Karachay sheep

Sheep of the Karachay breed are a separate variety that is widespread in the North Caucasus. Animals graze in ecologically clean places in the mountains, inaccessible to most people. Perhaps that is why they have strong immunity, easily tolerate frosty and rainy weather. On grazing, sheep feed on juicy fresh grass, among which there are medicinal species: mountain clover, motley oats, meadow polyson.

Sheep of the Karachai breed

History of the breed

The Karachay breed of sheep has been known for a very long time. Many travelers and scientists who visited the North Caucasus as early as the beginning of the 19th century described horses and sheep raised by local residents. Lamb is the main product that is eaten here, and very tasty butter and cheese are obtained from sheep’s milk.

Reference. Modern research has shown that the Karachai sheep is a separate breed without admixture of representatives of other groups.

Sheep breeding is the main occupation of the Karachays. Raising livestock for sale here has always been very large-scale. According to the data at the beginning of the 20th century, the Karachays annually sold more than 100 thousand sheep, 25 thousand pounds of wool. Also among the main livestock products for sale were sheepskin and butter.

The improvement of the local North Caucasian breed has been carried out for centuries. So, the Karachays managed to achieve stable immunity in animals to anthrax. To do this, they collected blood from a killed infected animal and mixed it into food with healthy sheep. As a result of such a “vaccination”, the animals did not suffer from this terrible disease. Also, as a result of natural selection, unpretentiousness to food and excellent genetics have been formed in Karachay sheep: among the livestock of this breed it is impossible to meet weak, sick or lame individuals. All animals have strong bones and a thick coat.

Main features and description

Karachay sheep are medium in size. Their body length is 160 cm. The height at the withers reaches 60 cm. The weight of a sheep at the age of 18 months is 80 kg, a ram is 94 kg. The highest figure that was obtained with proper care of animals is 137 kg of weight at the age of 3,5 years. Animals have a hoofed horn of increased strength, which allows them to walk for a long time on a pasture in a mountainous area.

Karachay sheep lamb

Karachay sheep lamb

All sheep of the Karachay breed are strongly built, have powerful legs and a deep chest, a small narrow head with a hook-nosed profile. A long tail, reaching 44 cm, with a curved end is one of the most characteristic distinguishing features of the breed. Up to 6 kg of fat can accumulate in the tail. Representatives of the Karachay breed, with the exception of one species, have horns. In rams, they are spiral in shape. Some animals have 3 or 4 horns.

Advantages of the Karachai breed:

  1. Excellent taste of meat with a large yield. In terms of live weight, the Karachay breed is surpassed only by Lincoln sheep, bred by genetic engineers in the United States. However, the taste qualities of meat of the American meat breed are much inferior to the natural meat of the Karachai sheep.
  2. High yield of wool. Sheep have a dense cover, which is formed by rearing in natural climatic conditions.
  3. High quality milk.

The breed is coarse-haired. The quality of wool is the highest among similar breed groups. Up to 80% of the sheep in the herd are black in color. Also in the breed standard, individuals with gray, white and red color are described.

Within the breed there are 3 types:

  • kara-muyuz – sheep with long silky wool with wavy or straight braids, black in color;
  • tumak – animals without horns, with a lot of fluff, the most delicious and juicy meat;
  • kyokbash – sheep with gray wool, differ in large size and increased live weight in comparison with other types.

Productivity

Karachaevskaya is a universal breed, it gives a large yield of wool and meat. Sheep and sheep produce on average 3 kg and 2,6 kg of wool per year, respectively. Also, the uterus of this breed is characterized by high milk yield: the yield of the dairy product is 30-50 kg per individual. The milk of the Karachai sheep is very fatty – up to 9,6%. When slaughtered from one carcass, 47-56% of the slaughter yield is obtained.

Sheep of the Karachai breed

Sheep of the Karachai breed

Karachay sheep gain weight very quickly. Representatives of this precocious breed already in 3 months reach 40% of the mass of an adult. At birth, a lamb weighs an average of 3,6 kg. For 100 queens, the number of offspring is 105-110.

The Karachaevskaya breed is unique, bred by the indigenous population of the North Caucasus and has the best productive characteristics. Due to the high immunity to infectious and colds, raising sheep of this breed is not particularly difficult. Excellent taste characteristics of meat and a high yield of wool bring the breed to one of the first places in terms of breeding prospects.

Author: Olga Samoilova

Anna Evans

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