We get acquainted with the description of features of fine-fleeced breeds of sheep

The very name of this type of sheep breeds immediately gives a hint that their main type of productivity lies in the production of wool. This is true, because for many the great value is not the strength of wool, but its softness.

However, fine-fleeced breeds are characterized by rather high meat productivity, for which they are very much appreciated. Including the simplicity of the sheep, breeding them at home will be absolutely no work and, on the contrary, will bring substantial profits. In order to get an idea of this type of animals you have a full-fledged, we will tell you in detail about all their advantages, features of care and maintenance.

Benefits of keeping and breeding fine-fleeced sheep
Fine-fleeced sheep and their shortcomings: do they affect overall productivity?
The main types of fine-wool sheep and their representatives
What are the advantages of wool-meat type of fine-wool sheep?
Meat-wool type of fine-woold sheep: breeds and their productivity
Animals and care for them: how to achieve high productivity of fine-wool sheep

Benefits of keeping and breeding fine-fleeced sheep

Undoubtedly, the main advantage of any breed of this type is their soft and delicate wool, which is used to produce the best fabrics. And although the fine-fleeced sheep are sheared only once a year, their productivity can compete with many other animals of this species. But on this their dignity does not end, but on the contrary, they are just beginning to incline you to breed precisely fine-fleeced sheep:

Most rocks of this direction characterized by high fecundity. Ewes reach sexual maturity very early, as a result of which they can bear fruit at the age of 1 year. Very often the litters of fine-wool sheep are quite numerous - from 2 to 5 lambs. Caws occur easily, without requiring human intervention (care is needed only in winter, so that newborn lambs are not affected by frost).

Fine-fleeced sheep are spread over very many countries with quite different climatic conditions. However, due to the good adaptability of these animals, they are perfect for both temperate and medium-humid climate. The adaptability plays a very important role in the rearing of lambs, as the young grow up fairly quickly,grows stronger and develops, gradually gaining weight. At the same time, if you provide the lambs with good feeding, the climate will be completely useless to them.

Fine-fleeced sheep and their shortcomings: do they affect overall productivity?

The desire to be objective in the description of these animals cannot be overlooked and their shortcomings.

One and the most important of them is low meat productivity. Although many large breeds are still capable of producing large quantities of good mutton, nevertheless, in quality, it is slightly inferior to that produced from specialized meat breeds. When breeding fine-wool sheep, you should still bet on wool performance.

A characteristic feature of fine-wool sheep are the following characteristics of their wool:

The quality of wool fineness can vary from 60 to 80 (approximately 14-25 microns), which may partly depend on the conditions and feeding of animals, but the breed plays the most important role in the value of this indicator. But, even with the lowest indicator of this criterion, the wool of fine-fleeced sheep is still in no competition.

The coat is rather long - from 7 to 9 centimeters.This length is also achieved because it is customary to shear fine-wool sheep once a year. At the same time, for such a long period, it not only grows well, but also does not stray at all. The only thing that needs to be done with it after the haircut is to rinse well from fat accumulations. Of particular value is the wool of these sheep also because it is clearly expressed crimpiness. On one centimeter of hair there are from 6 to 8 curls.

The main types of fine-wool sheep and their representatives

The described sheep are represented not only by a large number of breeds, but also by several types, into which all breeds are divided. After all, even having a common characteristic such as fineness of wool, animals can differ in their quality level, features of meat productivity, body features and overall body size. According to such criteria, fine-fleeced sheep are usually divided into three types, each of which we describe in detail below.

Exceptionally Wool Sheep: Distinctive Features and Performance Parameters

If you describe the characteristics of the body of these sheep, then first of all you should pay attention to the well-developed bones with relatively poorly developed muscles and virtually absent adipose tissue.All this immediately indicates that the meat productivity of wool sheep is unsatisfactory. But, on the counterbalance to this, well-developed skin, their wool grows not only good in quality but also in thickness.

In fact, the entire body of these animals is overgrown with fleece. The folds on the skin are not so much - only 1-2 in the neck, or a developed burda. Regarding productivity, the following should be noted:

Individuals of this type are usually small in size, and the weight of their sheep ranges from 80 to 90 kilograms, and the ewes from 45 to 48.

Nastrigi are characterized by simply impressive numbers: the average weight of the fleece from one ewe can be 6-8 kilograms, whereas in rams this figure usually ranges from 15 to 18 kilograms.

Distinguish between sheep and ewes not only the specified performance parameters, but also the komolost of the latter But the advantage of wool type sheep is the ability to make good use of pastures that are not very rich in green fodder. In this regard, rocks of this type are widely distributed in the southern regions of Russia and the countries of Central Asia. Among wool types, sheep of the following breeds are especially popular:

Azerbaijani mountain merino. Animals of this breed are small in size: rams weigh from 80 to 90 kilograms, and ewes from 45 to 55. The maximum length of hair reaches 12 centimeters, nested with male individuals is 8-10 kilograms, and with female individuals - 4.5-5 kilogram (with the output of washed wool - 42-45%). The quality of wool - 64-70.

Grozny. With good fattening, the live weight of male individuals is from 90 to 105 kilograms. Ewes weigh on average 48-52 kilograms. Wool has 60-64 quality, very long - about 10 centimeters. The weight of scrubbed wool obtained from a single shearing in ewes is 2.4-3 kilograms, sometimes 3.5. In rams, this figure is 2-3 times more.

Salsk. The breed is characterized by very good meat productivity: when it reaches 50%, the weight of the carcass of the sheep is 30-33 kilograms (with a live weight of 80-95 kilograms). Regarding wool, it is possible to get nastric with one ram even at 17 kilogram, and with an ewe - at 8.

Stavropol. The rams of this breed weigh 100–110 kilograms, and ewes weigh 50–60. For the criterion of the thickness of wool attributed to 60-64 quality. The length of the hairs is 10-10.5 centimeters. With an average of one ewe, you can cut 2.4–3.2 kilograms of scoured wool, with a sheep — about 7 kilograms.

What are the advantages of wool-meat type of fine-wool sheep?

In contrast to the above, this type of sheep has a larger body size. Due to this, their meat productivity is higher, it has a very good quality. Also, their skin folding is less intense, and the body has well-developed forms. Regarding the productivity of wool and meat fine-wool sheep have the following indicators:

The mass of sheep ranges from 100 to 120 kilograms, which is quite a serious indicator even for the most popular purely meat breeds. The dimensions and weight of ewes are usually 2 times less. So, on average, the mass of one individual is only 55-60 kilograms. Sheep has very few reserves of fatty tissues, so almost all of their bodies are the weight of meat obtained as a result of slaughter (except for the weight of sheepskin, the backbone and internal organs).

Cut high-quality wool is also very serious: 10–15 kilograms of ram per year receive 10–15 kilograms, and 5.5–6 kilograms of ewes. At the same time, wool has a 64th quality indicator, and its length ranges from 7 to 9 centimeters.

High rates of such a combined animal productivity are best manifested in temperate climates, where the air temperature does not drop to very low levels in winter, but is not characterized by hot summers.In Russia, the breeds of described sheep are most common in the territories of Altai, the North Caucasus, and Transbaikalia. It is important to note that the productivity of wool-meat type sheep is very much dependent on good and regular feeding, which their owner must provide.

Let's name some of the most famous breeds:

Altai. Breed is different in that the difference in live weight of individual individuals can be very large. So, if on average a sheep weighs 90-100 kilograms, then the weight of some animals may be 130 kilograms.

Ewes weigh 55-65 kilograms. Slaughter cape yield - 45-49%. Average indices for sheep are 9-11 (maximum 30) kilogram, for ewes - 6-6.4 (maximum 12) kilogram. Wool 64 classes for the manufacture of dress fabrics. Wool yield - 55%. Fertility: 120-170 lambs per 100 ewes.

Caucasian. Quite large animals with an average weight of rams 115-130 kilograms, and ewes - 54-65 kilograms. The ratio of the breed meatiness is 3.7-3.8. The length of wool ranges from 7 to 10 centimeters. With male individuals, up to 9 kilograms of rune are usually trimmed, with female individuals, up to 3.5 kilograms. At the same time, of all the resulting wool after washing at the exit remains 50-58%.

A very important advantage is the high milkiness of the ewes: per day one individual gives from 0.9 to 2 liters of milk with a fat content of 4.2–8.1%. One of the most adaptable and prolific breeds (per 100 dam up to 150 lambs).

Transbaikal. This breed is considered to be medium-large: sheep weigh approximately 110 kilograms, and ewes weigh at least 55 kilograms. Wool has a very good quality, has a white color color, the maximum length - 9 centimeters. The wool productivity of the breed is 4-4.5 kilograms for ewes and 10 kilograms for rams. Pure wool output - 50-55%.

Meat-wool type of fine-woold sheep: breeds and their productivity

This type of fine-wool sheep productivity completely lacks skin folds, but at the same time meat characteristics are very well pronounced. The body has a barrel shape, the bones are developed quite well. The breeds of meat-wool type are distinguished by precocity and, as a result, good fertility.

Wool nastrigi they are not as high as those of the two types described above, but they are ahead of them in meat productivity. The live weight of the rams of the specified direction, since even the average indicators of their live weight are in the region of 90-100 kilograms for rams and 55-65 kilograms for ewes.Wool is characterized by 60-64 quality, the length of one hair varies from 7 to 10 centimeters depending on the sex of the animal.

Some deficiency of the rocks of this direction is considered to be exactingness for keeping and feeding. When breeding such rocks in arid or dry climates, their productivity decreases significantly. Therefore, the best conditions for them are a climate with a steady moisture. Regarding the feed, the animals need not only a large number, but also a good variety. Representatives of meat-wool type of performance are the breeds:

Skew. This breed is considered the leading one of its kind. Its representatives are large, strong and durable physique, good meat forms. They respond very well to the nutritional and abundance of feed. Early and fertile. With a live weight of adult sheep of 85-100 kilograms, the meat output from the carcass of an 8-9 month old lamb is 19-20.5 kilograms.

Therefore, to obtain high quality lamb, animals of this breed are allowed for slaughter at the age of 1 year. Regarding wool productivity, it is about 8 to 10 kilograms that are cut from male individuals, and from 4 to 5 from female individuals. The output of pure fiber reaches 48-50%.

Kazakh fine-fleeced.This breed has very large representatives: sheep have an indicator of live weight from 90 to 140 kilograms, ewes - from 60 to 100. Slaughter yield is about 57%. In addition to lamb, the breed is able to produce large amounts of fat. Animals are very mobile, have a strong constitution. The length of animal fur in breeding herds can be 13 centimeters, although it usually ranges from 7 to 10. Cut the wool equal to 3.5-10 kilograms, depending on the sex of the animal.

Animals and care for them: how to achieve high productivity of fine-wool sheep

It is no secret that to get good quality wool it is important not only to choose the appropriate breed, but also to provide the animal with proper care. First is the content. In the warm season of these sheep, it is important to graze on open pastures. To avoid contamination and entanglement of wool, grazing areas should not be swampy, overgrown with shrubs. At the same time, animals will need large spaces for walking, as well as reservoirs with clean and fresh water.

In winter, the sheep need to provide a spacious room with good ventilation.It is not necessary to make a wooden floor, the main thing is that it should always be covered with a sufficient amount of dry straw or sawdust. Do not forget to constantly clean the pens.

There are no special requirements for feeding these sheep that would differ from feeding other types of sheep. The main thing is that animals always have enough green food and water. In the summer, they can even not feed, the main thing is that the sheep were on pastures at least 12 hours a day, or even more. They are able to eat herbs practically any, so there will be no problems with weight gain.

In winter, sheep are kept indoors, although they need to be let out every day for 10–30-minute walks in the fresh air. It is necessary to feed the animals at this time three times a day, doing it regularly at the same time. It is best to make their diet in this way:

In the morning, the animals just poured water and given fresh hay.

During the day, it is important to give chopped root vegetables, sprinkled with flour or mixed fodder. Also, corn silage is very nutritious for sheep, which can be given both day and evening.