Breeds of sheep for meat production without smell

Beginning sheep farmers will be very interested to learn about the best odorless breeds of meat sheep, consider the features, and also learn about the pros and cons of the animals. This post discusses the most popular meat breeds, not only in domestic agriculture, but also in neighboring countries.

Important! Meat sheep are unpretentious in keeping, are characterized by good meat yield and a high degree of fertility. In truth, there are a lot of meat breeds, so if you are thinking of breeding them, you just have to decide on the choice.

The main features of the meat breed of sheep

First of all, sheep from this breed are characterized by a rapid increase in muscle mass (meat). By the age of four months, lambs can reach half the weight of an adult.

The average meat gain, depending on the breed and how they are kept, is at least 300-400 grams. By the year of keeping, the sheep reaches its peak (standard weight) and it accounts for up to 90% of an adult, average ram.

Breeds of odorless meat sheep are usually divided into the following groups, for example:

Sheep are meat, fat-tailed and meat-fat sheep. Such sheep are most often bred in dry areas. These breeds include: Edilbaevsky and Gissar sheep.
Meat and wool sheep are the best Russian breeds. These include: Kuibyshev, Gorky, Romanov individuals.

The sheep breeds presented above have their own distinctive characteristics, among which general data can be highlighted.

Strong and well-built physique with well-developed meat mass.
Thin bones. The skin has a thick subcutaneous fat layer, which will grow regardless of the time of year.
Large meat yield due to the rapid maturation of individuals.
Unpretentiousness in maintenance, feeding and care. Meat breeds can be kept on pasture all year round, since such sheep have a very developed strong immune system.
Hardy animals with high milk production. After lambing, lambs quickly grow and gain meat mass.

Breeds of sheep for meat production in Russia

Romanov breed of sheep

If we talk about Russian meat sheep breeds, we cannot help but mention the Romanovskaya. These animals were bred two centuries ago. Among Russian breeds they have excellent meat productivity. I note that they are prolific. The average level of fertility among females very often reaches 300%. During two years of keeping the eggs, lambing can occur up to 3 times.

The lambs of these individuals grow very quickly. By the age of six, their weight can reach up to 40 kg. The live weight of the most mature ram often reaches 100 kg. The eggs certainly weigh half as much. Sheep of this species have a strong, well-knit, meaty body and good bones. Visually, this breed can be distinguished by its humpbacked head profile. They can easily adapt to almost any weather conditions. In general, they are not fussy to grow.

North Caucasian breed of sheep

No less famous breed of sheep in Russia than the Romanovskaya is the North Caucasian breed. This animal was bred from the Stavropol kachkars. To increase meat production, sheep farmers crossed Lincoln sheep with Romney Marsh sheep. As a result, they got a meat, Caucasian breed of sheep not only with good productive characteristics, but also with better adaptation to the most diverse climatic conditions of the south and north of Russia.

An adult ram can weigh up to 120 kg by the year it is kept. A lamb of this breed has a live yield of no more than 65 kg. Sheep of the Caucasian breed are distinguished not only by their tasty meat without much odor, but they can also produce semi-fine, high-quality fleece. By 3-4 months, small lambs already weigh up to 35 kg. and have a built, meaty physique: large meaty thighs and powerful chest.

West Siberian breed of sheep

This breed of sheep was bred by North Caucasian sheep breeders. Rumor has it that this breed has no analogues at all. This conclusion was made by English scientists who spent 18 years looking for data on how the West Siberian breed of sheep was born.

After some time, the secret was revealed. This breed of sheep was obtained as a result of mating Siberian sheep with Kuban kachkars. The main difference between these animals and other sheep is that they can produce more meat than the above breeds. Sheep farmers get up to 50% meat from one head, while other breeds produce no more than 40% meat yield.

The West Siberian breed has a high level of fertility. By 5 months, a young lamb weighs 40 kg. An adult male in some cases can reach a weight of 125-130 kg. Yarochka weighs a little less - 70 kg.

Which breed to choose for keeping in a private yard

Sheep of the Romanov breed are especially popular on private farms in central Russia.

Romanovskaya

It has earned its popularity due to its cost-effectiveness. She has the best qualities of many breeds.

High quality wool. It is especially good in the Romanov breed, which has a black mane. It is comparable in quality to merino wool.
Decent weight. Rams weigh about eighty kilograms, and females weigh about fifty.
Fertility. They have multiple pregnancies. One female can produce five to six lambs per lamb.
Not picky about food. They gain weight quickly.
They get sick a little.

With low maintenance costs you can make a decent profit. Therefore, it is better for a novice sheep breeder to choose this breed. Then sheep farming can become a solid source of income for your family budget.

We invite you to join our Zen channel and group on VKontakte or Odnoklassniki, where new articles are published, as well as news for gardeners and livestock breeders.

The best breeds of sheep for meat production

Breed name	Weight of an adult ram	Box weight	Meat outlet
Romanovskaya	100 kg.	37 kg.	40%
North Caucasian	120 kg.	65 kg.	45%
West Siberian	125-130 kg.	70 kg.	50%
Gorkovskaya	110 kg.	80 kg.	45%
Romney March (Kuibyshevskaya)	100 kg.	70 kg.	40%
Katumskaya	110 kg.	80 kg.	45%
Edilbaevskaya	120-160 kg.	70 kg.	50%
Gissarskaya	140 kg.	80 kg.	55%
Saradzhinskaya	90 kg.	75 kg.	40%
Jaidori	110 kg.	60 kg.	45%

The most prolific breeds of sheep for meat production

Most foreign meat sheep breeds date back several centuries. For example, the Texel sheep breed can boast of its pedigree. Many of the breeds that we will consider below were registered not so long ago, in the last century, but have already been able to please sheep farmers with excellent results. They are actively bred on farms in order to obtain the best meat characteristics.

Dorper is a meat breed

These animals are descendants of the South African sheep breed - Dorper. These individuals are distinguished by good meat yield. Sheep wool is short and grows unevenly on the animal.

The meat characteristics are incomparable to any other: without a specific smell or unpleasant taste, low-fat and very tender. Kachkar producer weighs up to 140 kg. Yarochka is much smaller, but also does not lag behind and reaches up to 100 kg.

The average daily meat gain for a young lamb is 70 grams. By 4 months, a lamb can weigh up to 65 kg. At birth, very young lambs already weigh almost 6 kg.

The Dorper sheep breed is early ripening, can bear a lot of fruit and have high meat productivity. This breed can mate no earlier than 6-7 months. In the first lambing, as experienced sheep breeders say, a lamb can produce 1 lamb, then the number of lambs increases to 2-3 individuals. This is one of the best breeds of odorless meat sheep.

Vendée sheep breed

This type of sheep is the oldest in Europe. Vendée sheep has the lean taste of lamb, odorless, with the best delicate aroma. The meat is tender with “marbled” uniform veins.

Very hardy and unpretentious in maintenance. They have thick wool, so they can withstand any climatic conditions, even the most severe. They can quickly gain weight while grazing on pastures. The fertility rate reaches 200%. The rams are very large and reach a weight of 150 kg.

The eggs are a little smaller - 100 kg. At birth, the lamb is born weighing up to 6 kg. At 3-4 months, a young sheep reaches 60 kg. The average daily hi meat is up to 500 grams.

Texel meat breed of sheep

This breed of sheep has Dutch roots. The main distinguishing feature of these sheep is the delicious marbled meat with an unrivaled delicate taste, without any specific smell or fat.

A newborn, young lamb reaches up to 7 kg in weight. The eggs have high milk production and multiple births. The average among this breed is 150-250%.

By 4 months, young lambs reach a weight of up to 65 kg. By almost a year, the weight of sheep can reach up to 105 kg. An adult Texel ram can weigh 135 kg. The eggs are a little smaller, 120 kg.

The breed belongs to meat sheep and is distinguished, like many higher animals, by good endurance, unpretentiousness and adaptation to different weather conditions. They prefer to develop most of all in open pastures.

What is responsible for the rapid growth of meat in rams?

Lambs rapidly gain weight even with minimal feeding costs. On pasture they can gain an average of 300 g per day. This allows the young sheep to gain 80% of the body weight of an adult by the age of one year.

To get the highest quality lamb with the best taste, you need to cut a one-year-old lamb. Not all breeders agree on the slaughter age. Yablonovsky M.Yu. I am convinced that slaughter “...should be done at the age of 7-8 months, when the ram reaches 40-45 kg.”

But in order for him to gain the required weight, he must be kept in suitable conditions and eat properly. Even if feeding lambs does not cause much trouble, conditions must be observed.

To gain weight you need the following:

Correct diet. A young lamb should consume sufficient amounts of nutrients, vitamins and mineral supplements.
Providing the necessary conditions of detention. Thanks to care, animals avoid the risk of disease and loss of appetite.
Timely veterinary care.
Castration of animals raised for slaughter. Castration of a young male is performed at 6 months.

Purposes of castration:

it allows you to improve the quality of meat, since the meat of an uncastrated male has an unpleasant odor and a pungent taste;
it speeds up the process of gaining body weight in the female (castrated male), and also allows you to get by with less expensive feed and supplements;
absence of fights between castrated individuals;
casted males are kept with ewes without risk, so farmers do not incur the costs of separate housing.

The best breeds of sheep for meat production in Russia

Sheep breed name	Kachkar weight	Box weight	Meat productivity
Kuibyshevskaya	130 kg.	80 kg.	45%
South	110 kg.	55 kg.	40%
Kalmytskaya	100 kg.	50 kg.	40%
Tajik	160 kg.	120 kg.	55%

Zwartbles

The Dutch breed of Zwartbles sheep began its history in the 20s of the twentieth century. Adult rams reach 85-95 cm at the withers and weigh 90-130 kg; the ewes, with a height of 75-82 cm, reach a weight of 75-100 kg. Lambs are born weighing 4-5.5 kg, twins of three or more weigh 2.5-3.5 kg. Babies gain 400-600 grams every day, thanks to the high milk production of sheep, and by 4 months they can weigh 32-45 kg each. Lean meat from animals of the Zvartbles breed has a sweetish, delicate taste and a mild aroma. Due to their particularly thick coat, individuals can easily withstand extreme cold, wind and dampness.