Classification of sheep breeds: what types are divided into and their features

Classification, or rather, the systematization of breeds of rams and sheep in the direction of productivity and wool quality clearly displays the main features of animals. On an industrial scale, they are bred mainly for wool fiber and meat. Small farms have the opportunity to raise sheep for fat tail fat and milk for making elite cheeses.

Classification of breeds in the direction of productivity

Sheep are animals that are bred for delicious lamb, tail fat, and wool. Cheese and gourmet cheeses are made from the milk of females.The skin removed during cutting (sheepskin, astrakhan) is used for tailoring fur products. Breeds are classified according to the direction of productivity, that is, depending on the type of product for which animals are grown.

Meat

Breeds of meat specialization include animals with a strong physique, developed muscle mass, high productivity. Such rams and sheep grow quickly, gain weight well, are distinguished by precocity, at the age of 9 months they weigh at least 40-50 kg, and in a year or a year and a half their weight is 70-90 kg. Some individuals gain up to 130 kilograms. The slaughter yield of meat is about 50%.

Popular meat breeds: Romanov, Gorky, Romney March, Kuibyshev, North Caucasian, West Siberian, Prekos, Zwartbles, Texel.

Meat-greasy

These are mostly Asian breeds that are raised for their meat and tail fat. Sheep quickly gain weight, by 9-10 months they weigh at least 45 kg.In a fat tail in one season, they gain 2-7 kg of fat tail fat. In some representatives of this breed, the weight in 2-3 years can reach 120 kg, and the mass of fat in the fat tail is 30 kg. The best meat and greasy sheep (according to the production classification): Hissar, Edilbaev, Jaidara.

Dairy

Sheep are not bred solely for the sake of milk. This is a by-product obtained after the lambing of females. Dairy breeds of sheep are divided into meat-and-milk and wool-and-milk. The East Friesian German breed gives the most milk (450 liters per year per lactation). You can get a little less from the French Lacon, Tsigay, Romanov, Balbas and Askani sheep.

Sheep's milk is used to make cheese and gourmet cheeses: ricotta, roquefort, feta, pecorino. This product is not used for cheese. Milk has a high fat content (6-9%).

Woolen

Wool is one of the main products of sheep breeding.The wool cover is sheared from sheep 1-2 times a year, usually after winter. Wool can be fine, semi-fine, coarse, semi-coarse, of various lengths and thicknesses. Depending on the breed, from 3 to 12 kilograms of wool is cut from one animal per year.

Varieties of sheep by type of wool

Sheep have fine, semi-fine and coarse wool. Each breed has its own type of coat. Merino fine wool is considered the most expensive.

Fine fleece

Sheep of the fine-fleece type produce the highest quality fine wool. In this group there are animals with different indicators of wool and meat productivity. Most wool is sheared from woolly fine-fleeced rams and sheep (6-16 kg). The meat and wool subgroup has the lowest productivity (3-6 kg).

Fine-fleeced breeds include animal breeds in which the fineness of wool is mainly equal to 15-22 microns.Sheep are sheared when the length of the hairline reaches 6-9 cm. In terms of quality, the thin fleece is divided into merino (white, soft, elastic) and non-merino (less crimp). Varieties of fine-wooled animals by productivity:

• woolen (Soviet merino, Stavropol, Salskaya);
• meat-wool (prekos, Dagestan, Volgograd);
• wool-meat (Caucasian, Trans-Baikal, South Ural).

The wool of fine-fleeced sheep is used in the knitting industry, including for the manufacture of elite costume fabrics. Merino hair, cut at the withers, is used to make fine and durable merino yarn. Extra-class wool is sold for 20-30 dollars per kilogram.

Semi-fine fleece

The fineness of wool in semi-fine-wool breeds is 22-30 microns. Semi-fine-wool sheep have a short-haired (less than 10 cm) and long-haired (more than 10 cm) coat. One animal (depending on the breed) is sheared from 1.2 to 9.5 kg of wool per year.

Varieties of semi-fine-wool sheep:

• meat-wool longhair (Soviet, Kuibyshev, Russian, Romney March);
• meat-wool shorthair (Gorky, Shropshire);
• wool-meat (Tsigai, Gorno-Altai).

Wool of semi-fine-wool sheep is a valuable raw material for the knitting industry, from which woolen fabrics and industrial cloth are made. Livestock products are used to make rugs, blankets, carpets.

Roughhaired

Coarse-haired are animals with a wool fineness of 31-40 microns.Rough-fleece rams are usually bred for their meat and tail fat. The wool cover is sheared for hygienic purposes 1-2 times a year and handed over to the purveyors. From one animal, 1.2-3.2 kg of wool is cut at a time. The karakul breed also belongs to the coarse-haired breed, from the skins (smushki) of which karakul fur coats are made.

Varieties of coarse-haired rams:

• smushkovye (karakulskaya, reshetilovskaya, sokolskaya);
• meat-fur coats (Romanovskaya, northern);
• meat-wool (Tuva, Cherkasy, Kuchugurovskaya);
• meat-greasy (Asian breeds);
• meat-wool-milk (Karachai, Andean, Balbas, Lezgi).

Zoological classification

The zoological classification of rams is based on the length and shape of the tail. This is a conditional systematization of animals belonging to different subgroups. It is also called morphological.

Classification by zoological principle:

• short-tailed with a skinny tail (Northern, Romanovskaya);
• long-tailed with a skinny tail (fine-wool and semi-fine-wool breeds);
• short-tailed with fat deposits in the tail area (Telenga, Buryat, Kulunda);
• long-tailed with fat deposits in the tail area (Kuchugurovskaya, Georgian, Karakulskaya);
• fat-tailed with a short underdeveloped tail (Asian fat-tailed breeds).

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