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Edilbay sheep ( kk, Еділбай қойы, ''Edilbaı qoıy''), also known as Edilbaev(skaya) sheep (russian: Эдильбаевская овца), are a breed of domesticated
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 ...
which originated in northern Kazakhstan. This breed belongs to the
coarse-wooled fat-tailed type of sheep and the Kazakh group.
It originated in the 19th century as a cross between Kazakh fat-tailed sheep and Kalmyk/Astrakhan coarse-wooled sheep.
Today, it is found in Kazakhstan (2,419,000 head as of 1980)
and Russia (20,100 head as of 2003).
Characteristics
Edilbaevskaya sheep are very hardy, as they were breed to conform to nomadic life in the semi-deserts and deserts of Kazakhstan.
They are adapted to severe winter frosts and summer droughts,
[climate
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologi ...]
in
Aktobe
Aktobe ( kz, Ақтөбе, Aqtöbe; russian: Актобе, Aktobe) is a city on the Ilek River in Kazakhstan. It is the administrative center of Aktobe Region. In 2020, it had a population of 500,757 people.
Aktobe is located in the west of K ...
(north-eastern Kazakhstan) or
Pavlodar
Pavlodar ( ; ) is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan and the capital of Pavlodar Region. It is located 450 km northeast of the national capital Astana and 405 km southeast of the Russian city of Omsk along the Irtysh River. , the cit ...
(north-western Kazakhstan). can travel over long distances and thrive in poor feed conditions.
Their yearly lambing rate is 110–120 lambs born for every 100 ewes.
They are mainly bred for their
meat and
tail fat.
At four months old, carcass weight is around and tail fat weight is around . Well-grown
wethers Wethers is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Brian Wethers
Brian Augustus Wethers (born December 17, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player. Wethers primarily played the small forward or shooting guard posi ...
can reach a rump weight of and a tail fat weight of .
The
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 ...
, though of lesser importance, is also used commercially, in the production of
ayran
Ayran, doogh, dhallë, daw, xynogala or tan is a cold savory yogurt-based beverage popular across Western Asia, Central Asia, South Asia, Southeastern Europe, North Asia and Eastern Europe. The principal ingredients are yogurt, water and sa ...
,
qurt, and
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condimen ...
.
Ewes have a yearly milk yield of 152 L on average.
Fat content ranges from 3–9%, with an average of 5.8%.
Their
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. ...
production surpasses all other breeds of the Kazakh fat-tailed type, both in yield and quality.
The average fleece yield from two clippings is for rams and for ewes, fleece thickness is approximately 15 cm.
The fleece consists of true wool with a
fineness
The fineness of a precious metal object (coin, bar, jewelry, etc.) represents the weight of ''fine metal'' therein, in proportion to the total weight which includes alloying base metals and any impurities. Alloy metals are added to increase hardne ...
of 18.0
μm (54% on average), intermediate fibres (33.1 μm, 17.5% avg.), and
guard hair
Guard hair or overhair is the outer layer of hair of most mammals, which overlay the fur. Guard hairs are long and coarse and protect the rest of the pelage (fur) from abrasion and frequently from moisture. They are visible on the surface of the fu ...
(59.5 μm, 26%avg.).
is rarely found.
Notes
References
Further reading
* “EDILBAEV (Edilbaevskaya)”, pp. 237–238 of N.G. Dmitriev, L.K. Ernst (eds.)
''Animal genetic resources of the USS''. FAO Animal Production And Health Paper 65. Rome: Food And Agriculture Organization Of The United Nations, 1989. (
tp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/009/ah759e/AH759E20.pdf pdf{Dead link, date=December 2019 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes )
Sheep breeds
Sheep breeds originating in Kazakhstan