Growth and development peculiarities of different origins young sheep

Abstract

Growth and development, the basic sensory and technological properties of purebred sheepskins and local young growth sheep were estimated. Animals are received from industrial crossing of ewes of Romanov breed and rams-breeders of Ghissar. The dynamics of changes in live weight indicators, absolute, relative, average daily gains, and also technological properties of sheepskins, especially depending on the age of Romanov young animals, was established, a comparative assessment of these characteristics with local peers was performed. At birth and in the period of postnatal ontogenesis, crossbreeds dominate over purebred young animals in terms of live weight ‒ 31.8 %, with 10.8 growth rate. The live weight of crossbreeds was 28.8 % before weaning, and the absolute and average daily gain was 31.6 % more than of purebred peers ones. The maximum level of intensive growth of young animals is observed up to the age of 4 months. A wavy process is observed by terms of absolute/relative/average daily indicators. That depends on the milk yield of ewes. At the time of Romanov young sheep slaughter, ones had a thick coat of wool, without signs of molting and shedding from light gray to dark gray. Local peers had a coarser wool cover, and were characterized as a strong development of layers of the ectodermis and fit the requirements of the procurement standard raw materials. The weight of freshly obtained materials from young animals dynamically increases in proportion to live weight by 29.9-50.3 % with age. In terms of the area of raw materials, an intensive increase is observed from age of 4 to 8 months (+ 21.9 %), and from 8 to 12 months (+24.5 %), with the advantage of local young 9.8 %, weight at 10.9 %.