Classification of Exotic Breeds of Sheep in India

In this article we will discuss about the exotic breeds of sheep found in India.

1. Fine Wool Breeds:

Their fleece is heavy, dense and of good quality, so these breeds produce a fine and crimpy wool. They have strong banding instinct and can graze on poor quality range.

Following fine wool breeds are popular in India:

(i) Merino:

This most popular fine wool breed traces to the Spanish Merino type. Selection within the Merino group has resulted in a large variety of breeds and strains distributed throughout the world. The Merino is a thin-tailed, fine-wooled breed that favours aridity of environment. They are good grazers and are able to forage over large areas of poor grasslands.

Merinos in general have strong consti­tutions and are noted for hardiness and longevity. Their face and legs are white and the skin is pink. Rams mostly have heavy spiral horns, whereas the ewes are polled. The head and legs are generally covered by wool.

Mature rams weigh about some 75 kg and the ewes 65 kg. Ram’s height is about 70 cm and that of ewes 60 cm. Fleece yield varies widely depending on environmental conditions and time of breeding but Averages 4 to 5 kg for rams and 3 to 4 kg for ewes. The staple length is 5 to 10 cm. The Merino, tends to be a seasonal breeder, and hence, has low prolificacy.

(ii) Rambouillet:

The Rambouillet is a descen­dant of the old Spanish Merino. It was developed as a breed i-n France. Modern Rombouillets are large, rugged, fast-growing sheep. The rams may have large spiral horns or are polled. The ewes are polled.

They have large heads with white hair around the nose and ears. The face and legs are white, skin is pink. Mature rams in good condition with full fleece weigh from 100 to 125 kg and ewes from 60 to 90 kg.

(iii) Polworth:

This breed was evolved by mating Lincoln Merino ewes with Merino rams. They have fairly level frame, clear eyes, soft face, pink rose body colour which is sometimes mottled. They may be horned or polled.

Although the animals are bulky in appearance, yet they have symmetrical lines. Their fleece is of even quality and average staple length is not less than 10 cm. The value of the fleece runs very close to Merino. They produce mutton of almost desirable quality.

2. Mutton Breeds:

Specialised mutton breeds that mature fast, have high prolificacy, higher body weight gains, high feed conversions, and high carcass yield and produce good quality mutton. India has imported these mutton sheep breeds mostly from U.K. and other countries to improve mutton production in the indigenous breeds.

Following mutton breeds are popular in India:

(i) Suffolk:

Suffolk was developed in south­eastern England. They have straight legs and are of large size. Their face, ears and legs are very black in colour. The head and ears are entirely free from wool and black hair extends to a line on back of the base of the ears.

The breed is also noted for its alertness and activity. Both rams and ewes are polled. The fleece is moderately short, dense and fine. The greasy wool yield is 2.75 to 3.25 kg annually. This breed is the first and the foremost mutton breed. The mature rams in good condition weigh from 100 to 135 kg and ewes from 70 to 100 kg. The ewes are very prolific and excellent milkers.

(ii) Dorset:

The breed is native to southern England. There are horned and polled strains of Dorset. The lace, ears and legs are white in colour and practically free from wool. The ears are of medium size, thin, silky and carried well forward. The nostrils, lips and skin are pink. The hooves are white. They produce a carcass of medium weight, and superior quality meat.

The weight of fleece is 2.75 to 3.25 kg, and the wool is short, close, and fine in texture. A mature ram in good condition weighs 80 to 110-kg and ewe from 50 to 80 kg. The lambs weigh about 18 to 22 kg at 9 months of age. The breed is prolific, hard and is capable of doing well under most conditions.

(iii) South Down:

These breeds have excellent mutton conformation. The animals are low set, compact, wide and deep with legs set wide apart, and have broad head with a wool cap that comes just below the eyes. The face, ears and legs are light brown and the skin is bright pink in colour.

The breed is polled although scars are sometimes found on rams. The eyes are large, bright and prominent, and the ears are of medium size and covered with short wool. The ewes are not too prolific and are only average milkers. The fleece is short, close, fairly dense and of fine quality.

The annual greasy fleece weight is around 2.25 to 3.25 kg. The breed is early maturing. Mature rams in good condition weigh about 15 kg at 3 months, 22 kg at 6 months and 27 kg at 9 months age.

3. Dual-purpose Breeds:

The dual purpose breeds yield meat and wool of good quality:

Corriedale:

The Corriedale breed had origi­nated in New Zealand, where both mutton and wool production are sought. Lincolon and Leicaster rams were crossed with Merino ewes and by interbre­eding and careful selection. Corriedale was establi­shed that produced a good balance of mutton and wool.

The face, ears and legs of these animals are covered with white hair, although black spots are sometimes present. Both sexes are polled, although rams sometimes have horns.

Mature rams in good condition weigh 80 to 110 kg and ewes from 55 to 85 kg. On an average, they produce 4.5 to 5.5 kg of wool annually. The wool is generally noted for exceptional length, brightness, softness and for a very distinct crimp. The ewes are fair in prolificacy and milking ability. In India Corriedale have mostly been impor­ted from Australia.

4. Pelt Breeds:

Pelt sheep are maintained for their lamb pelts which are used for garments. They are generally of poor mutton quality and the fleece from the mature animals are of coarse carpet type and thus of relatively lower value. Karakul is the chief pelt type breed in India.

Karakul:

The Karakuls were first imported in 1975 by India. Their performance was studied under the hot-arid conditions at Bikaner (Rajasthan) and cold-arid conditions at other parts of Jammu and Kashmir. It is very well adapted to extreme climate conditions and sparse vegetation resources.

The mature Karakul animals are angular, upstanding and of very poor mutton type conformation. The rams have horns, but the ewes are polled. Rams weigh about 90 kg and ewes about 65 kg on an average. The face, ears and legs are black or brown. The ears are drooping.

The lamb pelts are collected through slaughtering of lambs within 24 to 48 hours of birth. In India, lamb pelts are in good demand in Jammu and Kashmir for production of various products like caps, collars, ladies and children coats, etc.