Transbaikal Breed

a breed of fine-fleeced sheep that was produced in Chita Oblast from 1927 to 1956. Local coarse-wooled Buriat sheep were crossed with Soviet Merino rams, and later with Precoce Merino and Altai Merino rams.

The sheep are the source of good-quality meat. The rams weigh between 90 and 100 kg; the ewes weigh from 50 to 60 kg. The wool yield from a ram weighs from 8 to 10 kg (maximum yield 14.5 kg) and from a ewe, 5 kg (maximum yield 11 kg). The wool is of 60th to 64th quality (60–64 skeins per pound) and measures from 7 to 8 cm long. The pure wool yield is between 46 and 48 percent. The birthrate for every 100 ewes is 115 to 120 lambs. A valuable characteristic of this breed of sheep is a high frequency of early maturation. The rams are used to improve local coarse-wooled breeds of sheep. Transbaikal sheep are well adapted to year-round grazing in natural pastures of a continental climate. The breed is prevalent in the vicinity of Transbaikalia.