Romanov breed of sheep: description and characteristics, breeding and feeding

Sheep of the Romanov breed - coarse wool cattle of the fur coat direction of productivity. The name of the breed came from its origin - the sheep were bred in the Romanov-Borisoglebsky district of the Yaroslavl province. Hornless breeds of local cattle were used for selection. Romanov sheep have a lot of advantages, which is why many farmers prefer to breed them.

Origin of the Romanov breed

For the first time in historical facts about the breed was mentioned in 1802, this indicates the appearance of Romanov cattle in the 18th century. The peasants were engaged in selection on their own, trying to breed a breed that would be unpretentious to climatic conditions, omnivorous (it could exist and actively breed on hay and grassy breeds), and would have good indicators of the yield of meat products and wool.

Despite the fact that non-scientists were engaged in breeding sheep, the Romanov breed is considered practically the best among other Russian varieties.

Initially, the breed was bred in most of the northern RSFSR, after the sheep became common in Belarus. Today, Romanov breeds are valued and bred in Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the countries of Northern Europe.

Appearance and characteristics of sheep

The generally accepted characteristics have remained unchanged today, although they were approved in 1908:

• strong, powerfully developed backbone;
• horned, dry head with a hooked nose, oblong skull shape;
• erect ears;
• straight lines of the spine and withers;
• barrel-shaped body with round ribs;
• straight strong legs;
• tails - for sheep - 7-10 centimeters, for rams - up to 13 centimeters;
• height - about 70 centimeters;
• The average weight of rams is 65-70 kilograms, the ewes are 45-55 kilograms.

The wool contains a lot of fluff, forming braids with curls in the upper part, the wool is thick, 2600-2800 fibers per square centimeter of skin area. Newborn lambs have a black coat, after a month it begins to lighten, reaching complete depigmentation by five months. There are white markings on the head and ears. Sheep are sheared three times a year, wool is used in felting production.

Main positives and negatives

On the scale of animal husbandry in Russia, Romanov sheep do not account for a huge part of the livestock, although the breed has many advantages:

• easy care - Romanov sheep were bred as an unpretentious peasant breed that does not require special conditions for keeping. These sheep are unpretentious and almost omnivorous. Expensive forage crops and special conditions are not important for them, and care is not difficult;
• save on feed - most of the year, cattle are advised to graze on pastures. In winter, sheep need a regular menu, including silage, hay. In order to avoid the development of beriberi, it is worth adding a small amount of expensive high-quality vitamin feed;
• high quality sheepskin - many sources state that Romanov sheepskin is the highest quality in the world and is priced accordingly;
• fertility - the number of Romanov sheep can increase by 2.5 times in just a year due to the ability of ewes to give birth to several lambs at once;
• good meat yield - with a young lamb (7-8 months) weighing 40 kilograms, at least 20 kilograms of pure meat mass will be required for a slaughter yield.

Romanov and other breeds of sheep have common shortcomings - fearfulness, dependence on weather conditions, in particular, drafts, intolerance to dampness, adherence to parasitosis. The Romanov breed could rightfully become widely known if the sheep produced more wool. Sheepskin output from one head per year is about 3.5 kilograms. For comparison, Merino sheep bring 7-8 kilograms of wool in the same 12 months.

Another disadvantage of the breed is the tendency to colds and bronchopulmonary diseases.

Due to weak light sheep, many farmers opt for other breeds, as they are afraid to keep their livestock on pasture until the cold weather, and are forced to spend money on building spacious, warm sheepfolds.

Subtleties of maintenance and care

People who have decided to go into sheep breeding for the first time are interested in how to properly maintain Romanov cattle and take care of them.As already mentioned, sheep of this species are unpretentious, do not require special conditions. They do not freeze in extreme cold, because sheep have a thick skin, a thick cover of hair. Clean straw or hay bedding is best, sawdust and peat bedding should not be used.

The Romanov breed often has he alth problems, parasites, the quality of the sheepskin deteriorates, fertility decreases with the same content in the stall. Therefore, it is recommended to graze the livestock of the Romanov breed until the onset of frost, limiting their stay in sheepfolds only during cold winter periods.

Even in winter, you should take the sheep outside for a while so that they have the opportunity to get some air. This will serve as a prevention of bronchopulmonary diseases and strengthen the immune system.

Grazing is recommended even on depleted pastures, the main thing is to avoid water and forest meadows, places with swampy soil.Due to the increased humidity of such pastures, diseases of the digestive system in the livestock may develop. You can make artificial ones by planting them with perennial flowering cereals and legumes.

Feeding the breed

Representatives of the Romanov variety are unpretentious in food. They can be fed both food waste and greens, root crops. In the summer months, sheep confidently gain fat reserves on pastures, but it is necessary to additionally feed them with mineral supplements and a small amount of concentrated feed. It must be fresh, which has a positive effect on the quality of sheepskin and livestock meat.

In winter, it is imperative to provide sheep with succulent feed in the form of silage and root crops, but the diet consists of hay (preferably alfalfa) and roughage (straw and tree twigs, which are an additional source of vitamins).The grass of clover, legumes and cereals is useful for Romanov sheep. Straw must be steamed before serving.

Feeding queens should include concentrated feed, and breeding rams - nutritional supplements to improve the functions of the reproductive system.

This is important for getting he althy offspring. Flour with other types of feed is not preferable in feeding Romanov cattle, since the resulting sheepskin is the main source of sheep production, the livestock can greatly stain the fleece.

How to breed

Romanovsky yars are prolific:

• one lamb brings 6-8% of queens;
• two - 39-40%;
• three - 45-46%;
• four-eight - 9-10%.

Yarki reach sexual maturity at the age of about a year. Farmers who breed Romanov sheep believe that it is possible to mate with ewes that have reached a body weight of 70-75% of the weight of an adult sheep (at least 41-42 kilograms).

If lambing occurs three times in two years, compacted lambing is recommended according to the scheme:

• first mating - from July 15 to September 1, lambing - from December 15 to February 1;
• second mating - from March 5 to May 1, lambing - from August 15 to October 1;
• third mating - from November 15 to February 1, lambing - from April 14 to June 1.

Immediately after birth, lambs need warmth - it is important to dry them and warm them under lamps located 70-80 centimeters from the flooring. The optimal temperature regime is 20 ° C, humidity - 70%. After the lamb is weaned from the brood, he will no longer need special time-consuming care. Early weaning involves switching to milk substitutes at the age of 1-3 days after birth, after 45 days dry and vegetable feed is given to lambs.

Common diseases

Romanov sheep have an anatomical feature - this is the passage of a rather narrow bronchus from the trachea to the right apex of the lung. Due to abdominal breathing, this type of cattle has reduced lung ventilation, therefore Romanov sheep are sensitive to dampness, drafts, and sudden changes in temperature, especially in conditions of unbalanced feeding and reduced immunity. Cattle often suffer from bronchial and lung diseases.

Other diseases of Romanov sheep are similar to other breeds:

• pathologies of the digestive system, such as dyspepsia, gastroenteritis, tympania (bloating);
• damage by parasites (helminths, gadfly larvae, fleas);
• epidemiological diseases (smallpox, plague).

For the prevention of epidemics, routine vaccination is carried out, contributing to the preservation of livestock. Treatment of the skin against damage by pests, fungal and bacterial pathogens should be carried out regularly.

The Romanov breed of sheep can rightfully be considered the pride of domestic breeding, although, despite the beneficial advantages of this type of livestock, not a large number of foreign sheep breeders pay attention to it. Novice sheep breeders are advised to gain experience specifically in breeding Romanov sheep, due to their fertility, excellent quality of sheepskin and good indicators of meat production.

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