Merino sheep breed description. Merino sheep: an overview of wool breeds. Various breeds of merino
Merino sheep are known to almost everyone because of their fine wool, which is famous for its excellent characteristics. They originate from North Africa and Asia, although historically they first appeared in the 12th century in Spain.
For a long time, the Spaniards held the championship in merino wool; in their country, the export of these animals was considered a crime. Merinos live in the desert. Now the largest livestock is observed in Australia.
Description of the breed
Merino sheep differ from other sheep in that they have combed wool, consisting of soft fibers. In some countries, the breeding of these sheep has acquired a sporting interest, even a type of competition has been invented - fleece shearing for the speed and quality of shearing. High-class scissor masters manage to shear the entire sheep in one minute, while not injuring the animal.
Merinos are valuable for their wool, but their cultivation for meat is unprofitable, although in recent years breeders have bred a German and American breed, which presents a balanced content of meat and wool.
The maturity of Merino comes at the age of six months. Mating of females can be carried out in a year or 14 months, earlier carrying out this procedure may affect the development of the animal. Wool can be sheared as early as five months. If you properly keep the young, then its daily growth will be up to 300 grams. By 4 months, the animal gains up to 45% of its live weight, and by the year of life this figure will be 90%. The fecundity of sheep is 150%.
This breed has a strong constitution and excellent appearance. The limbs are correctly set, the bones are strong, and the physique is proportional. The mass of ewes ranges from 45-55 kg, and rams in the range of 95-130 kg. Sheep coat color is white. The length and thickness of the wool is the same along the entire length, which in rams can reach 9 cm, and in female sheep 7-9 cm. And by looking at this, you can learn more about Hissar rams.
From one ram, you can shear from 11 to 13 kg, and from lambs - 5-7 kg.
On the video - information about merino:
Varieties
Breeders have bred several dozen types of merino, the following are especially popular among them.
Ramboulier
Bred by French breeders, they are distinguished by thick and fine hair, show endurance in different climatic conditions. But what fat-tailed sheep look like in the photo, and how they are grown, is described in great detail
Merino Ramboulier
Mazaevskaya
This breed was bred by a Russian breeder and named after him. The best qualities are preserved in it: a thin and thick fleece, resistance to diseases and a stable backbone of the animal. Added endurance to the harsh Russian climate. And you can learn more about the price of a Dorper sheep.
Mazaevskaya
Novokavkazskaya
Novokavkazsky
Australian
Australian
Negretti
The subspecies was bred by German scientists, these sheep have an increased number of folds, due to them there is more wool on these animals, but its quality is worse in comparison with other breeds.
On the video - everything about Merino Negretti:
This variety is the result of crossing the Novokavkazskaya breed and rambouillet. Such a merino is most often found in Siberia and the Urals. The breed is used to breed other valuable merino species.
Soviet
Fines
A subspecies of the Australian sheep that lives in cold climates with high humidity. This variety has fewer folds, and the wool does not grow as thickly as in other varieties, but the quality of the fleece and the density are higher.
electoral
The breed, bred by Spanish breeders, is famous for its thin fleece, 8 hairs taken together from it correspond in thickness to a human hair. But the sheep turned out to be very pampered, they do not tolerate temperature extremes and are prone to all kinds of diseases.
electoral
Features of care
For each animal, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for keeping it so that it gives as many offspring as possible, and in the case of merino, high-quality wool. Sheep sheds should be spacious and dry, without drafts. It should have a feeder and a drinker. Merinos require regular bathing, clipping and grooming of their hooves.
Feeding
The diet of animals includes a variety of feed and nutritional supplements, depending on the season. In the spring, it must be fresh grass, plenty of drink, food concentrate of vitamins and salt. In the summer, they are given the same thing, only many other herbs appear, the vitamin concentrate from 600 grams is reduced to 200.
In the autumn, the sheep are fed the remnants of grass, give all the same mineral salt and add freshly picked vegetables (peas, potatoes, beets and carrots) to the diet. Lambs up to 3 months sing milk. If the young are left without a mother, then they are fed with a vitamin complex, and milk is given from the nipple. You can also introduce fruits (apples, melons and pears).
Particular attention should be paid to bathing sheep. After waiting three weeks after the spring shearing or weaning of the lambs, you can drive the entire flock through a deep hole or pond, but its depth should not be higher than the neck of the animals. The descent into the “bath” should be steep, and the exit from it should be gentle. 
Sheep already after 10 meters can get out of the water, for a full bath this will be enough. You can also use an ordinary garden hose for bathing, only the pressure in it should not be more than 2 atmospheres. Bathing sheep is mandatory if they are transferred from one farm to another.
A haircut
It is carried out only in adults in the spring. Spring offspring are sheared exactly one year later, and those who were born in winter already at the end of summer, but if the wool has reached 4 cm. Haircut is required, as it has a positive effect on animal health.
Before shearing, sheep must be prepared and not fed or watered for a day, otherwise there is a high probability of intestinal rupture. If merino wool is wet, then it is not sheared so as not to injure. Haircut is carried out with one rune, after its completion it is necessary to treat possible scratches with a special disinfectant. After such a procedure, the animal is protected from direct sunlight for two weeks.
On the video - how the ram is sheared:
Hoof care
The limbs are the weak point of the Merino, if they are not cared for, then the animal may suffer from hoof rot or begin to limp. Hooves grow 5 mm in one month. Too large a hoof horn wraps under the skin, dirt and food remains get into it, this leads to inflammatory processes. You can avoid such consequences by trimming the hooves of animals once a quarter, but if necessary after regular inspection, this procedure should be carried out more often. 
The hoof cornea is cut off with a pruner or knife to give it a normal shape, you need to lay the animal on the ground, it is best to do this after rain. And if the sheep is pregnant, then the event should be postponed.
Prevention of hoof disease will be keeping sheep on dry bedding, regular cleaning of the premises and, if necessary, baths of 5% copper sulfate solution and 15% salt solution.
Before wintering, sheep are examined, given antihistamines, anti-scabies bathing is carried out. The floor is laid out with straw, which is changed every day, just as manure is taken out. In winter, at the slightest opportunity, the flock should be released to pasture so that the animals do not stagnate.
Young merino lambs that have reached a weight of 30 kg can be purchased for 5 thousand rubles.
Kira Stoletova
Animal husbandry is one of the most developed industries Agriculture. In addition to meat, eggs and milk, breeders supply hides and furs for the textile industry. One of the most popular inhabitants of the farms are sheep, among which the Soviet Merino occupies a special place. How did the breed appear and what are its features?
Origin story
Merinos are called sheep, which give a valuable fleece, that is, they are reference in terms of wool. Some of the first representatives lived in the Spanish countries. The work of scientists on the breeding of the Soviet Merino in the south of Russia was long: from 1925 to 1946.
The first stage lasted from 1925 to 1930, the second - from 1930 to 1946. Initially, domestic individuals were crossed with different breeds of fine-fleeced rams: Mazaevsky and Novokavkazsky merino and American rambouillet. Then the resulting individuals were improved in terms of physique and wool productivity of the Caucasian, Stavropol, Grozny, Altai sheep, etc.
Sheep of the Soviet Merino breed, depending on the type of productivity, are divided into wool and wool-meat. Among other things, there are North Caucasian and Siberian offspring. The described individuals have a smaller skin reserve than sheep of other fine-fleeced breeds. In addition, there are many subspecies of different directions in different breeding areas. Breeding plants specialize in several breeding lines of breeds and species.
In the second half of the 1960s, there was a significant increase in numbers: it increased by 2.5 times. The Soviet Merino sheep breed is involved in breeding with coarse-wooled and fine-fleeced rams in order to improve appearance, increasing the percentage of profitable fur and reducing the tendency to sweat.
Merinos themselves receive the status of an improving breed due to their wool productivity. To date, approximately 17.5 thousand individuals have been officially registered, the bulk of which are queens.
Appearance and features
The Soviet merino lives in the steppe plain zones of the Caucasus, the Urals, the Volga region. This breed is very much appreciated by the breeders of Dagestan. Pets spend most of their time on the run. They love to walk in herds.
The breed is the most common in our area among the fine-wooled.
By what signs can a Soviet gelding be distinguished from relatives?
- strong physique, powerful muscles;
- the correct structure of the trunk and limbs;
- the presence of 1 or 2 transverse folds on the neck as a sign of a breeding ram;
- developed curved horns in males;
- fleece white wool around the head and legs;
- dense long hair (almost 9 cm) with curls, soft to the touch, covering the whole body up to the eyes, becomes longer over the years;
- sometimes there are bald patches in the back area.
Sheep Soviet Merino are quite recognizable. Due to the thick woolen coating, individuals resemble a large barrel. Six in most representatives of white color, sometimes beige, ashy, yellowish or gray sheep are found. Tonina 65-70 class. The disadvantage of luxurious merino fur is its rapid contamination and the formation of tangles. The sire ram must have long hair all over the body, and not just in the lateral parts. The value of such "scrappy" wool is much lower. The wool-meat type is characterized by a certain plane of the body and a longitudinal fold at the bottom of the neck. Woolly animals, due to their angularity, are rather hard to fatten.
Rare individuals have a sagging back, a narrow pelvis, and crooked legs.
Sheep of the wool-meat direction are larger in size than their counterparts. But directions can change, depending on the quality of feeding and caring for the ram. Under the right conditions, a wool ram can turn into a wool-meat ram and vice versa. The density of the fibers is also related to the grooming factor.
Productivity and breeding
Females have a weight of 50 kg on average, males - about 112 kg. They gain mass quickly - heredity from the Caucasian fine-fleeced and coarse-haired. Thanks to crossbreeding with meat and wool breeds, the Soviet gelding increased its weight. Meat yield is 45% of live weight, wool - 43%, i.e. 6 kg from a female and 11-12 kg from a ram, 17 kg of pure fiber gives a wool ram. Their fat is deposited mostly on the kidneys and intestines. The wealth of the cut is related to the amount of skin an individual has and their constitution. The maximum wool can be collected from a 3-year-old uterus and a 4-year-old ram. But in the 8th year of life, the net percentage begins to decline.
Sheep with a fertility rate of 140% can produce up to 150 lambs per 100 females. A strongly developed maternal instinct in the female was noted. Lambs are born with abundant wool in the area of the trunk and legs.
The character is friendly and playful. The breed is considered quite profitable, because it does not require large expenses for its maintenance, but at the same time it brings a good income due to a rich harvest of valuable wool. That is why Soviet Merinos are so popular among breeders. If you are interested in a real Soviet merino, its characteristics will help you make the right choice.
The main advantage of Merino sheep breeds is high-quality wool. One of the most popular suppliers of these products in Russia is currently the Soviet Merino sheep breed. This domestic fine wool breed can produce a large amount of quality wool and at the same time has good meat productivity.
The name of the breed Soviet Merino testifies to its domestic origin. Work on the selection of a new breed in the USSR was carried out from 1925 to 1938. Some sources claim that the final result was obtained only in 1950.
The task of the breeders was to create a merino that combines high-quality wool characteristics, combined with the possibility of obtaining a large amount of meat. To obtain the desired result, Novokavkazsky, Mazaevsky sheep were crossed with sheep of a fine-fleeced direction: rambouillet, Caucasian, Grozny, Stavropol and Altai breeds. The crossing technique made it possible to obtain a sheep that combines the qualities of coarse-wooled and fine-fleeced sheep.
Soviet merino exists in 2 subtypes:
- Woolen.
- Wool-meat.
The wool type is smaller in body size, but is the most productive in terms of wool output.
Description of appearance and characteristics with photographs
Compared to other Merinos, the Soviet has a more powerful physique. The weight of a ram is about 125 kilograms, sheep - about 100 kilograms. These are the best indicators among all breeds of this species. From the side, a Soviet merino ram looks like a barrel with well-developed horns on properly set legs. The uterus of the Soviet merino is polled.
The legendary merino wool.
In the photo: Soviet merino sheep.
Soviet merino sheep.
The Soviet Merino has a white fleece, with a hair length of 8-9 centimeters. The wool evenly covers all parts of the merino body, including the head. As the animal grows older, the hair lengthens.
Tonina weighs about 12 kilograms, its quality is from 64 to 70. Record-breaking clean wool shearing is recorded, they are 26-28 kilograms. Queens give about 6-7 kilograms of high quality wool.
Why is Merino wool so valuable?
Combed (worsted) merino wool is a quality raw material. Merinos are called fine-fleeced sheep, because the thickness of the hairs in their wool is several times thinner than even a human hair. This wool is soft, warm and cozy.
It has a lot of advantages:
- Sensation of warmth when touched.
- Softness and tenderness to the touch.
- Increased hygroscopicity.
Attention! After shearing, sheep should not be released into direct sunlight for 2 weeks.
Three times more fabric can be made from a kilogram of merino wool than from the wool of a representative of the meat direction. Clothing made from merino wool fabric is warm, breathable, hygroscopic, comfortable in terms of tactile sensations.
Merino wool is considered the best for textile production. Famous Merino breeds
Merinos are a variety of animals whose purpose of breeding is to obtain high-quality wool, therefore the amount of shearing is the main characteristic of the varieties of these breeds of sheep. Currently, there are several dozen breeds of merino in the world, the most popular of which are the following:
- Rambouillet. A breed from France with a thick and fine coat, adapted to living in different climatic conditions.
- Mazaevskaya. The breed was bred by a domestic breeder, who gave her a name by her last name. Mazaevsky sheep are most adapted to the harsh climate of Russia, they have a thick, thin fleece.
- Novokavkazskaya. Obtained by crossing Mazaevsky sheep with the rambouillet breed. The breed has a short coat with increased softness.
- Australian. Possesses the increased wool productivity. Australian merino wool is highly hygroscopic. Wear resistance, hypoallergenicity, antibacterial properties.
40 kg of wool was sheared from a lost Australian merino. - Electoral. A Spanish breed with a particularly fine and short coat. Spanish merinos are delicate and do not tolerate temperature extremes.
- Negretti. This breed has an increased amount of wool due to the large number of folds on the skin. But the quality of wool, in comparison with other breeds, is worse.
- Fine. One of the subspecies of the Australian breed, able to live in a cold and humid climate. The wool is less dense, but the quality and density of the fleece is higher than in other varieties.
- Ascanian. This merino is recognized as the best in the world. The breed was bred in Askania-Nova in the 20-30s of the last century on the basis of Ukrainian merinos. The cut of wool from the breed is 10-11 kilograms. Askanian merino is the largest of all currently existing breeds of this direction. The weight of an adult ram is 150-160 kilograms.
Features of care and maintenance
A haircut is done with a typewriter or scissors, after which the wounds are treated with an antiseptic spray. The bathing process is organized three weeks after the haircut. The flock is driven through a reservoir, the depth of which should be such that the sheep plunge into it no higher than the neck. It is important that the descent into the reservoir and the exit from it are gentle, otherwise the animals may get leg injuries. In the absence of a suitable body of water, bathing from the water supply can be arranged using a regular garden hose. It is only important to ensure that the water pressure directed at the animal is not too strong.
Attention! Merino shearing is an obligatory event and it is held in the spring. The spring offspring of young animals can be sheared at the age of one year. If the lambs were born in winter, the first haircut is postponed until the end of summer.
Before the shearing procedure, the animals are prepared. They can not be fed the day before the process. Merino wool must be absolutely dry during shearing, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the skin of animals. Wool is sheared with one rune. After the procedure, the skin is treated with an antiseptic solution.
It is convenient to use special tools for trimming hooves. The weak point of Merino sheep breeds is the hooves, so they must be carefully looked after. For 30 days, the hooves of the Soviet merino grow by 4-5 centimeters and begin to wrap themselves under the skin. Dirt, grass gets into too large a process, and this can cause inflammation. Therefore, regular merino hoof trimming is necessary.
For cutting, a special pruner or knife is used. The animal is laid on the ground and the hoof is given the correct shape. After the procedure, a hoof bath with the addition of 5% copper sulphate solution and 15% salt solution is recommended.
In the cold season, sheep are kept in a pen-shed. The sheep pen should be warm, dry, well ventilated, without drafts.
Diet
A flock of merino sheep grazing needs clean water. In the choice of food, Soviet merinos are not picky, and their diet is formed depending on the time of year. In spring and summer, pasture grass forms the basis of their diet. Fresh greens are a source of vitamins and minerals for these animals, the basis of the quality of their wool.
In autumn, sheep are fed with high-quality hay. As complementary foods in winter, sheep are given oats, legume flour, barley, bran and root crops (beets, radishes, carrots, turnips). Merinos should not be given unsteamed straw.
Breeding and caring for young
The fertility of the queens of the Soviet merino is from 120 to 140%. Sheep have a developed maternal instinct. Offspring are born with strong immunity, so the survival rate of lambs is high.
Sheep of the Soviet Merino breed are prolific, so the flock grows quickly. They are ready for mating at the age of 18 months. Lambing is easy, as lambs are born small, weighing 2-3 kilograms. Human intervention is not required in most cases. The number of lambs in one litter is 2-3, sometimes 4 babies are born at once. Lambs of this breed are recommended to be graded at birth and after weaning. The main grading of lambs is carried out at the age of 12 months before spring shearing.
Sheep of the Soviet Merino are popular in the territory of the Russian Federation both in purebred breeding and in mating with queens of coarse-haired breeds to improve the performance of the exterior of the offspring. Breeding this breed is economically beneficial and cost-effective.
The video shows a ram that has not been sheared for several years.
AT farms Our state has long been no innovation in keeping sheep. Merino is a breed of sheep that gives warm wool. It is very popular with consumers. Merinos have a lot of meat and milk. Novice farmers may have a number of questions: how to grow, feed and properly care for this breed of sheep.
Merino - an unusual breed of sheep
Each state has its own type of merino sheep. But they are all similar in one way or another.
Sheep are quite massive. On the front of the muzzle they have thick folds. The head of males is decorated with horns strongly twisted inside.
These sheep have thick and warm wool. Sheep clothes are so massive that from the side the animal looks more like a barrel.
Nature has generously endowed sheep with wool, which has unique qualities. Thick fleece completely covers the surface of the animal's body. Least of all hair on the muzzle and hooves, where it is much thinner.
Merino wool has unique features:
- it is of high quality and durable;
- absorbs moisture well;
- has warming properties;
- quite expensive in price.
When shearing, the wool is removed from the animal with a whole fleece. Then subjected to special processing. After that, it becomes very thin and tender.
Breed varieties
There are many varieties of Merino sheep. Consider the most popular.
This subspecies was specially bred in the Soviet Union in order to obtain high-quality wool and meat products.
In the course of breeding work, several subspecies of sheep were crossed at once: Altai and Caucasian were brought together with American Rambouliers. The result was a new breed of sheep - Soviet Merino. After the collapse of the USSR, these animals began to be grown outside the CIS countries - all over the world.
The fleece of sheep is beige, fatty tissue is light brown tones or plain white. In summer, wool protects the animal from the sweltering heat, and in winter - from the cold of the freezing winter. Every year, up to 16 kg of wool is sheared from one ram, and up to 7 kg from a lamb.
The uterus weighs up to 50 kg, and in some rams the weight exceeds 100-110 kg.
On the neck of the animal, one or two volumetric folds (longitudinal / transverse). Soviet merino is a prolific animal. For a year, 100 females can bring more than a hundred cubs.
Australian merino
This type of fine-fleeced sheep is most often bred in Australia, hence their name. Although the breed itself is collective. It contains many subspecies of sheep: from Spain, France, America and other countries. In Russia, they became interested in the breed at the beginning of the 20th century.
Australian Merino is characterized by high productivity and excellent wool quality. The breed has its subspecies - fine, strong, medium. The smallest are fine-wool fines. The weight of an adult ram does not exceed 70 kg, and a sheep - 40 kg. Although sometimes wool from a ram can be sheared up to 20 kg per year.
Sheep mediums have wool of medium fineness, the color is bright white. With one haircut, one adult gets 8 kg of wool. A ram can weigh about 80-85 kg, and a uterus - 43-45 kg.
Strongs are strong sheep with a rough fleece: a ram weighs 90-92 kg, and a female weighs 50 kg. The thick fur has a beige tint, the length is up to 9 cm, and the lard is pure white. 9-10 kg of wool is sheared from a sheep. Worsted raw materials make up about 55%.
Mazaevsky merino
At the end of the last century, Russian breeders created a new breed - the Mazaevsky merino. Most often, such sheep are found on the high mountain pastures of the North Caucasus.
The largest individuals per year can produce 15 kg of excellent wool with good quality.
The rune meets standard requirements. It should be noted that due to one-sided selection, this breed gradually began to degenerate, since lambs have a weak constitution. As a result of this, the survival rate of the breed has significantly decreased. Therefore, Mazaev merinos are no longer in such demand as before.
wool properties
Producers appreciate the Merino breed of sheep for high-quality wool. For the price it is quite expensive, but very much in demand.
Interesting fact! In 2004, a famous fashion house purchased 100 kg for $420,000. selected material.
Merino wool is light and soft. With the help of secretions of fatty and sebaceous glands (fatty fat), the fibers are protected from external factors. Lanolin is made from lard itself.
After processing - washing and combing - the wool becomes very tender to the touch. Perfectly absorbs moisture.
The structure of the wool fiber is much thinner than a human hair. Therefore, Merino sheep are called fine-fleeced breed.
Arrangement of the barn
A koshara is a barn for a flock (a large herd of sheep). Another name is sheepfold.
In order for the sheep to be comfortable in the shed for days on end, regularly ventilate the room. But at the same time, do not forget that it should be warm in the sheepfold.
Cover any floors: wooden, adobe or earth. The main thing is that it is convenient to remove manure.
To keep the koshara warm in winter, it is recommended to build it on piles. The structure should resemble the letter "G" or "P". The height is not more than two meters. The entrance is usually made from the south side. A paddock is being built next to the barn. It should be spacious so that the sheep do not crowd.
Feeders and drinkers are installed in the corral. So that the herd does not scatter, the walking area is fenced with a dense fence.
Note! Keep and walk rams and lambs separately from each other. To do this, install portable shields. Otara changes its location all the time. Because of this, it makes no sense to build permanent partitions.
Stick to the required area norms. So for one adult ram, 2 m 2 is allocated, for a sheep - 1.5 m 2, for a lamb - 0.7 m 2. If the uterus is with offspring, then an area of \u200b\u200b2.5 m 2 is allocated to it.
In the cold winter in the middle part of the barn, insulate the fences and the ceiling. The normal average temperature in an ordinary room is 4-6 0 C, and in an insulated shed - up to 12 0 C.
Grazing merino sheep
As soon as the first sprouts of greenery begin to appear in early spring, Merino sheep are driven out to pasture. This usually occurs in mid-late April. The grass should be 8-10 cm high and without morning dew so that the animal's hair does not get wet. In spring, the air temperature is still not too high, so getting wet, the animal can get sick.
The most favorable time for grazing sheep is late spring, summer
In the summer, dew is no longer terrible for the animal, as the weather is hot. Sheep grazing begins at sunrise, and by lunchtime they are driven into the shade to hide from the hot sun. Usually during the day the sheep graze either in the koshara or in the shade of the trees. After 4 p.m. and until 9 p.m., animals are allowed to walk in their usual places.
In autumn, the time of their walks is reduced. Usually they are driven to pasture after 10 o'clock in the afternoon, and driven into the sheepfold after 2 o'clock, where they are fed and watered.
Feeding
The scheme for introducing feed for this breed is seasonal. Each period contains different food, vitamin complexes, necessary nutritional supplements.
Animals do not particularly like roughage with thick stems. Most of all, sheep prefer fresh grass, and in winter - soft fragrant hay. Coarse silage has a bad effect on the work of the gastrointestinal tract of animals.
The approximate seasonal daily ration of sheep is presented in the table.
| Season | diet |
|---|---|
| Mid-April to June | |
| June to August | |
| September to November | |
| December to early April |
Note! Young animals eat only mother's milk, so the watering scheme does not apply to them.
If the baby is left without mother's milk and is put on artificial complementary foods. They are given 0.5 kg daily. concentrate.
A haircut
Every year in the spring season, a one-time shearing of adult Merino sheep is carried out. Lambs that were born in the spring are recommended to be sheared next year, and other individuals - if there is wool up to 4 cm in the area of the sides, scapular and dorsal zones.
Thanks to the haircut, the animals become easier. If the sheep are not sheared before the summer season, then in their fur coats they will have a hard time enduring the hot sun and losing weight.
Important! Behinddo not feed or water the animals the day before the haircut. If the animal's coat is wet, then wait until it is completely dry. The fleece is sheared in one piece.
For a hairdressing procedure, choose a flat area. A wooden shield is also placed there, which is covered with a tarpaulin. After shearing, the body of the animals is examined, if necessary, treated with disinfectants. For two weeks, the flock is grazing in the shade so that the sheep do not suffer from sunburn. You also need to protect them from drafts so that they do not catch a cold.
Bathing merino sheep
Cleanliness is very important for Merino sheep. Bathing these animals should be given special attention.
After the general shearing in spring, and also in summer, it is customary to drive sheep into a deep pit filled with water. Pay attention to the following points:
- the descent into the pit is made steep, but the exit from it is more gentle;
- sheep are driven into the water one by one;
- the water in the pit should reach the level of the animal's neck, no more;
- for bathing, disinfectants are added to the water;
- after bathing, let the animals dry. To do this, you need to organize walking in the fresh air.
Mating and lambing
When a young maiden reaches the age of one year, she is led to mating with a ram. A couple of days are allotted for the whole process, so that the animals get used to each other, and a full-fledged conception occurs.
To improve the subspecies, in some cases artificial insemination of the sheep is done. To do this, the veterinarian injects the sperm of a breeding sheep with a syringe.
Important! W Calculate the lambing time in advance. The best option is if the birth of lambs will fall at the beginning of the spring period. In winter, they will already be strong.
From conception to the birth of lambs, it usually takes 20-22 weeks. For a pregnant female, they improve the diet, enrich it with the necessary supplements and vitamins. A pregnant sheep is quite shy and anxious. Talk to your veterinarian and give her a sedative the night before lambing to help ease her anxiety.
It is advisable that a veterinarian be present at lambing. Not every young bright woman can cope with a strong film of the amniotic sac. There are times when a sheep needs outside help in lambing. After lambing, a sheep needs to drink a lot.
If you do not help with tearing the film, the lamb may suffocate and die.
After birth, the lamb is cleaned and placed under the care of the female. He starts drinking milk right away. Within half an hour, the baby can stand up on its own.
Pros and cons of the Merino breed
Merino wool sheep are considered one of the best. The main plus is the excellent quality of wool. That is why in many states the sheep breeding industry, based on the breeding of merinos, is so well developed.
Advantages breeds:
- Many of the subspecies of this animal adapt well to local climatic conditions. At warm winter Merinos can be kept outdoors throughout the year, but under a canopy.
- There is no need to spend too much on food. From spring to late autumn, the herd is driven out to pastures with meadow forbs. In winter, sheep are fed with various feeds that are stored in advance.
- Excellent quality fine wool. The textile industry is willing to buy it, and for a lot of money.
Like other breeds of woolen sheep, merinos have minor drawbacks:
Disease prevention
Sheep do not tolerate high humidity, so the premises are equipped with devices that control air humidity.
Sheep should be fully fed with quality products so that they do not have a rumen tympanum or bloating.
Carefully monitor the condition of the hooves of Merino sheep, as they can rot due to poor care.
Feed should be balanced and enriched with vitamin and mineral complexes.
Sheep, which will be discussed in this article, are most common in Australia. But we also have them. They attract attention with a number of distinctive properties. These are Merino sheep. The main distinctive and valuable quality of this breed is wool, which does not fall off. Wool is made up of very thin (15-25 microns) and very soft fibers. Merinos are bred for such wool.
These animals are slightly smaller in size. meat breeds. But there are varieties of merino that can be grown for meat as well. These are German, American and South African sheep.
Although they live in Australia, these sheep originated from Spain. And their history is quite interesting. Spain for some time had a monopoly in the production of high-quality wool precisely because of this breed of sheep. It was in the 12th-16th centuries. Sheep were carefully guarded and made sure that none of them "sailed away" abroad. Doing this was under the strictest prohibition, the violation of which was punishable by the highest punishment. However, the law can be circumvented, and at the end of the 18th century a certain number of animals still got outside of Spain, to Sweden, and then to Saxony. A little later they appeared in Australia. More than two hundred years have passed since then, and already in Kazakhstan at the beginning of the 2000s a stamp was printed on which merino sheep were depicted.
Among the fine-fleeced sheep, the modern "Soviet" merino is the most common. In the thirties of the last century, experiments were actively conducted to improve the breed. They were crossed with rambouillet rams. As a result, a beautiful outwardly animal came out, not somewhat larger than the original breed. The coat length and productivity were excellent. Breeders carried out experiments to improve the quality of these sheep in the future. Sheep were crossed with rams of various breeds. Received animals with other properties of productivity and other constitutional qualities. accordingly, their economically useful properties were also different.
Modern Merino is famous for its strong constitution and beautiful exterior. The physique of animals is proportional, the limbs are correct, they have a strong skeleton.
Sheep can be grown to a weight of 100-125 kilograms (a record of 148 kilograms is recorded), ewes - 45-55 kilograms (record - 98). Merino queens are characterized by good fertility - 130-140 percent.
Merino wool is white. It is excellently balanced both in fineness and fiber length. The crimp of the fiber is good. The quality of fineness in queens is 64 (sometimes up to 70). Sheep wool has 8.5-9 centimeters, in queens it is slightly shorter - 7.5-8.5 centimeters. In a year, 11-12 kilograms of wool can be sheared from a lamb (the record is 28.5 kilograms), from a sheep - 5.5-7 kilograms (the record is 9.5 kilograms). Pure fiber comes out approximately 46-50%.
Merino wool is taken from the withers. It has unique properties. Thanks to them, even in harsh weather, animals resist extreme conditions: they do not overheat in the summer heat and do not freeze in the winter cold. This is achieved due to the thin wool fibers (5 pieces are as thick as one human hair). This is the main secret of merino wool. Merino wool is famous for its other benefits as well. Thin and soft, it perfectly retains heat, and at the same time breathes. Wool, as it were, is cellular, therefore it perfectly collects moisture (it can absorb up to a third of its weight). It removes this moisture and at the same time warms the sheep if the animal is wet. Thus, during intense exercise, the merino skin remains dry and the animal does not cool down.
Another feature of wool is that it does not absorb the smell of sweat. This is very attractive to consumers. After all, clothes made from such wool can be worn for two or three days in a row, and linen made from synthetics or ordinary wool should be washed every day.