Different breeds of sheep and their characteristics

Different breeds of sheep and their characteristics

1. Different breeds of sheep and their characteristics

2. Objectives To identify different breeds of sheep according to their characteristics To understand the uses that can be obtained by each different breed types

3. Definition Sheep Quadruped Ruminant Mammal Kept as livestock

4. Domestication of sheep Descended from the wild mouflon of Europe and Asia

5. Scientific classification Kingdom – Animalia Phylum – Chordata Class – Mammalia Order – Artiodactyla Family – Bovidae Sub family – Caprinae Genus – Ovis Species – O. aries

6. Parts of the body of a sheep

7. Digestive system of a sheep

8. Denture arrangement of sheep Two types of teeth Milk teeth (20) Permanent teeth (32) No front teeth on the upper pallet Can use to determine the age of sheep

9. Types of wool Fine wool types Medium wool types Long wool types Crossbred wool types Fur-types

10. Different breeds Jaffna local Bikenary Bannur Red madrus Dorset

11. Jaffna local Sheep rearing was based on traditional mixed crops integration practices and operated under limited or no input basis.

12. Morphological features Small to medium sized Angular body covered with short hair of white, tan and black colours Height 64.70cm (ram) 62.33cm (ewe)

13. More about Jaffna local…. Male : Female (breeding population) = 1:14 Age at first lambing – 16 months Lambing interval – 6-12 months Lifetime production per ewe – 7-9 lambs People in Jaffna do not consume meat because of the belief of having allergies from meat, so the meat is marketed to other parts of country When their rearing areas are flooded during rainy season, they are moved to another place

14. Purpose of rearing Jaffna local Meat Faecal material (as biomass) Pets (because of the belief of having fortune)

15. Bikenary

16. Morphological features White body with light brown or black face Small body Long face Small tubular ears Polled

17. More about Bikenary … Purebred or crossbred Only lustrous carpet wool-producing breed Recently, number of crossbreds are increasing Flock size – about 150 in a herd

18. Bannur

19. Morphological features White body with brown colour head and neck Convex face Medium drooping ears Usually polled Short legs Short tail Coarse wool

20. More about Bannur … Highly demanded for meat Adaptable to all types of climates from hot tropical to cold climates Fast growth and excellent feed conversion ratio High twinning percentage Produces very good crossbreds with local goats

21. Red madras

22. Morphological features Medium sized well built body Broad chest Reddish brown colour , varied from tan to dark brown Usually polled Ears are pendulous Tail of medium length

23. More about Red madras…. Main breeding time – July to September Have excellent feed conversion efficiency Native breed of Tamil Nadu in India Gives high quality meat and skin Flock size – 20-50

24. Dorset

25. Morphological features White face and body Polled Curved horned Short round ears Fully covered with medium length wool

26. More about Dorset… Produces 4-5 labs per year Gives strong, white fleece Has great weight 100-120Kg (ram) 70-90 (ewe)

27. Main products supplied by different types of sheep

28. Diseases By prions – scrapie By virus – foot and mouth disease, sheeppox By bacteria – foot rot, fleece rot By fungi – facial eczema By helminth – flatworms, tapeworms Arachnides – ticks, lice, mites

29. Summary Characteristics Jaffna local Bikenary Bannur Red madras Dorset Body Medium sized Small Medium Medium Large Build Angular Medium Short Well built Well built Height 62-64cm Wool type Fur type Medium type Fine type Fur type Medium type Main products Meat, manure Wool, meat Meat, wool Meat, skin Wool, meat

30. Reference:- Livestock Statistics (Sri Lanka) http://www.daph.gov.lk Animal Husbandary, G.C.Banerjee