What is the fat tail sheep: breeds, distinctive features

Recently, sheep breeding is gaining considerable popularity. Animals are raised both in private households and for commercial purposes, receiving considerable profit. In addition to delicious meat and milk, from which elite expensive varieties of cheese are made, sheep and sheep give excellent wool, which serves as a material for the production of environmentally friendly clothes. Among all the variety of breeds, fat tail sheep, which are distinguished by high characteristics, are especially appreciated.

Tawny Sheep / Ram

This variety got its name because of the presence of fat tail in the body structure - a kind of fat "bag" that forms, starting from the sacrum, and ends on the first 5 vertebrae from the base of the tail. The fat tail consists of two halves, covered in the upper part with wool, and a tail is placed between them. A group of semi-fleshy sheep (Tushino, Karabakh) is also distinguished, the fat of which accumulates not only on the sacrum and thighs, but also in the tail around its skeleton.

According to the general description, the usual weight of a fat tail is about 8-10 kg, but, depending on the breed, can reach 30 kg. During fattening, fat is deposited here, a large supply of vitamins, minerals and moisture, which then help the animal survive when there are nutrition problems. This peculiarity of fat tail sheep is partly similar to camels, only in those deposits are formed in the form of humps, and in sheep - in the form of protruding sebaceous seals on the pope.

Did you know? Turkey fat has the properties of an excellent preservative. To preserve fresh meat in warm climates, they rubbed it with this product. Turkey tail fat is widely used in the preparation of traditional oriental meals, and also as a grind for colds . Humanity has been cultivating this type of sheep since the 18th century. For the most part, they were bred earlier in Asian countries, but now these animals are widespread in other regions.

Main characteristics

The average height of fat tail sheep and rams is about 1 m. Weight varies depending on the breed, but the approximate data are as follows: the average weight of a female is about 70 kg, ram - 80–90 kg, and under good conditions of care, the weight may exceed these figures. The animals look quite interesting: they have a strong body on long thin legs, a relatively small elongated head with drooping ears, and horns are most often absent.

The coat is quite stiff and thick, always plain, can be black, gray, brown, and sometimes a red color . It is used to make carpets, blankets. A fleece of a higher quality becomes a good material for the manufacture of sheepskin coats, luxury fur products.

The meat of fat tail animals is considered delicious. It is tasty and nutritious, especially valued carcass of young lambs, up to six months old. By this time, the weight of the lamb can reach 35 kg, so there is something to feast on.

Advantages and disadvantages of the type

Fat tail sheep are found on pastures much more often than other varieties.

• This is explained not only by the fact that animals bring a lot of benefits (give milk, meat, lard, a big cut of wool), but also a lot of positive characteristics that their nature has awarded, namely:
• tremendous endurance - it’s not at all scary if the pasture is located far from the place of animal’s deployment, because fat-tailed sheep and rams can easily cover distances of up to 500 km;
• undemanding to the diet - animals can live on only one pasture for about a year;
• adaptation to different temperature conditions, due to which individuals are grown in the northern and southern regions, in the mountains and in the flat areas;
• animals intensively fatten, quickly gaining good weight;
• the safety of good condition with a lack of nutrition, due to deposits in the fat tail;
• resistance to diseases.

Did you know? Sheep and rams well remember their shepherd. If two flocks of sheep are mixed during grazing, then at the first call of the shepherds the animals will disperse to their owners. If we talk about the shortcomings, here we can highlight, perhaps, the one and only minus - the inability to independently find the way to the stall if the animal strayed from the herd. This trait is inherent in all sheep.

Breeds of fat tail sheep

Fat tail sheep and sheep equally well take root and breed in different regions - in the mountains of the Caucasus, on the northern plains of Russia and in the Crimea. By breeding, various meat-bearing breeds were bred, among which the most popular are the following: Gissar, Edilbayev and Kalmyk.

Gissar

Hissar breed breeding has been successfully started in Uzbekistan. Its representatives are one of the most powerful, the maximum mass of an adult male can reach 190 kg, females - 130 kg, and a young 4-month-old lamb - about 50-60 kg. About a third of the total mass of the animal can be fat tail. The meat yield after slaughter is quite high, about 60% of the carcass weight. Important! The sheep and sheep of the Hissar breed are the most massive, however, it is not advisable to raise individuals older than 5 months of age, since their wool is not of high quality, and the meat of older animals loses tenderness and juiciness. The Uzbek breed has average wool collection and milk yield. In a year, no more than 2 kg of a hard rune is sheared, which is practically of no value, and carries only the threat of possible insect attacks in hot periods. The color often depends on the region: it can be black or brown, dark red. The ewe gives about 140 liters of milk per year.

For one lamb, the ewe can give 1 lamb, and only in rare cases two are born . With sufficient nutrition, which includes both milk and vitamin grass of pastures, lambs grow quite quickly, gaining weight up to 70 kg by 6 months.

Edilbaevskaya

The most hardy domestic breed, with a large physique with a developed sternum . During grazing, it is stocked up with a large amount of nutrients, gives a lot of high-quality wool and fat milk. The weight of an adult ram reaches 120 kg, and sheep - 70 kg with an average height of 90 cm. A young lamb weighs up to 40 kg at the age of 4 months. After slaughter, about 50–55% of pure mutton meat is obtained from one animal, and meat of young lamb, which is still fed with mother’s milk, is considered the most dietary.

The main colors of the breed are black and red, and black has its own peculiarity - they occupy a leading position in terms of wool. Breed Edilbaevskaya precocious - young growth quickly fattenes, gains weight and accumulates fat. The annual milk yield of sheep’s milk is 180 liters; the hair is sheared about 3.5 kg. Edilbaevsk sheep are not highly fertile - one female gives 1-2 lambs a year, less often - three.

Kalmyk

Kalmyk fat tail sheep were brought into the territory of European countries from Mongolia and Western China. Compared to other breeds, they have a coarser thin coat and a large fat tail, which begins its formation from the lumbar region and passes to the rear Poles. Individual males have horns in their infancy. For the most part, the breed has a red color, although there are also white representatives who are in great demand in industry.

Animals are one of the largest of their kind, the weight of an adult ram reaches 140 kg, and ewes up to 90 kg. A lamb aged 16–18 months weighs more than 45 kg. After slaughter, up to 70 kg of fresh meat is obtained from a ram, about 45–50 kg from a sheep, and up to 20–25 kg from a lamb. The meat of young individuals is mainly valued - tasty and tender, it loses its quality over the years, acquiring a greasy flavor.

The annual milk yield is about 100 liters, the hair is sheared no more than 3 kg. The Kalmyk breed of sheep is not a multiple breed. As a rule, the ewe gives one lamb, and only in 4% of cases twins can be born. Lambs quickly gain weight - in 1.5 months, growth can reach 0.5 kg daily.

Features of the content of fat tail sheep

In the summer, keeping animals takes place in natural conditions on pastures, where they organize separate places for spending the night, equipped with shelter in case of rain. With the onset of autumn, the flock is moved to the stall. Fat tail sheep and rams prefer dry, spacious rooms, protected from drafts, with an air temperature of at least + 5 ° С. There should be good ventilation so that animals do not suffocate from ammonia fumes.

Be sure to monitor bedding, which should be clean and dry - humidity and mold can have an adverse effect on the health of the herd. It is advisable to cover the floor with wood sawdust or dried grass, changing the coating daily. Drinking bowls must be installed, in which water is changed 2 times a day. Every day you need to clean the entire room.

This type of sheep has a high immunity to diseases, however, in order to avoid trouble, animals require a periodic examination by a veterinarian and preventive vaccinations against infectious diseases. You also need to monitor the hooves and hair. In the spring-summer season, animals are bathed periodically (once every 1.5–2 months) and their hooves are cut 2-3 times a year so that lameness does not develop.

Important! You cannot feed fat tail sheep sugar beets - because of this product, animals can become ill with diabetes. You also need to avoid eating grass mowed in the swamp, and frozen vegetables that lead to death.

In a warm period, fat tail sheep eat on pasture. Even if the grass does not differ in the thickness of the cover, this is quite enough for the animals. When moving the herd to the premises for the winter, the farmer's task is to provide the animals with good nutrition. As a rule, they are given solid feed in the morning, balanced formulations of concentrates for lunch, and hay in the evening. Vitamin supplements in the form of raw hard vegetables are also introduced into the diet.

Breeding of fat tail sheep

Breeding of fat tail sheep is a rather profitable business, in which the invested capital pays off and multiplies very quickly. One thoroughbred ram is able to fertilize the whole herd, so usually no more than 2-3 individuals are kept in the flock.

A fertilized female hatches a lamb (lambs) for about 150 days. Lambing passes, as a rule, without problems, while from 1 to 3 lambs can appear at the same time. The female is provided with a separate aviary, the temperature in which must be at least + 17 ° C. A few days later, newborn lambs can graze on their own, while they quickly build up weight and by the age of 6 months they gain 70% of the weight of an adult animal. When the lamb reaches 4 months, it is taken from the mother to the flock.

Breeding fat tail sheep has a lot of advantages, which can be safely attributed great profitability at low cost. Scientists have proved that sheep are able to determine the presence of hormonal additives in food and do not eat such foods, therefore they are recognized as the most environmentally friendly animals.