Kuchugury Sheep

a breed of coarse-wooled, fat- and long-tailed sheep raised for meat and wool. It was first developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by peasants in the village of Kuchugury and neighboring villages in former Voronezh Province by crossing local coarse-wooled sheep with Wallachian sheep. The crossbreeds were subsequently improved by crossing with English breeds. Kuchugury sheep are strong and have a well-developed skeleton. The fat tail almost reaches the ground and weighs 15–18 kg. The tail of the ram measures 50–62 cm long; of the ewes, 40–52 cm. Rams weigh 70–80 kg (sometimes as much as 145 kg); ewes weigh 55–65 (sometimes up to 80 kg). The wool, which is coarse and not uniform, is white or black. In spring the wool is 15–19 cm long. The wool clip from the rams is 4.5–6.5 kg; for ewes it is 3.0–4.5 kg. Between 120 and 130 lambs are born per 100 ewes. Kuchugury sheep are raised in the Voronezh and Kursk oblasts of the RSFSR.