Tushin Sheep

a breed of coarse-wooled sheep raised for their meat and wool. The breed was developed in Georgia in the 13th and 14th centuries by artificial selection of the best forms. The sheep were named after the Tushins, the ethnographic group of Georgians that bred them.

The tails of the sheep are long and fat with a pillow of fat in the upper part; they are thin with a curve in the lower part. The rams weigh 60–70 kg, and the ewes 35–45 kg. The annual wool yield is 4–5 kg from rams and 2.5–3.5 kg from ewes. The wool is white, supple, strong, and shiny. The fleece is collected in wavy braids 12–15 cm long. The fertility rate is 105–110 lambs per 100 ewes. The slaughter yield of fattened animals is 42–47 percent. The meat is very tasty, and cheese is made from the milk. The breed is raised mainly in Georgia.