Suffolk sheep: description of the breed and characteristics, features of keeping

Livestock » Sheep

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Kira Stoletova

Sheep farming is developed all over the world; in many countries this type of livestock farming occupies a leading place in the industry, and therefore the variety of breeds is amazing. One of them, the Suffolk sheep breed, comes from England. It is the result of crossing the Norfolk Horned and Southdown varieties.

Characteristics of Suffolk sheep

This breed was registered in 1810. The resulting individuals differed from their ancestors in all respects, taking the best from them. The work of breeders has brought the variety to almost perfection. After this, Suffolks quickly earned recognition and rapidly spread throughout Europe, America, Australia, and won a leading position in farming.

History of appearance

The breeding of these animals began in the distant 18th century in England in the county of Suffolk. Since 1810, the breed has been officially recognized in its homeland. By the end of the 19th century, her tribal map was developed. Russia and other countries gained the opportunity to purchase these sheep only at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Suffolks were bred by crossing the two strongest species of British sheep at that time, from which they inherited qualities significant for sheep breeding:

Horned black-faced Norfolk. It is famous for its endurance in adverse conditions, rapid adaptation to climate and environmental changes. It easily leads a normal lifestyle even in the cold or constant winds thanks to its muscular body and good immunity.
Southdown. A breed known for its abundance of wool and delicious soft meat.

Important! Thanks to the qualities acquired from their ancestors, as well as the careful selection of individuals for crossing, the Suffolk breed has become one of the most valuable in the whole world.

The most productive varieties

Fat-tailed sheep - a market compromise

They have a prominent, plump, rounded hindquarters called the tail. The weight of fat in a fat tail can reach thirty kilograms.

Sheep, the fat-tailed breed of which is unmistakably identifiable by their swollen tail, become extremely hardy thanks to such reserves. They can go without water for several days.

Sheep of the fat-tailed group are sometimes real giants. The weight of adult Gissars can reach 190 kilograms, these are the largest rams in the world. Other males rarely exceed 140 kilograms in weight.

Sheep are valued primarily as a source of lard, which is used to prepare traditional dishes. Fat tail fat is of great value; it is rarely found on the open market.

The meat has unsurpassed taste, and the high weight, high birth rate and intensive growth of lambs ensure a good yield of meat products. They also give a lot of wool: on average, five kilograms are taken from one animal per haircut. Finally, among the fat-tailed breeds there are many milk-record holders. Over the summer, one individual can produce up to 50 liters of high-fat milk, which is most often used for making cheeses and butter.

As a result, these sheep turn out to be amazing and rare breeding generalists, capable of providing humans with meat, fat, dairy and wool products.

Texel - breed of the Roman Empire

Let's see how the ancient meat hornless sheep, whose age is already respectable - two thousand years, differs from others. It was bred on one of the islands of Holland and became widespread relatively recently - starting in the 19th century. In the world, and especially in Europe, texels are very widely represented.

Texel ewes are fertile, with a high percentage of lambs born in twins (75 percent!) and triplets. The growth energy of babies is very high. The average daily gain of lambs is about 350 grams.

Animals are hardy, resistant to many diseases, adapted to life in the open air, and tolerate frost and high humidity well. They are not herd animals - they are solitary sheep. However, if Texels do not value the company of other rams, then in a herd with other animals, including cattle, they feel good.

The meat quality of texels is excellent: the percentage of muscle tissue is high, there is no smell, and there is a special characteristic taste. In addition to meat, texels also provide wool - from one animal per year you can get about five kilograms of wool.

Thanks to selection, including domestic, the list of sheep varieties continues to expand. For example, two meat sheep breeds in Russia have been bred over the past 6 years based on the Texel:

Southern Meat;
Tashlinskaya.

There are not many Texels in Russia, but they are taking root well.

Dorper - sheep from Africa

More recently, in the thirties of the 20th century, the charming Dorper was bred in South Africa. The South African Department of Agriculture sought to produce a meat sheep that could survive in the driest areas. The result pleased farmers from all parts of the world.

Dorpers spread very quickly, including in Europe. Its peculiarity lies in its noticeable feeding unpretentiousness. They eat little, and even the poorest pastures are suitable for walking these animals. Their advantage is their exceptional resistance to cold and heat.

Refers to the meat type. The taste of the meat is delicate, a thin layer of fat is evenly distributed in the muscle tissue. Dorper fertility is very high and year-round - lambs are born every eight months. At the same time, the daily weight gain of lambs can be up to 750 grams per day, which allows the Dorper to claim a prize in the “most meaty” category.

These rams do not produce wool, so they do not need shearing. But Dorper skins are some of the most valuable in the world: they are used to make gloves and clothing of the highest quality.

Suffolk sheep breed - English genes for Volgograd rams

At the very beginning of the 19th century, the British developed a hardy meat variety, which also has good wool (2-4 kilograms per animal). Suffolks, in addition, demonstrate high parasitic resistance, unpretentiousness in food and produce excellent quality meat. Their fertility is also high, twins and triplets are often born. The average daily weight gain of lambs is 250-400 grams per day.

Suffolk is a breed of sheep actively used in breeding work. In particular, Volgograd breeders are now working on breeding individuals of a new meat type, the precocity of which should exceed the biological characteristics of the original sheep: Suffolk and Volgograd.

Characteristics and appearance of the breed

Externally, the Suffolk breed stands out in color from the rest: the head and legs of the animal are rich black, and the body is bronze yellow or white. The legs are massive, with a straight structure, without fleece, so Suffolk sheep survive equally well in both humid climates and severe droughts, and the birth rate does not change from this. The tail is small in size, without fat deposits, the back is straightened, the rump is compacted. The head is medium size, there are no horns.

Suffolks are tall and have good muscles:

An adult ram reaches 80 cm in length and weighs from 100 to 150 kg.
Females are no higher than 75 cm, weigh 80-140 kg.
Lambs are born weighing 4-7 kg, twins - 4-5 kg, and triplets - from 3 to 4 kg, and after 3 months, with a balanced, plentiful diet, lambs reach a weight of 40 kg.

Performance

Sheep of the Gorky breed are characterized by average performance indicators. Each mature ram produces 5-6 kg of wool every year, but from sheep you can get 3-4 kg of product. When the resulting products are processed, the pure wool raw material is usually a maximum of 55% by volume.

The fineness is of average quality, since the wool, which is cut on different parts of the body, is heterogeneous, but it is characterized by good crimp.

About 150 liters of dairy products can be obtained from Gorky sheep during one lactation period. Due to the high level of milk production, the queens are able to feed babies and at the same time provide the farm with a sufficient amount of milk. After slaughtering an animal, the yield of meat products is approximately 55%. Baby Gorky sheep grow up quite quickly. The daily weight gain is about 250-300 grams. By the age of 6 months, the animal’s weight is approximately 35-40 kg.

Advantages and disadvantages

Rams of this breed are adapted to humid, arid or temperate climates and maintain fertility well under unfavorable external conditions. Other advantages of the breed:

resistant to parasites;
have a high libido;
lambs grow quickly, gain weight, and are ready for market at 5-6 months;
produce tender, nutritious, odorless meat, rich in nutrients;
do not require special care, nutrition, and are unpretentious.

When crossed with other breeds, they increase the birth rate and improve the taste of meat from other breeds. Disadvantages include the high cost of real Suffolk lambs, frequent multiple and large fetuses, which is complicated by difficult lambing. These animals are rarely found in Russia and are very difficult to acquire.

Meat or wool sheep - which is more profitable for livestock farmers?

Before the onset of perestroika, there were 64 million heads of sheep in Russia, the number of which fell sharply to a catastrophically low figure of 19 million. The situation is gradually improving - now the sheep population numbers 24 million, although it will not be possible to achieve the former prosperity in this industry any time soon. However, sheep breeding is gaining momentum every year.

The price per kilogram of sheep wool is now about 150 rubles. The cost of a kilogram of lamb on the market is on average 300 rubles. To put 1 kilogram of wool on sale, you need 6 times more feed than to send 1 kg of meat to the counter.

Thus, in order for keeping fine-wool sheep to be profitable, wool should cost ten times more - about 1000 rubles per kilogram

In the meantime, meat sheep breeds are attracting the main attention of sheep farmers

How to properly keep and care for animals

The Suffolk breed is unpretentious and does not require special care. Animals are kept in small fenced pastures, pens or stalls. It is not recommended to drive herds over long distances (more than 3-4 km) at high speed; this often causes limb diseases.

In summer, a common method of housing is considered to be pasture-stall housing, when animals are slowly transferred from the stall to the pasture. It is important to turn the sheep out to pasture no later than 6 am, so that they spend the hot part of the day near the pond and by this time they are already sufficiently well-fed.

Features of winter maintenance:

Sheep and rams are kept inside a shed or shepherd, which is well insulated, especially if there are lambs.
Despite the fact that animals independently maintain their body temperature, it is recommended to ensure that the room is warm - at least 3-5 o.
It is better to make sheds from wood, with a clay floor.
The room should be dry, bright, without drafts.

Important! Suffolk dogs do not require special care and can tolerate any, even extreme, conditions without discomfort.

What to feed the breed

Suffolk dogs can gain weight even when feeding on pasture. They do not require special types of feed, but experts recommend feeding them with combined feeds, grain mixtures rich in microelements, minerals and vitamins. In warm weather, it is advisable to feed fresh grass in meadows and pastures. 80% of the diet, according to the rules, is grass. In cold weather, animals are given bran, hay, haylage, and straw. Experts note that Suffolks love steamed straw with root vegetables. The diet should also include chalk, bone meal, and salt. Salt licks are allowed.

Important! The volume is calculated individually for each sheep.

Reproduction

Suffolks are productive, and when crossed with other breeds they produce crosses with improved meat qualities. Intrabreed characteristics remain unchanged. Females give birth every year. For mating, the strongest, well-fed rams, as well as healthy sexually mature sheep, are selected. A six-month-old sheep is considered sexually mature. Mating occurs in August-October. Pregnancy lasts 5 months.

Fertilization occurs naturally: males are released to females for insemination during the day, and separated at night, or the rams remain constantly nearby so that it can happen at any time. During cervical insemination, the seminal fluid of a sheep is injected into the uterine cavity using a special syringe-catheter.

Breeding area

Now the British are breeding the breed in Suffolk, Cambridge, and Essex. Sheep are loved by farmers around the world; they are bred by residents of Europe, South and North America, and New Zealand. The breed was repeatedly imported and used for crossing with other breeds in the CIS countries. There is increased activity in breeding the species by Russian farmers, but so far there are few sheep of this breed.

Farmers who decide to start sheep farming are definitely recommended to breed the Suffolk breed. For the third century now, this breed has been considered a leader in terms of qualities important for sheep breeding: it produces high-quality meat, a lot of wool, is able to retain hereditary characteristics, is prolific, and is easy to care for.

Characteristic differences

The main feature of these sheep is their hereditary memory. Animals are distinguished by their productivity during the reproduction process. By crossing these sheep with other species, animals with unique lamb flavors can be produced.

On average, females give birth once a year. Newborn calves weigh 6-9 kg. In many cases, the pregnancy will involve twins or triplets.

Sheep of this breed produce tasty and nutritious meat. Meat products have characteristic differences:

No pungent odor during the cooking process;
Juicy muscle fibers;
Fast absorption.

Lamb contains many useful substances and microelements. These include:

Fluorine. This component is necessary for the preventive fight against caries;
Lecithin. This substance helps prevent the onset of diabetes and has a positive effect on the pancreas.