Sheep in ancient times were domesticated by man. They are kept for wool and meat. The first domestic sheep appeared about 8 thousand years ago, where Turkey is now located. Gradually, sheep breeding began to be practiced throughout the world. Now, huge numbers of sheep can be found in China, Australia, India, etc.
Sheep wool is used much more often than the wool of other animals. Lamb is a favorite meat of many nations. Sheep cheese and cooking oil are made from sheep’s milk. Sheep was the first cloned mammal in the world.
Now many breeds of sheep are bred, which are significantly different from each other. The largest sheep in the world weigh more than 180 kg. Constant breeding selection is being conducted, which helps to improve certain characteristics of animals.
List
- 10. Romanovskaya, 50-100 kg
- 9. Kuibyshevskaya, 70-105 kg
- 8. North Caucasian, 60-120 kg
- 7. Gorky, 80-130 kg
- 6. Volgograd, 65-125 kg
- 5. Dorper, 140 kg
- 4. Edelby, 160 kg
- 3. Suffolk, 180 kg
- 2. Arkhar, 65-180 mm
- 1. Gissar, 150-180 kg
10. Romanovskaya, 50-100 kg
In the 18th century, in the Yaroslavl province, in peasant farms appeared Romanov Sheep. She was one of the most outstanding in fur coat qualities and received such a name, because originally spread to Romanovo-Borisoglebsky district.
The uterus of this breed is small, weigh up to 55 kg, but some individuals grow up to 90 kg, while sheep are much heavier - from 65 to 75 kg, sometimes they weigh 100 kg. They are kept for the lightest, smartest and most durable sheepskin.
The skin of lambs of 6-8 months is especially appreciated. In babies of this breed, the cover is black, but from the second to fourth week it becomes lighter and depigmented by five months.
But, despite the fact that they are bred for the sake of the sheepskin, they are also valued as sources of meat, because already in 100 days, lambs can weigh up to 22 kg, and in 9 months - 40 kg.
9. Kuibyshevskaya, 70-105 kg
This breed of sheep got its name due to the place in which it was bred - in the Kuibyshev region in the mid 30s of the twentieth century. During the war, breeding had to be interrupted, but in 1948 a new domestic breed was finally formed.
Sheeps Kuibyshev breed They are distinguished by thick, long and dense hair with large curls of white color. But they are also kept for meat. At 4 months, sheep already weigh up to 30 kg, by 12 months they gain up to 50 kg, and an adult animal can weigh up to 120 kg.
The meat of sheep of this breed is considered to be of high quality, it does not have a dense inner layer of fat, but only the most delicate fat layer. It is called marble, and it is very much appreciated, because different tenderness and juiciness. But such meat happens only in animals on free pasture.
8. North Caucasian, 60-120 kg
This is a meat-wool breed, which was bred in 1944-1960. Sheeps North Caucasian breed stand out by large growth. They are white in color, but there may be small spots on the ears, legs and nose of a darker color.
The uterus of this breed weighs from 55 to 58 kg, while the mass of rams is from 90 to 100 kg, the maximum is 150 kg. Most often, this breed can be found in the North Caucasus, Armenia and Ukraine. Another plus is its high fecundity. 100 queens can bring about 140 lambs.
7. Gorky, 80-130 kg
The domestic breed, which was bred on the collective farms of the Gorky region of the former USSR in the 1936-1950s. These are quite large animals: sheep can weigh from 90 to 130 kg, and uterus from 60 to 90 kg. They have long white hair, but their head, ears and tail are dark.
Gorky breed considered premature, quickly pays for all costs of food, quite prolific. The disadvantages include a small amount of wool and a heterogeneous fleece.
6. Volgograd, 65-125 kg
The breed appeared in the Volgograd region, on the farm "Romashkovsky", in 1932-1978 of the twentieth century. As a result of long work, they were able to breed animals with thick white hair, which grows up to 8-10.5 cm. Up to 15 kg of wool is collected from a ram, and up to 6 kg from a uterus.
It is also worth noting meat qualities breed Volgograd. Uterus weigh up to 66 kg, and sheep - from 110 to 125 kg. This breed is bred in the Volga region, in the Urals, in the middle zone of Russia.
The number of this livestock is constantly growing, because it has many advantages: it has ripened, fertility, gives a lot of wool and meat, quickly adapts to the conditions of detention, can withstand any weather conditions, is characterized by excellent immunity.
5. Dorper, 140 kg
The breed appeared in 1930 in the south of America. At that time, breeders were working on breeding animals that were not afraid of unbearable heat. The result is breed Doper, whose representatives can live without water for 2-3 days and feel fine without a balanced diet. And at the same time it has good productive qualities.
This is a meat breed, which can be recognized by the white color of the body and the black head and neck. In the summer, animals fade, there are almost no areas with hair left, but this is not a disadvantage, but an advantage, because these sheep do not need to be sheared.
Doper sheep are hardy, their livestock numbers are growing rapidly (lambing - 2 times a year, often more than 1 lamb), are not demanding on food, with strong immunity. The mass of an adult female is from 60 to 70 kg, and the ram is from 90 to 140 kg. Meat - with excellent taste, smells good.
4. Edelby, 160 kg
The breed appeared about 200 years ago, Kazakh shepherds worked on its creation. They sought to breed a breed of sheep that could adapt to the nomadic way of life: it was hardy and withstood the difficult conditions of existence.
So it appeared breed Edelby, which is not afraid of either intense heat or cold, can manage by feeding on the meager vegetation of the steppes and at the same time rapidly gain weight. They belong to the fat tail sheep, i.e. with fatty deposits near the sacrum.
On average, a sheep weighs 110 kg and a sheep weighs 70 kg, but some specimens gain up to 160 kg. They give not only meat, but also wool, fat, fat milk. Disadvantages - poor fertility and poor quality of coat, as well as sensitive hooves.
3. Suffolk, 180 kg
The breed is meat-wool direction. She was taken out in England in 1810. But they gained particular popularity in the twentieth century. Then about Suffolk recognized the whole world. This is a large breed of white or golden color, with a black head and legs.
The breed became popular because they are early-growing, fast-growing, have excellent immunity. They rarely have leg diseases, quickly adapt to different conditions, and have a high birth rate.
Sheep weigh from 80 to 100 kg, and sheep - from 110 to 140 kg, there are larger individuals. It is considered one of the best meat breeds in the world. Meat - without the unpleasant odor inherent in mutton, tasty and nutritious.
2. Arkhar, 65-180 mm
This mountain sheep lives in Central and Central Asia and is now in the Red Book. Argar It is considered the largest wild sheep, which can weigh from 65 to 180 kg. There are several subspecies of it, but the largest is Pamir argali. Argali can be of different colors, from sandy light to grayish-brown. Dark streaks are visible on the sides. They live in open spaces.
1. Gissar, 150-180 kg
Among the cultural breeds of sheep, the largest is considered Hissar breedrelated to fat tail. She is meat-tallow. These sheep are often found in Central Asia. Its homeland is Tajikistan, the name comes from the name of the Hissar Valley, because it was brought out precisely on these pastures.
The Hissar ram, which appeared in the Tajik SSR in 1927-28, became the record holder, its weight was 188 kg. Also, according to unconfirmed reports, there was a representative of this breed weighing 212 kg. This is a hardy breed of sheep that can withstand long crossings of 500 km.