Sheep breeding

Sheep breeding, as one of the branches of animal husbandry, has always been an integral part of the country's national economic complex.

As of January 1, 2019, the republic has a total of 87.7 thousand heads of sheep, including 13.5 thousand in the public sector, 16.1 thousand in farms, and 58.1 thousand in the private sector. heads of sheep.

The breeds of the existing sheep stock in the country are currently represented by the following breeds: prekos, texel, romanovskaya, suffolk, meronolandscape, Askanian, il-de-france, lakayune and others.

At present, sheep breeding in Belplemzhivobedinenie submitted to the Republican unitary enterprise "Vitebsk plempredpriyatie" where there 699 individuals (adults and juveniles) sheep, including 341 the head of the Romanov breed, 276 goals breed Suffolk and 82 head - Texel. The company has the ability to annually implement tribal Sorrenti bright and rams.

Most large organizations in the Republic of sheep breeding are the following farms: SPK "Zherebkovichi" Liahovichi district, Brest region - 3942 goal CSEA "East" of the Gomel district, Gomel region - 2640 goal., SPK "Winewise" of the Svisloch district of the Grodno region - 897 goal, IOOO "Eastern Ship", Logoisk district, Minsk region - 1156 goal., SPK "K-z "Paris Commune" Kostyukovichi district, Mogilev region – 382 goal.

Characteristics of the main breeds of sheep bred in the Republic of Belarus

Texel is the most common in Europe, the breed of sheep, known since the mid XIX century.

Popular in North America, New Zealand and Australia. The precocity, fertility, and meat and wool oriented sheep breed Texel has led to them breeding on a large scale for use on intensive pasture sites.

The average weight of an adult sheep up to 70 kg. The mass of sheep can reach 160 pounds. Meat yield relative to live weight is 60 percent. Meat is of excellent taste and has great sales.

Wool - polutorka, dense, convoluted. Coat color white, the thickness of fibers of 30 microns. The quality of wool to 56 class. The yield of wool is 60 percent, from clipping sheep to 5.5 pounds, with sheep - 7 pounds. A large number of yolk provides softness of wool.

Sheep of this breed have a high fertility. For every 100 females accounted for 180 heads of offspring, among which 75 percent of twins. Lambs are born weighing up to 5 kilograms.

The disadvantages of sheep breeds Texel can be attributed to only one lambing per year. Daily gain can be called intensive just before two months of age. After that the gain drops and is 300 grams per day, which is pretty average value for meat and wool focus..

The Prekos is a leading in our country, the breed is early maturing breeds fine-wool meat-wool direction. Large animals, characterized by the right physique, strong, well developed bones and meat forms. Animals mostly beschlagene, very responsive to the conditions of feeding and housing.

Young growth is characterized by high early maturity and good feed payment.

By the time of beating (4 months), the live weight reaches 28 - 30 kilograms, when slaughtered (8 - 9 months), carcasses weighing 19 - 20.5 kilograms are obtained.

Sheared wool from a ram-producer - 8 - 10 kilograms, from a uterus - 4 - 5 kilograms with a yield of pure fiber of 48 - 50 percent.

The live weight of sheep-producers is 85 - 100 kilograms, and of queens - 58 - 62 kilograms.

Romanovskaya breed - coarse-haired breed of fur coat direction of productivity. Sheeps give the best fur sheepskin in the world. Wool when wearing in fur coats and sheepskin coats does not fall off, thin coat.

The annual shear of wool from a sheep is 2.5-3.5 kilograms, from the uterus - 1.4-1.7. Rams weigh 65-75 kilograms, and uterus weigh 48-55. Sheep are highly fertile - 230-250 lambs per 100 queens.

Suffolk is a large meat-haired hornless breed of sheep. The color is white or golden yellow with a black head and legs. The head and legs are not covered with hair, the ears are long, thin and slightly hanging. The tail is long and skinny. This precocious, fast-growing breed of sheep has a good slaughter yield, high-quality meat and excellent carcasses.

Suffolks are unpretentious in food and have good immunity, resistant to foot diseases and internal parasites. They easily adapt to different climatic conditions, have a high birth rate, long life expectancy and light baits.

The height at withers in sheep is 68-80 cm in sheep 61-74 cm Weight rams – 110-140 kg, sheep – 80-100 kg. Fertility is about 140-190 %, perforator –130-180 %. Weight at birth to one lamb – 5-7,7 kg, two – 4,2-5 kg, triplets and 3.5-4 kg Under intensive fattening weight of lambs at 3 months of age is 35-40 kg. they reach the sexual Maturity in 6 months. Average daily gains of the lambs – 280-400 g.

The breed is particularly popular in commercial crossbreeding. Suffolk sheep are crossed with sheep of other breeds for the production of hybrid lambs to the slaughter.

Wool fineness is 25.5-33 µm in length and 5-10 cm Clipping dirty fur from sheep 3-4,4 kg, sheep – 2-3,1 kg. Yield of pure wool – 50-62 %.

Suffolk recognized as the best terminal rams in combination with various arkami in the production of lamb flour.

Merinolandschaf, are larger in size. Head, ears and legs covered with white wool. The forehead is covered with hair (wool fringe). The ears hang down a little.

The sheep Merinolandschaf take your original source in Spain.

Sheep Merinolandschaf hardy, suitable for transhumance and very well suited for keeping in a pen, so it is suitable for all forms of content, feel well on rough and scarce natural pastures, and more favorably located agricultural regions. White wool has a fineness of 26 to 28 microns. The carcass quality is determined essentially by the abundance of meat on the thigh and back.

Height at withers rams is 90-100 cm in sheep 70-80 cm adult sheep – 125-160 kg, sheep – 75-90 kg. Fertility – 227 %.

The species Ile de France origin – plains of France, common in many regions of France, in Western and Central Europe, the Mediterranean, southern Africa, South America, China. In 2015, the pedigree sheep breed Ile-de-France brought to one of the enterprises of Minsk region.

Sheep breed Ile-de-France are from white to light breast color of coat, have many wonderful qualities. Proportional structure, speed of growth, a moderate fat content of the meat (no deposits of excess fats), high fertility (3 lambing in 2 years or 1.84 lamb to awamutu), rapid adaptation to seasonal fluctuations in weather, good yield and quality of wool.

The average weight of a sheep 110-150 kg, the average weight of 70-90 kg sheep carcass 4-month sheep weighs 18-20 kg, and their meat is in great demand due to high palatability.

Lacaune is most common as a specialized dairy breed. Average productivity 300-600 kilograms of milk for 220-240 days of lactation, the fat content in milk 6-7, 5-5 protein,98 percent.