Characteristics of Prekos sheep
Sheep of the Precos breed first appeared in France. This breed was named in a similar way for a reason: Precos is translated from French as "early maturity". Already from this it can be concluded that the Prekos sheep breed early enough becomes suitable for reproduction. The Prekos species is grown for meat and wool.
Description of Prekos sheep
Description
Prekos sheep are animals with good body structure and strong constitution. The brood of this species is quite fleshy and has strong immunity.
- The legs are set massively and wide, the back is also very wide, perfectly flat at the prekos, which is a distinctive feature of the representatives of the breed.
- The color scheme of this species does not have a large number of variations, most often sandy and crystal white color is found, it can still be mixed sandy and white, and as a result, the sheep turns out to be off-white.
- Oddly enough, the head and legs of Prekos are completely devoid of hair. They are not completely naked, you can see small growths of wool, but they serve as protection against minor damage when the sheep is out for a walk.
A large percentage of animals are actually hornless, and only 20% of the entire pen will be horny (those with horns). Of course, the main difference from all other varieties of species is that Prekos belongs to early maturing breeds: individuals grow very quickly, gain weight, ripen for breeding. Experts say that females of this species give birth to several cubs at once. Usually, sheep carry one fruit at a time, and 15% of lambs do not survive until the 5th day after their birth.
Prekos are known almost all over the world not only for being a very fleshy breed, but also for the fact that they can give very high-quality wool, from which almost any woolen product can then be made. The structure of the rune is very uniform, the curls of the wool are rather thick - 1 cm. The total weight of wool in males of this species is 7-9 kg, and in females - 8-9 kg. The average percentage of mowing for a male is 7-9.5 kg, and for females - 4-5 kg.
Prekos sheep wool
Today, farmers have calculated the total fiber yield per sheep, it is 45-50%, or about 2.5-2.9 kg of wool. According to experts, the thickness of wool is kept in the range from 25.1 to 40 microns, and the quality of the fiber ranges from 44 to 58 units. The fleece itself has a staple and braid structure.
Sexual maturity of the breed
Due to the fact that Prekos belongs to the early maturing species of sheep, already at 4 months of age, with good feeding and proper care, the weight of an animal can reach 27-31 kg. Farmers advise sending animals for slaughter at the age of 8-9 months. This allows you to simultaneously get a good slaughter, and tasty and soft meat. At this age, the weight of one animal can be 20 kg.
Prekos is a species of sheep that can easily reproduce. Average fertility per flock (100 sheep) is 120-145%. This is one of the best results.But even with such indicators, many breeders still try to improve the characteristics of this breed, especially their fertility. So far they have not been able to achieve the desired result.
Maintenance and breeding
If young sheep were kept in good conditions, always received normal nutrition and supplements in the form of vitamins, they were looked after, then already at the age of 1.5 years they can compete with adults.
The full development of a sheep occurs at the age of 2.5-3 years. Ewes with good care and a balanced diet can maintain their fertility up to 8-9 years. Rams first become sexually mature at the age of 3-4 years. Also, do not forget about quality nutrition and constant care. Sheep intended to mate with females need more than 10 hours a day outdoors: this has a positive effect on mating results.
Mating can take place at any time of the year
Mating in this breed occurs at any time of the year. All thanks to the constant activity of individuals, which regularly keeps the uterus in good shape. If one of the future parents is sick, mating must be urgently postponed, since nothing good will come of it: as a result, the fetus or the mother herself may die. If the weather is always good in places where sheep are kept, they can be walked at least around the clock, the main thing is to monitor their behavior and what they eat. There are many poisonous herbs that can kill a sheep.
For this type of sheep, grazing is a very important stage of keeping. They need to be out for at least a couple of hours a day so that they themselves can replenish the balance of vitamins and nutrients. In winter, Prekos should be kept only in paddocks and constantly fed with hay and any dry herbs. You can buy them for the winter or prepare them yourself and leave them until the cold period. In cold weather, the corral where the sheep will live must be heated, the animals cannot bear the temperature below 5 ° C and will simply die.
Where can you find this kind
Most often, this type of sheep is grown on the territory of Russia and Ukraine. The breed is grown at Kharkov enterprises (Ukraine). In addition, it is very popular in Germany, France and Italy. Today breeders are working to improve its characteristics.
Prekos is a meat and wool breed that does not require much effort to grow and maintain. The main thing is to keep the animals in a warm place and provide them with constant access to hay. The characteristics of the Prekos sheep breed are very different from those of other species, especially in the fact that sheep are born in kilograms. The detailed description proposed above will help to draw the appropriate conclusions and determine the feasibility of breeding.