with a moderately humid climate. Basically, this is the Stavropol Territory, the region of the North Caucasus and the Central strip of Our Country. In cold regions, sheep of the Tashli breed need an insulated sheepfold. Here we must also take into account the fact that in the cold, a significant part of the energy from the food eaten by the animal spends on heating. And this means a reduction in weight gain.
In winter, sheep are kept on a deep litter, which is naturally heated from below. The litter is not removed until the summer, only pouring fresh material on top. In the case of livestock, a “mattress” made of straw will be optimal, which, already during use, will slowly overheat into humus in the lower layers. The mattress must not be touched during operation. Manure is removed from above and some fresh straw is thrown up. In the spring, the “mattress” is usually raked out with a bulldozer.
But not many people know how to make “mattresses” correctly. For those who do not know how to better use sawdust with the addition of special bacteria. Such a litter, on the contrary, must be dug up daily.
If it is possible to clean the sheepfold, it is better to do it on time, without bringing the sheep to such a state.
No, judging by the white muzzles, the color of these animals is actually white. But it will take a very long time to wash the sheared wool.
Reviews
Conclusion
The Tashli breed of sheep turned out to be very successful in terms of productivity. Delicious meat and by-products in the form of good quality wool have already made Tashli sheep very popular in private backyards and on the farms of small farmers. And the calm disposition of sheep makes this breed almost ideal for private owners.