Sheep of the Karachay breed are coarse-haired, meat and dairy. Representatives of this breed have a fat growth on the tail. The breed was bred in the Caucasus, in Karachai, which now belongs to Karachay-Cherkessia, it is not precisely determined when, but it has become widely bred since the end of the 19th century.
The sheep of the Karachai breed are distinguished from other breeds by high endurance, the ability to graze high in the mountains. They tolerate temperature extremes, adverse conditions. They give birth to their offspring in the open air, have excellent immunity and almost do not get sick.
Appearance
Sheep of Karachai breed is mainly black, with a white tip of the tail. Some representatives of the breed have a white spot on the back of the head. Animals of other colors are found.
Sheep have a strong physique, well-developed legs. The head is small, narrow, nose with a hump. The breed is horned. In rams, horns are large, spiral-shaped, and in uterus, small. The tail at the base is wide, with a lyre-shaped tail tail and a peculiar shape with a tip resembling a snake. In rams, the tail length is 40 cm, and in females - 45 cm. In the tail, animals feed a huge amount of fat - more than four kilograms.
Dimensions
Sheep of the Karachay breed are medium in size. The weight of the sheep ranges from 60 to 95 kilograms, and the females - from 40 to 75 kg. At three months of age, young animals weigh about 20 kg, at six months - 25 kg, and at nine months - 35 kg.
Because of its characteristics, the Karachay sheep breed is considered to be precocious. By the age of three months, its representatives are gaining up to 40% of their weight, and six months - up to 60%. The coat of the animal is coarse, with a high axis content - up to 20%. But the fertility of sheep is low - only 105 lambs per 100 queens.
Value
The black sheep is appreciated for the taste of meat. Among all the breeds, it is from Karachai that they receive the best products of the elite class.
In addition to meat, sheep give excellent milk with high fat content. The milk yield of sheep reaches three liters per day, making the breed a leader among sheep in milk production.
The wool of the sheep is coarse, but of high quality. It has amazing properties - it rolls well. Thanks to this, various felt products are made from wool. In one year, up to three kilograms of wool can be obtained from one animal. The skin of an animal is used to make sheepskin. In addition to all of the above, representatives of the breed give up to six kilograms of tail fat.
Features
Growing sheep of this breed is a profitable business. This is due not only to the excellent qualities of meat and the ability to get other types of products, but also to the fact that sheep are resistant to various diseases and sudden changes in temperature.
To note the peculiarity of the breed, various experiments were conducted in Soviet times. They helped to prove that the Karachai sheep is an independent breed that does not have impurities.
To prove this, the breeders conducted a series of crosses: the ewe of the Karachai breed was crossed with the Russian breed. As a result, offspring were obtained that had nothing to do with the uterus, but very much like a father. Experiments were carried out on crossing the Karachai breed with others. As a result, weak offspring were born, with a low level of immunity and practically did not adopt breed qualities from the manufacturer. Based on various studies, scientists came to the conclusion that sheep are completely independent animals and do not have any impurities of other breeds.
Subtypes
Karachaevskaya breed is divided into three subtypes.
- Tumak. This type includes animals that do not have horns. Their coat color is black. More cuff refers to the meat direction. Their meat is nutritious, high-calorie, with an excellent, refined taste and aroma. It has virtually no cholesterol.
- Kara-muz. The coat is long, black. Animals with horns.
- Kekbash. The coat is gray. Compared to other subspecies, they are larger.
Content
To breed sheep at home, you must prepare a stall or paddock. When keeping animals in the northern and central regions, you should prepare the insulated cost. Sheep will be housed in winter. For sunny, southern areas there is no need for a stall.
The room is kept clean, regularly ventilated. The size of the stall depends on the number of animals - 2 square meters per sheep are needed. m. Floors are covered with sand or straw. Special insulation is not required, but the roof over the animals should be good.
For sheep provide for walking. With home breeding, it is not always possible to provide it. The main condition for the paddock is the absence of swamps. Animals graze in the pasture. Sheep will always find among the herbs that they like. There are no problems with the herd during grazing. This is due to the fact that sheep are herd animals, they always walk nearby, try not to fend off the herd.
Care and Feeding
The keeping and feeding of Karachai sheep is a simple task. Sheep are independent animals. In the morning they are fed, watered. If there is grazing, then they are released into the pasture. In the evening, they drive back to the stall and again feed and drink. Of the mandatory procedures for caring for animals, such as:
- Litter change as it becomes soiled. This is a necessary procedure to keep the coat clean.
- Rinse feeders, drinkers every three days.
- Collection of wool.
- Routine vaccinations.
For feeding the animal use dried greens, as well as silage, hay, roughage, salt, minerals.
For breeding sheep, concentrated feed is used. They are mixed in food. However, they are not cheap, so they are used to feed single individuals.
Breeding
Sheep reaches reproductive age by 5-8 months, but it is best to happen after a year. Sheep pregnancy lasts about 145 days. Usually it proceeds without any pathologies.
Three weeks before the expected date of delivery, the hair is trimmed around the udder, at the tail. Lambs are born strong, quickly get to their feet. After a week they can eat concentrated feed. Upon reaching the age of three months, the young can go to slaughter.
From a week old, lambs can be fed with hay. It is given without restriction. This type of food helps to properly form the scar of young animals. From ten days of age, mineral food is introduced into the diet: chalk, salt, meat and bone meal. They help to properly develop the skeleton, build muscle. For the proper development of teeth and the normal functioning of the stomach, willow, birch, aspen twigs are introduced into the diet. They are soft and healthy, well absorbed, contain a large amount of nutrients. From two weeks the menu is supplemented with succulent feed, boiled potatoes, a small amount of greens.
If the lambs are kept together with the female, then they themselves find food for themselves in the pasture. But even with this method of raising animals, one should not forget that they need milk. Lambs should receive it before two months of age, in parallel with other types of feed.