I want to raise sheep in Yongcheng, Henan - which breed is suitable?
I'm from Yongcheng, Henan and want to raise sheep, but I don't know which breed is suitable?
(Agricultural Wealth Network) I'm from Yongcheng, Henan and want to raise sheep, but I don't know which breed is suitable
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The following two breeds are more suitable:
Origin, Distribution and Environment of the Small-tailed Han Sheep
The Small-tailed Han sheep originates from southern Hebei, eastern and northeastern Henan, southern Shandong, and the areas of northern Anhui and northern Jiangsu. The Small-tailed Han sheep is mainly distributed in Jiaxiang, Caoxian, Wenshang, Liangshan and other counties of Shandong Province, as well as parts of northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui and Henan. The production area belongs to the Yellow-Huai alluvial plain, with relatively low terrain, fertile soil and a mild climate. The average annual temperature is 13-15°C, January is -14-0°C, July is 24-29°C, annual precipitation is 500-900 mm, and the frost-free period is 160-240 days. The production area is one of the main producing areas of wheat, coarse grains and cash crops in China. Crops can be harvested twice a year or three times in two years, and agricultural by-products are abundant, providing large amounts of forage and feed for raising sheep.
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Breed Characteristics
The Small-tailed Han sheep has a well-proportioned body and a sturdy constitution. The nasal bridge is raised, and the ears are large and drooping. Rams have a large head and thick neck, with relatively large spiral-shaped horns; ewes have a small head and long neck, with small horns, ginger-shaped horns or horn bases. Rams have a relatively deep forechest, high withers, a straight back and loin, and a tall body, appearing square from the side. The limbs are thick and strong, and the hooves are hard. The fat tail is slightly oval, with a longitudinal groove at the lower end, and the tail length does not exceed the hock. The wool is white and heterogeneous, with a small amount of dry dead wool; a few individuals have colored spots on the head, and some have black bristles around the eye rims. According to wool morphology, it can be divided into three types: fur type, fine-wool type and coarse-wool type, with proportions of 52.89%, 39.58% and 7.53% respectively. The fur-type Small-tailed Han sheep is more numerous, has a relatively large body size, high lambing rate, clear wool staples, many and obvious crimps, beautiful locks, and high fur-making value; the fine-wool type has fine and dense wool, unclear wool staples, few crimps, a delicate and compact constitution, a relatively small body size, and good meat production. The coarse-wool type is less numerous, with large wool crimps, coarse, hard and dry wool, more dry dead wool, and a large body with loose bones.
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Body Measurements and Body Weight
1. Body measurements
The average body height of adult rams and ewes is 90.33 cm and 80 cm respectively; at 6 months of age, body height is 70.54 cm and 68.66 cm respectively; at 12 months of age, rams and ewes are 82.55 cm and 75.80 cm respectively, reaching 91% and 94.75% of adult rams and ewes respectively.
2. Body weight
The birth weight of male and female lambs is 3.72 kg and 3.53 kg respectively; at 3 months of age, male and female lambs weigh 27.08 kg and 23.68 kg respectively; at 6 months of age, rams and ewes weigh 47.60 kg and 38.15 kg respectively; at one year of age, rams and ewes weigh 113.92 kg and 70.10 kg respectively; the body weight of adult rams and ewes is 160.52 kg and 72.30 kg respectively.
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Growth and Development Characteristics
1. Body weight development characteristics
The adult ram body weight of the Small-tailed Han sheep is 80.50 kg, and the adult ewe is 57.30 kg. The body weight consistency within the group for rams and ewes after 5 and 18 months of age respectively is relatively poor: the sex difference begins to increase noticeably from one year of age, which may be related to factors such as fewer rams retained for breeding, better early rearing, and differences in ewe lambing and sex distribution. The body weight of rams is basically stable from 6 months of age to adulthood, with the largest monthly increases occurring at 2, 3 and 10 months of age, namely 5.8 kg/month, 5.4 kg/month and 4.5 kg/month; rams have larger monthly weight increases, and these occur more frequently, appearing at 2, 3, 6, 9 and 11 months of age respectively, indicating that ewes are earlier maturing in body weight than rams.
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2. Body measurement development characteristics
The adult ram body height is 90.33 cm, body length 94.33 cm, chest circumference 110.33 cm, and cannon circumference 10.50 cm; the adult ewe body height is 80.00 cm, body length 82.96 cm, chest circumference 100.35 cm, and cannon circumference 9.04 cm. Compared with body weight, body measurements increase more evenly, and sex differences are not significant, but the group consistency of the various body measurements of ewes is clearly better than that of rams.
Common feeds for Small-tailed Han sheep:
Green forage: 1 green-fed corn, sorghum 2 green-fed barley, oats 3 ryegrass 4 smooth brome 5 alfalfa 6 sweet clover 7 Chinese milk vetch, etc., which can be fed directly, or made into hay
or made into silage.
Roughage: 1 hay 2 straw (corn straw, wheat straw, rice straw, millet straw, soybean straw, etc.) 3 chaff (bean pods, grain husks, cottonseed hulls, etc.)
Silage: 1 green-cut corn with ears 2 green corn straw 3 various green grasses
Key points for silage raw materials: fine-stemmed forage grass is suitable at 7-8 cm, while coarser straw such as corn should preferably not exceed 1 cm.
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Reproductive Characteristics
1. Sexual maturity
For the Small-tailed Han sheep, the average first estrus period of ewes is 186-255 days, and sexual maturity varies greatly, mainly because sexual maturity is affected by birth season, litter size, birth weight and growth and development. The body weight of 6-month-old ewes is 60% of the body weight of yearling sheep, but their uterine weight reaches more than 76% of the uterine weight of yearlings. This shows that early maturity of reproductive organs is an important germplasm characteristic of highly prolific breeds. Rams of the Small-tailed Han sheep mature at 5 months of age. Young rams already have sexual desire and mounting behavior at 4 months of age, and show penile erection at 5 months of age. At 5 months of age, 85% mature sperm is found in the vas deferens of rams, and 100% mature sperm can be seen at 6 months of age. At this time, the sperm density in fresh semen is 3 billion/mL, basically reaching the standard for insemination. However, because body maturity is not yet complete at this stage, it is not suitable to participate in mating. Rams at 8 months of age can be used for mating in small amounts, but feeding must be strengthened. Generally, rams at 1 year of age are best for mating, provided that nutritional needs are met.
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2 Estrus
The Small-tailed Han sheep is in estrus year-round, but most actively in spring and autumn. Its estrus cycle is 17.2±2.17 days, and the duration of estrus is 2.66±1.15 days, with the first estrus having the shortest duration. This is related to age and nutritional status. Well-nourished adult ewes have a short estrus cycle, and the number of days to postpartum estrus is 71.88±23.78 days, longest for the first parity and shortest for the fourth parity.
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3. Gestation period
The gestation period of the Small-tailed Han sheep is 148.6±1.93 days. There is little difference in gestation period among different parities, and very little difference among different litter types. There are certain differences due to age and nutritional status, but the differences are not significant.
4. Non-seasonal breeding
Non-seasonal breeding is a notable characteristic of the Small-tailed Han sheep. According to statistics on 170 ewes, 45 ewes gave birth from January to March, accounting for 26.47%; 61 ewes gave birth from April to June, accounting for 35.58%; 23 ewes gave birth from July to September, accounting for 13.53%; 41 ewes gave birth from October to December, accounting for 24.12%.
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5. Prolificacy
The Small-tailed Han sheep can reproduce year-round and has extremely strong reproductive capacity, producing three times in two years, and many produce twice a year. According to statistics on 2,101 parities from 1964 to 1991, the Small-tailed Han sheep is a prolific breed, with an average lambing rate of 281.9%, and a maximum of 9 lambs in one litter. Its reproductive performance has two notable characteristics: first, within the first four parities, the lambing rate increases substantially as parity increases; second, the triplet and quadruplet rates in the third and fourth parities are about twice those in the first and second parities, accounting for more than 40% of lambing ewes.
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The following two breeds are more suitable:
Origin, Distribution and Environment of the Small-tailed Han Sheep
The Small-tailed Han sheep originates from southern Hebei, eastern and northeastern Henan, southern Shandong, and the areas of northern Anhui and northern Jiangsu. The Small-tailed Han sheep is mainly distributed in Jiaxiang, Caoxian, Wenshang, Liangshan and other counties of Shandong Province, as well as parts of northern Jiangsu, northern Anhui and Henan. The production area belongs to the Yellow-Huai alluvial plain, with relatively low terrain, fertile soil and a mild climate. The average annual temperature is 13-15°C, January is -14-0°C, July is 24-29°C, annual precipitation is 500-900 mm, and the frost-free period is 160-240 days. The production area is one of the main producing areas of wheat, coarse grains and cash crops in China. Crops can be harvested twice a year or three times in two years, and agricultural by-products are abundant, providing large amounts of forage and feed for raising sheep.
--------------------------------------
Breed Characteristics
The Small-tailed Han sheep has a well-proportioned body and a sturdy constitution. The nasal bridge is raised, and the ears are large and drooping. Rams have a large head and thick neck, with relatively large spiral-shaped horns; ewes have a small head and long neck, with small horns, ginger-shaped horns or horn bases. Rams have a relatively deep forechest, high withers, a straight back and loin, and a tall body, appearing square from the side. The limbs are thick and strong, and the hooves are hard. The fat tail is slightly oval, with a longitudinal groove at the lower end, and the tail length does not exceed the hock. The wool is white and heterogeneous, with a small amount of dry dead wool; a few individuals have colored spots on the head, and some have black bristles around the eye rims. According to wool morphology, it can be divided into three types: fur type, fine-wool type and coarse-wool type, with proportions of 52.89%, 39.58% and 7.53% respectively. The fur-type Small-tailed Han sheep is more numerous, has a relatively large body size, high lambing rate, clear wool staples, many and obvious crimps, beautiful locks, and high fur-making value; the fine-wool type has fine and dense wool, unclear wool staples, few crimps, a delicate and compact constitution, a relatively small body size, and good meat production. The coarse-wool type is less numerous, with large wool crimps, coarse, hard and dry wool, more dry dead wool, and a large body with loose bones.
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Body Measurements and Body Weight
1. Body measurements
The average body height of adult rams and ewes is 90.33 cm and 80 cm respectively; at 6 months of age, body height is 70.54 cm and 68.66 cm respectively; at 12 months of age, rams and ewes are 82.55 cm and 75.80 cm respectively, reaching 91% and 94.75% of adult rams and ewes respectively.
2. Body weight
The birth weight of male and female lambs is 3.72 kg and 3.53 kg respectively; at 3 months of age, male and female lambs weigh 27.08 kg and 23.68 kg respectively; at 6 months of age, rams and ewes weigh 47.60 kg and 38.15 kg respectively; at one year of age, rams and ewes weigh 113.92 kg and 70.10 kg respectively; the body weight of adult rams and ewes is 160.52 kg and 72.30 kg respectively.
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Growth and Development Characteristics
1. Body weight development characteristics
The adult ram body weight of the Small-tailed Han sheep is 80.50 kg, and the adult ewe is 57.30 kg. The body weight consistency within the group for rams and ewes after 5 and 18 months of age respectively is relatively poor: the sex difference begins to increase noticeably from one year of age, which may be related to factors such as fewer rams retained for breeding, better early rearing, and differences in ewe lambing and sex distribution. The body weight of rams is basically stable from 6 months of age to adulthood, with the largest monthly increases occurring at 2, 3 and 10 months of age, namely 5.8 kg/month, 5.4 kg/month and 4.5 kg/month; rams have larger monthly weight increases, and these occur more frequently, appearing at 2, 3, 6, 9 and 11 months of age respectively, indicating that ewes are earlier maturing in body weight than rams.
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2. Body measurement development characteristics
The adult ram body height is 90.33 cm, body length 94.33 cm, chest circumference 110.33 cm, and cannon circumference 10.50 cm; the adult ewe body height is 80.00 cm, body length 82.96 cm, chest circumference 100.35 cm, and cannon circumference 9.04 cm. Compared with body weight, body measurements increase more evenly, and sex differences are not significant, but the group consistency of the various body measurements of ewes is clearly better than that of rams.
Common feeds for Small-tailed Han sheep:
Green forage: 1 green-fed corn, sorghum 2 green-fed barley, oats 3 ryegrass 4 smooth brome 5 alfalfa 6 sweet clover 7 Chinese milk vetch, etc., which can be fed directly, or made into hay
or made into silage.
Roughage: 1 hay 2 straw (corn straw, wheat straw, rice straw, millet straw, soybean straw, etc.) 3 chaff (bean pods, grain husks, cottonseed hulls, etc.)
Silage: 1 green-cut corn with ears 2 green corn straw 3 various green grasses
Key points for silage raw materials: fine-stemmed forage grass is suitable at 7-8 cm, while coarser straw such as corn should preferably not exceed 1 cm.
--------------------------------------
Reproductive Characteristics
1. Sexual maturity
For the Small-tailed Han sheep, the average first estrus period of ewes is 186-255 days, and sexual maturity varies greatly, mainly because sexual maturity is affected by birth season, litter size, birth weight and growth and development. The body weight of 6-month-old ewes is 60% of the body weight of yearling sheep, but their uterine weight reaches more than 76% of the uterine weight of yearlings. This shows that early maturity of reproductive organs is an important germplasm characteristic of highly prolific breeds. Rams of the Small-tailed Han sheep mature at 5 months of age. Young rams already have sexual desire and mounting behavior at 4 months of age, and show penile erection at 5 months of age. At 5 months of age, 85% mature sperm is found in the vas deferens of rams, and 100% mature sperm can be seen at 6 months of age. At this time, the sperm density in fresh semen is 3 billion/mL, basically reaching the standard for insemination. However, because body maturity is not yet complete at this stage, it is not suitable to participate in mating. Rams at 8 months of age can be used for mating in small amounts, but feeding must be strengthened. Generally, rams at 1 year of age are best for mating, provided that nutritional needs are met.
--------------------------------------
2 Estrus
The Small-tailed Han sheep is in estrus year-round, but most actively in spring and autumn. Its estrus cycle is 17.2±2.17 days, and the duration of estrus is 2.66±1.15 days, with the first estrus having the shortest duration. This is related to age and nutritional status. Well-nourished adult ewes have a short estrus cycle, and the number of days to postpartum estrus is 71.88±23.78 days, longest for the first parity and shortest for the fourth parity.
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3. Gestation period
The gestation period of the Small-tailed Han sheep is 148.6±1.93 days. There is little difference in gestation period among different parities, and very little difference among different litter types. There are certain differences due to age and nutritional status, but the differences are not significant.
4. Non-seasonal breeding
Non-seasonal breeding is a notable characteristic of the Small-tailed Han sheep. According to statistics on 170 ewes, 45 ewes gave birth from January to March, accounting for 26.47%; 61 ewes gave birth from April to June, accounting for 35.58%; 23 ewes gave birth from July to September, accounting for 13.53%; 41 ewes gave birth from October to December, accounting for 24.12%.
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5. Prolificacy
The Small-tailed Han sheep can reproduce year-round and has extremely strong reproductive capacity, producing three times in two years, and many produce twice a year. According to statistics on 2,101 parities from 1964 to 1991, the Small-tailed Han sheep is a prolific breed, with an average lambing rate of 281.9%, and a maximum of 9 lambs in one litter. Its reproductive performance has two notable characteristics: first, within the first four parities, the lambing rate increases substantially as parity increases; second, the triplet and quadruplet rates in the third and fourth parities are about twice those in the first and second parities, accounting for more than 40% of lambing ewes.