Sheep of the Dagestan mountain breed undergo improvement of milk productivity

The work is carried out with the aim of increasing the MILK productivity of sheep, obtaining rams of a combined direction, combining high fattening, MEAT qualities and obtaining wool of 60-64 quality, while maintaining the characteristics characteristic of the Dagestan mountain breed of sheep, such as adaptability to local climatic conditions, as well as long hauls to summer pastures.

In September 2022, employees of the breeding farm "Agrofirma" Sogratl "together with representatives of the FARC RD, MSHP RD, VNIIOK visited the farm enterprise Nikolaev, in the Krymsky district of the Krasnodar Territory. The purpose of the visit was to get acquainted with the experience of the dairy sheep breeding enterprise. Sheep-producers of the Lakon breed, considered one of the highly productive dairy breeds in the world, were purchased. Currently, the farm is undergoing a lambing campaign.

According to Abdurakhman Churaev, the HEAD of the breeding farm, last summer he, as part of the Dagestan delegation, studied the experience of dairy sheep breeding in the Krasnodar Territory.

In the KFH "Nikolaev" of the Crimean region, which breeds sheep of the Lacon breed, on average, during the lactation period, one ewe gives more than three hundred liters of milk. The milk of these sheep is widely used in the production of famous types of cheeses, such as the French Roquefort and the Spanish Manchego. The Krasnodar farmer has many years of experience with this breed, for which there are many positive reviews. it is also important that these sheep transmit productive qualities well by inheritance.

The Sogratli farm decided to purchase three sires of the Lakon breed. On the basis of the agricultural firm, work was carried out on artificial insemination of about 400 heads of ewes and ewes of the Dagestan mountain breed. Currently, crossbred lambs are born quite viable, more weighty than their counterparts in the Dagestan rock. The young are properly cared for.

Any economic idea is based on a thorough economic analysis. The development of the dairy direction is one of the attempts of this farm to increase the profitability of sheep breeding, given that today the prices of even semi-fine and fine wool do not meet the expectations of livestock breeders.

The average milk production of Lakons during the lactation period varies between 300-400 liters of milk. It is clear that such milk indicators are not expected here in crossbreeds of Lacones with the Dagestan mountain. But at the same time, taking into account the peculiarity of the lacons, it is good to convey dominant qualities, even obtaining crossbred offspring with a 50% indicator of the declared productivity of the progenitor lacon will help the sheep farm to build a decent economy. Another feature of lacons is precocity, that is, they gain weight faster. They are also characterized by an earlier onset of reproductive age.

To achieve the expected economy, a number of requirements must be met. Dairy sheep will be kept in stationary conditions. This indicates the need for serious feed costs. It is planned to organize a project of cultivated pastures on the territory adjacent to the farm, that is, to sow them with alfalfa and other grass mixtures. This will make it possible to graze animals, establish the so-called "green conveyor", that is, a system for the uninterrupted supply of sheep with green fodder during the summer-autumn period. In addition, the presence of a walking area is one of the important conditions for maintaining the HEALTH and productivity of dairy cattle. This is the first part of the plans.

Another part of the intentions is to work taking into account the peculiarities of the Dagestan sheep breeding. There are plans to study the issue of keeping crossbred livestock in alpine meadows rich in herbs, characterized by high fodder value. Attention will be paid to the endurance of hybrids to mountain conditions, their ability to endure long hauls, changes in milk yield and other points. Here they take into account the Soviet experience of the Dagestan scientists of the DagNIISKh in organizing the milking of sheep in subalpine and alpine pastures, using mobile milking machines for 4 and 24 machines in 1979-1983.

In general, as the head of the farm notes, all interesting practical and theoretical developments will be taken into account in the work. The ultimate goal will be to increase the profitability of sheep cheese production, which is now gaining popularity outside the republic. There are preliminary agreements with the Dagestan State Agrarian University, on the basis of which a cheese shop operates with deep processing capabilities.

The leadership of the Republic of Dagestan, specialists from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Dagestan, scientists from the Federal Agrarian Research Center of the Republic of Dagestan and the All-Russian Research Institute of Sheep and Goat Breeding, fellow sheep breeders provide practical and consulting assistance to the farm. There is hope that the success of this initiative will bring practical results and increase the profitability of Dagestan sheep breeding.