Karachaevskaya breed of sheep: description, characteristics and photos

The Karachai sheep breed is considered unique and one of the oldest in the world, since its origin was independent. Until now, scientists have not been able to identify any genetic ties with other breeds. Karachay, which is located at the mouth of the Kuban River, is considered the historical birthplace of animals. The breed of sheep under consideration is bred mainly in North Ossetia, Karachay-Cherkessia, Kabardino-Balkaria.

Already at the beginning of the twentieth century, many scientists have tried to reduce the Karachai queens with sheep of other breeds. These attempts did not yield positive results. It was determined that the lambs adopted mainly paternal rather than maternal genetic traits. This means that they were born lethargic and immunocompromised.

Appearance

Valuation of sheep of the Karachay breed:

1. Body type. Animals are strong, have strong hooves. Thanks to this, sheep easily move along the mountainous terrain.
2. Representatives of this breed are small. The weight of rams is up to 70-75 kg, females - 40–55 kg. These are average statistics that can vary, depending on the individual characteristics of the Karachai sheep. Cases of growth of an individual up to 85-100 kg have been recorded.
3. Animals are characterized by an elongated head of small size. Males have large spiral horns. Females have smaller horns pointing up.
4. The tail length is 500 mm and more resembles the English letter “S”. The base of the body is large and wide due to the accumulation of fat tail fat.
5. The coat of females and males is black. Individuals of other shades, for example, red or gray, are much less common.
6. The Karachaevskaya sheep breed is a coarse-haired animal whose warm fleece is lightweight.
7. In the area of ​​fat tail, along with fat, beneficial substances accumulate. If you have difficulties with good food, then the necessary nutrients come from fat.

The value of the Karachai cattle

Distinctive characteristics of the Karachay sheep breed:

• There is no need to create any special conditions of detention;
• animals are unpretentious in care and feeding.
• Cattle have high immunity and good health.
• This breed is hardy and easily tolerates sudden changes in temperature and even cold.
• From generation to generation, only excellent genes have been transmitted to animals.
• Many time ago, sheep lived independently away from people, so they learned to intuitively select only valuable and high-quality grass, which ensures proper nutrition for normal development.

The disadvantage of the Karachay sheep breed, which many farmers note, is livestock living in a humid climate. Animals feed only on selected natural food. That is why sheep breeding in regions with an arid climate will be very problematic.

Wool

It can be seen from the reviews and photos: sheep of the Karachay breed have coarse bone structure. Despite the coarse type of wool, cattle cannot boast of a large fineness of wool. The cover is more downy, and coarse hairs are rare. Considering all the peculiarities of keeping and feeding sheep of the Karachay breed, up to 2.6 kg of wool per year is obtained from one female, and up to 3 kg per year from one sheep.

The wool is capable of falling into a very dense felt, which is considered an excellent material for sewing all kinds of warm products. On the shelves of the store you can find burqas and other outerwear, which is made of the fleece of Karachai sheep. Such clothes are in great demand, because they have an enviable water-repellent property. Use it mainly for riding or during cattle grazing in the mountains. Light sheepskin is characterized by a dense mezdra.

Breeding

Usually, only one lamb is born in a single ewe and two cubs appear much less often. The reason for this is mother’s milk: in one day, the lamb adds 350 grams in weight. With proper feeding by the age of six months, sheep can gain about 50 kilograms, which is why they are sent to slaughter even in their young age.

How to cross the Karachay sheep breed and with whom:

1. To obtain meat, fat tail sheep are used for crossbreeding.
2. If you decide to change the direction of your activity from wool to meat, then you can cross Karachai sheep with a Romanov breed.
3. Only a couple of rams are selected for three or more queens.

Productivity

Karachai sheep are known even outside the Caucasus due to their tasty and healthy meat. Cattle wool is actively used by industrial enterprises. This breed is one of the most dairy, unlike other fat tail varieties. The daily milk yield is 2.5-3 liters, the fat content of which is about 10%. Lamb is appreciated by gourmets for its high palatability.

Breed Varieties

One can conclude from many descriptions: the Karachai sheep breed is considered to be elite. Therefore, two centuries ago, only those sheep who lived in a certain region of the Caucasus were referred to it. But at present, this type includes other types of cattle raised in different mountainous regions: Kabardinka, Ossetia, and Cherkessia. Each of these breeds is valuable only in one specific direction: for the production of meat, milk or wool.

Varieties of Karachai sheep breed:

1. Kara-muz - the wool of these black sheep is silky and long. The pigtails of the dumb sheep are wavy, but mostly even. Cattle grow horns.
2. Tumak - black hornless sheep without horns. In the wool, the amount of fluff is significantly greater than in other animals. The meat breed is characterized by early maturity, and the taste of meat is much better than that of other sheep.
3. Kekbash - individuals of gray color are distinguished by a large physique, large mass and high growth at the withers.

Features

The Karachai sheep breed has good immunity and high resistance to various diseases. This is directly related to a balanced diet and the intake of a sufficient amount of nutrients in the body. Every day animals eat selected grass of the Caucasus mountains. Lambs of new generations are distinguished by better health, as well as genes. This breed of sheep does not have serious pathologies of the limbs and lungs.

If you want to breed sheep at home, it is important to prepare a warmed stall or paddock. If the animals will be in the sunny and southern areas, then there is no need to warm the stall.

The usual habitat for sheep is considered to be an area with a high level of humidity and frequent temperature differences, which occur even for one day. If you decide to breed Karachai sheep, it is better to give preference to areas with a dry climate. Karachaevtsy are proud of these sheep, because they are leaders in the quantity and quality of not only milk, but also meat.