Description and characteristics of sheep of the Tsigai breed, rules for their maintenance

One of the best sheep breeds, which are an excellent source of high quality meat and wool, is considered to be the Tsigai. In addition, these animals are famous for their attractive appearance, endurance, and fertility. The Tsigai breed of sheep is distinguished by high productivity, which allows breeding in two directions: meat-wool and wool-meat.

History of the breed

The ancestors of the Tsigai breed are considered to be fine-wool sheep that lived in Asia Minor even before our era. For several centuries, the locals have worked to improve the qualities of the breed, trying, as much as possible, to increase the productivity while maintaining the endurance of the animals.

Mass breeding of the breed began in Europe at the end of the 18th century. Tsigai sheep ended up on Russian soil at the beginning of the 19th century thanks to emigrants. Since then, local residents began to breed Tsigai rams with merino females.

Thus, the characteristics of the hair of the animals were improved. The next generation mixed with rams brought from Bulgaria.

Modern representatives of the breed are divided into two groups:

1. Wool and meat (Crimean type).
2. Meat and wool (Azov type). The breed is obtained by crossing the Tsigai with the English Romney Marsh.

The appearance and characteristics of sheep

Regardless of which group the animals belong to, representatives of both species have common external properties:

1. The body of the breed is strong, muscular, and has a barrel-shaped appearance. The chest is wide and deep. The sizes are average. The body expands in the area of ​​the back and withers.
2. The skeleton is strong.
3. The tail is thin and long.
4. The limbs are strong, even, of medium length. The hooves are strong enough to support a large body weight: the weight of an adult ram varies from 75 to 85 kilograms (often reaches 100), and females can weigh from 45 to 50 kilograms.
5. The head is of medium size, oval. Males have large, swirling horns. Females do not have such.
6. The neck is thick and short.
7. The skin is smooth and firm. Moreover, in the young, it gathers in folds, which disappear as it grows.
8. Wool is white, thick, uniform, strong, practically does not roll.

On average, the life expectancy of representatives of this breed is from 12 to 14 years.

Pros and cons of the Qigai breed

The Tsigai breed boasts many positive qualities, including:

• endurance;
• the ability to get used to new living conditions;
• attractive appearance;
• high productivity (quality wool, meat and milk are obtained from sheep);
• fast growth;
• early onset of puberty.

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The wool of the Qigai sheep is used for sewing warm furs. In addition, it lends itself well to staining in the desired color. The fleece of animals serves as a raw material for the production of soft threads, from which strong fabrics are subsequently created.

The disadvantages of the Tsigai breed are called:

1. The need for pastures, which are located on hills (sheep feel bad in corrals). Lowlands are not suitable, as animals there become infected with helminthiases (fascioliasis, dictyokalez and other similar diseases).
2. Low fecundity of females.
3. Despite the fact that the breed is able to adapt to different weather conditions, it does not tolerate frost and precipitation well. Therefore, in winter, sheep are kept in sheepfolds.
4. Animals are susceptible to disease if kept in damp climates.
5. Increased fragility of bones.

Rules for keeping and caring for animals

The Tsigai breed is not too demanding in terms of maintenance and care. However, it is important to consider the following nuances:

• lack of nutrition, lack of vitamins and minerals lead to a deterioration in the condition of the coat;
• in winter, sheep need special care, as they do not tolerate low temperatures;
• in summer, animals graze in pastures, where they spend time from morning until nightfall;
• in the middle of the day, sheep are herded into a stall for watering;
• it is necessary to provide regular food and access to water;
• in cold weather and during prolonged rains, animals are transferred to special buildings with a clay floor, densely covered with straw, and wooden walls;
• the sheep room should be warm and dry; the absence of drafts and the presence of ventilation are important;
• drinkers and feeders should be located inside;
• it is necessary to equip separate pens for ewes and newborn lambs;
• it is important to monitor the purity of the water and the freshness of the feed;
• the free space for each animal is 3 square meters;
• in winter you need to take the sheep for a walk - preferably every day, if it is not very cold and there is no snowfall;
• with the onset of heat, the transfer to the new regime occurs gradually - on the first day, the walk to the pasture lasts 2-3 hours, and this time increases every day.

Diet

The Tsigai breed is very demanding on nutritional conditions - the quality and quantity of food. The diet is formed depending on the sex, age and degree of fattening of the animal. In summer, animals feed on green grass in pastures. The daily norm for an adult male is about 10 kilograms of grass, for a female - up to 8 kilograms.

In winter, when females are carrying cubs, food should be complete and varied:

• hay;
• vegetables and root vegetables;
• compound feed;
• mineral supplements.

The subtleties of sheep breeding

The animals are taken in late August and early September. Bearing offspring lasts about 150 days. After lambing, the feeding period begins, which lasts four months (during this time, one female gives 100-120 liters of milk).

Among other features of the reproduction of Qigai sheep are called:

• females become sexually mature by four months;
• cubs are born once a year, in winter;
• childbirth lasts about an hour;
• a sheep brings 1-2 lambs at a time;

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Mating is carried out only when the female gains weight over 40 kilograms.

Diseases that the breed suffers

If the rules of care are not followed, representatives of this breed can get sick. Common pathologies among Qigai sheep include:

• helminthiasis (when animals eat poor-quality grass);
• fragility of bones (due to poor nutrition, which lacks minerals);
• hoof rot (appears if sheep graze in a swampy area, as well as if sanitary requirements are not met);
• pneumonia (if sheep live in a damp climate, are constantly exposed to drafts, and also if they are sheared ahead of time).

Habitat areas

The ability to adapt to different climatic conditions made it possible to breed the breed in many countries. The animals are successfully raised in Slovakia, Russia, Poland, Australia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan. In Russia, Tsigai sheep are bred in Rostov, Saratov, Orenburg and other regions.

In the northern regions, it is allowed to keep sheep in warm sheepfolds. Qigai sheep are a popular breed, which is valued for its high meat and wool productivity, as well as endurance and ability to adapt to a new environment. The breed also has a number of disadvantages, but the positive aspects still prevail over them.