Karachaev breed of sheep: characteristics and description, rules of keeping
Karachaev breed of rams and sheep is considered unique. These are animals with spiral horns, a curved tip of the tail and black hair, which have grazed for centuries in the highlands of the North Caucasus. Sheep and rams are raised for meat, wool, milk, fat tail fat. Animals adapt well to cold climates, but they cannot stand heat.
History of the breed
Sheep of the Karachay breed come from the North Caucasus, or rather, from the upper reaches of the Kuban, from Karachay. Since time immemorial, local residents of the highlands have been engaged in sheep breeding. The Karachay breed was created in a natural way, for many centuries animals with the best indicators of weight and wool were selected for breeding.
In Europe, for the first time, sheep from Karachay were known at the beginning of the 19th century. In 1870, the French writer Bulwer Lytton wrote in one of his books about the high palatability of Karachay lambs, which were cooked in the Veri restaurant in Paris. In the USSR, these animals were bred mainly for wool, leather and sheepskin. Today, the Karachay breed is grown by residents of Karachay-Cherkessia, North Ossetia, Kabardino-Balkaria.
Most often in the mountains of the North Caucasus you can find animals with black hair, spiral horns and tail tip in the form of the Latin letter Z. Karachay sheep are well adapted to the highland climate. For a long time, this breed grazed in mountainous areas, fed on medicinal herbs.
In their homeland, Karachai sheep are considered the he althiest animals. They are not afraid of frost or rain. Sheep do not suffer from colds and diseases of the hooves and limbs. They can graze in the meadow and be in the open air throughout the warm season until the snow falls.
This breed has good immunity. Animals are bred for meat, wool and milk. It is both a meat, dairy and wool breed. True, sheep's wool is coarse and is used in the coarse cloth industry. But the milk is sweetish, odorless and very fatty (fat content - from 6% to 8%). From it make cottage cheese, cheese, cheese. The meat tastes like hazelnuts, very tender, juicy, sweet.
Appearance and characteristics
Karachai breed belongs to the coarse-haired type. Their coat is thick, rough to the touch, medium length, wavy. It is 25% awn and 75% down. Animals are sheared 2 times a year, from one ram they shear up to 3 kg, and from a female - up to 2.6 kg of wool. The standard color of this breed is black. True, there are Karachay sheep with brownish, gray, reddish and even white wool.
This breed has a strong physique, however, outwardly the animals are small.Adult rams weigh mainly 60-70 kg, rarely 80-90 kg, sheep - 40-50 kg. More often, animals are bred for the sake of meat and tail fat (fat deposits in the tail area). Sheep are raised up to 9-12 months. With age, the meat becomes more rigid. The mass of lambs at birth is 3.6-4 kg. At 6 months, the animals already weigh 30 kilograms. The slaughter yield of meat is about 50 percent. At 12 months, the weight of sheep can reach 40-50 kg, and if they are sent for slaughter, you will get almost 20-25 kg of delicious and tender meat.
The head of the representatives of the Karachay breed is small, elongated, with a convex bridge of the nose. The horns of rams are long, spiral-shaped, while those of females are small, growing up and to the sides. The neck is short but muscular. The height of the animals at the withers is 50-60 cm. The length of the body is 1.4-1.6 meters. This breed can be recognized by its long tail, 44 cm long, the tip of which looks like the Latin letter Z.
Females reach puberty at 6 months, however, they are covered only at 1-1.5 years. They give birth to 1-3 lambs at a time. The babies are fed with milk. In the first weeks, this product should be fed to lambs. From the second and third month, sheep can be milked. On the day they give from 1 to 3 liters of milk with a fat content of 6-8, sometimes 9.6 percent.
There are several varieties of the Karachai breed. Caramus is bred for its black and silky coat. Kekbash are large, grey-white sheep that are raised for their meat. The Tumak is a hornless breed with a black, curly coat with a high down content (nearly 80 percent) and tasty meat.
Pros and cons of Karachai sheep
Subtleties of maintenance and care
Karachai sheep need a spacious area for grazing. It is advisable to breed a herd of 3-5 animals if there is a pasture of 1 hectare. After all, one sheep eats from 6 to 8 kg of grass per day, and you also need to prepare hay for the winter. It is desirable that there is a reservoir nearby. One sheep drinks up to 6 liters of water per day.
To keep these animals, you need a place where they will be at night, in heavy rain and in winter, when the pasture is covered with snow.In sheepfolds or sheepfolds, it is necessary to equip ventilation, put windows near the ceiling, lay a bed of straw on the floor, install a manger for hay, vegetable feeders, drinkers for water. The recommended temperature for keeping indoors throughout the year should be 10-18 degrees Celsius. One animal should have 2-3 square meters. square meters.
It is necessary to keep the sheepfold clean. The litter is changed as it gets dirty, once every 1-2 days. For the winter, 100 kg of bedding material (straw, sawdust) is harvested per sheep.
What the breed is fed with
Karachai sheep can graze in the pasture during the whole warm season. In summer, the main food of these animals is legumes, cereal grass and tops of vegetables (beets, carrots). Sheep can be given cereals during the earing period (oats, rye, wheat). In summer, representatives of the Karachay breed can be in the meadow 13-15 hours a day.Drink them twice a day. At night they are driven into the room.
In winter, hay, silage, vegetables, grain should be present in the diet of animals. Sheep willingly eat finely chopped carrots, fodder and sugar beets, pumpkins, zucchini. On the day one adult eats 1-2 kg of vegetables, 2-3 kg of silage. True, hay is considered the main food in winter (2-4 kg per day). It is desirable that it be mowed at the beginning of flowering and dried in the sun. For the winter it is recommended to prepare hay from clover, alfalfa, cereal grasses. In the cold period, sheep can be given oat, pea, barley, millet straw (0.8-1 kg per day).
Animals are allowed to be fed with grain, cake, meal, bran, compound feed. Most benefit from corn and barley. True, one sheep is given no more than 100-450 grams of grain or cake per day.
During the stall keeping sheep are fed 2-3 times a day. Give water between feedings. To maintain immunity in the winter, it is recommended to inject or mix pharmacy vitamins and minerals into food.All year round, sheep need to be given s alt (10-15 g per 1 individual per day). The lack of minerals is replenished with bone meal, chalk.
Reproduction
Females of the Karachay breed reach sexual maturity at 6 months. True, it is better to cover them later, at the age of 1-1.5 years. Mating is carried out no more than once every 12 months.
Okot
Females are covered in October-September. Pregnancy lasts 5 months and falls in the winter. Pregnant sheep need to be provided with good nutrition, rich in vitamins and minerals, otherwise unviable cubs will be born. Lambs are born in spring. Before lambing, the room must be cleaned, dry bedding should be laid on the floor. The recommended air temperature in the sheepfold is 18 degrees Celsius.
The female also needs to be prepared for lambing: shear the hair behind and near the udder, feed it with light feed. Before lambing, the udder of a sheep grows, the genitals swell, and the belly sags.
Birth can take place on its own or in the presence of a person. At a time, the female gives birth to one cub, less often two or three. After the appearance of the lamb, the umbilical cord is cut and the nose is cleared of mucus. Sheep after childbirth are recommended to be lightly milked. This is done so that the uterus contracts faster. The afterbirth will come out in a few hours on its own. It must be buried immediately. Pulling out the afterbirth is prohibited. Immediately after lambing, the female can be given water with sugar, and after 2 hours feed.
Raising lambs
Babies born every 2-3 hours must suck mother's milk. Under the female they are kept until 3 months of age. Lambs recover quickly and grow up on fat milk.In the first month of life, they gain 300 grams in weight per day. Being near the female, the lambs begin to taste the hay. In the summer they can be gradually transferred to the grass. It is advisable not to drastically change the diet of animals. Unexpected food changes can lead to digestive problems.
Frequent diseases
Representatives of the Karachay breed do not suffer from colds. If animals are grazed in the historical areas of their residence, then they are not afraid of any diseases. Indeed, in high mountainous places, sheep have no opportunity to catch any infection.
In most farms, these animals will not be able to create ideal conditions. It is advisable to monitor the quality of feed, do not give them a lot of legumes and water, so that bloating does not occur due to the accumulation of gases in it. This disease is treated with a hose that is inserted into the esophagus. Improper or poor-quality feeding can cause poisoning, metabolic diseases and non-viability of lambs.
Sheep that graze with other animals can contract various infectious diseases. As a preventive measure, animals are vaccinated against bradzot, lamb dysentery, enterotoxemia, foot and mouth disease, anthrax, and rabies. Your local veterinarian can provide more information about vaccinations. In addition, twice a year, animals need to be given medicines for helminths and fleas.
Distribution areas
Karachai sheep have long been raised in the North Caucasus. Currently, a huge herd of animals is bred in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria (breeding farm named after Attoev, "Balkaria"), as well as in the Karachay-Cherkess Republic (breeding farm "Shauat").
This breed is very popular in North Ossetia. Recently, farmers from various regions of Russia began to breed Karachai sheep.
Recommended
Tsigai breed of sheep: description and characteristics, rules of keeping
Tsigai sheep are in high demand among farmers, as they serve as an excellent source of wool and meat. In addition, they are distinguished by a neat appearance and endurance.
Tashlin breed of sheep: description and characteristics, rules of keeping
How they created a new breed of sheep - Tashli. Appearance, characteristics, advantages and disadvantages of the breed. Disease prevention. Breeding prospects.
Karachaev breed of horses: history and description, rules of keeping
Karachaevskaya breed of saddle-draft horses: history and description of the breed, features of growing and breeding, diet, care, disease prevention. Price and interesting facts.
