Sheep

The sheep maybe is the most useful domestic animal. The sheep produces milk and people have learnt to make butter, cheese and yoghurt from the milk – all healthy and tasty foods.

The sheep are shorn and we get wool of which are made yarn, blankets and clothes. We use almost everything we can get of the sheep. People eat the meat of the sheep as well as its entrails and even its head. If the sheep hadn’t been tamed, the mankind would have starved and frozen. It is obvious how many goods we get from the sheep.

Nowadays are raised more than one milliard sheep, which produce about 2.5 billion kg wool per year.

The native lands of the sheep are Asian, European and American mountains. Wild species sheep and its relatives still live on the rocky peaks of the Mediterranean islands: the mouflon in Cyprus, the Argali in Central Asia, Siberian bighorn sheep or the snow sheep in Canada.

Nowadays sheep breeds are approximately 150 and they differentiate from their size as well as milk and wool production.

One of the oldest breed domestic sheep is Cigai sheep. From that breed are created different species as coppery Shumenska (Shumen region), blackhead Plevenska (Pleven region), white Dobrudzhanska (Dobrudzha region) and Karnobatska (Karnobat Region).

Very popular are the Russian Karakul sheep. Their lambs have beautiful skin and their wool is curled like small snails. The expensive Astrogan coats and fur caps are made of their wool.

Very valuable are Merino sheep which produce from 10 up to 12 kg high quality wool.

There are breeds which are raised mainly for their meat and they gain up to 130kg and the male sheep (rams) gain up to 150 kg. Another breeds, for example, are Phrygian sheep, it produces high amounts of milk – up to 500lt milk with high fat content per year.

The sheep’s lifespan is from 10 up to 12 years. The sheep gives birth to 1-2 lambs, but some particular species give birth to 2-3 lambs.

The sheep are herbivorous ruminant animals. They are raised in herds. Additionally, they are given salt to lick. They are placid and even a kid can milk them.