Kuibyshev breed of sheep species description
The Kuibyshev breed of sheep is one of the first bred in the USSR. It was obtained in the 40s of the twentieth century on the territory of Russia in the region of the same name. Since that time, the dawn of Soviet sheep breeding and sheep breeding in the country began. This variety became widespread not only on the territory of the then union republics, but also abroad. The Kuibyshev breed of sheep has rightfully earned high marks from experts around the world and is one of the best domestic breeds of the Soviet era.
Characteristics of the Kuibyshev sheep breed
The main features of the breed
Sheep of the Kuibyshev breed were bred from the Circassian sheep and the English sheep breed Romney Marsh. For reproduction and strengthening of the breed, strong individuals with exceptional wool performance were selected: it is uniform, semi-thin. The breeders had to work hard to breed the first domestic meat and wool sheep, suitable for the local climate and with good adaptive characteristics. The works were rewarded, the Kuibyshev sheep breed was recognized and appreciated by leading experts in this field.
The Kuibyshev breed of sheep has vivid external features, as shown in the photo: an elongated strong body, a wide back, almost invisible neck, a wide head with missing horns, short strong legs. It belongs to the meat-and-wool hornless variety.
The appearance of a sheep of the Kuibyshev breed
The weight of an adult ram reaches 170 kg, a sheep weighs less than 120 kg. Individuals are distinguished by early maturity and fertility. At 3 months, lambs weigh up to 20 kg, at 4 months they gain up to 40 kg. The offspring is up to 145 lambs per 100 bright birds.
The high adaptive properties of the breed provide it with excellent health both in hot summers and frosty winters. Animals are distinguished by early maturity and fertility, however, increased humidity and dampness are already harder to tolerate. Kuibyshev sheep are valued for their qualities of meat and wool.
Also, the breed is resistant to colds and parasites. She has strong and strong legs, with the help of which the rams break the snow in search of grass in the pastures in the winter.
Maintenance and breeding
The high rate of adaptability to various climatic conditions Kuibyshevskaya sheep are used to the fullest. The simplicity of content and unpretentiousness in food gave them the opportunity to spread widely not only throughout the territories of the post-Soviet space, but also far beyond their borders. The indicator of early maturity also favorably affected the popularity among sheep farmers, and not only.
The breeding of this breed has rapidly spread among private households. As shown in the video, this breed thrives in the summer in any pasture with low-growing grass and in the winter in a stall. They do not need special comfort in maintenance and diet.
The most important thing is to keep it dry, without dampness. To preserve the quality of the wool, there should be nothing in the hangar that can damage it or injure the skin.The paddock is equipped with a canopy in order to protect it from precipitation and not spoil the wool from getting wet. Due to the excellent cold tolerance, it is not required to insulate the premises where the herd is kept. When building, you need to take into account the dimensions: 2 sq. m per individual and moisture resistant materials, as shown in the video.
Young growth care
Sheep give birth at the age of 8-10 months with a fertility of 120-130%. In this case, no special control is required, the duration is about 30 minutes. An offspring is obtained from a sheep 2 times a year. Lambs are born 145 days after conception. At first, the lamb and its mother need warmth so that the offspring gain strength and not get sick. After a month and a half, it can already be fed with a mixture of grain, turtle and straw. The animal is weaned from the female at about 3 months of age and transferred to self-feeding.
By the age of 7 months, the young are gaining weight up to 45 kg. With a little frost and snow cover, the herd can feed on pastures all year round, and in colder winters it can be kept in sheeps. In this case, top dressing is necessary:
- hay;
- straw;
- barley;
- oats.
For intensive growth, they feed:
- root crops;
- silo;
- oil cakes;
- bran.
Kuibyshevskaya sheep is meat and wool. It is meat and wool with special properties and characteristics that are the products for which this animal is grown. Milk is secondary.
Sheep breeding and began to develop due to the need for wool. Now, in the age of all artificial and polluted nature, naturalness and environmental friendliness at a great price, including natural lamb wool and everything that is made from it.
Breed productivity
Sheared clean wool from these animals - 6-7 kg from a ram, from a sheep - 3-4 kg, the yield of washed fiber is 55%, length - 10-25 cm.Characteristics generally accepted for evaluating the rune, which they are famous for: thickness - 50 , quality - 56. This is one of the best indicators among meat and wool breeds, therefore the price of wool of the Kuibyshev sheep is quite high and is in great demand in the market for its qualities.
The meat also has its own characteristics and exceptional qualities inherent only in this species, and it is considered one of the best in the world. These include the excellent marbling of the meat and the absence of internal fat, fatty layers between the meat fibers, which make the meat tender, juicy, and soft. There is no specific smell even in an adult ram. Increased percentage of pulp per net weight. They say that the real mutton kebab is made from this meat. A separate item is lamb meat, which is in great demand and is expensive.
Milk is also healthy. Kuibyshev sheep can give 2 liters per milk yield, and they are milked three times a day. Milk contains a lot of nutrients: vitamins to increase calcium, B12, folic acid. This milk makes a good cheese.
The sale of lambs can also bring income. When mating, the Kuibyshev breed gives good offspring, however, intrabreed crossing takes place in rare cases, because the offspring comes out weak and painful, and sometimes it is completely unviable. You can also sell the semen of purebred rams or charge a fee for mating.
Special qualities of the breed
The Kuibyshev breed is one of the best of its kind. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the farmer does not need large financial costs for breeding.
With a minimum investment for the purchase of lambs, feed and the construction of simple corrals, a sheep breeder receives 100 kg of marbled meat, 10 kg of high-quality wool, and up to 30 liters of milk per season. A sheep with good feeding and maintenance can give birth 2 times a year with a high probability of twins.
Description of the features of the Kuibyshev sheep:
- good heat and cold tolerance;
- availability of adaptive abilities to different climatic conditions;
- a large amount of quality wool;
- feeding with pasture;
- resistance to colds and infections;
- high productivity;
- easy labor;
- early maturity;
- fast weight gain;
- high quality meat.
Conclusion
The Kuibyshev breed of sheep is created for a harsh climate. The versatility of quality characteristics and the high performance of its meat and wool are undeniable. Compared to other meat and wool breeds, the products obtained from the Kuibyshev sheep are much more expensive, but they are easier to sell due to the demand in the market. No special maintenance costs are required, so the benefits are obvious. You can also master non-main sources of income from this business, such as:
- production of fermented milk products;
- sale of skins;
For those who decide to start farming or have sheep on the farm, the Kuibyshev sheep is suitable like no other breed, especially in a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. It is also suitable for completely inexperienced sheep breeders due to its unpretentiousness. But it should be remembered that any animal requires attention and good care.