Breeds of sheep in the Altai Territory. Altai breed of sheep. Fine-wool breeds. Wool and meat. Breeding zones of Altai sheep

For twenty years, work has been carried out in the Altai Territory to create the Altai breed of sheep. From the 28th to the 48th years of the twentieth century, the "Rubtsovsky" state farm and the collective farm "Country of Soviets" crossed local Siberian sheep with different breeds of rams, among them were the Australian merino and the Caucasian breed.

Local sheep were brought from the North Caucasus and were distinguished by their small size. In addition, they were unstable to cold and lean, although their body was covered with beautiful long hair, which gave good clipping rates. And it was decided to create such a breed that it was resistant to cold and, at the same time, had high-quality wool with a large percentage of its net yield after shearing. It was the Altai sheep that gave impetus to the breeding of fine-fleeced sheep in the East of Russia. The Trans-Baikal breed and the North Kazakh Merino were bred with the help of the Altai breed of sheep.

Altai sheep get along well with the severe frosts of Siberia. They have strong immunity, and they rarely get sick, and with a little snow cover they graze well. Their constitution and strong legs allow them to make long transitions, and thick and high-quality wool keeps the body from freezing. Sheep breeding is a very important part of animal husbandry in Siberia.

In severe frosts and temperature fluctuations, few animals are able to live, develop and breed, therefore sheep, especially adapted to harsh conditions, are especially valued there, and they are zealously bred. Altai sheep transmit heredity well: their strong constitution and good wool shearing, so they are actively used to improve some breeds. Altai sheep live in almost the entire Altai Territory, but they are also actively bred in Mongolia.

So, what are the Altai sheep - these are animals with a powerful constitution and a good physique, otherwise they would not be so hardy. They have a broad chest, a straight back and well-developed muscles, including strong legs. To better retain heat, their skin has a certain number of folds. Rams with developed horns, uterus without horns.

The Altai breed of sheep is quite large, in the best farms of the Altai Territory, rams weigh from 110 to 125 kg, and the uterus is about 60-65 kg - this is the weight of elite breeding individuals. Some individuals reach a weight of 130 kg. It is worth noting that despite the fact that the Altai breed was bred mainly for wool, their meat indicators are at a fairly high level, which makes this breed even more valuable for breeding in places where climatic conditions do not spare the weak.

The wool of the Altai sheep is used for the manufacture of high-quality garments and valuable fabrics. In the region of 55%, the yield of wool, despite the fact that shearing from an adult ram is about 10-11 kg, and from queens - 6-6.5 kg. There are herds in which about 25 kg of wool is sheared from a ram, and 10-12 kg from queens. Wool 64 quality, length about 8 cm.

The fibers are well balanced in length and thickness, the coat has a good regular crimp. In addition, the sheep are quite precocious - there are 120-140 lambs per 100 queens. In some breeding farms, the fertility of queens is brought up to 150 lambs per hundred sheep. This is an excellent indicator, which allows you to quickly pay for feeding sheep, and makes their breeding a profitable business.

The disadvantages of these sheep include uneven wool over the body, and non-breeding herds have low rates of wool shearing.

One of the representatives of fine-wool breeds of sheep is the Altai sheep. This breed belongs to the wool - meat direction. As a result of repeated crossing of different types of animals, the Altai breed of sheep was bred.

One of the representatives of the fine-wool breed of sheep belonging to the wool-meat type is the Altai sheep. This breed was created from 1936 to 1948. This happened on the collective farm "Country of Soviets" and the state farm "Rubtsovsky", which were located in the Altai Territory.

The Altai sheep was bred as a result of crossing American Rambouillet rams with Siberian local merinos, as well as further crossing the resulting crosses with rams of the Caucasian and Australian fine-fleeced breeds. Animals were brought from the North Caucasus and their distinctive feature was their small size, but at the same time they had a long coat and a high content of subcutaneous fat. These sheep were also thin and did not tolerate the cold weather conditions of Siberia. After crossing, they received a type of sheep that quickly adapts to the harsh climate and is characterized by high reproduction.

Currently, the Altai sheep breed is bred mainly in northern and eastern Kazakhstan, Bashkiria, Siberia and the Urals. Sheep of this breed are distinguished by well-developed muscles and they have a large, regular physique, there are from one to three folds of skin on the neck.

They have excellent adaptability to cold climates and are therefore very hardy. The skeletal system is well developed. The uterus of the Altai sheep is polled, and the rams have large powerful horns. The Altai breed of sheep has an elongated body, a straight back, powerful withers and a wide chest area. They have a skin of medium density, there are a small number of folds on the skin.

From rams sheared from 12 kg. up to 18 kg. wool, and from queens from 6 kg. up to 7 kg. The length of the coat is on average about 8 cm. Fat in a moderate amount of white or light yellow. The live weight of an adult ram is approximately 100 kg, and that of an ew is about 60 kg.

The Altai breed of sheep is distinguished by good fertility, so from 100 ewes you can get 140 - 150 lambs. In addition to all of the above, the uterus of Altai sheep has a fine crimp of wool.

Despite the significant positive aspects, there are also minor drawbacks in breeding the Altai breed of sheep. So, in some animals in the herd, a low clipping is noted, besides, the length of their wool on the main parts of the body is poorly aligned. Such sheep have wool, the length of which is shorter on the back than on the shoulder blades or on the sides.

Fine-fleeced breeds of sheep were first brought to Russia at the beginning of the 18th century. during the reign of Peter I. Subsequently, Russian sheep breeders began to create their own breeds of sheep, which were more adapted to local conditions of existence. At the moment, sheep are widespread domestic animals.

Fine wool wool-meat breed. The Altai breed was bred (1928-1948) at the Rubtsovsky state farm (currently the Ovtsevod breeding farm) and at the Strana Sovetov collective farm in the Altai Territory. To create the breed, they used Mazaevsky and Novokavkazsky merinos, which arrived in these areas from the North Caucasus. The imported sheep were small, but with long, strong, well-balanced wool and a high fat content. Queens weighed an average of 37 kg, they were sheared from them by 4-6 kg, or 1.2-1.4 kg of wool in washed fiber.
Sheep had a weakened constitution, large defects in the exterior and relatively poorly endured the harsh climate of Siberia.
To improve local merinos in 1928, American rambouillet rams began to be used. Animals obtained from crossing rambouillet rams with local merino queens were larger, of a stronger constitution, with a better conformation and a large supply of skin, but their coat was much shorter than that of the queens, and not sufficiently equal in thickness. To eliminate these shortcomings, rams of the Caucasian breed and Australian merino were brought to the herd of the Rubtsovsky state farm. Large, with a good exterior, but short-haired local queens were mated with Australian merino rams, and queens of the first class, with a high live weight and satisfactory quality indicators of wool, were mated with Caucasian breed rams. The best, larger rams of their herd were mated with queens of smaller mass, but with a good fleece. In the collective farm "Country of the Soviets" according to the same scheme, but taking into account the characteristics of the herd, Askanian rams and Australian merino were used. At the same time, in both herds, much attention was paid to the selection and more intensive use of highly productive animals with a strong constitution and good adaptability to the harsh climate of Siberia. In the process of work between the state farm "Rubtsovsky" and the collective farm "Country of Soviets" an exchange of rams-producers of mutual value was carried out.
Modern sheep of the Altai breed, as a rule, are large, strong constitution, with a well-developed skeleton. The body is somewhat elongated, the back and loin are straight, the withers are wide, sometimes slightly rising above the line of the back, the chest is rather wide and deep. The limbs are strong and well set. Folding of the skin is moderate, there are 1-2 complete or incomplete folds on the neck. The rams are horned, the uterus is mostly polled. Fleece staple structure of medium density. The length of the wool of rams is 8-9 cm, of queens - 7.5-8.0 cm; thickness predominantly 64 quality. Sheared wool from rams 12-14 kg, from queens - 6.0-6.5 kg with a washed wool yield of 50% or more. The uniformity of the fibers in length and thickness in the staple and in the fleece is good. The wool has a fine, regular crimp and a distinct merino character. Giropot is predominantly white and light cream. The fertility of queens is high - 120-150%.
The best breeding herds of sheep of the Altai breed are located in the breeding farms "Ovtsevod", named after. 50th anniversary of the USSR, "Rodinsky", "Siberia", "Sibmerinos" of the Altai Territory. In these farms, breeding rams weigh 110-125 kg, elite queens - 60-65 kg; sheared wool from sheep 16-20 kg, from elite queens 8.0-8.5 kg, in general for the herd in terms of washed 3.4-3.7 kg, the length of the wool, respectively, 9.0-9.5 and 8 ,5-9.0 cm. Sheep breeding farm them. The 50th anniversary of the USSR is distinguished by outstanding multiplicity: from 100 queens, 150 lambs are grown for weaning, and in the best years - 160-170 lambs.
The Altai breed had a great influence on the development of fine-wool sheep breeding in the east of the country. It was used in the breeding of the Trans-Baikal breed and the North Kazakh merino, the improvement of the Soviet merino in Western Siberia, the Urals and the North-Eastern regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Altai sheep- Altai breed of fine-fleeced sheep, wool-meat breed.

Story

It was bred in 1930-1949 in breeding farms (at the Ovtsevod stud farm and on the Strana Sovetov collective farm) in the Altai Territory by crossing local Siberian merinos with American rambouliers, and then crossbreeding the first generation with Australian merino rams and Caucasian fine-fleeced breed. In the future, the breed was used in breeding the North Caucasian merino and sheep of the Transbaikal breed. The breed is bred in Siberia, Bashkiria, the Chelyabinsk region, eastern and northern Kazakhstan.

Characteristics of the breed

Sheep of the Altai breed are large, strong constitution, the backbone is well developed. The body is elongated, the withers are wide, the loin and back are straight, the chest is wide and deep. They have well-set strong limbs. The skin has 1-2 folds on the neck. The wool is well-defined merino, fine with fine regular crimp, with good evenness of fibers along the length and thickness in the staple and along the fleece. It is used for the manufacture of dress fabrics. The offspring of this breed is 130-170 lambs from 100 ewes.

Sheep of this breed are characterized by large horns, live weight of 90-100 kg, wool length of 8-10 cm, the cut of which is 12-18 kg.

Altai breed of sheep. A brief description of.

The Altai breed of sheep was bred on the collective farm "Country of Soviets" and the state farm "Rubtsovsky" (now the breeding farm "Ovtsevod") in the period from 1928 to 1948.

To create this breed, Novokavkazsky and Mazaev merinos imported from the North Caucasus were used. The animals were small in size, but with a strong, long and well-balanced coat, as well as with a large amount of fat post.

The live weight of queens averaged 37 kg. From them received 4 - 6 kg of wool or 1.2 - 1.4 kg in washed fiber. The sheep of these breeds had great defects in the exterior, a weakened constitution, and they did not tolerate the harsh conditions of Siberia.

In 1928, American rambouillet rams were used to improve local merinos. The sheep resulting from the crossing had a stronger constitution and larger sizes, they had a better conformation and a large supply of skin, but the wool was noticeably shorter and insufficiently equal in thickness.

To eliminate the shortcomings received, Australian merino and Caucasian rams were brought to the Rubtsovsky state farm. Local queens of large size, with good exterior data, but with short hair were mated with Australian merino rams.

Queens of the first class, with satisfactory quality indicators of wool and high live weight, were crossed with rams of the Caucasian breed.
Larger rams of their herd were mated with queens with a good fleece and less weight.

In the "Land of the Soviets", taking into account the characteristics of the herd, according to the same scheme, Australian merino and Ascanian sheep were used.

In both herds, special attention was paid to the selection and more intensive use of highly productive sheep with good adaptability to the harsh conditions of Siberia and a strong constitution. In the process of work, an exchange of rams was carried out - producers, which were of mutual value.

Modern Altai sheep have a strong constitution, large size, well-developed bones. Their body is slightly elongated. The loin and back are straight. The wide withers sometimes rise above the line of the back. The chest is deep and wide.

Strong limbs - correctly set. Skin wrinkling is moderate. There are one or two full or incomplete folds on the neck. The uterus is mostly polled, the rams are horned.

The length of the wool of queens is 7.5 - 8.0 cm, rams - 8.0 - 9.0 cm, the thickness is mainly 64 quality. Fleece staple structure of medium density. 6.0 - 6.5 kg are sheared from queens, 12.0-14.0 kg from rams, and fifty percent or more of washed wool comes out.

The evenness of the fibers in thickness and length in the staple and in the fleece is good. The wool has fine, regular crimp and a distinct merino character. Giropost is mostly light cream and white.
The fertility of queens is high and reaches one hundred and twenty - one hundred and fifty percent.

In the best breeding herds, the live weight of rams reaches 110 - 125 kg, queens - 60 - 65 kg. The wool sheared from queens is 8.0 - 8.5 kg, from rams - 16.0 - 20.0 kg. The multiplicity of queens is high. From one hundred females to weaning, one hundred and fifty lambs are raised, and in the best years - one hundred sixty - one hundred and seventy lambs.