Rough-haired breed of sheep, fur coat direction. The breed was bred (1938--1951) in the Nogai district of the Republic of Dagestan in the breeding farm "Chervlenye Buruny". This breed of fine-fleeced sheep was obtained by crossing Merino sheep brought from Australia in 1929 with local New Caucasian and Mazaev sheep. Animals meeting the requirements of the desired type were bred "in themselves". The breed was officially approved in 1950.

Outwardly, the sheep of the Grozny breed are distinguished by a strong constitution, they are perfectly adapted to the conditions of arid steppes and pastures with sparse herbage. Sheep of the Grozny breed are slightly larger and stronger than merinos. The animals are of average size: the height at the withers of the uterus is 59-62 cm, the oblique body length is 63-65 cm and the chest girth is 90-100 cm. This breed of sheep is also characterized by a compact body: the hind legs are brought together at the hocks. The constitution of animals of the Grozny breed is dry and strong, the skeleton is light and strong. Rams are most often horned, the uterus is polled. In 80-90% of sheep, the skin is moderately wrinkled (there are a large number of small folds along the body of the sheep), in rams the skin on the neck forms three large folds, in queens - 1-2 and a well-developed burda. The lower part of the limbs and the front part of the head of animals of this breed are covered with covering hair.

The live weight of queens is on average 48-54 kg, rams - 80-95 kg. Meat productivity is satisfactory. Sheep of the Grozny breed are relatively late maturing.

The coat of animals of this breed is thick, white, very good quality, soft, silky, on 1 cm 2 of the skin of the side there are from 5100 to 11200 wool fibers. Fleece staple structure, closed. The dense, small-square outer staple has a small-board shape, the inner staple is most often cylindrical. The crimp of the wool is distinctly expressed, semicircular and uniform: there are 6-7 coils per 1 cm of the length of the staple. The thickness of the wool in the queens is 64 quality (70-80%) and 70 quality (20-25%), in rams mainly 64-60 quality, and in some animals 58 quality. The predominant length of wool is 8.0-8.5 cm, with fluctuations from 7.5 to 13 cm. The evenness in the staple is very good. The grease is white, sometimes light cream, of good quality. It is poorly soluble in cold water, so the fleece is slightly contaminated in the upper zone.

Wool productivity is high. Shearing wool of queens is 2.5-3.0 kg, rams 6.0-7.5 kg of washed fiber. The yield of washed fiber is 50% or more.

The fertility of queens is 120-140%. The average milk yield of queens for 4.5 months of lactation is about 100 kg.

Due to high breeding values ​​and the ability to improve wool productivity, the Grozny breed of sheep is widely used in areas of fine-fleeced sheep breeding, as well as to increase the shearing and quality of wool of sheep of other fine-fleeced breeds. So, this breed of sheep was used in breeding Altai, Stavropol, South Ural, Transbaikal breeds and South Kazakh merino.

The most productive and typical herds of Grozny sheep are concentrated in the breeding plants "Chervlenye Buruny" of the Republic of Dagestan, "Chernozemelsky" of the Republic of Kalmykia, "Stavropol-Kavkazsky" of the Stavropol Territory.

The Grozny breed of sheep, unlike the Volgograd breed, was bred in order to produce high-quality wool and rich shearing. These sheep belong to fine-fleece breeds, and Grozny individuals are considered to be among the most valuable in this segment.

The arid steppes, which became the first home for the Grozny sheep, made them hardy and not whimsical for walking in semi-desert areas. The goal was set: to develop a breed of strong animals, with high-quality wool, which they will give in large volumes, but still have a large live weight.

From the name of the breed it becomes clear that the sheep is directly related to the Dagestan Republic. And indeed, the breed was bred there, although this breed has an admixture of foreign blood. Australian merinos were chosen for crossing with ewes of the Novokavkazskaya breed. It is worth noting that Australian merinos were used for the same purposes as the Grozny breed - obtaining high-quality wool.

Australian animals took a long time to adapt to the desert landscape, and this made the work quite difficult. The process of crossing began in the late 20s and ended in the 50s of the twentieth century. By this time, the goal was achieved, but the breed was further improved to produce animals with even better weight indicators. When creating the Stavropol and Altai breeds, Grozny sheep were used.

Grozny sheep are still bred in the arid zones of the Dagestan steppes, in Ingushetia and Kalmykia, in the Astrakhan region and the Stavropol Territory.

Despite the fact that Grozny sheep are of medium size (height from 60 cm at the withers) and have a thin skeleton, their physique and constitution are remarkable for their remarkable strength. At the hocks, the legs come together. Rams have pronounced horns, while queens have no horns.

The entire body of the sheep is covered with small folds, and on the neck there are 1-2 folds for the queens, and for rams - 3. The uterus weighs from 45 to 55 kg, and the rams from 80 to 95 kg. The meat productivity of the Grozny breed of sheep is low, since this was a secondary goal in breeding the breed.

Particular attention should be paid to the wool of these animals. On the head and limbs they have coarse hair, and the stomach has thick long hair. The wool of Grozny sheep is soft, it is white and thick and of high quality, the length can reach 13 cm. They have a dense fleece, semicircular and uniform crimp.

Most queens have a wool quality of 64, but sometimes 70, and rams have a quality of 60-64, but sometimes 58. Due to high-quality grease, the fleece is less polluted. It is worth noting that in non-breeding individuals, the quality of the fleece is much lower, as is the evenness of the wool along the length.

The wool shearing of the Grozny breed, of course, is high: on average, about 7 kg for queens (up to 8 kg) and 15-16 kg for rams (up to 18 kg). Pure fiber at the output is from 40 to 50%.

The queens give good fertility rates - 130-140 lambs per hundred queens, however, the breed does not differ in precocity and only by 3.5 years the offspring fully grows. Five months of lactation will give about 100 liters of milk, which is a good indicator of milk yield.

Grozny sheep are also valued for their high breeding values. Due to this quality, they are widely used to improve the wool productivity of other breeds. Work is still underway to improve the ability to transfer high quality wool.

(wool breeds of sheep of the fine-fleeced direction of productivity). It was bred in the breeding farm "Chervlenye Buruny" of the Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic. The breed was approved in 1950. Previously, Novokavkazsky and Mazaev sheep with long sparse wool and a large amount of lard were bred here. The yield of washed wool rarely exceeded 25-27%. Animals often had an overdeveloped constitution and a vicious exterior.

In 1929, 5,000 Merino sheep were brought into the farm from Australia. These sheep were characterized by long wool and excellent quality of grease, which ensured a high yield of washed fiber (up to 45-48%). But Australian sheep had a low body weight. Simultaneously with purebred breeding, Australian merinos were crossed with queens of the local breed. A careful selection of desirable animals was then carried out in the Australian type. The work was supervised by livestock specialists A. Ya. Pankov, S. I. Bryzgalov, A. A. Dylkin and others.

They differ from Australian Merinos in their large mass, better body shapes and stronger constitution; their body is somewhat shortened, compact; the skeleton is relatively thin, but strong, the belly is well covered with fleece. The lower part of the limbs and the front part of the head are covered with covering hair. The fleece is dense, well closed, equalized in the staple and along the fleece. Sheep are comparatively late maturing. The uterus is polled, the rams have well-developed horns. In terms of the productivity of washed wool per 1 kg of live weight, they occupy one of the first places among fine-fleeced sheep. Fertility is good, on average, about 120-140 lambs are produced from 100 queens.

The minimum productivity indicators for class I queens are as follows: live weight 40 kg, wool shear 6 kg, including washed 2.6 kg, wool length 7.5 cm. 5-8 kg, and from rams - 10-16 kg. The best queens produce up to 15 kg of wool, rams - up to 23 kg with a washed fiber yield of 40-48%. Such a high yield is due to the presence of very good quality tallow in the wool, although in a small amount. The live weight of queens is 50-52 kg. Some sheep of the Grozny breed have a weak density and poor uniformity of wool in length and thickness. Grozny sheep are well inherited, so they are widely used in herds of other breeds to improve wool and fat quality.

This group includes the following breeds: Soviet merino, Askanian, Caucasian, Altai, Grozny, Stavropol, Salsk, Azerbaijani mountain merino, South Kazakh merino, North Kazakh merino, Prekos, Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Transbaikal, Vyatka, South Ural, Dagestan, Georgian fine-fleece fat-tailed , Krasnoyarsk, Kazakh Arkharomerino, Volgograd.

It was bred (1929-1950) in the Chervlenye Buruny breeding farm, located in the extremely arid zone of the Nogai steppes of the Republic of Dagestan. When creating the breed, purebred Australian merinos were used, imported in 1929 from Australia, as well as the fine-fleeced uterus of the Novokavkazka and Mazaev types that were available on the farm, which were crossed with Australian rams.

Animals meeting the requirements of the desired type were bred "in themselves".

In appearance, the sheep of the Grozny breed are similar to the Australian merino, but somewhat larger and stronger; they are of medium size, compact body, satisfactory conformation (the hind legs are brought together at the hocks), strong dry constitution, light and strong bones. Rams, as a rule, are horned, the uterus is polled.

The bulk of sheep (80-90%) is characterized by moderate skin folding, which forms three large folds on the neck of rams, 1-2 folds and a well-developed furrow on the neck of queens; on the body of the sheep a large number of small folds (wrinkles).

The height at the withers of the queens is 59-62 cm, the oblique body length is 63-65 cm and the chest girth is 90-100 cm. The average live weight of the queens is 48-54 kg, rams - 80-95 kg. Meat productivity is satisfactory.

The wool is thick, white, of very good quality, soft, silky, there are from 5100 to 11200 wool fibers per 1 cm 2 of the side skin. Fleece staple structure, closed. The outer staple is dense, small-square and fine-grained.

The inner staple is mostly cylindrical. The tortuosity is semicircular, uniform and distinctly expressed. There are 6-7 twists per 1 cm of staple length. The thickness of the wool in the queens is 64 quality (70-80%) and 70 quality (20-25%), in rams mainly 64-60 quality, and in some animals 58 quality. The prevailing coat length is 8.0-8.5 cm, with fluctuations from 7.5 to 13 cm.

The evenness in the staple is very good. The grease is white, sometimes light cream, of good quality. It is poorly soluble in cold water, so the fleece is slightly contaminated in the upper zone. Overgrown with fleece hair of the head to the line of the eyes and limbs to the carpal and hock joints. The overgrowth of the belly is good, the hair on it is quite long and thick.

Wool productivity is high. Shearing wool of queens is 2.5-3.0 kg, rams 6.0-7.5 kg of washed fiber. The yield of washed fiber is 50% or more.

The fertility of queens is 120-140%. The average milk yield of queens for 4.5 months of lactation is about 100 kg.

Grozny sheep, due to their high breeding qualities and the ability to improve wool productivity, are widely used in areas of fine-wool sheep breeding to increase the shear and quality of wool of sheep of other fine-wool breeds. This breed of sheep was used in the breeding of the Altai, Stavropol, South Ural, Transbaikal breeds and South Kazakh merino.

The most productive and typical herds of Grozny sheep are concentrated in the breeding plants "Chervlenye Buruny" of the Republic of Dagestan, "Chernozemelsky" of the Republic of Kalmykia, "Stavropol-Kavkazsky" of the Stavropol Territory.

The history of the creation of the Groznenskaya sheep breed begins in 1929, when in Dagestan for crossing with local unproductive sheep of the Novokavkazskaya and Mazaevskaya breeds, with long but sparse wool and a large amount of lard. The output of washed wool in these breeds often did not exceed - 25-27%. Native sheep often had an overdeveloped constitution and a vicious exterior. So, a breeding herd of 5 thousand Australian Merinos was brought to the sheep of these breeds, which had long wool and excellent quality of grease, providing a high yield of washed fiber up to - 45-48%, but had a low live weight. Australian Merinos were supposed to increase the quality and quantity of sheared wool in crossbred sheep, while it is desirable that they have a fairly high live weight. The problems in breeding a new breed were the difficult adaptation of the Australian Merino to the conditions of the Dagestan semi-desert pastures, and in addition, the breeding herd arrived in Australia from 34 unrelated farms without a single genetic line. After twenty years of hard breeding work, the Grozny breed of sheep received an official status, but work to improve the breed continues to this day, so at the end of the twentieth century, the Kalmyk and Nogai factory types of the Grozny breed of sheep were obtained, characterized by a better physique and heavier weight. .

The Grozny breed of sheep is distinguished by a strong constitution, a rather powerful physique with an average overall size. In appearance, the Grozny sheep are very similar to the Australian Merino, but somewhat larger and stronger. The height at the withers of the Grozny breed of sheep is 60-62 cm, the oblique body length is 63-65 cm, and the chest girth is 90-100 cm. Their skeleton is thin, but at the same time quite strong, the body is shortened and covered with a large number of small folds , on the neck from one to three large transverse folds in rams, and up to two folds in queens with a well-developed burda. The hind legs are close at the hocks. Sheep of the Grozny breed are polled; Grozny rams have large developed horns. Their head, like their legs, is covered with hard hair, and the lower part of the body, that is, the belly, is covered with thick fleece. The wool of the Grozny sheep is white, of very good quality, quite thick, and at the same time very soft and silky, on - 1 sq. see the skin of the sides accounts for from - 5100 to - 11200 wool fibers. The length of the wool reaches - 8.5-10 cm, sometimes it can be up to - 13 cm. The fleece is well balanced and quite dense. The grease is white, sometimes light cream, of good quality. It is poorly soluble in cold water, so the fleece is slightly contaminated in the upper zone. Overgrown with fleece hair of the head to the line of the eyes and limbs to the carpal and hock joints.

On average, sheep of the Grozny breed are sheared up to -7.5-8 kg, from Grozny rams up to - 10-16 kg, while the yield of pure wool is about 50% for sheep, and slightly less for rams - 47-48%. On average, for a breeding herd, the yield of wool can be up to - 15 kg for ewes and up to - 23 kg for rams. At the same time, the fineness of the wool is in the range of 64-70 classes. The Grozny breed among fine-fleeced sheep is considered the leader in the yield of washed wool per - 1 kg of live weight, this is due to the rather high quality of fat.

Grozny sheep have an average live weight of about 49-55 kg, in Grozny rams these figures vary within the range of 80-95 kg. The fertility of the Grozny breed is quite high - 100 ewes account for up to - 130-145 lambs. Grozny breed of sheep, rather late maturing, the final maturation of the young occurs only to - 3.5 years. At the same time, in terms of meat productivity, Grozny sheep are considered a fairly good breed. For 5 months of lactation, the milk yield of Grozny sheep reaches - 100 liters.

The main breeding herds of the Grozny breed of sheep are located in Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan, as well as in Kalmykia and in the southern zone of Russia.

The advantages of the breed include a very high quality fleece and a strong constitution. Grozny sheep are perfectly adapted to the arid conditions of semi-desert pastures. They perfectly inherit their qualities to offspring, for this reason they are often used to create new breeds. So, when using the Grozny breed of sheep, such breeds as Stavropol, Trans-Baikal, Altai, South Ural, South Kazakh Merino were created.

The disadvantages of the breed include a rather average, small size of sheep, and in non-breeding flocks one can observe insufficient evenness of wool in terms of fineness and length, as well as insufficient fleece density.