Merinos are rightly considered the best wool sheep. Merino sheep have the finest wool, soft to the touch, widely used in the textile industry. The breed is a fine-fleece breed; the animal's hairs are much thinner than human hair and fit tightly together, forming a thick fleece. There are no difficulties in caring for and maintaining merino sheep, and sheep products, due to their demand, quickly pay for themselves.
Origin of the breed
Merino is a breed created through selective breeding in the 13th century in the Kingdom of Spain. The breed was created by crossing sheep brought from the Middle East and North Africa. Merinos were considered a national treasure; in the 18th century, the royal authorities introduced a strict ban on the export of valuable animals outside the state, and disobedience was punishable by death.
By the end of the 18th century, when the Spanish kingdom was weakened by the war with Britain, the ban was lifted. And immediately they began to transport sheep to other countries. In each country, Merinos were bred with representatives of local breeds in order to obtain individuals with the best characteristics. This is how the breed acquired many varieties.
Nowadays there are the following varieties of merino:
- Australians are medium-sized sheep, characterized by high wool. One ram produces 10-12 kg of fleece.
- Electoral is a Spanish variety. The advantage of the breed is its ultra-fine wool, the disadvantage is that the sheep are picky about their living conditions.
- Negretti are sheep of German selection. The body is covered with folds, due to which productivity is higher. But the quality of the fleece is not as high as that of its Australian counterparts.
- Ramboulier is a French variety. Animals are distinguished by long hair and good health.
- Mazaevsky Merinos are hardy sheep, adapted to the climatic conditions of our country. They were bred in the 19th century by the Russian breeder Mazaev. The disadvantage of the breed is a weak skeleton.
- The New Caucasian type of merino is the result of crossing Mazaevsky and French sheep. Animals have strong immunity and soft-to-touch fur.
- The Soviet type is the result of the mating of New Caucasian and French Merinos. The variety is popular among Volga, Ural, and Siberian farmers.
Characteristics and description of the breed
Merino is a strong animal with a strong skeleton, harmonious physique, and correct placement of limbs. The ram's head is decorated with spirally twisted, hollow inside horns. Some varieties have folds of skin on the neck and chest.
Merino wool is white, but the grease released makes it yellowish. The hairs are the finest (15-25 microns), reach a length of 8-9 cm in males, 7.5-8.5 cm in females, and are densely adjacent to each other. The fur completely covers the body, only the muzzle is bare. In a year, 10-12 kg of fleece are obtained from a male (record - 28 kg), from a female - 6-7 kg (record - 9.5 kg).
Why is Merino sheep wool considered elite?
Merino wool is expensive, but one of the most sought after in textile production. It produces a delicate yarn that retains heat and is pleasant to the touch. The fibers of the fabric are flexible and springy, so they do not trap dirt. And the substances contained in sheep wool act as antiseptics.
The production is almost waste-free. 1 kg of wool produces 1 kg of fiber. The softness of wool fibers is 3 times higher than silk, and the elasticity is 5 times higher than cotton. Merino products are popular because:
- do not prick the skin;
- do not absorb sweat and odors;
- do not absorb moisture;
- allow air to pass through;
- do not chill the body in winter, do not make you sweat in summer;
- easy to wash;
- do not become a breeding ground for pathogenic microorganisms;
- do not cause an allergic reaction;
- easy to paint;
- serve for a long time without losing quality.
There are known cases of the positive effect of woolen products on human health; they relieve pain from rheumatism and radiculitis.
Advantages and disadvantages
Requirements for maintenance and care
Merinos are not capricious in care and maintenance. A dry, ventilated room is used as a stable, warm in the winter months, cool in the summer. There should be no drafts. You can leave the dirt floor, you can make clay or plank flooring. A pen is built against the leeward wall of the building. In areas where the winter is frosty, an insulated structure with a canopy is built in the middle - a greenhouse, where the temperature should be +12 °C.
The norm of space for an adult sheep is 2 m2, per female – 1.5 m2, for a uterus with a lamb – 2.5 m2, per cub – 0.8-1 m2.
Merinos are sheared once a year, in the spring. For cutting, a platform with a side of 1.5 m is built and covered with thick oilcloth. During the day before the procedure, the animals are kept on a hunger strike and are not even allowed to drink, otherwise shearing can lead to intestinal rupture. Do not cut wet wool, it must dry. During shearing, the sheep should not lie belly up. The wool is carefully removed as a whole fleece.
Merino sheep are bathed 2 times a year: 3 weeks after spring shearing and in the summer. Choose a warm day for swimming. Sheep are driven through a dug 10-meter trench with a gentle exit, filled with a disinfectant solution. The water level should not be higher than the animal's neck. Some farms use shower units to disinfect sheep.
Sheep's hooves are regularly cleaned, dirt accumulations are picked out from the grooves, and the horny part is trimmed with pruning shears 4 times a year, being careful not to touch living tissue. Do not touch the hooves of queens in late pregnancy; they may have a miscarriage due to stress.
Sheep diet
In the spring months, sheep eat grass, feed concentrates, hay, and salt rock is a suitable source of minerals. Silage cannot be given. In summer, the diet is similar, only the portion of grass is increased and the portion of concentrated feed is reduced. In the fall, the sheep are given the remaining grass and hay, and salt and vegetables are added to the diet. In winter, animals eat hay, high-quality silage, mixed feed, vegetables and root crops, and lick a salt stone.
A lamb left without a mother is fed cow's or goat's milk with vitamin supplements for up to 3 months.
Merinos are grazed from spring to late autumn. Grazing rules are indicated in the table.
| Spring | begins at the end of April, when the grass is higher than 8 cm, and the dew dries quickly from the morning sun, otherwise the wool will get wet, begin to rot, and the sheep will catch a cold |
| Summer | animals are driven out at dawn, the flock is kept in the shade from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and grazing continues until 10 p.m. |
| Autumn | sheep are grazed from 6 am to noon, then sent under a shed, grazing continues from 4 pm until dusk |
Features of reproduction
For mating, the time is chosen so that the offspring are born in early spring, when there is no longer cold weather and the grass is high enough. Cases occur in Merinos that have reached 2 years of age. The couple is left in a fenced place for 2 days. If the covering does not happen, then the mating is repeated after half a month. To solve breeding problems, artificial insemination is practiced; sheep sperm is injected with a veterinary syringe into the female’s vagina.
The uterus gives birth 20-22 weeks after fertilization. It is advisable to have a veterinarian present. Usually, childbirth in Merinos is problem-free, but sometimes you have to rupture the amniotic sac with your hands and remove the baby. After 15-20 minutes, the lamb gets to its feet and looks for its mother’s udder.
Frequent illnesses
Merino sheep are hardy and rarely get sick. They are sensitive only to dampness. If you keep them in a damp room and take them out onto dewy grass, then colds are inevitable. With poor quality care during the warm period, parasitic insects settle in the thick wool of sheep, so farmers have to constantly carry out preventive and therapeutic measures: bathe animals, use disinfectants.
Overgrown sheep hooves are susceptible to rotting. Prevention - regular change of bedding, cleaning of the barn. It is recommended to give sheep foot baths with a 15% salt solution every week.
Merino breeding business
Sheep farming is a profitable occupation. Merino wool costs a decent amount and will always be in demand. In addition to wool, you can sell the meat of young animals, it is tasty and tender.
How much merino wool can be sold for depends on the country where the manufacturer is located. The lowest prices in the CIS countries.In Australia and Western countries, where purchasing power is higher, wool is expensive and considered premium. One 50-gram skein will cost $15; for a wool blanket you will have to pay from $50 to $250. But the price matches the quality.
