Top 3 breeds of the largest rams in the world and how much their representatives weigh
Statistics have about 800 varieties of sheep. They differ from each other in appearance, size and shape of the horns. Consider which is the largest ram in size, because this plays a key role for the breeder. Large varieties are distinguished by an impressive fat tail - a bag of fat that accumulates in the back. Animals can gain weight rapidly, regardless of the type of feeding.
Features:
The main characteristic of oversized sheep breeds is that they increase in weight, although they have a poor, monotonous diet. Features of large rams:
- males weight - up to 140 kg, females - up to 100 kg;
- endurance - go without food for up to 7 days;
- live mainly in Asian countries;
- unpretentiousness to living conditions.
Large sheep are divided according to the principle of obtaining the main product into the following categories:
- Meat. Animals gain weight quickly. As a result, farmers have a high level of meat and lard.
- Dairy. After feeding the offspring, lactation in females continues. In its pure form, milk is inferior in quality to cow milk, the products are used to make cheese.
- Woolen. These animals are raised for both wool and meat.
With targeted feeding, the fat tail of sheep reaches an impressive size - up to 30 kg in weight.
The largest sheep breeds
The largest ram in the world, recorded in the US state of Oregon, is on a farm.
Hissar
The Hissar sheep are one of the largest breeds in the world. A young lamb gains 0.5 kg of weight per day. The rapid increase in weight is due to the milk production of sheep. The breed is characterized by endurance. The Hissar sheep travels a distance of up to 500 km, eating only plant foods. The only drawback of this type of ram is the poor quality wool. The minus is offset by a large volume of meat and dairy products.
Description and characteristics:
- the growth of a ram is 85 cm, a sheep is 80 cm;
- male weight - up to 170 kg, female - up to 120 kg;
- strong skeleton;
- large head;
- dense short neck;
- they prefer to eat plants, grass, drink a lot of water in the warm season, in winter they eat cereals, vegetables;
- hump profile.
Hissar rams were bred in Azerbaijan by the selection method.
Kalmyk
The Kalmyk breed of sheep is inferior to the Gissar rams in size. Distinctive features of this species are a large head, lowered ears, a huge fat tail. Description of Kalmyk sheep:
- ram growth - up to 80 cm, sheep - up to 70 cm;
- ram weight - up to 150 kg, sheep - up to 90 kg;
- long limbs;
- endurance;
- meat and lard contain many nutrients, the products are tasty, popular with buyers;
- feed only on the upper parts of the plants.
An interesting feature of Kalmyk sheep is that during grazing, individuals do not gather in a herd, but are dispersed throughout the territory. This allows you to maintain the integrity of the pasture, facilitates the observation of animals.
Edilbaevskaya
This breed comes from Kazakhstan, belongs to the oldest - about 200 years old. The ancestor is a fat-tailed ram, heavy in weight, brought from Astrakhan. Features of Edilbaevsky sheep:
- male growth - up to 85 m, female - up to 75 cm;
- male weight - up to 120 kg, female - up to 70 kg;
- females give birth to offspring 3 times every 1.5-2 years;
- ribs are not felt;
- high milk yield - during lactation, sheep give up to 180 liters of milk.
Edilbaevskaya sheep provides not only high quality meat and lard, but also dense wool, which is usually used for the production of carpets.
Lambs are characterized by rapid growth, but subject to breastfeeding. Already at the age of 5-6 months, they are ready for slaughter.
The largest rams in the wild
In the wild, there are huge breeds of sheep, reaching 200 kg in weight. The largest representatives are argali (argali) and maned ram. The Arkharsk breed is characterized by the following features:
- powerful but slim physique, strength;
- long, powerful limbs, allowing you to climb steep slopes;
- thick and warm fleece;
- the color of the coat on the back is darker;
- good health in any weather, conditions of detention;
- endurance;
- the shade of the coat brightens in the cold period, becomes darker in the summer;
- argali - owners of heavy horns, their weight reaches 35 kg.
Females become sexually mature at 2 years of age, males at 4-5 years of age. Argals are highly fertile, often twins. For the attention and favor of the female rams, they fight with each other using their powerful horns.
Argali horns are often used as a souvenir trophy and are very expensive on the black market. Animals are listed in the Red Book, so hunting for them is prohibited. The maned ram is slightly inferior in size to argali, but it is considered a rather large species in the wild. Animals are found only in North Africa. Description of the breed:
- average height - up to 120 cm;
- weight - up to 140 kg;
- the color of the coat is beige-brown or brownish, on the limbs and abdomen is much lighter than in other areas;
- the length of the horns is up to 80 cm;
- females are significantly inferior in size to males.
An interesting feature of maned rams is that animals can be in a stationary state for a long time (about 3-4 hours) if they feel danger towards themselves.
The largest breeds of domesticated sheep are Gissar, Kalmyk and Edilbaev. They belong to meat varieties according to the type of obtaining the main product, they have a significant fat tail. Its fat is used in cooking and also as a preservative.
