Kirghiz Fine-Fleece Breed

a breed of sheep raised for wool and meat. It was developed at the Dzhuan-Tiube pedigree stock farm in the Kirghiz SSR (1939–53) by means of reproductive crossing of local coarse-wool Kurdyuk sheep with rams of various fine-wool breeds. The animals are large and have rounded, compact trunks. There are one or two folds of skin on the neck and no folds on the trunk. Rams and ewes are hornless. The rams weigh 90–100 kg and the ewes, 55–60 kg. A clipping of wool from rams yields 8–10 kg, with a maximum of 18 kg; ewes yield 4–4.5 kg, with a maximum of 9.7 kg. The fleece is 7.5–8.5 cm long, and its grade ranges from 60 to 64. The yield of pure wool is 52–55 percent. Fertility averages 125–130 (maximum 150) lambs per 100 ewes, and the young develop rapidly. Slaughter yield from lambs is 45 percent and from adult animals 55 percent. The sheep are adapted to year-round mountain pastures. The breed is used for improving the wool productivity of local sheep. It is raised in the Kirghiz SSR and some regions of the Tadzhik SSR.