Description, features and breeding of the Edilbayev breed of sheep

In addition to cattle breeding and pig breeding, one of the rather large and developed branches of agriculture can be called sheep breeding. These animals conquered harsh regions with fairly cold winters due to their unpretentiousness and high productivity. However, not every breed has excellent production characteristics. The article describes in detail what the Edilbayevsky hybrid of sheep is, its detailed characteristics, description and subtleties of breeding are presented.

Origin of breed

Edilbaevskaya sheep is considered one of the oldest and most popular varieties of artiodactyls from the Polorogo family. This animal was bred a long time ago. The first individuals with stable traits of the breed appeared in the second half of the 19th century. The authors of the new highly productive animal were national breeders who inhabited the territory of Western Kazakhstan.

The main goal of the local sheep breeders was to breed a new breed, unpretentious to the living conditions and food, able to withstand physical exertion and prolonged driving in mountainous areas and the steppe. Such hybrids were supposed to be an alternative to the less hardy and productive species bred earlier. In such conditions, over the course of several decades this unique breed was formed.

Did you know? Domestic sheep are the oldest domesticated animals. They were actively bred in Ancient Mesopotamia, Syria and Turkey as early as 8 thousand years ago.

For many decades, these animals were bred in Kazakhstan, but by the middle of the 20th century they were distributed throughout the territories of the former Soviet republics. Today, all sorts of individuals of the Edilbayevsky type are widely bred not only in Kazakhstan, but also sheep farmers in the southern regions of Uzbekistan and Ukraine.

Characteristic and appearance

Edilbay sheep have absorbed all the best manufacturing qualities. But, despite this, the animals obtained over the years of the formation of the breed acquired not only general, but also unique characters, the set of which made it possible to isolate the new hybrid into a separate group. These include a unique combination of the type of coat, suit, and features of building the body of the animal.

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This breed is distinguished by the body structure characteristic of this group of animals, and also differs in a rather large mass. The average weight of a sheep is 120 kg, and sheep - not more than 70 kg. However, under optimal conditions, indicators can increase up to 60%. The breed is gaining excellent weight, with an average of about 200 g / day. The height at the withers of the representatives of the breed is 70–80 cm, while the chest girth reaches 100 cm.

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Body structure features

One of the main features of this Kazakh sheep hybrid is the absence of large horns. This makes it possible to simplify the care of animals, as well as protect them from damage during intra-competition. Also a characteristic highlight of the Edilbayans is the fat tail bag in the back of the body, near the tail. It accumulates fat mass, which is often one of the main types of products.

Characteristic features of the breed:

  • the head is small, elongated;
  • humpback nose;
  • thick and dense teeth;
  • mobile and refined legs, characterized by increased bone density;
  • the body is round, very flexible;
  • strong and dense spine;
  • massive back of the body.

Color and color

The traditional color of this breed of animals is considered black or all kinds of red shades. However, today there are representatives of an adjacent, light or dark brown shade. A characteristic feature of the breed is the dependence of productivity on coat color. Individuals with black and brown wool weigh on average 5% more, and their milk production is 10% more active.

Lambs wool

The coat of representatives of this breed is very thick and dense. About 50% of its composition is accounted for by fluff, which ensures its excellent heat-insulating properties. Wool is ideal for cooking household items as well as industrial processing.

Did you know? In ancient times, sheep served as one of the main cult animals; they were identified with many deities of the East and the Mediterranean. At the same time, their special role is highlighted in Abrahamic religions, most of whose characters were associated with sheep breeding (Mohamed, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, etc.).

The average length of the coat is 10–15 cm. If possible, it should be trimmed, often this procedure is carried out in an animal 1-2 times a year, but it is best to do a haircut every 10 months.

Productivity indicators

Edilbayans are considered the best breed of meat-tallow direction. Due to its large body mass and massive muscles, the average yield of marketable products is at least 55% of the total carcass weight. Of these, about 10% is the sebaceous mass from the fat tail bag, and the rest is meat.

The milk productivity of the variety is low, but with proper care the sheep can produce up to 200 liters of milk per year with an easily assimilated fat content of at least 3%. At the same time, wool is a by-product, so the cut from the average representative does not exceed 3 kg.

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Advantages and disadvantages

Despite many useful reviews about the breed, this species of sheep is not suitable for every breeder. In addition to the positive aspects, such productive species also have some drawbacks, due to which it is possible to almost completely convert sheep breeding into a loss-making industry, so before buying Edilbayns you should weigh all the pros and cons of these artiodactyls.

Milk

Despite the meat-tallow direction, this breed is notable for good milk production. This milk is ideal for all kinds of culinary treatments, and also has a high concentration of protein and healthy fats.

But in order to get really impressive milk yields, animals should provide an enhanced feed base, which at times increases the final cost of milk. Under normal nutrition, the breed produces only 100-120 liters of milk per year.

Wool

The breed gives high-quality and dense wool, characterized by increased heat-insulating properties. But the shear selected from the Edilbayans can be used only for the manufacture of dense fabric cloths with an enlarged strand. This is a coarse-haired hybrid, therefore such wool is not suitable for making lightweight underwear. In addition, often wool does not bring much profit, since spending on shearing is often difficult to cover with profit.

Kurdyuk

Due to the increased tendency to accumulate fat, fat tail fat is not just a by-product of animal husbandry, but is also one of the main goals of sheep husbandry. Fat Edilbaevskoy breed is characterized by increased nutrition and all kinds of saturated substances, so it is great for preparing any product.

Important! To determine the age of the sheep, just look at the size of the fat tail bag. The larger it is, the older the animal in front of you.

However, the growth of the sebaceous sac densely depends on the quality of the feed and the water-salt balance of the growing region, so often its weight is only 5 kg.

Slaughter

Since the Edilbaevsk sheep instantly gain weight, individuals at the age of 6 months become fit for slaughter. At this point, sheep and rams must reach a mass of at least 45 kg. At the same time, as the animal ages, the meat does not acquire an unpleasant smell and taste, so the slaughter of the livestock can be carried out even the next season after growing up. But the slaughter of the livestock is best done when the average age of the animals is no more than 5 months, otherwise the profitability of sheep breeding is significantly reduced.

Maintenance and care rules

Despite its unpretentiousness and resistance to all kinds of weather changes, when breeding a breed, you need to take care of the appropriate conditions for animals.

Important! Edilbay sheep must be constantly subjected to physical activity. Without a daily long walk, these animals begin to suffer, which negatively affects the quality of the products.

To do this, you must follow a few simple rules:

  • contain sheep only in clean and dry rooms. High humidity for representatives of the breed is quite fatal and can provoke depression of immunity and productivity;
  • the place for sleeping the animals in the winter period must be heated, the air temperature should not fall below + 8 ° С;
  • sheep need an abundance of fresh feed, so they are transferred to dry feed only in case of urgent need;
  • It is possible to achieve full-fledged growth and development of individuals of the breed only thanks to a diverse diet, therefore, when feeding, the whole variety of food should be used (from grain to root crops, fresh herbs and specialized feeds);
  • animals should definitely be fed with fortified preparations, as well as provide free access to salt. This is the only way to achieve fast and effective weight gain.

Breeding

Fertilization of sexually mature females occurs in late spring. Pregnancy in animals is fast enough, on average it takes about 21 weeks. Childbirth is observed at the beginning of winter. About a week before the female’s behavior changes dramatically, she can drink water intensively and eat, or, conversely, almost completely refuse food.

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Moreover, the animal has increased anxiety and activity. A sexually mature female can give up to 3 lambs per fertilization, but often the number of offspring does not exceed 2 individuals.

Breed diseases and possible problems

Despite the strong immunity, the Edilbayans are susceptible to many diseases.

The most common among them are:

  • encephalitis - it is provoked by ticks that are actively developing on pastures. The disease causes an increase in body temperature and fever, and with untimely treatment leads to a complex lesion of the nervous system;

  • melophagosis - pathology is caused by damage to animals with wingless flies. They lay eggs in artiodactyl wool, which leads to severe itching and irritation of the skin;

  • helminthiasis - appears as a result of eating grass infected with larvae of parasites. With untimely treatment, it causes hemorrhages in the body and the death of sheep;

  • listeriosis - an infectious lesion, accompanied by swelling of the extremities, paralysis and death;

  • smallpox is a complex infection that, if improperly treated, leads to the death of infected individuals;

  • mastitis is a pathology of an infectious nature that causes inflammation of the mammary glands (in females). In the absence of treatment, the organ is affected by purulent foci, which causes the death of the sheep.

Among non-lethal pathologies, the breed is affected:

  • flatulence of the scar, which leads to bloating and inflammation of the food system;

  • white muscle disease - it is characteristic of lambs as a result of a lack of vitamin A and causes impaired motor ability, general weakness and cramps;

  • an unincarnated disease, the essence of which is eating animals with their own wool, which further clogs the intestines.

Breeding prospects

Despite the fact that the Edilbaevsky sheep are reluctant to breed and maintain the number of individuals in the herd on their own, this breed is considered quite promising for breeding. Animals give high-quality meat and greasy products, characterized by a particularly delicate taste and structure. In addition, fruit females are often used to harvest milk, the quality of which is not inferior to dairy breeds.

In addition, these animals are willingly crossbreeding with other fat tail breed. This allows you to display highly productive hybrids with the necessary set of production qualities, getting only good livestock products. This is especially important for regions with a difficult climate and mountainous terrain, where most breeds are bred with difficulty.

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But one should take into account the fact that meat and greasy sheep products are not in high demand. In most regions, it is exotic and does not apply to traditional food products, so before breeding sheep, you should first take this feature into account and take care of sales markets, including on the basis of regional and cultural preferences.

Estimated cost and where to buy

Today, this breed is considered quite popular among sheep farmers, so it can be purchased both in specialized breeding farms and large sheep-breeding enterprises, as well as in private farms. If you want to buy an animal without any genetic pathologies, it is best to contact large enterprises for lambs, which ideally retain all pedigree properties.

The price of animals primarily depends on the region, the elite of the farm and the viability of the animals. The average cost of a healthy lamb is in the range of $ 2-3 US / kg body weight. In this case, the cost per individual can reach up to $ 200 US.

Edilbayevsky sheep is an unpretentious and highly productive species of animals that can develop safely even in the most difficult climatic conditions. This contributed to the increased popularization of the breed far beyond the region of breeding. However, you can get high-quality and excellent meat and greasy products only if the livestock is provided with an excellent forage base and regular walking in the pasture.

Video: Edilbayev breed of sheep

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