The Cholistani is a
breed of
domestic sheep
Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...
from
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...
.
Though the Cholistani grows
wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...
, it is raised primarily for
meat.
[
]
Characteristics
This breed has a black to brown head and ears with a white body. They have stubby, small ears and are locally called 'Buchi'.
The Cholistani has a long tail.
Mature rams weigh and ewes weigh . On average, the average height at the withers of mature rams is and ewes is . At birth and on average, rams weigh and ewes weigh .
Ewes have an average litter size of 1.05 lambs. During an average lactation cycle of 110 days, ewes produce of
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modula ...
.
From 1986 to 1996, the world population of the Cholistani decreased from 275,964 to 33,025 respectively. In 1986, there were an average of 120 per flock and artificial insemination was not used.
References
{{sheep-stub
Livestock in Punjab
Sheep breeds
Sheep breeds originating in Pakistan